I am certainly in the "don't really know enough about PCs" camp, but I learn something new each week from Scott Garrigus and DigiFreq and all the knowledgeable folks here.
 
Today I have to learn to make an image backup file. I don't have an extra thumbdrive on hand, so I am assuming I can to this to my F Backup drive. I must not understand though, because it's telling me I need 454 Gb. So I must be starting off on the wrong foot(assumption).
 
Obviously, I'm going to learn another crucial thing today! LOL
Michael

What program are you using to make the backup?  Programs such as Macrium Reflect (they have a free version that will make disc images (backups)) will compress the data to a smaller size for the backup.   Acronis True Image does the same thing, but I don't know if they have a free version.
 
http://www.majorgeeks.com...lect_free_edition.html

One way to stop those "forced" Windows 10 updates, until you have a fresh image and are ready to take the leap, is to use the "Metered WiFi" hack. 
 
Well it's not actually a hack, but it is really effective.  It's provided by Microsoft, but only if you are using a WiFi connection on your PC, to prevent you from exceeding your monthly bandwidth allocation.   No go if you are using an Ethernet cable.
 
You see, the thing is, they actually trust you to tell them the connection is metered. They have no way of knowing if you really do.
 
If you do this, Windows will not download any updates until you click the button to do so.
 
I do this on both the Windows 10 Home and Pro editions, and it works perfectly 
 
http://lifehacker.com/ena...-10-updates-1723316525
 
Just a cautionary FYI:  This is a per WiFi access point, or hotspot feature.  If you are mobile and connect to a new WiFi hotspot, you will also need to enable the metered WiFi flag for that connection.  Or you may get surprised with some new Windows updates!

Thanks to both of you!   I'll check out those links.
My desktop has the Windows 7 create image thingy. I don't have Acronis on the desktop, only the laptop and don't recall if you can use it on more than one PC.
Both my PC's use the WiFi, so I suppose I should check into that.
I had 222gb of stuff on C that didn't need to be there at all, so I moved all of it. Now I'm ready to try an image, though I do like the idea of a recovery drive. I have a 1Tb external drive, but don't want to give up what's on it, so I will have to do more research.
Michael
 

pentimentosound
Thanks to both of you!   I'll check out those links.
My desktop has the Windows 7 create image thingy. I don't have Acronis on the desktop, only the laptop and don't recall if you can use it on more than one PC.
Both my PC's use the WiFi, so I suppose I should check into that.
I had 222gb of stuff on C that didn't need to be there at all, so I moved all of it. Now I'm ready to try an image, though I do like the idea of a recovery drive. I have a 1Tb external drive, but don't want to give up what's on it, so I will have to do more research.
Michael
 

 
 
Desktop External Hard Drives.  These keep getting cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Des...-414?Order=BESTSELLING
 
Pair one with with Macrium Reflect Free, & your problem is solved.
http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

The Windows backup does not backup the entire hard drive.  Thus if you need to restore you must first manually install (I think Windows) and some other items, then restore what was backed up.
 
If you use a true backup program, such as Macrium or Acronis, you will be able to make a full hard drive backup (disc image).  Then if restore is needed, it restores everything. 
 
If you create a rescue disc with Acronis (or Macrium) you can use that on any PC to restore (booting and running from the rescure disc).

Thanks Jack! That clarifies things. I see the huge time saving advantage of full restore and hadn't even thought about a rescue disc. It would be a relief to create a rescue disc (or 2!), since we don't have one for Windows 10 and have 6 PCs between my wife and I(most started with 8.1 and downloaded 10)! I think her tablet is still Windows 7.
 
I suppose a rescue flash drive is on the same level (assuming they are equally stable/permanent/secure)as a disc. How big would those need to be? 16gb or more?
 
Our laptops have 2 drives each and the desktops have 3, plus we each have an external. I suppose I really should get a 4 or 5 Tb external for this "plan". Mine is only 1Tb and that seems short sighted now! LOL
 
Michael
 
 

pentimentosound
 It would be a relief to create a rescue disc (or 2!), since we don't have one for Windows 10 and have 6 PCs between my wife and I(most started with 8.1 and downloaded 10)! I think her tablet is still Windows 7.
 

Macrium Reflect v6.1 has a WinPE Rescue Media Wizard, that can create a specific version of the WinPE media for each version of Windows (Win 7/8/8.1/10).  This media needs to be created for each PC locally.
 
If you lose your Windows operating system, you can start your PC using Macrium Reflect rescue media on CD,
DVD, or USB stick. This makes creating rescue media the first thing you need to do with Macrium Reflect. It contains a bootable, lightweight version of Windows and a full version of Macrium Reflect.

This lightweight version of Windows is called Windows Pre-installation Environment (also known as Windows PE or WinPE) and is provided by Microsoft. When you create rescue media, Macrium Reflect downloads Windows PE
automatically for you and writes it to your media. It downloads just those components you need to rescue your
system.

Windows PE and the rescue environment

Windows PE is a reduced version of Microsoft Windows that is designed to boot from CD, DVD or USB on a wide
range of hardware. When you run the rescue media wizard, Macrium Reflect automatically downloads the Windows
PE components from Microsoft and builds the rescue environment locally. The Macrium Windows PE rescue media
has the following features:

>Fixes for boot problems
>RAID support
>USB 3.0 support
>CD boot
>USB boot
>Boot menu
>Full version of Macrium Reflect
>Reduced download size compared with full Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) - 150 MB to 450 MB
(depending on PE version and 32- or 64-bit support)

Windows PE hardware support

The Macrium Rescue Environment needs to include support for your hardware such as USB ports, network
interfaces, and in particular for your storage device if for example you use RAID disks. The default Windows PE environment supports a good selection of hardware and you can add support for further devices.
 
For convenience or for automated restores to your system disk, you can add Windows PE to a boot menu that's
displayed when your system first starts. Although, do not rely upon this local copy as a rescue mechanism because it could be lost if you suffered hard disk failure or corruption leaving you without a method for rescuing your system.
 
 

I have Macrium Reflect.  I can create a WinPE "rescue" disc with a CD-R.  Not sure how big the current version of Acronis True Image needs to be. 

fireberd
I have Macrium Reflect.  I can create a WinPE "rescue" disc with a CD-R.  Not sure how big the current version of Acronis True Image needs to be. 

I think I saw "up to 450MB" for Macrium, so yep, that should cover it. I saw a post in the Acronis forum that said 766MB required, and would not load on a 800MB CD-R, so DVD-R or USB may be required. https://forum.acronis.com/forum/72032
 
I saw a 3-pack of 16GB USB thumb drives in the store the other day for $15.  I think that's the way to go these days, but you won't really need all 16GB LOL!
 
EDIT: Some hoop jumping required to create WinPE in Acronis.
 
It seems that Acronis recommends their own rescue media "for most users", but also says:
 
WinPE-based media with Acronis plug-in
 
Running Acronis True Image in the preinstallation environment may provide better compatibility with your computer’s hardware because the preinstallation environment uses Windows drivers.
We recommend that you create this type of media, when Acronis bootable rescue media did not help you boot your computer.

To use this option, you need one the following components to be installed:
>Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK).
This component is required for creating WinPE 3.0.
>Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK).
This component is required for creating WinPE 4.0, WinPE 5.0, and WinPE 10.0.