I'm trying to figure out a free safe accurate way to completely back up a Windows 10 hard drive using a CD or DVD without having to boot into the OS. Is anyone aware of the best ways to do this?
Basically if I wipe the drive, I want to be able to completely restore it.
I would use the product below: It is free and works great. I have used the paid version for years!
Download Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - MajorGeeks
Well, you have to BOOT to some OS to get anything like that done. It doesn't have to be HDD, a BOOT-able CD or USB with some OS and appropriate program can be made. Macrium Reflect can make such CD/USB or you could make it with some Linux distro.
Needless to say that you have to use same program you made the backup with to restore it.
Writing to DVD is going to be a problem as you may be backing up 33 gig+ you need a hard drive or a USB drive
Let me clarify because I think some wrong assumptions are being made:
I don't want to back up _to_ CD or DVD, I want to backup the drive _using_ a CD or DVD (as opposed to a USB drive, which can be compromised)... This of course means I need to boot from the disc with an OS that can make and restore the backup.
I need something free, safe, and accurate; if Macrium Reflect is it, great. However, if there's caveats like I need to purchase a licence to restore the drive, or there's "watermarks" on files or other kinds of tampering or blocks, then that's not feasible.
I've used SystemRescueCD partimage in the past for Windows XP, but I get warnings now that ntfs-3g isn't compatible with Windows 10 (and 7), so I'm just posting here before going down the long winding road again of researching and trying out what will ACTUALLY feasibly work 100% for full backup and restore with a Windows 10 drive.
Download Macrium Reflect Free from Macrium Reflect direct I would add that backing up to a USB or eSATA External hard drive is quite safe nothing can attack it if it's not plugged in and turned on. The USB recovery thumb drive is simple and also safe since you load it from the BIOS not windows. With the current MR Ver 7, your backups are protected and can't be altered The Guardian feature protects them and can only be removed from within MR. The Free version will restore as well as back up no differently than the Paid for version. You have more features and setting with the paid version which is well worth the cost for the security it provides.
None of caveats like that. You install MR free, make rescue disk/USB (it's in MR menu) and you can make a full or partial disk image on any media it fits in. It's full backup in one .mrimg file which you can copy or transfer anywhere. It's typically about 75 - 80% of disk space on original disk you are backing up. Once it's restored, it's exactly same as it was before imaging. No more no less including same partitions.
As long as MR is installed .mrimg file can be mounted as virtual disk and files in it perused or copied from.
Again, I was talking about _using_ USB as the back up controller, not as the destination (which is why I mentioned it with CD and DVD when I clarified that's not what I'm trying to back up _to_).
I will have to use a USB external hard drive to back up _to_, but I don't want to use a USB thumb drive as the backup "controller" because even before booting to Windows, USB port firmware can be modified by the person who originally had the computer and install a virus on an operating system on the USB... I'm less concerned about it going to the backup drive because it's not going to ever boot any OS.
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