Newbe W7 Upgrade Results

Ckmerc;

If you image before activation, the only shortcoming would be that if you restore that image, you would have to reactivate.

Regarding imaging: imaging programs typically allow you to image C only or C and other partitions combined into a single image.

If you image your data, you have to beware of the following possibility:

Supposed you make a single image containing C and your data on September 1.

On September 3, you do a lot of significant work on your PC. Maybe you create or acquire 500 mp3 files.

On September 5, you have a major system problem on C and decide to restore your image to fix it.

So you restore your September 1 image.

Your September 1 image does NOT contain the 500 mp3s. Your data as of September 5 is overwritten. You no longer have the 500 mp3 files. That data is gone because of the restoration.

For that reason, among others, I think it is best to make separate file by file backups of data. I confine images to C only and never rely on them to work.

OK..now I am getting confused..

when I do a system image backup it:
- makes a complete copy of my OS, settings and the programs loaded as well as
the data contained on my C drive. my external Hard Drive (F) data would not
automatically be included on the backup image...right?

If so...this is the way I would want it as I back up my C and F drive data at more frequent times... to dvds and other external devices.

If you plug in your external and set up Backup imaging, it will back up your selected files and/or refresh the backup image on a schedule when the computer is idle.

This way you always have a recent image to re-image easily from the booted Installer/Repair disk in 15 minutes, to the same or a replacement HDD.

I just set it and forget it.

good ideas...I will do the automatic backup image..