For paid software, you have a lot more choices, including Acronis True Image. If you’re looking for something free, we like Macrium Reflect Free. There are quite a few solid applications for creating full system image backups.

But, for most people, simple personal file backups are better. They’re also useful when you want to create a customized Windows system image and deploy it on one or more PCs without any additional configuration. This can be especially useful if you’ve spent a lot of time setting up your PC just the way you like it, or if you’re about to do something you’re concerned might mess up your system and you want the insurance policy. You may prefer to create a complete backup image of your entire system so you can restore to its exact state-even if it takes more space, is slower to create, and can’t easily be moved to another PC. However, system image backups are still a useful tool in some situations. You can just start with a fresh Windows installation, reinstall the programs you use, and then recover your personal files. Just backing up your personal files will get you a smaller backup, and Windows can create it faster.

Most people are better off simply backing up their personal files with something like File History rather than creating a snapshot of the PC’s entire drive. Microsoft is deprecating this feature because most people don’t really need to create and use full system image backups.

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