“Windows backup and restore” and “Create a system image” different results

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I use Windows built-in system to back up on my Easy Store external drive.  For no particular reason other than I have an almost empty giant 1T HDD DATA(D:) drive in addition to a 237 GB SSD (C:) drive, I decided to back up another system image on my Data (D:) drive.

The Windows built-in back up system made a system image on my Easy Store external drive during normal back up this morning.

I used “Create a system image” to make a system image on my DATA (D:) drive.

The results are similar but not the same.  I expected both images to be the same.

Should they be the same? Or are they different because they were created by different means or for some other reason?

Thanks.

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0050 – 64 bit
Windows 10 Home Version 22H2
OS build 19045.5608
Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019
-Version 2502(Build 18526.20168 C2R)

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I assume by “different” you are referring to the image size (50GB on D vs 80GB on E)?

It could be that you store data on D that Windows thinks needs to be included in the backup.

If you can browse the backups you may be able to see the difference, but I don’t know if you can browse a Windows backup.

FWIW, I never use Windows backup because the 3rd party apps make it much easier to choose what to backup and restore.

cheers, Paul

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mpw

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Paul,

Thanks for your response. Size is the difference I am referring to.

Files are backed up separately and I can click down through the folders and see a file. But finding a specific file would be very difficult and laborious.

But the system image is backed up separately and stands alone.  So I don’t know where the extra  KB’s come from.

Any ideas where I might find out.

Thanks

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0050 – 64 bit
Windows 10 Home Version 22H2
OS build 19045.5608
Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019
-Version 2502(Build 18526.20168 C2R)

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Check the settings for your backup to the E Easy Store drive to see if it includes your D DATA drive.  You can mount each image to see what they contain.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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mpw

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When I use Windows built-in system to back up my computer on my Easy Store external drive, I set it to back up files from C and D and make back up system image.

The files and folders are listed under PC-WIN10.

The system image is under Windows Image Backup>PC-Win10>Backup 2023-01-01

I always thought these were two distinct things.  I did not think that the system image backup contained files and folders. I thought it was just a system image.

BTW if I mount the two system images I have to see what I have won’t that install them.  I am afraid to mess up what I have.

Thanks

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0050 – 64 bit
Windows 10 Home Version 22H2
OS build 19045.5608
Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019
-Version 2502(Build 18526.20168 C2R)

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If you want a system image only, you may create one using the option in the upper left-land corner. However, another option is to create backup of user files and folders and a system image. The user files and folders are kept in dated zip files. The system image is retained with your computer name and date.

To save both user files and a system image, select: Change settings.

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I have made a system image both ways.  That is what started this.  I expected them to be the same size and they are not.  See original post with attachments.

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0050 – 64 bit
Windows 10 Home Version 22H2
OS build 19045.5608
Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019
-Version 2502(Build 18526.20168 C2R)

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At a minimum, both ways create an image of your C drive.  I wonder if it is possible your normal Easy Store backup job is creating incremental images, making the image a little bigger each week.  Hopefully others with more knowledge will weigh in.  Mounting an image will not cause it to install.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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mpw

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OK, did some testing using windows “create a system image”.  On a drive with an existing image I ran the tool. The image size changed from 108.6 GB to 109.4 GB and took 7 minutes.  On a drive without an image, the newly created image is 80.6 GB and took 11 minutes.  Both drives are SSD’s connected via SATA.

I think you are seeing the difference between creating weekly (incremental?) images on the Easy Store drive vs a new image on the DATA drive.  If you mounted both images I would guess they would be identical.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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mpw

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Thank you for going to so much trouble for me.  I think you are right.  I don’t think it is a problem.  Apparently, the image backup I get from using Windows built-in back up system is different because a different process is used.

It stands alone in the results after back up is run and I have it set to keep just one back up but I guess it has grown after two years of backups.

Meanwhile using the “create a system image” tool has only been used once.  I had never done that before.  Over the last few days I think I read somewhere that “create a system image” tool returns operating system to factory settings.  But I can’t find where I saw that.  It may have been in an article about getting started on a new computer and having a backup from the beginning.

I do not know how to mount image.  I did it once with an iso but that is not what I get from W10 backup or Create an image.  When I right click on those results there is no option to mount.

Thank you for all the time you put into this.

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0050 – 64 bit
Windows 10 Home Version 22H2
OS build 19045.5608
Windows Defender and Windows Firewall
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019
-Version 2502(Build 18526.20168 C2R)

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mledman

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mpw wrote:

Over the last few days I think I read somewhere that “create a system image” tool returns operating system to factory settings.

The “create a system image” tool (and all imaging tools) return the operating system to its state at the time the image was taken.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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mpw

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