Drive Imaging & Windows System Restore

[TheKid7]

About 2 months ago I began the practice of routinely making backup images of the hard drive partition which contains the Windows Operating System.

Please comment on positives and negatives (risks?) caused by the following practice which I have implemented.

1. Turn off Windows System Restore (only if I feel that the PC is performing in a reasonable/stable fashion) and wait for the completion of the restore point deletion process.

2. Turn on Windows System Restore.

3. Verify that Windows has made a fresh restore point.

4. Perform a defragmentation of the drive partition containing the Windows Operating System.

5. Make an image of the drive partition containing the Windows Operating System.

My purpose of turning off Windows System Restore and turning it back on is to significantly reduce the size of the backup image file. I have found that turning off Windows System Restore can free up around 1.5 to 2.5 GB of disk space. This should result in at least a 1 GB reduction of the file size of the backup image (compressed).

[ThunderZ]

I am just wondering why have sys restore turned on at all if you make regular images? Am I missing something?

[Peter2150]

I agree. With Imaging and apps like FDISR, I never have system restore on.

Pete

[ratchet]

You can also delete all but the last restore point in Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup! Put it in your start menu or make a shortcut as long as you want to do it that way. I also reduce restore to just one point when I defrag.

[TheKid7]

Thanks Everyone.

I didn't know that you could clean up all but the last restore point with Windows Disk Cleanup.

Also, the Imaging Process (Image for Windows) that I was referring to is:

1. Bi-Weekly Full Backup of the Windows System Partition to separate internal hard drive.

2. Monthly Full Backup of the Windows System Partition to DVD+R.

[Brian K]

TheKid7,

Have you considered doing Differential image backups?

[raakii]

Windows System Restore should be disabled if u have the habit of taking imagesnapshots frequently.IMHO,I consider Windows System Restore spineless.