Can I use a System Image on a bare drive

Rather than clone my existing drive I was wondering whether I can remove the system drive, install a new drive and get to the system recovery screen (or some other utility) through a USB boot and just restore the Image instead of doing a clone ?

Yes you can. It is my preferred method rather than cloning. You have to restore using the bootable media you create within whatever imaging application you make your image with..

If you are restoring to a larger drive, to utilize all the space on the drive you will have to do one of 3 things; partition the drive in advance of restoring, resize partition(s) after restoral, or use an imaging app that allows you to resize your partitions as part of the restoral. Not all imaging apps are created equal.
I am familiar with 2. Macrium can do it as can Haselo Backup Suite which is free. I'm sure there are others. I just haven't used them.

I usually use the built in imaging tool in Windows 11 (from Windows 7) I cant recall if the Media Creation Tool has any facility to install a system image ?

idainc said:

I usually use the built in imaging tool in Windows 11 (from Windows 7)

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MS told us to stop using that eight years ago. It had been unreliable for many years before that - sometimes its image restore would work, sometimes it would not be able to find its own image file in order to restore it.

There's a discussion about some system imaging utilities in
Macrium Reflect, AOMEI Backupper and Hasleo Backup Suite guides - ElevenForum
There's a discussion about choices of backup methods in
my ditty - File backup vs imaging, imaging utilities, backing up drivers [post #3] - TenForums
but my references to named system imaging utilities are out-of-date.

idainc said:

if the Media Creation Tool has any facility to install a system image ?

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No.


Denis

idainc said:

I usually use the built in imaging tool in Windows 11 (from Windows 7

Click to expand...

Even Microsoft tells users not to use that tool so good luck with that.

idainc said:

I cant recall if the Media Creation Tool has any facility to install a system image ?

Click to expand...

No.

Thoughts on a Recovery drive ? Seems to have a facility to use a system image...

idainc said:

Thoughts on a Recovery drive ?

Click to expand...

Seems to have a facility to use a system image
If it still does then it will only be one made using the tool MS told us to stop using. It will have the same unreliability already posted about.

Get a third-party system imaging utility.


Denis