When you interesting article on how to take a full image backup, it creates a copy of your entire system as it is at the time the backup was made. This includes all of the programs currently installed, device drivers, system settings and files. It also takes up a lot more space than a file-based backup would, and thus it can be overkill for a typical workstation.

A full image backup is a good choice when you need to restore your system back to its original state without having to install and reconfigure the operating system. It’s great for a situation where you need to replace the hard drive, or if you need to back up a server with mission-critical data.

The Ultimate Guide to Taking a Full Image Backup: Safeguarding Your Data in One Go

In order to restore your system from an image backup, you can use Windows’ built-in feature or third-party tools. The process will take varying amounts of time depending on your backup drive speed and the size of the image. It is recommended to do this during a time when you will not need the computer for several hours or overnight.

Since an image backup includes all data on the drive, it is more comprehensive than a file-based backup. As a result, it can be more time-consuming during backup and can consume more bandwidth when backing up to the cloud. It is also more expensive to store because it covers everything on the machine and doesn’t exclude individual files. As a result, it’s typically best to take image-based backups during off-hours for your MSP.