System Image vs File Back-Up

Since Win 10, Macrium Reflect, and Aomei Backupper all have the means to extract files from a system image is there any benefit to using standard back-up files any more, other then maybe quicker access to the files?

A disk image gives you the best of both worlds. If there's a problem with an update or improperly written program screws up your operating system you will have to do a fresh install of your OS and software, and then recover your data from the file back up. With the disk image you will have the ability to restore your system to the exact condition concurrent with the timing of the disk image.

Since Win 10, Macrium Reflect, and Aomei Backupper all have the means to extract files from a system image is there any benefit to using standard back-up files any more, other then maybe quicker access to the files?

I do a system image weekly using Macrium Reflect and also back up my files whenever I make changes to them, or create a new file.

Thanks for the responses!

I personally, stand by system images. Backups still leave unwanted crap behind that was there before the restore was initiated.

Thanks for the responses!

Glad to help. I have done system images since my Windows XP days and they have saved me from having to do a new install many times, when things go bad.

Yeah about preventing a reinstalation. I always keep an image of just windows, drivers, and updates for when the image was made, and revert to that before I consider a fresh install.

Yeah about preventing a reinstalation. I always keep an image of just windows, drivers, and updates for when the image was made, and revert to that before I consider a fresh install.

Ditto! It's always the perfect replacement to a fresh install without the hassles.


Also the beauty of incremental disk images allows you to recover files you might have purposely deleted but find you need again.

As always it depends on the circumstances. If there is enough storage available images are king because they allow both, restoring only certain files or the whole disk/ partition. But not if storage is an issue. In this case it can be useful to restrict the backup to the files that are actually worth a backup.

I create images of all disks because storage is not an issue and it saves me the hassle of deciding what files to include. But I also have a daily backup jobs of my most important data (familiy photos, music archive...), every night those are copied to my NAS.

on the other hand backups of the os should clearly be images, only with images are you able to restore a crashed system to it's former state.

Thanks again for the helpful info!