How can I get a clone from running Windows?


ContosoUser

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Windows 11 Enterprise 64Bit
Hello my good friends, good time.
I have Windows 11 Enterprise Edition, how can I take a full backup of it when Windows is running, that is, I want to have a clone of it.
How can I have a complete clone?.


Thank you
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Enterprise 64Bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy 17 Leap Motion SE NB PC
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4702MQ CPU @ 2.20GHz 2.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Hewlett-Packard
    Memory
    16.0 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia Geforce 750M
What do you mean by clone?

Do you want a direct bit for bit copy on a separate disk?

Do you want a direct used space copy on a separate disk?

Do you want a used space copy stored in an image file?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
Hello my good friends, good time.
I have Windows 11 Enterprise Edition, how can I take a full backup of it when Windows is running, that is, I want to have a clone of it.
How can I have a complete clone?.


Thank you
I have always cloned my system after closing Windows because I'm "old school" and want to be sure system files are copied properly without the fear of a system failure during cloning. With that said, visit the link below for an answer to your question.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microcenter B677
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-9400
    Motherboard
    ASRock H310CM-HDV/M.2
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Intel Kaby Lake - High Definition Audio / cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech) [A0]
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Model: GSM59F1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1080
    Case
    Lian Li 205M
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky AV
You could try Macrium Reflect which has many backup/ cloning features (paid and free versions available), it can backup/ create disk images while Windows is running and from outside the Windows environment using a boot disk.
DISM, the built in Windows image management utility can be used to image a Windows install and create a custom install image.
There are tutorials for both methods on these forums, there are other backup, image creation apps available that have a following here as well.
Detailing exactly what you want to do and how you want to use the 'clone' would be helpful.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Scan 3XS Custom 1700
    CPU
    Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)
    Motherboard
    Asus ProArt Creator B660 D4
    Memory
    64GB DDR 3600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte G32QC 32inch 16:9 curved @2560 x 1440p 165Hz Freesync Premium Pro/ Dell SE2422H 24inch 16:9 1920 x 1080p 75Hz Freesync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p & 1920 x 1080p
    Hard Drives
    WD SN570 1TB NVME (Boot), Samsung 870QVO 1TB (SSD), SanDisk 3D Ultra 500Gb (SSD) x2, Seagate 3Tb Expansion Desk (Ext HDD), 2x Toshiba 1Tb P300 (Ext HDD)
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X Modular
    Case
    Corsair 4000D Airflow Desktop
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H150i RGB Pro XT 360mm Liquid Cooler, 3 x 120mm fans, 1x Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    800Mbs
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes
You could try Macrium Reflect which has many backup/ cloning features (paid and free versions available), it can backup/ create disk images while Windows is running and from outside the Windows environment using a boot disk.
DISM, the built in Windows image management utility can be used to image a Windows install and create a custom install image.
There are tutorials for both methods on these forums, there are other backup, image creation apps available that have a following here as well.
Detailing exactly what you want to do and how you want to use the 'clone' would be helpful.
I would recommend an image backup rather than a direct clone, if I interpret correctly OP's intent.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
It would help if you would explain your reasons for needing a clone and why you need the system to be running. Exactly ?
Are you confusing a clone with an image? As has been suggested already, Macrium can make a backup image while system is running but we need to know what are you attempting to accomplish with your drives and why..
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I would recommend an image backup rather than a direct clone, if I interpret correctly OP's intent.
I alway's do an image backup, but was just wondering, is there a difference if recovering from a disk backup you cloned vs a recovery from an image?
Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise, 11 Pro, Win LTSB Enterprise, Win LTSC, Win 10 Pro Win 7 Pro.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware PC
    CPU
    Intel i7 4790K
    Motherboard
    ASROCK Z97 EXTREME4
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG UE57 Series 28-Inch 4K UHD
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2
    PSU
    EVGA 850 watt
    Case
    Alienware Area 51 Black Tower Case
    Keyboard
    HyperX - Alloy Elite 2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.2 GHz
    Browser
    Chrome
is there a difference if recovering from a disk backup you cloned vs a recovery from an image
A clone is an identical uncompressed copy of a disk sector by sector, free space and all. You can replace a disk with a cloned disk and you're ready to go.
An image is a compressed version of the contents of a disk written to a file.
Unlike a clone, an image does not copy free space and the layout of the files on the disk is ignored. Cloning takes way longer than making a backup image.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
I use an Eaxer Drive Dock which can hold 2 drives. It has a function to do the Byte for Byte clone BUT it cannot be connected to a computer to do it. It does involve removing a Source drive from the computer. The Destination drive needs to be the same capacity of the Source drive or larger. I just did one over the weekend, 250GB to a 320GB with Win7 before Upgrading to Win10. The clone has always been bootable.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
A clone is an identical uncompressed copy of a disk sector by sector, free space and all. You can replace a disk with a cloned disk and you're ready to go.
It doesn't mean that anymore. Most imaging programs and partition programs will do clones. Sometimes called partition copy or disk copy, or os migration, and they usually offer to clone only used sectors by default.

Some are good at ensuring the clone is bootable, some are not very good at it. Which is probably why macrium fans always suggest imaging because it is not the best at cloning.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i
  • Operating System
    win7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    pentium g5400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    1x8gb 2400
    PSU
    xfx pro 450

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