Question about system Recovery Disk

[robinb9]

I am making system image backups on my laptop running windows 7 home preimium. I created a system recovery Disk. Each month I plan on making another system image. Do I have to make a system recovery disk each time i make a new image?

thanks
robin

 

[computersplus]

Image

nope

 

[iseeuu]

I am making system image backups on my laptop running windows 7 home preimium. I created a system recovery Disk. Each month I plan on making another system image. Do I have to make a system recovery disk each time i make a new image?

thanks
robin

Hello, robin;

If I understand your question correctly ... no. The "System Recovery Disk" is a tool to access utilities with a CD the same way you can use the Install DVD. You only need one (or two). The System Recovery Disk does not hold any backups or images.

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/51100-repair-cd-system-repair-disk.html

Cheers!
Robert

 

[whs]

You can burn those recovery DVDs only once. But if you want to make an image every month, I suggest this: http://www.sevenforums.com/software/43219-image-your-system-free-macrium.html

 

[Victek]

I am making system image backups on my laptop running windows 7 home preimium. I created a system recovery Disk. Each month I plan on making another system image. Do I have to make a system recovery disk each time i make a new image?

thanks
robin

.
Let's be clear. When you say "System Recovery" is this the option to burn your own DVD's - essentially duplicating the recovery partition - so you can return the system to factory fresh condition? If so you do that once and save those disks for a rainy day. Making your own images at monthly intervals is different in that you can restore the system to the way it was when the image was created instead of the factory fresh condition. Images are a much better way to go since they preserve the changes/updates you make to the system and your data going forward. System Recovery is a remedy of last resort because you lose all the system changes and sometimes the data as well.

Regarding using an image program, there is usually an option to create a boot CD which is needed to restore an image. You only need to make that boot CD once. The images themselves can be burned on to CD/DVD or written to external hard disks (much faster).

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Victek:

I assume he is talking about the boot disk for the imaging program.

As an aside for users of Macrium Reflect Free Edition: you MUST make a boot disk. Otherwise, you CANNOT restore an image. The paid version does not have this restriction. I think other imaging programs have various requirements.

Which reminds me:

For imaging programs in general (Macrium Reflect Free, Acronis, etc): Is it necessary to make a new boot disk periodically???

Imagine this scenario:

January 2010: I download Macrium Reflect Free, make a boot disk, and an image of C.

Over the next 2 years, Macrium releases various updates and new editions of the program.

January 2012: I download and install the newest version.

January 2013: I have a system failure and attempt to restore the image made in Jan 2010 using the boot disk made in Jan 2010.

Will it fail because the disk was not made with the Jan 2012 version of Macrium???

I am guessing it will work, assuming the boot disk has not itself deteriorated, but would like better insight or confirmation.

If it works, does that mean that the boot disk is effectively a self-contained version of the 2010 version of the program--and in fact would work even if Macrium was not on my PC in 2013---all I would need is the boot disk and the 2010 image file?

Or does the boot disk still interact with and require a version of Macrium in order to restore? If so, what version in this scenario?

 

[jfar]

I think the only person that can answer that is Doc Brown.

 

[Victek]

For imaging programs in general (Macrium Reflect Free, Acronis, etc): Is it necessary to make a new boot disk periodically???


January 2013: I have a system failure and attempt to restore the image made in Jan 2010 using the boot disk made in Jan 2010.

Will it fail because the disk was not made with the Jan 2012 version of Macrium???

I am guessing it will work, assuming the boot disk has not itself deteriorated, but would like better insight or confirmation.

.
That's a good question. I think it depends on what changes are implemented in an imaging program over the years. It's possible that images made with a newer version of a program would be unreadable by older versions, similar to new versions of MS Office documents. It seems prudent to make a new boot disk with every major program release. As you noted the CD/DVD media itself deteriorates over time and you don't want to find out the disc is unreadable when you actually need to use it. I don't use Macrium so can't give you a specific answer, but I should think the developer can.

 

[whs]

Macrium recommends to make a new recovery disk when you install a new release.

 

[TrDo]

Hey everyone,

I'm new in this forum. It's nice to be here.

