System Image Naming

cMc214 · January 9, 2019

Both of my computers are sharing an external hard drive for their system image backups. So that I can tell the files apart, can I change the file name of the images without any ill effects? Does recovery care that it is not the given name when I select it to apply that image? For example they were both named Desktop-Xxxxxxxx. I left one as is and changed the other to Laptop-xxxxxxx.

SydneySideSteveSomewheres · January 9, 2019

If you mean Windows Backup, why not have different folders designated for each of the machines, then it would not matter because all the Desktop backups would be in the folder named Desktop, not Laptop.

Good luck with that Windows Backup, by the way. I have been unable to get my machine going again since Windows 7 from a Windows Backup, even with Microsoft tech support help!

Instead, I rely upon Acronis as it has saved my bacon more than once, and you can name the images too.

Link:

Acronis True Image

cMc214 · January 9, 2019

15 hours ago, SydneySideSteveSomewheres said:

If you mean Windows Backup, why not have different folders designated for each of the machines, then it would not matter because all the Desktop backups would be in the folder named Desktop, not Laptop.

Good luck with that Windows Backup, by the way. I have been unable to get my machine going again since Windows 7 from a Windows Backup, even with Microsoft tech support help!

Instead, I rely upon Acronis as it has saved my bacon more than once, and you can name the images too.

Link:

Acronis True Image

No not windows backup I dont use that. I create a system disk image, a picture if you will of my hard drive. Any issues or when I want to set things back to fresh begining I apply the image and it makes everything exactly the way it was when I took that image. I found it much more reliable than other backup methods but it is not real-time backup so if your image is 6 months old everything after that is gone. Now back to what i was originally asking to clarify either the Windows built in image creator or a 3rd part app one names the folder the image sits in on your backup HD. I was just curious if renaming those folders had any ill effects when reapplying the image.

SydneySideSteveSomewheres · January 11, 2019

On 1/10/2019 at 6:24 AM, cMc214 said:

No not windows backup I dont use that. I create a system disk image, a picture if you will of my hard drive. Any issues or when I want to set things back to fresh begining I apply the image and it makes everything exactly the way it was when I took that image. I found it much more reliable than other backup methods but it is not real-time backup so if your image is 6 months old everything after that is gone. Now back to what i was originally asking to clarify either the Windows built in image creator or a 3rd part app one names the folder the image sits in on your backup HD. I was just curious if renaming those folders had any ill effects when reapplying the image.

As I said above as a user of Acronis my experience may differ from yours.

For example, if you make backup images daily and then at the end of the week move the last image to an offsite drive. When restoring from these images, so far the only thing I have had to worry about is whether the bootable software can locate its backup image file (whatever file type your specific program uses) the actual name given to that file by the user is not an issue to the program. Although the user naming schedule may not appear in the boot software's list, and that is why the recommendation of separate folder trees for different machines, otherwise, you may restore the Laptop to the Desktop or vice versa!