Do I need a system image?

1. A seperate partition for the user data is always advisable. Here is one way of doing it: Data Partition

The other way (which I use now) is to create new folders for Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos on this other partition. Then right click on each folder and INCLUDE it into the appropriate library. Then move your stuff into those folders - make sure you move only YOUR folders and not the ones that were created by the system or programs.

2. I gues you talk about the recovery partition (what you call system image). That does the same as the installation disc. But if you are in trouble in a year or two fom now, you really don't want to use either one of them for recovering your system. That will take 3 days to reinstall all the updates from the meantime, to reinstall your programs and to tune the system..

What you want to do is your own images. If you make one once per week (of the system and the data partitions), then you can lose a maximum of one weeks worth of work of you have to recover and the recovery will only take about 20 minutes.

Here is a tutorial on how to do imaging and recovery. Imaging with free Macrium

tpann said:

Hello,

My hard drive went belly up last week and I just got a replacement from WD and got Windows 7 Pro installed and I'm back up and running.

I'm going to partition my hard drive. When I originally purchased the computer the vendor had included a system image on a separate partition.

Do I need to do that? I don't actually completely understand what they're for but I BELIEVE they do the same thing as sticking the Windows 7 disk in and re-installing. If I have the Windows 7 disk and plan to not lose it, then can't I just plan to use that if something goes wrong?

If it is advisable that I create a separate partition, I would appreciate a link to a good tutorial or just a good explanation or something.

Thank you!
Tim

Recovery partition is for "going back to factory settings". It will make your laptop in same state as you bought it. So with win7, activated, all drivers, much bloatware

You know how to install win7 and activate it using COA sticker? You know where to find drivers and how to install them? Most important is networkdriver so you can connect to internet. Windows update will install most other drivers you need (check device manager for errors/missing stuff). Bloatware you don't want them for sure. Look on manufacturer website or on recovery partition for a driver folder or applications folder. Install what you want

A system image made with Macrium as WHS stated is a good idea. Storing it on the same drive as your w7 is not however. If the drive goes bad you image is gone too.