Windows 10: Questions Concerning Entire Disk Drive Cloning Practices For Back Up.

Hello. I have a couple of questions to ask you! I hope everyone is safe during these unusual times!

I just recently purchased a Western Digital (WD) 2TB (NTFS) My Passport backup storage device to back up my newer replaced HHD to SSD (on Disk 0 or 1 depending on the disk management software you are using) a Basic MBR 500 GB total (allocated used 465.8 GB) containing partitions for my Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Version 1909) system partition, 1 System Reserved partition, 2 different Recovery Partitions installed on my legacy and well running Lenovo ThinkPad T510 Laptop. My filesystem is entirely NTFS (everything) and I am also using MBR on everything too. FYI, now, my old T510 lacks UEFI and only has Basic BIOS if that is any consequence with these questions, I am about to pose to you.

Now, I have Acronis Disk Director 12.5 and I am using it only for cloning and not for traditional backup purposes. Acronis software only allows for entire disk drive cloning (all partitions on the disk) and not specific “partition” cloning. Now, if I go ahead a clone as required by Acronis the entire disk to save my Windows 10 and the other partitions to the WD 2 TB backup disk drive:

Q1. Is there a true need to back up the system reserved AND recovery partitions along with my Windows 10 system partition EACH AND EVERY TIME I DO A DISK DRIVE BACKUP? (I was thinking, if cloning only, the first and only instance, clone the entire disk drive 0 (or 1 depending on the partition management software) onto the WD backup disk drive and then subsequent backups, why not just clone my Windows 10 system partition ONLY (using a “partition cloning” software afterward for Windows 10 system partition only) to the WD 2 TB My Passport Windows 10 system partition as that is what counts? Is it necessary to clone the entire disk drive each and every time for backup purposes? Do I really need those System Reserved and Recovery Partitions backed up every time as well? If so, why?)

Q2. Using Acronis software that only performs a complete disk drive clone backup onto the WD 2 TB My Passport of my Windows 10 system partition and the other partitions I have mentioned on the same disk drive above, it only backs up the 465.8 GB on disk 0 (or 1 depending on the partition management software). If I plan to use the remaining say 1.3 TB on the WD 2 TB My Passport to create a different partition space for separate personal data backup, is there a way when I use the Acronis to only re-clone the disk drive (or overwrite the previous clone backup in the future) of disk 0 (or 1) on the same reserved area (the 465.GB of space on the WD 2TB My Passport and STILL NO HARM MY DATA BACKUP on the remaining 1.3 TB partition? What I am wondering, is if Acronis only clones the ENTIRE disk drive TO ANOTHER ENTIRE DISK DRIVE (in this case to my WD 2 TB My Passport), and only uses approximately a quarter of that space (500 GB) from disk 0 (or 1), then will the remaining three-quarters of the space on the WD 2 TB My Passport WILL ALWAYS BE ERASED, WIPED OUT OR AFFECTED from the disk drive re-cloning process when I am updating my disk 0 (or 1)? In other words, when disk drive cloning from a smaller total space on a disk drive to a larger total space on a disk drive, does that remainder of that larger total space also effected from the disk drive cloning or it does not have to be? How could I perform periodic disk drive clone updates of disk 0 (or 1) and STILL KEEP the personal data backup on another partition NOT AFFECTED on the WD 2 TB My Passport? If not, then the remaining 1.3 TB on the WD 2 B My Passport is a total waste to save other data if I periodically disk drive cloning disk 0 (or 1) to the WD 2 TB My Passport? Please explain.

Please reply. THANK YOU!

:)

 

Questions Concerning Entire Disk Drive Cloning Practices For Back Up.

Hello. I have a couple of questions to ask you! I hope everyone is safe during these unusual times!

I just recently purchased a Western Digital (WD) 2TB (NTFS) My Passport backup storage device to back up my newer replaced HHD to SSD (on Disk 0 or 1 depending on the disk management software you are using) a Basic MBR 500 GB total (allocated used 465.8 GB) containing partitions for my Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Version 1909) system partition, 1 System Reserved partition, 2 different Recovery Partitions installed on my legacy and well running Lenovo ThinkPad T510 Laptop. My filesystem is entirely NTFS (everything) and I am also using MBR on everything too. FYI, now, my old T510 lacks UEFI and only has Basic BIOS if that is any consequence with these questions, I am about to pose to you.

