I'm about to start using Windows 11 for the first time on a new PC. I've looked at some backup imagers, but I'm a little confused by the choices.
All I want to do is manually make backup images of my primary partition which holds my OS (win11). I keep my more custom data on other partitions. I don't want to do incremental, automatic, or sector by sector backups. I would like to encrypt with a password. So, my needs are very simple. My reason for having a backup is to have something to go back to if there's some corruption of windows or if I install something I regret or if there's malware or a weird bug, etc. Basically, I want to install Windows and all the apps I like to use, tweak the settings to my liking, then make an image. That's the image I want to restore to.
What I'm not clear about is whether or not I need to backup the Recovery Partition or the EFI System Partition. I'm really not entire sure what these partitions are for, but in the past I used to use Acronis True Image and it would back these partitions up as well. Do I need to backup these partitions each time I am backing up my primary partition?
I've looked at a few imagers. They seem to have far more features than I need and it's not clear to me in many cases if they back up the Recovery or EFI Systems partitions. Macrium Reflect's seems a popular choice, but the free version is no longer updated. EaseUS Todo is another free option, but again, like Macrim Reflect, it's not clear to me if they back up the Recovery or EFI Systems. I'm not opposed to paying for an Imager, but I don't think I need all the features.
I'm hoping someone with some understanding of the Recovery and EFI Systems partitions can recommend an Imager that meets my basic needs. Thank you!
All I want to do is manually make backup images of my primary partition which holds my OS (win11). I keep my more custom data on other partitions. I don't want to do incremental, automatic, or sector by sector backups. I would like to encrypt with a password. So, my needs are very simple. My reason for having a backup is to have something to go back to if there's some corruption of windows or if I install something I regret or if there's malware or a weird bug, etc. Basically, I want to install Windows and all the apps I like to use, tweak the settings to my liking, then make an image. That's the image I want to restore to.
What I'm not clear about is whether or not I need to backup the Recovery Partition or the EFI System Partition. I'm really not entire sure what these partitions are for, but in the past I used to use Acronis True Image and it would back these partitions up as well. Do I need to backup these partitions each time I am backing up my primary partition?
I've looked at a few imagers. They seem to have far more features than I need and it's not clear to me in many cases if they back up the Recovery or EFI Systems partitions. Macrium Reflect's seems a popular choice, but the free version is no longer updated. EaseUS Todo is another free option, but again, like Macrim Reflect, it's not clear to me if they back up the Recovery or EFI Systems. I'm not opposed to paying for an Imager, but I don't think I need all the features.
I'm hoping someone with some understanding of the Recovery and EFI Systems partitions can recommend an Imager that meets my basic needs. Thank you!