Imaging a hard drive can be considered a crucial step for data security as well as preventing the need for data recovery. The purpose of imaging is designed to be used as a backup system, in case of loss or infection from a virus or malicious malware.

Hard drive imaging is the process of taking a healthy computer hard drive and copying the image file to a separate and secure location, as is. One would then establish a standard backup schedule on the original location. This allows the copy to maintain the integrity of a ‘clean system’ and could then be used for hard drive recovery. Hard drive imaging should not be confused with ‘cloning’, which copies the entire contents of a hard drive without the actual creation of an image file. This requires two separate physical hard drives (or USB) and in the case of a designation error, one could actually write over your original drive.

There are two options for consideration for disk imaging programs: Offline and Online. A majority of the programs today are ‘online’, allowing the function of running and creating images while a Windows environment is operating. Offline versions are separate programs that operate in different environments such as Linus, WinPE or MSDOS and create/restore when the Windows environment is not operational. Different programs offer a variety of options such as the backup of only the used sectors on the disk.

While creating image backups is a great method to ensure your data is accessible in the event of a disk failure, we strongly recommend setting up regular online backups with a program like Carbonite. In the event of a fire, flood or possible file corruption, you have the peace of mind that your valuable data is safe.