What is a valid backup location for creating a system image?

Hello @Passenger Chi,

Passenger Chi said:

I thought I could use a USB drive?

Or is there something else I'm doing wrong?

There are various options available.

- A Partition on your HDD/SSD.
- A USB.
- An external disk.

However, it is highly recommended to use an external disk. It is also highly recommended to use an additional disk/location as well. Having TWO System Images, although the same, doubles your chances in case one fails.

It is also highly recommended to create a bootable recovery USB which will also allow you to Restore the System Images.

I hope this helps.

Hello @Passenger Chi,

Personally, I would stay clear of the Windows Built-In Imaging & Backup option for the reasons I have given below, because they just do NOT work most of the time. You might be better off considering a Third-Party [ FREE ] Imaging program.

Here is some information I put together regarding Windows Built-In Imaging & Backup.

Windows Built-In Imaging & Backup:

DOWNSIDE:

It is common knowledge that most of the time you CAN'T trust ANY of the MS built-in Backup or Image facilities because they just do NOT work. The System Imaging facility is a deprecated feature which is NO longer being developed or updated [ it used the same executables in every version of W10 ]. Even MS say that the built-in System Imaging facility should NOT be used . . .

System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

SOURCE: > Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows 10

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UPSIDE:

If you do use the built-in MS System Imaging facility, then a Recovery Drive USB from almost any version of Win 10 is capable of restoring any other version of a Win 10 MS System Image. A Recovery Drive USB and the System Repair Disk DVD are functionally identical. The only requirement is that it is the same Win 10 bit type [ x86 or x64 ] as the System Image to be restored.

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I hope this helps.

Hello @Passenger Chi,

All I would say is, that System Images are SUCH an important part of recovery when something goes wrong, that it is really worth learning and getting familiar with third-party software such as Macrium Reflect or AOMEI Partition Assist Standard, BOTH FREE.

A separate partition?! A restore on my system takes 2 mins, that is 1 min just to boot pre-OS.
Unless the bootloader gets damaged, that is all you will ever need. I never needed anything else.
For the record, pre-OS is usually a paid feature, I am using EaseUS Todo Backup with a free Pre-OS.

Passenger Chi said:

I still want to to the USB system image for now, though I will investigate 3rd party solutions.

What was I doing wrong?

I think the E drive has to be fat32.

Something is a bit odd as its size is very unusual.