In Aomei Backupper there is the option under Backup of System Backup Windows and create an image of system partion).
Or:
Disk Clone (Clone a hard disk drive to another).

How and in what way do they differ please?

I'm not real smart and I figured out Aomei but Disk Clone confused me.  Now I've forgotten how to use both of them but I paid for Aomei I think.  Now I use Aomei one key recovery.  Everyone says it's free but it's not.  I found an old copy that was free and tried to get a refund from the Irish company they use to handle accounting.  They said the refund was instantaneous but I'm still writing an email a day to try and get my 1000 baht back.  I only bought the thing for an hour but still no money back. 

A 'system image' can be used to re-create an exact copy of your windows installation if you have a breakdown. If you create a recovery drive (usually prompted during a system image run) you would insert the new drive in place of the old one, boot to the recovery USB and then install your Windows and programs from the 'system image' which you had saved on another disc.

 

A partition clone is just an exact copy of all the files and folders... but not the information you need for a 'system restore'. But it may work if you are upgrading to a new drive, although there will be problems with partition sizes and some programs won't run properly.

 

Do you want a simple copy of the drive or do you want a back up to use in case of a drive failure?

Edited February 12, 20197 yr by killerbeez

I use Aomei's disk partition tool, but for backup I've been using Macrium's Reflect.  And it really is free, with a few bells and whistles less than the paid version.  I've been using it nearly 3 years, and it's restore capabilities do well.

 

I have a lot of partitions, the C drive is the only one I backup with this software.  For the others I have another hard drive (connected via USB) that I back up the other partitions to, using a file compare program like Beyond Compare.

 

 

https://www.backup-utility.com/features/create-system-image.html

https://www.backup-utility.com/features/disk-clone.html?hot=true

1 hour ago, killerbeez said:

A 'system image' can be used to re-create an exact copy of your windows installation if you have a breakdown. If you create a recovery drive (usually prompted during a system image run) you would insert the new drive in place of the old one, boot to the recovery USB and then install your Windows and programs from the 'system image' which you had saved on another disc.

 

A partition clone is just an exact copy of all the files and folders... but not the information you need for a 'system restore'. But it may work if you are upgrading to a new drive, although there will be problems with partition sizes and some programs won't run properly.

 

Do you want a simple copy of the drive or do you want a back up to use in case of a drive failure?

In the event that my hard disk failed, I would like to make a complete copy of the drive, so I can install it in an emergency.

 

Secondly if there is a schedule option that could do this say weekly automatically, but I cannot find this option on Aomei.

10 minutes ago, up2you2 said:

In the event that my hard disk failed, I would like to make a complete copy of the drive, so I can install it in an emergency.

 

Secondly if there is a schedule option that could do this say weekly automatically, but I cannot find this option on Aomei.

Where are you going to keep it?

11 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Where are you going to keep it?

On another hard drive.