system image-new drive needs formatting?

[oldmanbabe]

I recently bought a WD blue exclusively for system images. My question does it need to be initialized and/or formatted to do this? Second question, Should I do a system image via windows or should I use a third party cable and software to make a clone of my harddrive? Are they the same thing? I have the cable/program on-hand btw.

[Captain_WD]

I recently bought a WD blue exclusively for system images. My question does it need to be initialized and/or formatted to do this? Second question, Should I do a system image via windows or should I use a third party cable and software to make a clone of my harddrive? Are they the same thing? I have the cable/program on-hand btw.

 

Hey oldmanbabe,

 

Are you trying to transfer your old drive on the new WD Blue?

 

If you want to restore an image on a new drive, you would have to do that through the System Repair Disk which automatically formats your drive. It also creates a back up before restoring on an external drive in case something goes wrong during the process. Here's a link with more info: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/restore-computer-from-system-image-backup#1TC=windows-7

 

If you want to just store your images, you should format your drive as usual (NTFS) and use it as a storage drive.

 

Captain_WD.

[oldmanbabe]

I had to format the drive. What I wanted, and got, was a separate drive to store my system images incase the hard drive I have now dies. I ended up going through the windows program.

[Captain_WD]

I had to format the drive. What I wanted, and got, was a separate drive to store my system images incase the hard drive I have now dies. I ended up going through the windows program.

 

Good I would suggest, though, that you keep a copy on a drive that is detached from your system and thus prevent damage during power failure (if you don't already have that drive separately)

 

Captain_WD.