Using Windows 7 System Image

Landngroove · 31 May 2016

I have been trying to do a system image using Windows 7 System Image. I have used an external hard drive, (160 GB), and also DVD -R discs (7), to put the image on. No problem loading the image on either the external drive, or the DVD's. The hard drive in my system that I am imaging is 1 TB. The hard drive I want to send the image to, from either the external HD, or the DVD's is 500 GB. I have tried both, and the image fails to install. Could it be that the 500 GB drive is too small, and because the image is from a 1 TB drive, I need to have another 1 TB drive to send the system image to ?

ignatzatsonic · 01 Jun 2016

Hmmm..........."landngroove". I'd guess you know the difference between a .505 Gibbs and a .257 Roberts.

A few points:

DVDs are generally a poor choice, stick with the hard drive method.

The built-in Windows 7 tool can be confusing and is not particularly flexible or user-friendly.

I'd try a competing product. Most likely Macrium Reflect Free Edition. You choose exactly which partitions you want to image--you have a lot of control.

The Windows product has it's own idea of what to include in your image file and that may be surprising to you. As I said, it's inflexible.

You would need to include C and your "system" partition in the image file. The "system" partition is most likely "System Reserved" on your PC, but could vary.

A screen shot of Windows Disk Management will tell the story.

The Macrium image file will be about 1/2 the size of the occupied space on your C partition.

So, if your C partition is 500 GB, with 100 occupied, the image file will be near 50 GB.

I am reasonably sure that such an image file (50 GB, from a 100 GB occupied partition) could be restored to a drive of at least 100 GB total capacity--rather than a 500 GB minimum. Someone else might confirm that.