Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

Hi polycue,

Yes, as long as it is a Primary partition.

You can run it from within WinPe too.

SIW2 said:

Hi Tyrrant,

It's because drive M is the system drive.

You can make your C partition into the system drive very easily.

D/l this, and rt click and Run as Admin on sispar.cmd.

Attachment 63307

Then go into Bios setup and set Disk 0 is the first HD in the Bios Boot order.

That worked. Thank you so much! I am now able to select my Media drive as a system image destination. Thanks a bunch! :)

Now I just have to install a few more drivers before I do the definite system image backup, and complete reformat and install will be a thing of the past!

Hi Robin,

Use the Linux boot cd.

The Bartpe is there as an option for those who already have /would like to make one.

The Linux cd should be fine with any version of Windows.

Greg S said:

Brink said:

Hello Greg,

It's just easier to copy the entire folder to avoid accidentally not copying over a needed file, but yes you could still copy only the subfolder with the computer name on it instead though. :)

Are the other files in the user named folder relevant to a restore? On the other topic, I questioned and re-questioned all of this with the final verdict being that the only thing that needed to be saved and moved to another safe location was the folder mentioned above, example: Backup 2010-03-14 004647

At the time, I had the feeling that more was needed for a restore than just the example folder I just mentioned. It's possible I mis-understood,lol.

Well I guess to answer my own question, it appears for whatever reason that I should have been copying the entire WindowsImageBackup folder for safe keeping, at least according to the help file(see #2 of the second quote below). Here's what I don't understand from the help file

Keeping different versions of system images

1. If you're saving your system images on an internal or external drive, or on CDs or DVDs, you can keep several versions of system images. On internal and external hard drives, older system images will be deleted when the drive runs out of space. To help conserve disk space, you can manually delete older system images. For more information, see
   

It states that one can keep several and even goes on to say one can delete some to conserve space.

Here's the part that I don't really understand, quoting from the help file

If you're saving your system images in a network location, you can only keep the most current system image for each computer. System images are saved in the format of drive\WindowsImageBackup\computer name\. If you have an existing system image for a computer and are creating a new one for the same computer, the new system image will overwrite the existing one. If you want to keep the existing system image, you can copy it to a different location before creating the new system image by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the location of the system image.
2. Copy the WindowsImageBackup folder to a new location.

Mine always overwrites the existing, I assume it does since I don't see multiple image backups in the folder unless they are there and kept by some catalog or something. Here's my question, if mine are being overwritten each time, then why? According to the help file, my saved images would have to be saved on network location.

1) I don't even know what a network location is??
2) If I have one, and I assume I do since my images are overwritten, how'd I get it??

Brink said:

Hello Greg,

A network location would be saving to say a hard drive on another computer on your network.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

OK, but what is the criteria for the term "another computer"? I have one laptop, one internal HD partitioned with Win XP on one partition and Win 7 on the other partition of the same drive, two external USB HD's for storage. With those specs in mind and according to the Help file, I should be able to keep as many images as my storage drive will allow without having to copy/paste them, Correct? Here's the help file quote, maybe I am mis-understanding the help file,lol.

If you're saving your system images on an internal or external drive, or on CDs or DVDs, you can keep several versions of system images. On internal and external hard drives, older system images will be deleted when the drive runs out of space.

On the other hand, I may be mis-understanding the term network location but with my little understanding, me thinks that I am not saving my images to a network location since I only have one laptop, but according to Win 7, I must be because I can only have one image which is overwritten each time a new image is made. Can you help me make sense of this? Thanks