Solved Where/how does one store HD backup images?

[marni]

Howdy folks-
I'm a noob here, so apologies in advance if i'm posting in wrong place, etc.

I have the sinking feeling i'm missing something obvious but the geniuses at AOMEI [of Backupper fame] never address the problem of where to put ones OS drive backup image, so that, if W7 dies on one [again!], one can rebuild without starting from square one. [Tech problems on their forum [and silence on issue] ensured their forum useless, so i'm asking here]
They blithely advise putting it on USB, or DVD. Excuse me? How does one put 148G on 16Gb USB key, or equal-sized DVD? Even if i stripped my HD image down to OS only, it would still be too big, and half the point of making the backup was to avoid reinstalling all the software, settings, etc.
And if i put it on a secondary HD, well, to reach it post-crash, i'd have to reinstall W7 on another HD to reach the image [and, having done all that work, what would be the point in making/recovering the backup at all?!]. I'd appreciate some help here.

A related question: I understand there's a settings transfer in Windoze 7. I can't find it since my W7 "help" refuses to answer any questions [Microsoft glitch #34,465,907!]

Marni

Why are computers like hemorrhoids? You sit down and the pain returns.

 

[RolandJS]

You might have misunderstood their posted geeky information. What is put onto a usb or dvd is only a boot-strap; files that are required to boot a Portable version of any backup/restore progam, in this case AOMEI. Concerning OS and Data saving: the full image backups are to be stored on any affordable, reliable, containing more than enough byte-space, external media. Some have used stacks of DVDs and DVD-RWs, some have used giant USB sticks [128-256GB or larger], many have used 1TB-3TB usb external platter-driven hard-drives, some have used NAS systems.

 

[marni]

roland-
thanks for yr help. In retrospect, yes of course, it was implied, but it sure would've been helpful if AOMEI had reminded one of huge external storage need. The file-based backup systems available just trade one set of problems [hassle, time of rebuilding] for another [less hassle, cost]; sigh.
What's needed is for them to work when based on secondary internal HD's. [Your C:\ would crash so you'd just crack open case, remove it, and boot from the drive w the OS backup on it.]
But that would be too logical.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm no familiar with Aomei but, assuming it works similarly to Macrium Reflect Free, which I am familiar with, The only thing you will be putting on a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive is the recovery software that is less than 1GB and is used to restore an image onto the drive that was imaged, not the image itself. The image has to be stored on larger media, such as an external HDD.

Also, 148GB is an awfully large image. I'm guessing that you are imaging your entire drive which means your images will be large like that, take a long time to make, and will limit how many you can store on an external drive. I only image my System files—OS and programs—and use a folder/file syncing program (I use FreeFileSync) to backup my data files. My System images are only a little under 38GB.

What I suggest is keeping you OS and programs on their own drive or partition and your data on another drive or partition. As long as your backup drive is large enough, you can use a folder/file syncing program to backup your data to a folder on the backup drive and have the imaging program store your images in another folder on the backup drive. Doing so will dramatically reduce the amount of time and space needed to do your backups.

 

[samuria]

When you do an image if you use compression it will be a lot smaller

 

[marni]

HI- thanks for the reply!
I take your point about 148Gb being [too] big. I used WizTree and found that 20G is all i need.
Backupper gives one a choice of system or clone backups. I understand now that the latter is doable from a non-OS internal HD. Do you agree? Or did i misunderstand? [
And my big question is, with Backupper or whatever equivalent you recommend*, can I restore my OS, apps, and settings [*with* activation!?] from this image [on HD]? And if so, HOW? [My C:\ drive is dead, i know my E:\ drive has a backup- but how do i reach and activate it?????].
Marni

*i'm not stuck on Backupper- it just seemed to be most popular, and easiest.

What did the sadist do to the masochist? Nothing.

 

[samuria]

If you create a disk image it restores everything as it was when you took the image all setting software email everything 20 gig could compress as an image to maybe 15 gig depending on what you have on the system my system drive is 71 gig and 45 gig as an image

 

[marni]

Ah, yeah, i had realized that compression makes files smaller. Thanks for the reminder tho.
The question was: if my system has crashed and i have my [compressed!] image on a secondary hard drive, HOW DO I REACH AND THEN ACTIVATE IT?

 

[RolandJS]

...The question was: if my system has crashed and i have my [compressed!] image on a secondary hard drive, HOW DO I REACH AND THEN ACTIVATE IT?

The same software you used to make the full image also has a Restore button that will activate the restore operations. You only have to pick or "aim" the RestoreFromWhat? at the particular full image you want restored. Of course, you have to boot the usb stick or dvd you earlier made.

