Windows 10: System Disk Image/Clone

Hi there

First - CLONING means exactly that - HDD is copied sector by sector to an IDENTICAL sized partition on a new HDD. The new HDD can be larger than the old one but the rest of the space will be "Unallocated". Otherwise everything (including errors, spaces, lost / broken chains etc) will be copied.

second - Imaging creates a dataset of your HDD which can be used to recover your HDD or move the OS to another HDD (can be smaller too if the image fits on it). You then need to use a RESTORE program to recover the HDD. Imaging can sometimes during its processing re-arrange files etc acting as an invisible software defrag - can be good when imaging SSD's as you should NEVER defrag those. (Another topic though). so imaging and restoring is a TWO stage process. Cloning copies directly so the HDD can be used immediately.

If you have a partition editor - after CLONING an HDD set the original one to HIDDEN if you want to keep it on the system. Use the BIOS to boot whichever HDD you want to boot. Note also you CAN change the HDD's GUI (GPT) but if you have any Linux stuff on the HDD as well you'll need to re-install the GRUB2 boot loader.

Cheers
jimbo

 

I mentioned this setup a few times because I wish I thought of it myself. *Smile A guy on another forum has a custom built with quick release HD racks/rails whatever is the proper term. Periodically, as in every few days, he creates a Macrium image of the main HD in the machine and restores it to an identical bare HD in a USB docking station.

This backup is kept in a drawer. If he gets a HD fail he powers down, pulls the drive, inserts the one from the drawer and boots. A matter of a few minutes. All he has lost is modifications since the last image was restored to the bare drive. Pretty neat. *Smile

 

That is exactly what I do. I have a 2 removable SSD and 1 HDD trays outside the CPU case. I just insert clones and images and restore my system in less than 15mins.

 

I do the same, I have one HD slide in rack. Additional backup drives are used there because they seem to have a higher transfer rate than an external usb connection to a HD. I have a Linux drive in a cassette? that I can slide in there when I want to play with Linux. I just never did duel boot or VM yet, working that way though 2 SSD C:, D: and M: spinner.

 

@meebers and @badrobot awesome setups. I can't wait to get a workbench and desktops again to do it right.

 

But then surely this wouldn't be a cloned copy of the OS, unless the key is changed at a subsequent stage.

As I only want to run one OS at a time, then there's no problem in using the same key, thanks for the correction ,I guess my thought process and knowledge is way off .lol