Confused about Backup Strategies

@1ThursdayJC

Most of us on here use Macrium Reflect 7.xx (free/paid). Unlike most backup software, Macrium runs only one Service and one process. In other words.. it's fairly light or resources.

A lot of people make a full OS image backup, then make incremental backups, to keep their full backup, up to date.

Me, I make only full OS image backups, right before I'm about to make some changes or MS updates, etc. I only keep about 4-5 of them. If anything goes wrong, I can just restore from a backup, and I'm good to go.

Most backup software allows you to create bootable rescue media, (CD/USB), so even if Windows won't boot, you can still access and restore from your backups.

And ofc, Ten Forums has your back with excellent tutorials on the subject...
Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect




On a side note, I've been using various backup softwares, since about 2002, and I've never had to re-install Windows (knock on wood). It would take a lot to mess up a system that can access proper backups.

I agree with Ghot.

Make images not clones and make sure you test your chosen imaging program's boot disk.

MS's imaging solution has not got a good reputation and is now 'deprecated', which means [at best] that MS will address security vulnerabilities in it for a while. MS themselves recommended that everybody use a third-party imaging solution instead.

Don't forget to back up your own files as well. This can be done more frequently than making a system image.

Macrium Reflect is often recommended in this forum for making system images. Other utilities are available but this one is so commonplace that you can get plenty of help for it.

Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - TenForumsTutorials
Macrium Software Macrium Reflect Free
Macrium USB - TenForums
Macrium Reflect KnowledgeBase - user guide [version-independent link]

It can also make bootable system images. This facility is called viBoot and it requires Win10 Pro.
Macrium viBoot - Macrium KB
Macrium viBoot - Create Virtual Machine using Macrium Image - TenForumsTutorials

Denis

1ThursdayJC said:

The problem ... is Microsoft is changing to new Versions of Windows frequently

Your image is a backup. It will enable you to restore your whole OS drive to the state it was in when the image was made [that's Windows, applications & anything else on the drive].

So if you get software misbehaviour that you cannot fix inside 20 minutes, update your data file backup then restore the last system image. Then restore your own files from ther backup if they are on the same drive as the OS.

I make a new system image every month before updating to the latest Cumuative update.
- I also make new system images before & after any major change. Any change that would take me longer to repeaat than, say, 20 minutes.

Denis

To show what a fanatic I am, take a look at this screen capture.

To make things even more safe I use two backup programs.

I know I know.

Mine of 1909 on the X299, all full backups.

When using disk imaging, create one before upgrading - just in case.

Then remember to start a new sequence of backups (new base/initial image and backup job) each time you upgrade Windows.

Why? So much changes.

And note that if you are, for example with the free version of M Reflect, using base image + a set of differential images, you can restore the partitions imaged with the base image, or any differential image + the base image- i.e. to different dates.

Windows typically consists of 4 partitions (UEFI), fewer if MBR. You should image them all - and you can image any partition.

You can mount and extract files too.

System Restore complements disk imaging and is great - when it works. The big difference- no adverse effect on user data. It's a great idea to keep personal data off C: