Can I move a HDD image to another HDD? And a few more questions...

@mjf, what do you mean only 1 image per partition ?

Windows will make as many images as you want as long as the drive you`re storing them on has the room.

If you did use windows imaging it`s just like system restore and gives you the option to choose any image you want, I`ve done it.


But you`re right Wolfgang

I'm getting a head ache over this backup thing.

I use to use Windows 7 backup and it didn't seem to be all the difficult to do.
Tell Window to make a image and what drive and partition you wanted it to be put. Done.

I never tried moving the backup around or changing it's name ect.
If I ever needed it I wanted Windows 7 to be able to find it.

I never tried moving a Windows 7 made image from one drive to another drive but their is one way to find out if it works. Try it. I really don't know why it wouldn't. A image is like everything else on a computer a bunch of "1" and "0". All a image does is move a bunch of "1" and "0" from one place to another. If their is a way of doing this using Windows 7 built in imaging I don't know how.

I use Macrium now because I have more choices.

Jack, the discussion is about moving the image. In that case the recovery cannot find it and since there is no browse option, you cannot point it to the right location. Thus, don't move a Windows image else you have to jump thru additional hops. But that also means that you cannot make several images without unnatural additional hops.

I think I understand.
That is also why I don't move images. If I start moving images I nor Windows 7 will find them with out a bunch of work and or luck.

That is why I post this.

I never tried moving the backup around or changing it's name ect.
If I ever needed it I wanted Windows 7 to be able to find it.

With Macrium images that is a different story. There I can point the recovery program to the image I want to use - and I can browse to any location.

AddRAM said:

@mjf, what do you mean only 1 image per partition ?

Windows will make as many images as you want as long as the drive you`re storing them on has the room.

If you did use windows imaging it`s just like system restore and gives you the option to choose any image you want, I`ve done it.


But you`re right Wolfgang

Firstly I don't consider the discussion has strayed off topic.

Secondly I suggest you read my responses. I have made and restored more system images than I can remember using Windows built in Imaging so I know a bit about it. I've spread images across drives and had multiple discrete/standalone images in a single partition by renaming. I've used this practice on 4 generations of PCs and never had a problem.

If you choose to make multiple images to the one WindowsImageBackup then you are relying on Windows difference imaging and shadow storage. This is full of potential pitfalls and would never recommend it. That is why I use the words discrete/standalone. That is you make one image and do not add to it - get it?

To revisit the original question (again) I have copied a WindowsImageBackup folder in the past as an exercise and it did work. It is tiresome and not good practice. Also, I have said I consider Macrium a far superior imaging program that I use exclusively now. But the OP did ask about Windows inbuilt imaging.

Yea sorry I didn't get the logic of making an image of an image
The shear waste of space with that in windows imaging is senseless.

Last I made a windows image it asked if I wanted to make that external drive as a backup drive
I said okay... and made it
Disconnected the external drive and windows never found that image when I needed to restore it
That made me realize windows imaging isn't reliable.

Macrium I can disconnect the drive without any issue the winpe recovery rules it reads what ever drives are connected and finds all the images on it
And can be restored to any sata connected drive the original or a updated one.

Making an image of an image is an emergency measure. Read the information block of this tutorial and you will see why it may sometimes be required.

System Image - Recover a Broken Windows 7 System Image

leuce said:

Do you mean, I must make an image of the image?

I didn't think you meant an image of a mounted image? In this respect you can make an image of an image.
I suggested this way back (2010/11) restore a Windows inbuilt image to a smaller drive. Restoring to a smaller drive is another problem with Windows inbuilt imaging.
recovery to smaller hard drive

If you mount the image, you can shrink it until it fits. That shrunken image you can reimage.