What do you need to know about System Images and Backup?

System images are complete system backup of each and every partition in your PC hard disk. It is a type of snapshot of your entire file system. Most of the popular operating systems such as Mac OS, Linux and Windows have provided different ways to create a system image backup. There are various reasons why a system image option is available to choose but it should not be your regular backup strategy.

What is a system image?

A System image is like a copy of all the files in your hard disk. With the help of the system image, one can easily copy a snapshot of system files and restore it during a point in time recovery. It is a type of snapshot of your HD. It is of the same size as the used space in your Hard disk drive. However, there are compression mechanisms available by which system image size can be reduced but it doesn’t work on saving space. Different programs are available to create a system image according to the compatibility and restoration option.

System image is not like the normal backup

System image should not be considered as a normal backup of your system. The size of the system image is comparatively higher than a backup and it can range from GB to even TB in high end systems. Most of the system image backups capture those files which can be easily reinstalled and redownloaded and it doesn’t give a control over what is backed and what’s not. It also takes a lot of time to create a system image since the size is quite high. Even the system image is quite difficult to export and import to other system. Windows and Mac OS provide a built-in mechanism to create system image and advises you to use it for restoration of system files on same Hardware only because if you restore it to another system then it may fail due to incompatibility. Typical backups allow you to customize and choose which files are critical to be backed up while system image is only concerned about system files and programs.

When should you create a system image

When you plan to upgrade your system hardware to high speed SSD drives or planning to upgrade your OS then it is best option to create a system image on your specific safe partition so that your system can be restored up to the point easily without any failure. Taking a complete windows image backup is a good option to choose. Even system image is quite widely used by system admins to roll out a server critical software restoration up to a specific point.

Conclusion

According to the recommendations of famous OS companies such as Apple or Microsoft, PC users must not be distracted with the system image backup as an available backup solution but should use this utility only during specific requirements. One should consider choosing a reliable backup solution such as Backup Assist for backing and restoring system data safely without any problems. The choice of a backup software depends on your requirement.