Creating System Image Backup Issues

I honestly have never tried with windows system image, but I will just to see if it will create one. Try using Macrium Reflect (free). This will show you how. Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums In the mean time, I will see if windows system image works for me. The tutorial is on a Windows 7, but it works the same on 10.

I get a different error message, but I can't create a system image with Windows. I use Macrium and Paragon and have no problems with either one.

Thanks essenbe. There seems to be a glitch with W10 Sys Img. Had no issues with W7 in the past. Macrium looks like a port in the storm at the moment.

Macrium is what I use. I use Paragon also. I'm paranoid maybe, but I never trust 1 imaging program. Those two are great programs, but even the best don't work occasionally. That's why I didn't even know Windows imaging didn't work, I never use it. But, there may very well be an issue with it in Windows 10. I have the guy who wrote the tutorial (System Image - Create in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums) checking into it. Maybe he can find what the problem is.

Thanks again. I think this new OS has some issues being so new that other OS's don't reflect on. I have a hunch M$ doesn't want us to do it or at the least left that ability to do it out. W10 has a thing called File History that we use to call Backup but I don't use that either and prefer to put things on thumb drives. I have moved away from using DVDs and have gone strictly to USBs...a lot less moving parts. I see where Macrium was requiring DVDs if I understood the video correctly and was hoping that could be worked around using USBs.
Using Windows Sys Img in the past was simple you clicked on it then it made it and it was mountable in VHD if you needed to go back and 'cherry pick' files and programs at a later date for one reason or another. It was also good if you had just created a fresh OS install to make one to fall back on, rather that go through the reformat, and start from scratch again deal.
Hope your friend does indeed find out why it isn't as easy as it once was.

I hope he does too, but his works fine. So, it's going to be hard for him to figure out why it doesn't work when it does work on his machine. Macrium recovery can be put on a USB drive. It's much, much more flexible than Windows, and you can mount the image too as well as clone with it. I've found little I want to do that I can't do with Macrium. Try using the winPE recovery. When you create it, you are asked whether you want a CD or a USB drive. It takes a little bit of a download for the winPE, but I think it is worth it. You can even create an image of a drive from the recovery USB.

It takes me a spell to use something as I for some reason have to 'understand' it before I plunge into it...the word 'plodding' comes to mind. This winPE recovery thing is that something I need to install to make Macrium interface better or something that makes windows work better rather than just using Macrium to install an image directly to my exteral HD?

No, it's the recovery drive you use if your system won't boot or your OS drive dies and needs to be replaced. You boot into the recovery drive, which is basically a fully functional Macrium program