Make an image of the C drive

bod1467

In preparation for Windows 10 update I plan to make an image of my current C drive. (Presently is 322GB including all the Photos, Videos, MP3s and Ebooks - although I also have these backed up separately along with my other data).

What utilities do folks recommend for making the image? (Preferably free). I have a 1TB USB HDD I can use for storing the image.

bsod

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5296474

bod1467

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Thanks! That's what I was thinking of but couldn't remember the name.

bsod

if you have an empty 1tb drive, you could use windows image too, just in case.

Jivesinger

Another vote for Macrium here. I'm going to do exactly the same before attempting the upgrade to Windows 10.

The key thing here is that you don't enter a Windows 10 product key with the free upgrade. Instead it somehow inherits activated status from the copy of windows 7 or 8.x that you have running. So if something goes wrong and you need to have another go, you want to go back to a working version of 7 or 8 to get the free upgrade.

You were probably going to do this anyway, but just to note that I would recommend making an image of the whole disk (ie what shows up as your C: Drive plus System Reserved Partition plus Recovery etc.) That way it will be easier to get back if something goes wrong with Windows 10. If you just had the C: drive on its own, it wouldn't be quite so easy to restore.

Edit: Also make sure you create the bootable Macrium Rescue Media before you try the upgrade.

esuhl

Jivesinger wrote: »

The key thing here is that you don't enter a Windows 10 product key with the free upgrade. Instead it somehow inherits activated status from the copy of windows 7 or 8.x that you have running. So if something goes wrong and you need to have another go, you want to go back to a working version of 7 or 8 to get the free upgrade.

From what I read, you're right about the first in-place update being required to inherit the Win7/8.x license. But once you've upgraded once (I thought) you could then use your Win7/8.x product key.

prowla

I've used Macrium before, and it's done precisely what it says on the tin.

Jivesinger

esuhl wrote: »

From what I read, you're right about the first in-place update being required to inherit the Win7/8.x license. But once you've upgraded once (I thought) you could then use your Win7/8.x product key.

I don't think Windows 10 will ever accept a Win7/8.x key.

My understanding of the 'once you've upgraded once' mechanism is that once you've upgraded and activated once, the activation servers store information about your machine's hardware. Then, when you clean-install Windows 10 on some future date and it tries to activate, the activation servers recognise the hardware as a machine they've activated before, and activate again.

However if your initial upgrade goes pear-shaped before the point of activation, but also messes up your Windows 7/8.x install, I think you need to get Windows 7/8.x running again before you attempt another upgrade.

I think the OP is definitely doing the right thing by making a backup image before attempting the upgrade.