Windows 7: Question about system Recovery Disk

I am making system image backups on my laptop running windows 7 home preimium. I created a system recovery Disk. Each month I plan on making another system image. Do I have to make a system recovery disk each time i make a new image?

thanks
robin

nope

Hello, robin;

If I understand your question correctly ... no. The "System Recovery Disk" is a tool to access utilities with a CD the same way you can use the Install DVD. You only need one (or two). The System Recovery Disk does not hold any backups or images.

Repair CD - System Repair Disk

Cheers!
Robert

You can burn those recovery DVDs only once. But if you want to make an image every month, I suggest this: http://www.sevenforums.com/software/...e-macrium.html

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Let's be clear. When you say "System Recovery" is this the option to burn your own DVD's - essentially duplicating the recovery partition - so you can return the system to factory fresh condition? If so you do that once and save those disks for a rainy day. Making your own images at monthly intervals is different in that you can restore the system to the way it was when the image was created instead of the factory fresh condition. Images are a much better way to go since they preserve the changes/updates you make to the system and your data going forward. System Recovery is a remedy of last resort because you lose all the system changes and sometimes the data as well.

Regarding using an image program, there is usually an option to create a boot CD which is needed to restore an image. You only need to make that boot CD once. The images themselves can be burned on to CD/DVD or written to external hard disks (much faster).

Victek:

I assume he is talking about the boot disk for the imaging program.

As an aside for users of Macrium Reflect Free Edition: you MUST make a boot disk. Otherwise, you CANNOT restore an image. The paid version does not have this restriction. I think other imaging programs have various requirements.

Which reminds me:

For imaging programs in general (Macrium Reflect Free, Acronis, etc): Is it necessary to make a new boot disk periodically???

Imagine this scenario:

January 2010: I download Macrium Reflect Free, make a boot disk, and an image of C.

Over the next 2 years, Macrium releases various updates and new editions of the program.

January 2012: I download and install the newest version.

January 2013: I have a system failure and attempt to restore the image made in Jan 2010 using the boot disk made in Jan 2010.

Will it fail because the disk was not made with the Jan 2012 version of Macrium???

I am guessing it will work, assuming the boot disk has not itself deteriorated, but would like better insight or confirmation.

If it works, does that mean that the boot disk is effectively a self-contained version of the 2010 version of the program--and in fact would work even if Macrium was not on my PC in 2013---all I would need is the boot disk and the 2010 image file?

Or does the boot disk still interact with and require a version of Macrium in order to restore? If so, what version in this scenario?

I think the only person that can answer that is Doc Brown.

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That's a good question. I think it depends on what changes are implemented in an imaging program over the years. It's possible that images made with a newer version of a program would be unreadable by older versions, similar to new versions of MS Office documents. It seems prudent to make a new boot disk with every major program release. As you noted the CD/DVD media itself deteriorates over time and you don't want to find out the disc is unreadable when you actually need to use it. I don't use Macrium so can't give you a specific answer, but I should think the developer can.

Macrium recommends to make a new recovery disk when you install a new release.

Hey everyone,

I'm new in this forum. It's nice to be here.

I'm planning to buy a new Toshiba laptop with Windows 7-Home Premium-64.

I would appreciate if anyone could tell me whether in the Windows 7 Home Premium edition MS has included the Recovery CD option and the Image Backup option.

At the moment I'm running Win Vista Home Premium, and as you all know these options are not included.

Thanks in advance.

TrDo.