System Image Question

I made a System Image of my desktop's 120Gb "C" drive using Win7. I have an SSD "C" Drive with the entire drive being a single partition. I backed it up to an internal 500Gb "E" HDD.
The Image Folder created on the "E" drive had 2 VHD (virtual hard disk) files. The first VHD was 42Gb in size which is about the used space of my SSD. The second VHD was about 40Mb. It also created 11 XML files. I checked a friends desktop with SSD with a single partition "C" drive and it also had 2 VHD files (one large and one small).

I also created a System Image of my second desktop computer that a 500Gb HDD. This time it created only a single VHD file plus the 11 XML files.

Question 1=>Why is Win7 creating 2 VHD Image files on SSD equipped computers that have only a single "C" partition, whereas it creates only 1 VHD on a HDD equipped computers?

Question 2=>What are all the XML files created?

Question 3=> On the SSD computers how do you do a Win7 Restore when you have 2 VHD files, one large and one small, both created on the same backup date?

Question 1=>Why is Win7 creating 2 VHD Image files on SSD equipped computers that have only a single "C" partition, whereas it creates only 1 VHD on a HDD equipped computers?

The smaller vhd is almost certainly for a system reserved partition. If the SSD has only one partition then it is possible that the system reserved resides on another drive and you are actually booting through that. If this is the case it isn't a good idea. If your SSD has only partition is it active? and if you disconnect all other drives does your computer boot.

You could also provide a full disk management screen shot.

Question 2=>What are all the XML files created?

Possibly only MS knows these details.

Question 3=> On the SSD computers how do you do a Win7 Restore when you have 2 VHD files, one large and one small, both created on the same backup date?

Like you normally would.
System Image Recovery

mjf said:

Question 1=>Why is Win7 creating 2 VHD Image files on SSD equipped computers that have only a single "C" partition, whereas it creates only 1 VHD on a HDD equipped computers?

The smaller vhd is almost certainly for a system reserved partition. If the SSD has only one partition then it is possible that the system reserved resides on another drive and you are actually booting through that. If this is the case it isn't a good idea. If your SSD has only partition is it active? and if you disconnect all other drives does your computer boot.

You are correct!
I went into Disk Management on my SSD computer and noticed my "C" drive did in fact have a small System Reserve Partition whereas on my HDD computer it does not. I built both computers and single-partitioned each ones "C" drives, but I guess with an SSD a System Reserve Partition must automatically be added. I assume that with a SSD Restore it allows me to select both VHD files to Restore.

After reading about a System Reserve Partition, I recall one additional difference between my SSD & HDD computers. The one with the HDD (no System Reserve) was installed with an early version of WIN7 Home Premium then updated to SP1. The one with the SSD was installed with a later version of WIN7SP1 Home Premium directly. Perhaps the auto-creation of a Reserve Portion may reside there if not due to the SSD vs HDD.


Thanks

If you install Windows 7 to a drive (SSD or HDD) with no existing partitions Windows install will create a system reserved (typ 100MB) along with the OS as a separate partition. If you install to a drive with one existing primary partition and point the installer there you get no system reserved partition.

The system reserved is mainly of value if you use BitLocker and is a neater way to go if you multiboot.