Windows 10: Safety measures to start / boot / repair Win 10?

Yes, I understand, it just does not make any sense for me.

 

Yes.

 

Here is a pic of the actual definition file I have for Macrium to backup the Creators Update edition. Partitions 1 & 2 are system required partitions, boot info and stuff, 3 is the main C: - the OS and all my data, 4 is the Windows Recovery partition. All are required if I restore in order for it to boot back up and run normally. So my Macrium backup for Windows and all required is 4 partitions. Hope this makes it a little clearer.

 

OK, thank you for the explanation.

It's a pity one cannot back up / restore the OS only when one has a single partition.

 

If you're referring to C; , your system would not boot if the only partition you restored was that....C:. The others, particularly 1 & 2 are very very small and contain required data for the BIOS and OS to boot. I'm not sure how else to explain it. You can't have just the C:. If your drive croaked and you had to restore, you would need them all. If Windows fails, or the data gets corrupted, you would need them all. If I'm not understanding something, please explain.

 

Just as a comparison to Tomcat's, here's a look at mine.

I have only 4 partitions on my SSD. All 4 are needed to restore Windows. All of my data is on a separate HDD.

When I run Macrium, I manually select each of those 4 partitions you see with a checkmark.

Because of my drive configuration, I COULD accomplish the same thing by choosing either of the 2 choices shown in the upper left corner: "image selected disk" or "create an image of the partitions required". That's because ALL partitions on my SSD are required to run and restore Windows.

Each and every thing on all of those partitions are included--even though much of the contents on the C partition is NOT needed to run or restore Windows.

 

Because it's your data. You cannot backup part of a partition with Macrium Image Backup. That may be misleading to the OP. Sorry.

 

Yeah, that's right. All or none per partition.

I mean that stuff like Photoshop or Microsoft Office installations ARE on C.

But I don't need Photoshop or Office to run Windows.

But I have no choice but to restore them, because they are installed on C. All of C or none of C.

 

Very sorry for my bad explanations. What I meant was - actually it is not that important - that, if a complete drive will be backed up / restored there should not be displayed something like back up Win. And yes, of course, all of the partitions belonging to Win should be backed up / restored, if needed.

In my case today I had backed up / restored my onw files (being on C: as well), I had read / thought back up Win means back up Win and not my own files. So I lost the new data since yesterday.

Yes, of course, very plausible. It must be backed up what is needed / to restore Win if need be.

So e.g. one' s own files. Yes, so it should not be displayed "Back up Win" or such. Respectively if one knows what "Back up Win" means (backing up everything) one might not run in such problems. Now I know, before I didn't.

 

Yeah, that's one thing you have to be aware of.

If you make an image on Monday and install an application on Tuesday, that application will NOT be backed and and will be lost when you restore the Monday image.

As would anything else added to C after the image was made. Bookmarks, email, pictures of grandma, whatever.

That's one of the reasons why it can be advantageous to keep data on a separate partition that you can EXCLUDE from your image. You'd back it up in some separate manner.

 

Just for reference. Even Microsoft uses the term "Windows Backup". And their version (soon to be eliminated) does the same thing....the entire C: partition, OS, data, and all.

 

Yes, that is the usual way updates work, so if I had known that back up / restore Win means back up C: (including my own files) I would not have backed up / restored the complete drive but only Win.

Yes, if only I had known that...

Yes, my "real" own data I have on I:. It is not sensefully possible to have my (portable) programs separated from the Win drive (small SSD 256 GB). To lose the installed programs is not very good, but it is acceptable, it is the way it works, there is no other way to not to have them on C:.

Yes. but it does not get more usful by that for me. So if a some program displays Win wil be deleted and it means the entire drive will be deleted (instead of Win only what it means for me) it completely misleads respectively does not make any sense for me.