 

[marni]

That sounds fine- i expected/assumed something like that, but you left the little point of how i manage to get to that magic button, when i can't boot from C drive...

 

[RolandJS]

...how [do] i manage to get to that magic button, when i can't boot from C drive...

If we're talking about AOMEI Backupper -- I do not know the buttons or clicks because I use Macrium Reflect and Image for Windows. I had to create a usb and a dvd boot for Macrium Reflect and for Image for Windows. A restore operations can only be done from a usb boot or from a dvd boot. Because I do not use AOMEI Backupper -- I cannot tell you how to make their usb stick or dvd boot.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If we're talking about AOMEI Backupper -- I do not know the buttons or clicks because I use Macrium Reflect and Image for Windows. I had to create a usb and a dvd boot for Macrium Reflect and for Image for Windows. A restore operations can only be done from a usb boot or from a dvd boot. Because I do not use AOMEI Backupper -- I cannot tell you how to make their usb stick or dvd boot.

That's the reason I had to drop out of the discussion.

 

[Barman58]

If you boot from the DVD or USB stick, (if your system is not able to boot other bootable will be checked and will either use the first one found or present a list of available boot devices, Select the Aomei option),

To recover a failed system you will be presented with a mini version of your normal Aomei Backup screen, You just need to select restore and follow the instructions

some pictures here should help with the detail - These are generic images from the Aomei Site which should be recognisable to what you will see ( I use the paid version on Windows 10 so it's better to post the standard link)

PS don't worry about the size of the backup file - My data backup is more than 1.3TB, and that is compressed, and is handled without problems

 

[marni]

Hey Barman58-
Thanks for the help- at last a clear answer to my question! Well, as clear as an answer can be given the complexity of the situation.
What a gawdawful mess the process is, exacerbated by AOMEI's clunky disorganized help files [or is it just the process that's a mess?!].
Perhaps Macrium [etc] doesn't hide/downplay the bootable CD/USB key complexity part but AOMEI sure does.
One reason i'm exploring all this is that i'm not an internet lover- i spend most of time net'less. Fine, except that activation becomes a hassle.
Does Backupper [or any other such app] restore original activation, or must i reactivate?
My impression- surely the process can be simplified? If i sound like i'm whining, well i am, but consider: the more complex a procedure is, the more chance there is of repairs/recovery blowing up in ones face. It has sure happened to me.
Anyway- thanks again for the help.
Marinus

 

[DavidE]

One reason i'm exploring all this is that i'm not an internet lover- i spend most of time net'less. Fine, except that activation becomes a hassle.
Does Backupper [or any other such app] restore original activation, or must i reactivate?

I've restored many backup images and never had to reactivate.
Now i'm using Macrium, but i've also used Acronis, Ghost, etc. - without issue.
I have retail Windows licenses, OS's installed and activated by me.
I do lose a license/activation for installed programs if they were installed/activated after the backup image was created that i restored.

 

[RolandJS]

"...Does Backupper [or any other such app] restore original activation, or must i reactivate?"
Any full image made of the OS partition will restore said partition exactly -- licenses and all.
Now, as the previous poster indicated, any changes, any subtractions, any additions, etc., made after the date of the full image, will be lost.

 

[marni]

Thanks RolandJS-
Your answer dovetailed with what i expected, but i had to ask.
The forum recommends that one formally declare the thread complete when one has [what appears to be] the answer, so i declare Finito.

PS: i have another question, re window explorer colors, but that warrants starting another thread, so i'll see you in the funny pages [in a day or two]. Thanks all.

 

[RolandJS]

I found my own post in the "buffer" -- clicked submit.
Cloning is always making a perfect copy of a whole source hard-drive onto a whole target hard-drive, nothing more, nothing less. Making full images is not cloning, rather, it is making a compressed big file of all the folders and files found in any one partition, or, the whole hard-drive can be backed up into one large compressed file.
In short, I'm glad you arrived at a solution; keep us posted if anything goes awry.

 

[SIW2]

Boot the Aomei recovery media.

You can create the recovery media from the Aomei main interface.

It is the same with all imaging programs.

Ah, yeah, i had realized that compression makes files smaller. Thanks for the reminder tho.
The question was: if my system has crashed and i have my [compressed!] image on a secondary hard drive, HOW DO I REACH AND THEN ACTIVATE IT?

 

[RolandJS]

According to a very thorough tech here in sevenforums, MR 7 can do 3 different cloning operations...in order to avoid a possible too much information scenario -- I'll let thread starter or anyone else do their own research on Macrium Reflect's web site.