to buy OS flash@£35 or make my own

joe134

Hi Guys, When I bought my Acer 8 years ago, I paid £30 for recovery discs, but never used them , even though I restored it back to factory settings using their e-recovery, and help off here.
If I buy a new pc, which I think I may have to, it,s Now £35 on flash stick.
Is it worth it, or easier to make my own, never done it before,.?

bod1467

When you start up a PC for the first time to set it up, it usually gives the option to create a set of recovery disks. This is essentially an image of the PC "out of the box", and includes the OS.

debitcardmayhem

Make your own, and make regular backups, and build a new system rescue disk every few months , and !!!!!! please test them

EDITED: Oh and before he(closed ) gets here first use Macrium Reflect free or some such for imaging / backup

joe134

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Make your own, and make regular backups, and build a new system rescue disk every few months , and !!!!!! please test them

EDITED: Oh and before he(closed ) gets here first use Macrium Reflect free or some such for imaging / backup

Cheers guys, much appreciated, how big a stick would I need for W8.?

joe134

debitcardmayhem wrote: »

Make your own, and make regular backups, and build a new system rescue disk every few months , and !!!!!! please test them

EDITED: Oh and before he(closed ) gets here first use Macrium Reflect free or some such for imaging / backup

Hi Db, thanks for reply, when you say system rescue disc, is this the same as the one of OS I would do on first start up? or is it separate to it..
As my hard drive on this pc is ok, can I take it out, and put it in a caddy, (got one) and use it for full system OS image, and back ups , instead of buying new separate hard drive external, or sticks.?
I usually back up to stick, google drive, and D drive from C.
But not whole OS, just docs /pics etc.
Presume Macrium is a backing up program, like Nero.?
I just drag / drop to stick at present.

closed

macrium is a disk image backup program, backs up everything, windows, programs, data in one go, and make restoring from any type of failure, a breeze - video embedded here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2436849

joe134

closed wrote: »

macrium is a disk image backup program, backs up everything, windows, programs, data in one go, and make restoring from any type of failure, a breeze - video embedded here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2436849

Hi closed , thanks for the link.

However, me being thick, when In buy my new PC, as I did this, I have 2 choices, buy, or make my own rescue OS disk/stick.
Guys say make one, and use macrium.ok.fine,
BUT. when One first boots a new pc up, I believe you get 1 shot at making your own Dvd recovery disk,before loading stuff on pc, or am I wrong, as I say, I bought my discs last time. I used Acers E-recovery when I was in trouble, which meant OS was left alone, just factory settings.lost my data. which I had on back up disc anyway.
A copy of the OS is my concern , in case a total re-instal of Os is nescessary;;.
Can you download macrium after setting pc up from new, and still make a disc of OS , or do you have to make recovery disc before putting anything on pc from new,offline, even a/v etc,as bod says in #2.then, download a/v etc.
excuse my ignorance.I know it was a long job re-installing all windows updates, data etc, from factory settings.
As end user, they really should supply discs free, but, oem, helps them make money.:beer:

bod1467

Macrium (as I understand) allows you to make an image of your machine AT ANY TIME. So, make a rescue image on first boot (as a fall back) then use Macrium at any time you wish thereafter.

It's not an either/or - it's both.

joe134

bod1467 wrote: »

Macrium (as I understand) allows you to make an image of your machine AT ANY TIME. So, make a rescue image on first boot (as a fall back) then use Macrium at any time you wish thereafter.

It's not an either/or - it's both.

Hi bod, me must be thick.( nothing strange there)
How can I make a rescue image on first boot, when macrium aint on pc until I download it, after first boot?et.al
I presume, you mean, that I can instal it after all my safety kit, A/v etc,download it, take a rescue image before adding my backed up stuff from old Pc.then another, and every so often thereafter.
I always thought, probably wrongly, that as soon as first boot is done, it gives you 1 choice to make a rescue disc?
If I don,t I cannot after, without something like macrium.?
First time I,ve ever heard of macrium, so, might just try it on this Pc first?before I do it on new one.Just want to be sure I,ve got rescue disc of OS from the start:beer:

GunJack

there is a program pre-installed on the new pc for you to create the recovery image of how the pc is straight "out of the box". Do this onto DVDs, keep them safe...

THEN, use macrium or other similar prog to take a disc image at any time later which will be of the pc at that time, so will include anything you've installed/saved/etc. since that first switch-on.

That any clearer ??

debitcardmayhem

GunJack wrote: »

there is a program pre-installed on the new pc for you to create the recovery image of how the pc is straight "out of the box". Do this onto DVDs, keep them safe...

THEN, use macrium or other similar prog to take a disc image at any time later which will be of the pc at that time, so will include anything you've installed/saved/etc. since that first switch-on.

That any clearer ??

And also do a system rescue disk too, it is minimal,relatively in terms of size but it allows you to access some of the windows tools, not least the ability to repair a borked boot sector and you can re-create this at any time (I have my W7 versions 32/64 bit on a small 2GB stick using Xboot but that is a different way of doing it ).