Disk Images As Backup

right after I create a disk image of my operating system partition in windows 10, windows then asks if I want to create a recovery disk.

1) The name makes it sound like something relatively useless. So, I initially blew it off thinking that I have a disk image, what more do I need. If this is something that's important, is it important to create right at the time that I create the disk image?

2) From reading a bit, it seems as though a windows install disk can be used instead. But, does that have to be the actual build of windows that was around at the time when the disk image was created?

Let me explain why I ask #2. The disk image that I have created has Windows installed, some settings in windows changed around a bit to be to my liking, and a few core programs installed. I plan to have this disk image serve for some time to come. This is as opposed to a strategy where you constantly create disk images. Instead of constantly creating disk images, I plan to just back up files regularly (not install files, actual word documents, etc).

 

Also, how sensitive is moving the backup image back to my computer to get it running, in terms of the same hardware needing to be there. There is a reasonably chance that I could change some of the hardware later this year. Obviously, having a different hard drive/ ssd in the computer at the time that you are restoring the disk image is a likely scenario, even if you didn't change any hardware prior to crash. Also, I assume that things such as different mice, keyboards, and printers are really a non-issue.

 

As the recovery disk is the only means you will have to restore your image it would be madness not to both create and test it, or test your retail installation disk which must be the same version and bitness of Windows as is the image file, e.g. Win 8.1 Pro 64 bit. If you change the hardware then you should create a new image. You cannot just assume all will be well otherwise.

FWIW, and I've been imaging for 20 years, IMO there a few things more useless than old images but if that's your preference then so be it. I image every month, keeping the last three. You should also create duplicate images on different hardware to cover the possibility of hardware failure.

Obviously you need to make other arrangements for backing up your data files as imaging is unsuitable.

 

I don't have an easy ability to test the image, as that would seem to require removing my SSD and replacing it with a blank one. Also, I assume that you mean writing to a drive and booting to Windows, running a few windows programs and opening some files?

Are you saying that my method of backing up (having an old disk image) neglects backing up my files that may come about or be edited later? Or is your statement general, that a system image should not have files?

 

You can test your backup by booting to your rescue medium and checking that it can see both the image file to be restored and the recovery destination. That is all that is required, there is no need to actually perform the recovery. Your image will include everything on the partitions imaged, both system and personal files but if you restore the image the personal files will overwrite any later versions on your disc so after restoring a system image you also need to restore the latest backup of your personal files. However by moving your personal folders off of the system partition and backing them up separately all of that can be avoided.

 

It's ok to have multiple (backup) disk images on one partition, right?
For example, 500gb drive, 5x 100 disk images, we then restore the one that is more recent.
I believe when windows 10 creates a disk image, it creates a folder, I would want to rename the folders so that folder1 is the oldest and folder5 is the newest.

 

Yes, multiple images in the same partition are ok but if I remember correctly you do have to rename the last image file before creating a new one, so that the current one is always called WindowsImageBackup. That's a right pita and was enough to persuade me to look at other imaging solutions. I chose Macrium Reflect but there are other free ones too. Good to hear you are going down this road - it makes your system bombproof and is also the perfect AV.