10X Bloated Win 7 System Image

[Maxxwire]

When I created the first System Image with my 6 month old Win 7 x64 computer it finished as a 24 GB image of the C partition. I have created several System Images since and each of them was about 24 GB.

Starting a few weeks ago Windows 7 began to insist on including the D drive as well as another partition which I store Movies and Music named the J drive in the System Image thus increasing its size to over 240 GB!

What has caused this to take place and is there any way of preventing Win 7 from including from including all these drives the System Image?

~Maxx~
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[richc46]

This will show you how to back up and to include only the drives that are needed.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

 

[Maxxwire]

Rich46- Thanks for the link to the tutorial. The Create a System Image screen in my Win 7 Backup and Restore where you can select which drives to include used to look exactly like the one in the tutorial where I could just select the C drive partition where Win 7 is located and the System Image that was created was 24 GB.

Now the same Create a System Image screen mandates that all of the partitions must be included in the System Image without giving me any choice to leave any of the partitions out as I was allowed to before which now requires 239 GB to make the System Image.

I would like to know how to once again make a 24 GB System Image like I used to be able to do instead of the 239 GB one as Win 7 is now mandating. Here is an example of the 24 GB System Images that I used to be able to make...

BTW- All of these partitions that are now being included in the System Image are listed with the word 'system' next to them although they did not have this designation before and I suspect that this is why all of them especially the J partition which contains 204 GB of storage only like movies and music storage are now being included.

~Maxx~
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[richc46]

Never heard of one like this. Guess you did not either and that is why you are posting.
First, change the read only.
You may have to give your self permission and possibly ownership first.
If that does not help the situation
I would run a anti virus scan and download and run malwarebytes full scan and after update.
If you cannot get anywhere with that scenario, I would consider a system restore from before the problem. As you know SR will not affect any of your doucments, etc.
Wish you luck

 

[Maxxwire]

Bottom Line- My question is why does Win 7 now classify each and every partition on the C drive as 'system' and to be included in the System Image (239 GB) when up until about a month ago it only considered the partition that Windows 7 is on (24 GB) as part of the System Image creation? How can I get it to return to its original configuration?

Thanks for any help with this...

~Maxx~
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[Wishmaster]

Bottom Line- My question is why does Win 7 now classify each and every partition on the C drive as 'system' and to be included in the System Image (239 GB) when up until about a month ago it only considered the partition that Windows 7 is on (24 GB) as part of the System Image creation? How can I get it to return to its original configuration?

Thanks for any help with this...

~Maxx~
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I noticed similar behavior with mine when I was testing the built in Imaging.

I noticed, that if a program was installed to another drive (like Games that I have on another physical drive) it considered those as part of the system.

Also, if I had moved a User folder to another physical location, those too were considered as system and it insited on backing all of it up, rather than just the C drive.

If I moved all my user folders back to default location, leaving DATA on another drive, it would not back it up. Just the C drive.

I know this probably doesnt answer your question, and I have no idea why it acts this way. But I found it annoying.

 

[Maxxwire]

Wishmaster- Thank you so much for your reply! I am moving files off of the 200+ GB partition that I do not want backed up with the System Image as I type this and moving them to the 2TB Raid 0 external SATA Drive. Once that's finished I will do some tests and I will let you know if Windows still wants to include it in the creation of a new System Image.

~Maxx~
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[gregrocker]

Can you post back a screenshot of your full Disk Mgmt drive map, using Snipping Tool in Start Menu?

It's highly unusual with one OS that more than one partition is listed as System as this label means it contains the boot-critical files. Win7 backup imaging is not known to require any other than System and Win7 partitions if they are different.

It must be explained by something else such as what Wishmaster reports. Having programs on the OS partition is smart anyway, but if you have to more User folders back to overcome this you can link your files stored on another partition via Libraries.

 

[Maxxwire]

Wishmaster- For some unknown reason Windows System Image still wants to include the J partition even after emptying all but 3 small files including one for Media Center video recordings along with the partition that Win 7 is on as well as the factory image. At least the System Image would be down to 29 GB.

Can I trust a Win 7 Recovery from such a System Image?

~Maxx~
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[Maxxwire]

Can you post back a screenshot of your full Disk Mgmt drive map, using Snipping Tool in Start Menu?

I hope this is what you are asking for...

~Maxx~
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[gregrocker]

Disk management looks normal, providing no clues why Win7 backup imaging is behaving this way.

If it proves to be moving Program files or User folders to J drive causes Win7 imaging to treat it as a System drive, then this is important information so please let us know how it resolves.

 

[Maxxwire]

Greg, Wishmaster- Thank you so much for your help! I have very good news to report!After I moved all but 3 files from the J partition including moving a folder which I had been running .exe programs from I rebooted the computer and now Windows 7 no longer considers the J partition a System drive!

Consider this case solved by the Windows 7 Forum Wizards!

~Maxxx~
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[Maxxwire]

I couldn't call it a night without showing you the properties window of the new slim 24 GB System Image I just created as a result of all your help in making it possible!

~Maxx~
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[gregrocker]

Nice work, and rep to Wishmaster for breakthrough information that will help many others as well!

 

[Maxxwire]

Greg and Wishmaster- You of both deserve a heartfelt Rep for helping to straighten out was what a frightening System Restore problem of having to deal with storing and restoring a 239 GB System Image in Win 7! I have moved 170 GB of Music and Videos back on to the J partition and everything seems fine it seems to have been some .exe programs I was running from there that were causing it to be recognized as a System Drive.

~Maxx~
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[Wishmaster]

Glad you got it all worked out

 

[Maxxwire]

Glad you got it all worked out

So am I! I had plenty of space to store the 239 GB System Image that would have been created the way it was before you and Greg stepped in, but I was truly dreading the thought of how many hours it would have taken to Restore it!

~Maxx~

PS- My 1,000th post here on the Windows 7 Forums

 

[gregrocker]

PS- My 1,000th post here on the Windows 7 Forums

Congrats Maxxwire!