Does Windows System Image back up disks or partitions?

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is based on wbadmin commands. Just GUI

Thanks for all the replies, but nobody's really answered my question (or if you did, I apologize for not understanding your answer).

(Also, I'm aware of the other backup/imaging software mentioned, but right now I'm using Windows built-in system image tool and have a question about *it's* operation, so I'd like to avoid discussions of other tools here.)

Let me try stating my question more directly: When I create a system image using Windows built-in tool, do I get an image that represents an entire physical hard drive (regardless of the logical drives -- aka partitions -- I select), or does the image contain only those specific partitions (logical drives) I've chosen? A similar question applies to the related restore operation: Will restore affect the entire physical disk, or only those partitions (logical drives) I chose when making the image?

Again, my confusion comes from all the documents I've read (lots of them) about Windows system image that use the term "disk" without clarifying exactly what's meant. (They all seem to assume one partition per physical disk, in which case my question is moot.) If someone knows of a document on this topic that is *precise* in it's terminology, please advise. (One of the "Related Discussions" listed below comes close.)

does the image contain only those specific partitions (logical drives) I've chosen?

It has already been answered.

When using the gui, the image includes the partitions that have been automatically selected, plus any you choose to add using the tick boxes.

It is possible to avoid the automatic selection by using commands instead of the gui but that is for advanced users.