Question about system images

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  1. Posts : 637
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #81

    I only want to periodically make images of my entire system including everything i would need to restore from a bad malware infection.



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  2. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #82

    You certainly don't need any of it for imaging purposes.

    You'd need only Macrium and a bootable recovery disk.

    Just save your images directly on that external. Don't divide the external into multiple partitions--no need for that. Just keep track of your various images by use of a folder structure. Such as put an image you make today in a folder called 051714 signifying today's date. Whatever makes sense to you.

    You might be able to find out the purpose of those programs on the WD web site, but I certainly don't see why you need them. I'd guess they are all related to supposedly helping you with backup, but you've already got that covered.

    Don't forget to make an image of that small "system reserved" partition if you have one, along with C.
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  3. Posts : 637
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #83

    I just want to use the version for idiots , where even a cave man can do it . I am still learning but if i have a system image on the passport why do i need a recovery disc?

    I am also the only person who will ever have access to it , i see this comes with a lot of security features but i am unsure of the kind needed to protect malware from accessing the drive . I don't need security for other people attempting to use it.
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  4. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #84

    If you want to make your life easy, just make full images of all partitions from time to time. I recommend you use free Macrium because that is easy to use, reliable and has never failed me.

    I keep my user data in a seperate partition and image the OS (including the 100MB system partition) and the data partition whenever some significant changes were made to those partitions. Sometimes once per week, other times in longer periods - it all depends on the changes that occured.

    The backup programs that come with the external disks I would not trust. I know that some do not work and others have restrictions. It is better to rely on a proven program like Macrium. But if you happen to have Acronis or Paragon, those are good too. Just a bit more complicated to use. AOMEI Backupper is another easy to use program. It works well in 64 bit but I could not make it to work on my 32bit system.

    Btw: It is true that I use 12 disks for images - external and internal disks (in case of the desktops). But that is for 7 PCs that are in 3 different locations thousands of miles apart. If all those PCs were in the same location, I would have consolidated the amount of disks for images. The fastest disks I use are 1TB SSHDs attached via USB3 and, of course, the internal HDDs. And the external disks are usually disconnected when not in use.
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  5. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #85

    jonnyhillow said:
    if i have a system image on the passport why do i need a recovery disc?
    You appear to misunderstand what you have on the passport.

    If you are using Macrium for backup, you would have one file on the passport. It would have an mrimg extension. It's a large file, measured in gigabytes.

    It is NOT repeat NOT I say NOT a working replica of your current system partition. You can't boot from it. It's not even on an internal drive.

    If you poke it with the mouse, it will open up and you could browse around among the files in it to recover pictures of your cat or some other file that is on the partition you imaged. In that sense, it is a "backup".

    But it's not going to boot your PC. For that to happen, you MUST restore that image file in its entirety. At that point and only at that point do you have a working restored system. Restoration requires that you use a recovery disk full stop period. You make the recovery disk in Macrium by burning a CD. There are 2 types of recovery disks: Linux based and WinPE based. WinPE is much preferred. You choose between the two from a Macrium menu.

    After you've burned the recovery disk, test it to be sure it will boot your PC. If it won't, you CAN'T restore. In which case you troubleshoot why it won't boot your PC and make another disk until you succeed in burning a bootable disk.

    I suspect this misunderstanding is why you said you previously failed in a Macrium restoration attempt.

    Macrium is the closest thing you are going to find that is Cro-Magnon-certified. It's up to you to get it working with our help.
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  6. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #86

    Macrium is the closest thing you are going to find that is Cro-Magnon-certified
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  7. Posts : 637
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #87

    This is getting more confusing as we go along lol, should I keep any of these programs on the passport is the first question , secondly, in this very thread I was told I needed to buy an external drive for backups and that my dvd drive wasn't something that would be recommended for burning images for backups .

    Every time I have tried to restore with Macrium it has failed , don't know why but the only thing that has worked is windows image backup. It requires a total of TWO dvds while Macrium requires SEVEN.

    Thank you for your time
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  8. Posts : 17,322
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #88

    You store the images on the external drive.

    I think your confusion about the DVD drive was, it is not recommended to create and store images on DVD's.

    You do need to have a rescue disc that will use your DVD drive to boot from.

    Images are just the backup files you create of your system, you store those on the external drive.

    The rescue disc is what you use to boot from outside of windows, once booted to the rescue disc you can choose an image file on your external drive to restore windows with.
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  9. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #89

    see comments in bold

    jonnyhillow said:

    should I keep any of these programs on the passport is the first question

    Probably not. They are not needed to create an image file and later restore it, which is why you say you bought the Passport. They would not be needed for any other general purpose for an external drive that I can think of.

    , secondly, in this very thread I was told I needed to buy an external drive for backups and that my dvd drive wasn't something that would be recommended for burning images for backups .

    You were told correctly.

    You don't burn an image file.

    You make the image file with Macrium and store it on the external drive, NOT ON DVDs. Just as you would make a Word document about how to make spaghetti sauce. You make it and you save it somewhere. The somewhere is the external drive. NOT DVDs.

    You do use your DVD drive and a blank disk to BURN A RECOVERY DISK IN MACRIUM. You need exactly one disk to do that. The only reason you'd ever need more than one disk is if the first burned disk will not boot your PC. In which case, trouble shoot that and burn another till you get one that will boot the PC.


    Every time I have tried to restore with Macrium it has failed , don't know why but the only thing that has worked is windows image backup. It requires a total of TWO dvds while Macrium requires SEVEN.

    Who knows what you are doing with 7 DVDs and Macrium. Quit doing that, whatever it is. The image file goes on the Passport hard drive, not on DVD or CD disks.

    The file on the Passport and the recovery disk are two distinct things. Both are necessary. You use the latter to boot the PC and restore the former to your internal hard drive.

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  10. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #90

    I am puzzled by your statement that the windows image fit on 2 DVDs. They have a capacity of less than 10GB and all the images I ever made were bigger than that. Are you sure those were real images or just backups of the user data.

    An image is on average 65% of all the data on the C partition (or the partition you image). If the image is less than 10% that would mean that your C partition has only a total of appr. 15GB of data (OS, userdata - everything together).
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