I want to see if I understand the Backup & Restore tool properly


  1. koesherbacon
    Posts : 1
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64 & OS X
       New #1

    I want to see if I understand the Backup & Restore tool properly


    Hello everyone, I'm brand new to the forums and primarily a Mac OS X user, so bare with me.

    My wife has a BootCamp partition with Windows 7 on our iMac because she needs to use a piece of software that is only available for Window for a part-time home-business we have. Our BootCamp partition of Windows 7 works perfectly fine, but we're upgrading our hard drive to a larger one.

    Now I'm familiar with and have used Time Machine to backup and restore an installation of OS X before, but have never backed up and reinstalled Windows.

    From what I understand, it's simple to do this in Windows 7 using the Backup & Restore feature. But, before I do it, I want to make sure I understand how it's done so I don't screw it up!

    • I first Backup the installation to a USB HDD formatted to NTFS by selecting "Create a System Image".
    • This will backup everything: our programs, users, and files. The backed up programs will remain registered so we don't need to find all of our registration numbers.
    • Then, I replace the HDD, install & Restore OS X, and do all the BootCamp jazz. Now I have a blank partition on the HDD, which is ready for Windows.
    • ...Now comes the part I'm unsure about...
    • I put in the Windows 7 installation disk with the USB I backed up to plugged in.
    • I install Windows 7 like normal
    • I open Backup & Restore on the newly installed Windows 7
    • I select Restore and follow the instructions, which will have an option for restore from the System Image
    • The restore process will take place
    • And at the end I have the exact same Windows 7 with the same programs, users, and flies installed. The programs will remain registered, so I do not have to hunt down all my registration numbers.


    Is that correct? Am I missing something? Is there another way to do this that will save some steps?
    The most important thing I need to have backed up and restored is the piece of software she uses with all her information restored as though nothing ever happened, with the software still registered. We can download it again without much hassle but finding that registration number will be a pain in the butt since we'll have to go through her entire gMail to find it!

    To save use a ton of frustration, we need Windows 7 and all its programs and files to be restored completely, and work as though we never did anything.

    I hope some of you can shed some light on this topic for me. Thank you very much!
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  3. bigmck
    Posts : 4,751
    Windows 7 Home Premium 32-Bit - Build 7600 SP1
       New #2

    A more reliable software is Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download It is free and has never failed me. I have restored quite a few times and it has always worked. It is very easy to use. Give it a try.
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  4. kado897
    Posts : 10,455
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Service Pack 1
       New #3

    I don't know anything about bootcamp so things may be different but the procedure should be much simpler. You don't need to reinstall Windows. Follow this tutorial. System Image Recovery
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