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Question

Reducing Drive Image size

Apr 10, 2015 4:06AM PDT

I have re-installed Windows 7 Ultimate on a 1 TB H.D. along with a few programs and I want to create a Drive Image with the Paragon Software, which I have been using for quite some time.
From my previous experience, this BUP image archive should be around 30-40 GB max.
To my surprise, it is a whopping 108 GB, I gather because the Drive Image software reads the unused space of the partition/drive.
Is there a way to create the Image BUP based on the actual content of the data on the drive ?
It would save a lot of time : usually such a BUP would take 15-20 minutes. It has taken now close to 2 hours and has almost maxed out the the external drive!

Thanks

Ittiandro

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
Re: size
Apr 10, 2015 6:26AM PDT

What is the free and used disk space of the source partition on that 1 TB disk?

Acronis True Image with me needs less than 10 minutes to make an image of a 64 GB SSD (less than 50 GB in use) to a 1 TB USB3 external disk. The image is 25 GB then, so it compacts it.

Kees

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Reducing Drive Image
Apr 10, 2015 8:42AM PDT

832 GB, 116 GB free

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Re: size
Apr 10, 2015 11:13PM PDT

If the space used is 116 GB you shouldn't really be amazed that an image is 108 GB, I'd say. Why do you think it should be 30 GB?

A fresh install of Windows along with a few programs should be some 30-35 GB. Now what is that other 75 GB? If you can't tell, download Treesize Free from https://www.jam-software.de/customers/downloadTrial.php?article_no=80


Kees

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Drive Image too bulky
Apr 12, 2015 1:38AM PDT

1st: I know what size my Drive Image should be because I have done the Drive Image several times in the past and it has always been about 30-40 GB. This time should have been even less because I cleaned the drive and I got rid of several useless programs and stuff..

2: Regardless, my claim is now vindicated because I have used the latest Acronis T.I. and the image size is now down to 13 GB (!!!)

Thank you for your comments anyway

Ittiandro

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Answer
Just a few ideas.
Apr 10, 2015 5:14AM PDT

You could boot some other bootable OS to delete the hiberfile and clear up cached content as well as turn off system restore before backup.
Bob

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Answer
A thought about what might be happening
Apr 10, 2015 7:51AM PDT

I use an older version of Acronis True Image and it has a problem with drives of 1tb or larger. It will do a sector by sector image rather than ignoring free space. It does the same thing when I create an image of a Linux HD. I get a huge file.