I have installed AOMEI Backupper for now but not sure it will be my permanent backup solution. Nevertheless, when I ran it... It was way too fast! So I look and see that it only stored about 15GB when I selected things one way and 18gb when selected a 2nd way. C: shows about 32GB used; I don't know how much is in the other partitions. Available choices when starting are File Backup System Backup Disk Backup Partition Backup System backup is pretty clear... but what I need to know is which one to select to image the entire disk drive? I will only do that this first initial time, and in future just do the C: partition, but for now I want everything in an initial save. But it is clear I am not doing it right. Anybody really conversant with AOMEI?
If like to have an full drive image, I would use an apps like HDD Clone or similar. Hdd Clone give you the ability for to clone an whole HDD from 1 HDD to an Other of the same size or bigger, or create an Drive Image File which will need less space than the actual HDD is having while cloning the relevant infos an all data of that drive, which includes ALL Partitions. Or, you could also clone just a single partition too! I've bad experiences with Backup Apps for to 'clone' an HDD. Backup App just good for that: Backup of Data! For that I use it in our own company and for our customers, but to image an whole drive!
I'd tested that apps and from 3 backups I was able to restore: ONE! Never tested for drive imaging and wouldn't anyway! I use to backup to DVD/BD and Tapes, not to HDD, exception are the drive cloning if I do an 1 to 1 clone, for that I use HDD's. Anyway, we all will work with hard- and software we know it could and would do the job we need to have done! Apps which working for a long time with no problem will not be changed, why should they?! The reason for a change would only be to get better! OK, AOMEI is freeware and therefore appreciated by many (private) users and it has a point with that, I wouldn't deny that. For me, it doesn't matter free or paid, I claim the cost via Tax Returns etc. and didn't need to think about the headache of using pirated apps. On the other hand, even for private users, even pay a small fee for an good apps is worth the money and could save a lot of head ache! Anyway it's up to the user to chose what he like to work with!
I appreciate those thoughts, but still am looking for the answer regarding AOMEI (not whether I should use it, but what selections to make to get it to do what I stated--image the whole drive--all partitions. And in a fashion that the entire disk could be restored using that image (not on a separate HD which I do not have--no cloning).
Would guess 'Disk Backup' and 'Partition Backup' should be pretty obvious. The first should be the function you're looking for. What still puzzles me is how to backup an entire disk without having another one to backup to ?
The program makes a restorable IMAGE of the backed-up space (partition, or whole disk, etc) and saves that as a file--obviously you would normally save such an image on an external USB drive or a network server or DVDs). The same program in the Restore operation is pointed to that image as your to-be-restored 'data' and the appropriate destination is set (the replacement drive or the original drive if it is still fully operable), and the program writes the image back onto the drive. To me, 'cloning' is making an identical copy of a disk onto another physical disk--different from "saving an image.".
Yeah i know, i'm using Acronis on a Win8.1SE/Win8PESE usb pen drive, quite comfortable . Same can be done with AOMEI and other backup solutions.
?We are running in circles. What are the AOMEI selections to make to create a whole disk image? The Disk Backup selection did not do it--too small image made--but I will try that again.
Actually, I am afraid it doesn't. That link addresses how to do a SYSTEM backup--not what I asked, which is a whole disk--all partitions backup. But I think that the last one I ran using "Disk Backup" is probably OK. It came out to 20GB, which is small, but I think it must be everything, and compression really worked well...plus the space at the end of files that don't fill a whole cluster doesn't count either. So I think I am good. Unfortunately, I cannot test a restore because I do not want to chance a fail leaving me with no machine. Big risk here, I know, but no spare machine to try it on.
Maybe it's doesn't backup you pagefile or hibernation file. these are hidden in c:\. open an administrator command windows and type "dir c:\ /a" to list all files. The more ram you have the bigger these will be...
Cloning and Imaging are 2 different things, in means of using that on computers! Cloning = create the exact same device just on an different drive, which need to have the same capacity or bigger Imaging = build of an "Picture", in this case ALL what's located on that drive include FAT etc. etc., as an Data-File which could be 'restored' on an other drive with same capacity. It just need for that file as max. that space as all data on the original drive is using, let say the drive has 1TB and used are 275GB, the Image File will have max. 275GB. Compression could also be used to keep the size of the file even smaller! Not mix up cloning and imaging, that's totally wrong! I never had found an Backup Apps which works 100% correct with an Drive Imaging! The Apps we using in my company, HDD Clone, is from IMHO the best you could find, specialized on Cloning and Imaging of Data Storage devices. I not tell that Backup Apps are bad, they're just not build for cloning and imaging in first line! As I work with those software for many years in my business, doing services for Networks and servers, incl. Mainframes, we've to pin point everything under the roof of strong security.