How much space does System Image require?

[Jeff Layman]

I just tried to do a System Image for the first time of my Home Premium
64-bit laptop to an external USB2 HD (which I have used with for several
years with Acronis TrueImage for my XPH desktop PC). The external HD had
60Gb free space. The laptop HD (320Gb total) has a C: partition with 38Gb
used and a D: partition (recovery) with 10.5Gb used.

After nearly 2 hours(!) the system image stopped with a message that there
wasn't enough space on the backup disk, and that to free up space I could
delete a previous backup. It identified the current backup I was doing as a
possible previous backup, and reported it had taken 17.8Gb of the external
drive disk space. (Interesting - 2 hours to write less than 18Gb. Acronis
TI takes less than an hour for a 25Gb image of my XPH disk.)

What is going on here? There is ample free space on the external HD (nearly
12Gb) to take all the image, but Win7 can't see it. And why attempt the
image in the first place and waste 2 hours if it believes there isn't enough
disk space? Can't it ascertain that before the System Image backup starts?

 

[JimBob]

I just tried to do a System Image for the first time of my Home Premium
64-bit laptop to an external USB2 HD (which I have used with for several
years with Acronis TrueImage for my XPH desktop PC). The external HD had
60Gb free space. The laptop HD (320Gb total) has a C: partition with 38Gb
used and a D: partition (recovery) with 10.5Gb used.

After nearly 2 hours(!) the system image stopped with a message that there
wasn't enough space on the backup disk, and that to free up space I could
delete a previous backup. It identified the current backup I was doing as
a possible previous backup, and reported it had taken 17.8Gb of the
external drive disk space. (Interesting - 2 hours to write less than
18Gb. Acronis TI takes less than an hour for a 25Gb image of my XPH
disk.)

What is going on here? There is ample free space on the external HD
(nearly 12Gb) to take all the image, but Win7 can't see it. And why
attempt the image in the first place and waste 2 hours if it believes
there isn't enough disk space? Can't it ascertain that before the System
Image backup starts?

Hi Jeff,
I'm sorry I can't answer your problem but I can tell you I'm using Home
Premium 32bit and back up to my D drive. The size of the image and files
backed up is approx 12GB and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. When I
have had to put the image back that process also took less than 5 minutes
and works just fine. I think you might investigate why Win 7 can't see your
external HD. You might also double check where you are telling the program
to place the backup.

 

[Ophelia]

Hi Jeff,
I'm sorry I can't answer your problem but I can tell you I'm using Home
Premium 32bit and back up to my D drive. The size of the image and files
backed up is approx 12GB and takes less than 5 minutes to complete. When I
have had to put the image back that process also took less than 5 minutes
and works just fine. I think you might investigate why Win 7 can't see
your external HD. You might also double check where you are telling the
program to place the backup.

Yes. I did what Jeff did and copied it onto my external drive, and it was
fairly fast. I didn't have any problems at all.

 

[Jeff Layman]

Yes. I did what Jeff did and copied it onto my external drive, and it was
fairly fast. I didn't have any problems at all.

Was that with Home Premium 64-bit too?

 

[Ophelia]

Was that with Home Premium 64-bit too?

Yes it was, Jeff. My external hd is a Maxtor 1.5tb. It is partitioned and
I hit the same problem as you with one partition, but it didn't take that
long to tell me. Once I selected the right partition it worked no problem
at all.

 

[Jeff Layman]

Yes it was, Jeff. My external hd is a Maxtor 1.5tb. It is partitioned
and I hit the same problem as you with one partition, but it didn't take
that long to tell me. Once I selected the right partition it worked no
problem at all.

Thanks. I've found the answer, and Microsoft have excelled themselves with
idiocy this time! This is from the Help and Support info on backup:

"By default, Windows automatically saves as many system images as it has
space for without taking up more than 30 percent of space on the backup
disk. Once the disk starts running out of room, Windows deletes older system
images. You can set Windows to retain as many system images as it has space
for on the backup disk or to only keep the most recent system image."

So, with about 18Gb being 30% of the remaining disk space (60Gb) on my
external HD, that's why the backup stopped. Interestingly, on trying to do
the backup again, it now tells me it doesn't have enough space before I try
to backup! It probably also explains why you couldn't backup to one of the
partitions on your hard disk - it was probably a small partition which had
less than 30% of the proposed backup size available.

So in Microsoft's view no backup is better than a full disk with at least
one backup on it. I'm sure someone can explain Microsoft's logic on this (as
soon as their medication wears off...).

 

[Ophelia]

Thanks. I've found the answer, and Microsoft have excelled themselves
with idiocy this time! This is from the Help and Support info on backup:

"By default, Windows automatically saves as many system images as it has
space for without taking up more than 30 percent of space on the backup
disk. Once the disk starts running out of room, Windows deletes older
system images. You can set Windows to retain as many system images as it
has space for on the backup disk or to only keep the most recent system
image."

So, with about 18Gb being 30% of the remaining disk space (60Gb) on my
external HD, that's why the backup stopped. Interestingly, on trying to do
the backup again, it now tells me it doesn't have enough space before I
try to backup! It probably also explains why you couldn't backup to one of
the partitions on your hard disk - it was probably a small partition which
had less than 30% of the proposed backup size available.

So in Microsoft's view no backup is better than a full disk with at least
one backup on it. I'm sure someone can explain Microsoft's logic on this
(as soon as their medication wears off...).

duhhh lol !!! Well, at least you have your back up now Well done

That was worth knowing too, so thank you!

 

[Trev]

Thanks. I've found the answer, and Microsoft have excelled themselves
with idiocy this time! This is from the Help and Support info on backup:

"By default, Windows automatically saves as many system images as it has
space for without taking up more than 30 percent of space on the backup
disk. Once the disk starts running out of room, Windows deletes older
system images. You can set Windows to retain as many system images as it
has space for on the backup disk or to only keep the most recent system
image."

So, with about 18Gb being 30% of the remaining disk space (60Gb) on my
external HD, that's why the backup stopped. Interestingly, on trying to do
the backup again, it now tells me it doesn't have enough space before I
try to backup! It probably also explains why you couldn't backup to one of
the partitions on your hard disk - it was probably a small partition which
had less than 30% of the proposed backup size available.

So in Microsoft's view no backup is better than a full disk with at least
one backup on it. I'm sure someone can explain Microsoft's logic on this
(as soon as their medication wears off...).

You may find Its backed up and created a image disc ready to burn, at the
same time in that backup folder

 

[Jeff Layman]

You may find Its backed up and created a image disc ready to burn, at the
same time in that backup folder

No *.* file of 5 - 50Gb on the C: drive. The successful backup of a System
Image only (nothing else off C: and D resulted is a backup of 32.2Gb on
the external HD. AFAICS, the backup program should have thrown that out at
18Gb like the first attempt.