If you want to, you can even store several compressed disk images onto one large external storage device (provided it has enough storage, of course). It essentially compresses all the data on your hard drive into something that can be more easily stored (and, if needed, later recovered). What is a disk image?Ī disk image stores all of the information required to completely restore specific disks (or their individual partitions) exactly as they were when the image was taken.

In this post we’ll take a closer look at what a disk image is, what a disk clone is, and how to go about evaluating the right approach.Ĭreate a disk image to backup your PC or a disk clone to move your hard drive with Macrium Reflect Free. This means you’ll be able to make an informed decision about the right way to go about copying a hard drive for your needs.

While you shouldn’t see one approach as being “better” than another, once you compare them, you’ll have a much better sense of the relative benefits and disadvantages of both. However, the subtle technical differences between a disk image and a disk clone are important. This means they are both powerful techniques that can help you to quickly recover your PC if your hard drive fails or becomes corrupt. Data, files, software, the master boot record, allocation table, and everything else needed to boot and run your operating system, both a disk image and a disk clone can comprehensively capture everything that makes your machine run. The reason for the confusion about the difference between disk imaging and disk cloning is that both achieve the same end result - they replicate the contents of a hard drive.

Macrium reflect clone