Check Windows 10 backup before applying the Flyby11 update for Windows 11.
Check Windows 10 backup before applying the Flyby11 update for Windows 11.
I initially considered switching to Linux Zorin on my Win 10 HP laptop, relocating the HDD to the DVD slot and using a small SSD as the main boot drive for Zorin. However, I have doubts about how well a HDD performs in the old DVD slot. But I currently use uTorrent and Plex, and there are concerns about their compatibility. Flyby11 suggests it might work on my PC when I run the check, so I’m leaning toward this alternative, but I should back up my Win 10 before proceeding.
I own a single 1TB HDD with the following setup:
- c: NTFS Primary drive
- Boot drive: Windows 10 Pro (199.71GB), 68.50GB free space
- e: NTFS logical drive with only media files (730.93GB, 87.03GB free)
- Disk 0 partition 2 recovery partition (889MB, 889GB free)
I also have an external HDD of 1TB (344GB used, 587GB free). I’d like to use this as a backup drive.
Can I simply create a system image of c: onto the external HDD without erasing the existing contents? I’ve read that some backups wipe all data on the source drive, which would be problematic since I don’t have enough space to back up the entire external drive. Although inconvenient, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I lost media on E:
What free software should I use before trying a Flyby11 update? I’ve checked Aomei backupper, but is that the best option?
-- Thanks.
You can create a backup image file of C onto the external drive without affecting existing data. The recommended tool for this task is Macrium Reflect, though other options are also viable. Macrium will produce a large .MRIMG file. The external drive needs approximately half its current capacity for storage. You have 243 GB available. C takes up 200 GB; a complete image would require around 80 to 100 GB. E occupies roughly 650 GB, which won’t fit on the external drive.
Thank you. I wasn't aware the backup was compressed to about half the original size, which is helpful. I've checked Macrium and believe it's a paid product; are there any free options that perform well, such as Aoemi Backupper? Actually, my Ext HDD has around 587GB free space out of a 1TB drive (344 used, 587 free), does the source drive need to back up the entire 199GB partition instead of just the used space, which is currently 199.7GB with 68.5GB free, so roughly 130GB used? Also, I read that after a Windows 11 installation, you have 10 days to revert and restore the PC to the previous Windows 10 version. Is this an option that is safe and reliable for a quick upgrade?
Your numbers are confusing me.
The used space is reported as 199.7GB with 68.50GB free, which suggests about 130GB is used.
Is "used space" referring to the actual occupied space or just the partition size?
I’m not sure what you mean by it.
What would be best is to share a screenshot of Windows Disk Management showing all partitions and details such as sizes and usage.
If there’s a logical drive involved, that could affect things. I don’t have much experience with this.
Imaging works on a partition-by-partition basis, so you decide which ones to include in the image. You might choose only C or all partitions.
If the occupied space on C is 200GB, the resulting image would be around 100GB; if it’s 130GB, the image would be 60 to 70GB.
The free space doesn’t influence the image size.
The actual size depends on file compression and how much they compress. This uses Macrium’s standard "medium" setting, which usually doesn’t shrink files much.
Aomei Backupper: I’m unfamiliar with it, but people have discussed it a lot recently.
Another factor to think about is Hasleo. I believe it’s free, though there’s been a lot of talk about it on forums lately.
I’m unsure about the reliability of Windows 11’s "10 days to go back" feature. I won’t depend on it completely.
Sorry, for confusion, I was referring to partition size in my previous message.
HDD capacity is 1TB, with Disk 0 at 931.51GB.
From Disk Management, the partition sizes are... (unable to post image due to link issue).
(C has 199.71GB, free space 68.50GB)
(E has 730.93GB, free space 87.03GB
(Disk 0 partition 2) has 889MB free)
I believe I’m okay creating an image of C, but maybe I should try E if there’s more space later.
I’ll consider Hasleo as an option, thanks for the advice.
It seems risky to depend on Windows’ back feature.