What's the best way to backup an "audit mode" install?

[vk3diw]

Hi,

I have a Windows 7 Pro installation that I set up following Kari's excellent guide a few years ago (when I built this SSD + HDD system). It is an "audit mode" or sysprep type install with the C/system drive on SSD and user folders etc on D.

I have backed up using the vanilla W7 full backup, but have never system-imaged it - and have never had to restore, so my backups have not really been tested.

So my question is:

1. What is the most reliable way to backup one of these split drive installations? Does anyone have a restore experience to share?

2. Is there a way to do a system image backup that will work reliably if the SSD and/or the HDD fails?

(This has been prompted by my SSD being a few years old now and I've been getting antsy about it.)

The question has probably been asked - but I just cannot find a Q&A that covers it - apologies if I'm doubling up.

Cheers

 

[paul1149]

I've never dealt with such a split install. I like the Win7 image utility because it's so easily accessible from Advanced Boot Menu. But I don't think it provides any options when restoring, such as restore only the C drive and leave D alone.

Unless someone comes up with a more knowledgeable idea, I would take an image of both drives if the user folders take up the whole HDD, and then restore only the partitions you want to when necessary, using other software such as AOMEI. And if the user files are only part of the HDD, I probably would treat them separately, as a file backup rather than an image.