I'm planning to buy a new Toshiba laptop with Win7-Home Premium-64.

I would appreciate if anyone could tell me whether in the Win7 Home Premium edition MS has included the Recovery CD option and the Image Backup option.

At the moment I'm running Win Vista Home Premium, and as you all know these options are not included.

Thanks in advance.

TrDo.

 

[TrDo]

Hey guys, I thought this was a help forum. But apparently no one wants to help.

Thanks anyway.

TrDo

 

[nate42nd]

Hey everyone,

I'm new in this forum. It's nice to be here.

I'm planning to buy a new Toshiba laptop with Win7-Home Premium-64.

I would appreciate if anyone could tell me whether in the Win7 Home Premium edition MS has included the Recovery CD option and the Image Backup option.

At the moment I'm running Win Vista Home Premium, and as you all know these options are not included.

Thanks in advance.

TrDo.

Yes, Windows 7 Home Premium now has imaging built in. It's good to have.

Hope this helps

 

[TrDo]

Thanks nate42nd. I appreciate it.

Take care.

TrDo.

 

[whs]

The recovery CD you burn from the recovery partition with the wizard (you need tw DVD-R's) and yes it has image backup. Just go to Backup and Restore. But I prefer to use the free Macrium - it is more reliable.

 

[TrDo]

Thanks alot whs. I haven't tried this app, the Macrium I mean. I've heard good things about it and I also read your threads here in this forum.

At the moment, on my desktop-with Vista HP- I have 2 Seagate drives, and as such I use the free Seagate Disc Wizard which is a 'cut' version of Acronis. Very reliable and easy to use. The issue is that you need to have a Seagate HDD to use it.

On my intended Toshiba laptop, there is no Seagate Drive, so there goes the Seagate Disc Wizard. Further the Win7 comes at 64b, and even if I use a known workaround which makes the Disc Wizard to operate in a non-Seagate Drive, still the version I have I'm not sure if it supports 64b.

Since Toshiba does not provide Win7 Installation/Recovery disc it was quite important to know whether Win7 Home Premium would support such action.

Although Toshiba A500 comes with Toshiba HDD Recovery software, still I cannot comprehend the ways that such a software could replace the Win7 Installation/Recovery disc. I believe that this is a b/s software, since it can only restore the HDD back to its original/factory state.

Thanks.

TrDo.

 

[gregrocker]

Yes, Home Premium has Win7 Backup Imaging.

You can always create a Repair CD if you dont' have a Win7 DVD.

 

[nate42nd]

Yes, the software that comes with computers will just restore to factory state. I have used Macrium and Windows imaging and have never found Windows 7 imaging to be anything but great. Macrium is fine too.

If you DO use Macrium, I would try to restore an image because I ahve had nothing but trouble with it. It CREATES an image just great, but I have had many problems restoring them with Macrium. Windows 7 imaging has NEVER failed once and I have used it many, many times to restore.

It's up to you, good luck. It's good to have an image, but you need to be able to use it if you need it.

 

[TrDo]

Thanks gregrocker and nate42nd.

One question though: Will restoring the image back up of the pc (either with Macrium or the Win7 built-in app) destroy the partition where the System Recovery Options are stored?

Thanks.

P.S. This new tactics of pc manufacturers not providing an instasllation DVD is really lousy.

 

[nate42nd]

I hate to answer greg's question, but when you restore an image, most programs will create the same partition size and exact data as when the image was made. There are some other options on some programs, but most of them will re-format the partition and restore the data from when the image was made.

The little 200MB partition will not be affected unless you include it in the image. Only the imaged partitions will be restored. Windows 7 imaging includes that partition when making the image if that's what you mean....

If you mean a factory partition....if you include it in your image, it will restore it If you don't it will leave it. You will have the option at restore to "exclude" disks. You could "exclude" the factory partition.

 

[TrDo]

Hi nate42nd. Thanks for your reply.

Yes I mean factory partition. Toshiba uses it to store the System Recovery Otions, and if I'm not mistaken it contains also the Operating system files in case you want to re-install.

How can I avoid deleting this when trying to restore with Win7 Image built-in functionality?

Thanks.

TrDo.