Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

Ok. I've just finished installing Windows 7 on a Vista laptop. It now has a clean install, all the drivers in place and antivirus software. So I want to make a system image.

Just a couple of questions I haven't seen mentioned: sorry if I'm being stupid!

1) I have antivirus software installed. Should I remove this before making the system image? (I can't quite work out - if you messed up your system and reinstalled from system image - what would happen if you reinstalled an old antivirus program that was out of date eg.)

2) Should I install Adobe reader and Flash before doing the system image. Or

3) Should I just make the image barebones - ie with fully updated Windows 7 and drivers in place?

I leave my AV in place when I do a system image. (I create a new image once a week and keep four weeks worth of images on my external hard drive. So the AV is never outdated by more than a month.) Whenever I've used one of those system images the AV automatically prompts that it's outdated and asks if I'd like to update. As soon as I click "yes" it does the update in just a couple of minutes (the 4 week old image may take a minute or two longer to update.)

If you use a system image that doesn't have any AV installed, you're eventually going to have to go online to download your AV of choice. That puts your computer at risk. I think even 4 week old protection is better than nothing at all.

Ok, thanks for that info!

should not make a difference leaving the Anti-virus or any other program. All it should do is next time it runs an update check [all things being equal] should update with the latest definitions and engines.

Thanks. Well my attempts at making a system image didn't work. First I tried to do it on discs - but sftaer wasting 5 discs, I called it a day - it seemed to just be starting again on each disc installed (ie repeating the first 4gb each time).

So then I thought I'd do it on a 32gb usb stick. And it told me I couldn't use that. So does that mean the only way to make a system image is on a portable hard drive?

See this Microsoft article. It says you cannot use a flash drive to save a system image. I think Microsoft is saying you can't use the native Windows 7 imaging tool and save to a flash drive. You could probably use a 3rd party software like Macrium, Paragon, EaseUs Todo, etc and have them work on a flash drive.

Where should I save my backup?