Performing 1st Image Backup

I suggest you practice with a small 2GB partition Here are some tutorials:

Imaging with free Macrium

copiman said:

This is what I think, not what I know:
I need to create a partition on my external HDD that is the size of the hard drive I will be creating the image from.

No.

I wouldn't use Windows built-in imaging capability.

Good idea that you are practicing. Do it several times if need be so that you are familiar with the menu choices that pop up.

The external drive must have at least one partition to be usable at all--just like any other drive. You don't need to create any special partition just because you are going to store an image on the external.

You need enough space on the external drive to store the image file. That's all. It's just a file. You can store it in with pictures of your cat if you want to--in the same folder on the same partition. I'd store it in a folder named "images".

How much space do you need? If you are using Macrium, you'd need roughly half the occupied space of the partitions that you are imaging. If you are imaging C and C is a 500 GB partition with 100 occupied, you'd need roughly 50 GB of free space on the external to store the image file. Maybe 40, maybe 60.

You need to CONFIRM that the restore/recovery media you make will in fact boot your PC. Don't assume it will. Find out.

I'd avoid incremental images--just make full images periodically.

I'd never assume imaging will work as expected. Know what you will do if it fails completely.

I'd probably use another backup method for personal data as opposed to Windows itself.

Make sure you make an image file of ALL necessary partitions. On a typical system, an image of C alone would not be enough to restore Windows. You need to also image any partition marked as "system". That might be a "System Reserved" partition or some other, depending on the whims of whoever manufactured the PC.

If it turns out you need to image more than 1 partition, you can make a single image file of all necessary partitions or you can make individual image files, each representing a single partition. Your choice.

You don't need to create any particular size partition to put your image on. I have a Macrium Image done automatically every week. The images just go one behind the other on one partition of a separate hard drive. For better organization you should have you Win 7 and programs on one partition and you documents, pictures, etc on a separate partition. This way you can restore your OS if you need and not mess up your Documents, etc.

Yes, however, the restore process probably will be a little more geekier than a normal restore. With the normal target "road-signs" gone, you will have to "tell" Macrium which image to restore where. I have not done that type of restore in awhile, so, I cannot remember the keystrokes right now.

copiman said:

Thanks again for everyone's input. I was able to use Macrium to create a system image. Removed a couple of programs (Adobe Reader and Google Chrome) from the laptop. Reinstalled the image and Adobe and Chrome was there. I have the boot CD created with Macrium and it will boot the laptop.

I would like to simulate a hard drive replacement. Could I create an image, reformat the laptop HDD, boot from the CD made in Macrium, and reinstall the image?

When I got my SSD, I installed the image from my HDD, as you are going to do in your test. I do not recall any strange things that happened. It just went as any other Restore Image would do. It is good that you are keeping an image. The day will come when your HDD will die and you will be glad you have the image.