Now, I have Acronis Disk Director 12.5 and I am using it only for cloning and not for traditional backup purposes. Acronis software only allows for entire disk drive cloning (all partitions on the disk) and not specific “partition” cloning. Now, if I go ahead a clone as required by Acronis the entire disk to save my Windows 10 and the other partitions to the WD 2 TB backup disk drive:

Q1. Is there a true need to back up the system reserved AND recovery partitions along with my Windows 10 system partition EACH AND EVERY TIME I DO A DISK DRIVE BACKUP? (I was thinking, if cloning only, the first and only instance, clone the entire disk drive 0 (or 1 depending on the partition management software) onto the WD backup disk drive and then subsequent backups, why not just clone my Windows 10 system partition ONLY (using a “partition cloning” software afterward for Windows 10 system partition only) to the WD 2 TB My Passport Windows 10 system partition as that is what counts? Is it necessary to clone the entire disk drive each and every time for backup purposes? Do I really need those System Reserved and Recovery Partitions backed up every time as well? If so, why?)

Q2. Using Acronis software that only performs a complete disk drive clone backup onto the WD 2 TB My Passport of my Windows 10 system partition and the other partitions I have mentioned on the same disk drive above, it only backs up the 465.8 GB on disk 0 (or 1 depending on the partition management software). If I plan to use the remaining say 1.3 TB on the WD 2 TB My Passport to create a different partition space for separate personal data backup, is there a way when I use the Acronis to only re-clone the disk drive (or overwrite the previous clone backup in the future) of disk 0 (or 1) on the same reserved area (the 465.GB of space on the WD 2TB My Passport and STILL NO HARM MY DATA BACKUP on the remaining 1.3 TB partition? What I am wondering, is if Acronis only clones the ENTIRE disk drive TO ANOTHER ENTIRE DISK DRIVE (in this case to my WD 2 TB My Passport), and only uses approximately a quarter of that space (500 GB) from disk 0 (or 1), then will the remaining three-quarters of the space on the WD 2 TB My Passport WILL ALWAYS BE ERASED, WIPED OUT OR AFFECTED from the disk drive re-cloning process when I am updating my disk 0 (or 1)? In other words, when disk drive cloning from a smaller total space on a disk drive to a larger total space on a disk drive, does that remainder of that larger total space also effected from the disk drive cloning or it does not have to be? How could I perform periodic disk drive clone updates of disk 0 (or 1) and STILL KEEP the personal data backup on another partition NOT AFFECTED on the WD 2 TB My Passport? If not, then the remaining 1.3 TB on the WD 2 B My Passport is a total waste to save other data if I periodically disk drive cloning disk 0 (or 1) to the WD 2 TB My Passport? Please explain.

Please reply. THANK YOU!

 

Questions Concerning Entire Disk Drive Cloning Practices For Back Up.

I know this can be a problem if you are trying to boot the computer with both the original and clone installed, but I have never had a problem when cloning (The source system is always up and running). I clone the disk with the OS on it monthly, on 5 different systems and this has never caused a problem.
@montecarlo1987

I do the whole disk. Then, if I have to restore, I can just pop the clone into the computer, no fuss, no muss, as the saying goes. If for some reason I want to restore the clone to the original disk, I restore everything without worrying if I'm missing anything. I agree with you about cloning vs imaging. I've never had a clone that I couldn't restore (I verify them), but I've had a lot of problems over the years with restoring images. None the less, I use Macrium Reflect weekly for images, and Macrium Reflect monthly for clones.

 

Questions Concerning Entire Disk Drive Cloning Practices For Back Up.

There is a problem with clone as the disk has a signature that windows writes so it knows what it is. With a clone you have two disks the same so windows is confused and may write to the wrong disk or fail to work.

Backup is less important now as you can save files to OneDrive or Google drive and they are safe a lot of settings can be synced as well so unless you have tons of software to install it just as quick download latest free ISO and do a clean install and your files all appear as if by magic