Image-Based VS Files Backup Plan

It would be good to make a decision what backup plan type better suits your needs.

What to Back Up	Files Backup Plan	Image-Based Backup Plans	Combination of Plans	Comments
Entire disk/drive	❌	✔️	❌	Image-Based Backup Plans ensure complete protection and a reliable recovery process. It is recommended to create separate Image-Based Backup Plan for every disk/drive. You can exclude unnecessary files or folders from the backup to reduce backup size
Files/folders (up to 1 TB in total)	✔️	✔️	❌	For backing up several files or folders, a Files Backup Plan is sufficient. However, you can also use an Image-Based Backup Plan to protect the entire system. Image-Based Backup Plan can be restored not only as a full image, but also on the item-level, to restore specific files or folders
Files/folders (1 TB and more in total)	✔️	❌	❌	Files Backup Plan is the best solution for large files
System disk + files/folders from another disk	❌	❌	✔️	Image-Based Backup Plan for system-required partitions + Files Backup Plan for specific files
Network shares	✔️	❌	❌	Files Backup Plan is the only solution for network shares

Key System-Required Partitions (Windows)

• EFI System Partition (ESP): Required for UEFI systems, containing boot loaders and related data.
• System Reserved Partition: Found on BIOS systems, holding boot configuration data.
• Recovery Partition: Contains tools for restoring the OS.
• C:\ Drive: Typically the main partition for the operating system and installed software.

Why Use Image-Based Backup for System-Required Partitions?

1. Comprehensive Coverage
   • Backs up the entire partition, including operating system files, boot configurations, and hidden metadata.
   • Ensures no critical components are missed, unlike file-level backups.
2. Reliable Recovery
   • Enables complete system restore, including boot functionality.
   • Suitable for bare-metal recovery, hardware replacements, and migrations.
3. Support for Boot Modes
   • Fully compatible with BIOS (Legacy) and UEFI environments, ensuring boot integrity.
4. File-level restore from image-based backup is supported. Refer to the Restore Strategy article to select an appropriate restore solution.