Overview of Hard Drive Image
What is a disk image?
Usually, an external hard drive or a large USB flash drive is a good storage path.
What Can Hard Drive Image Do for You?
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Once disasters occur, Windows will be unbootable, or disk data may be lost.
Besides, the hard disk image is also available to get data back when your disk gets damaged.
Do you know what computer imaging is?
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How to image a computer?
How to image a hard drive?
This post provides two options to you.

A piece of professional image backup software plays a key role in finishing this task.
The disk data keeps on being modified, updated, or added every day.
How to backup only new or changed files in Windows 11/10?

MiniTool ShadowMaker can be your wise choice.
Automatic backups, differential and incremental backups can be easily created.
Note that this trial edition allows you to free use for 30 days.

By default, system partitions are selected by MiniTool ShadowMaker.
Step 3: Go to theDESTINATIONsection to choose a storage location for saving the hard drive image file.
Step 4: ClickBack Up Nowto begin the hard disk image backup.
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you could see the backup progress inManage.
Just refer to this post -The Best Practice: 3-2-1 Backup Strategy for Home Computersto know details.
Now, you know how to image a hard drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 with MiniTool ShadowMaker.

Make a Scheduled Plan
By default, the schedule feature is disabled.
Go to clickOptions > Schedule Settingsand turn this feature fromOfftoOn, then start to create an automatic backup.
This disk imaging software allows you to configure the time point for automatic backups.
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Just click onDaily,Weekly,Monthly, orOn Eventto finish the setup.
Want to create automatic file backups in Windows 10/11?
This post shows you how to automatically back up files to an external hard drive with ease.

Choose a Backup Scheme
This feature can help you to create full, incremental, and differential backups.
Meanwhile, disk space management is performed.
Likewise, it is disabled by default.
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So, go toOptions > Backup Scheme, turn on it, and choose one backup scheme.
To sum up, MiniTool ShadowMaker is a piece of professional hard drive image software.
It is really worth recommending to you to image a hard drive in Windows 11/10/8/7.
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So, free download this disk backup tool on your system for a free trial now.
How to backup Windows 11 to an external hard drive or USB flash drive?
See this post that focuses on Windows 11 backup for files and system.

Lets see how to create a hard drive image backup with this tool.
Step 2: ClickCreate a system imagefrom the left side.
Step 3: Choose a path to save the image file.
Here, we recommend using an external hard drive.
Just check data partitions on the system disk for system disk backup.
Step 5: Confirm your backup controls and start to back up the entire system disk.
Windows 10 Backup not working?
Thus it can be seen that MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth a shot.
If you oughta image a hard drive, just get this free backup software to have a try.
So how to ghost a hard drive via disk cloning?
MiniTool ShadowMaker can be not only disk imaging software but also PC cloning software.
It offers a feature calledClone Diskto help you achieve this aim.
Just get the Trial Edition now!
How to ghost a hard drive or make a ghost image of Windows 11/10/8/7?
Refer to this post to find ghost drive software for PC backup.
Step 1: Run MiniTool ShadowMaker to its main interface.
Step 2: Navigate toToolsto clickClone Disk.
Step 3: Choose the source disk and target disk for disk cloning.
Then, start the cloning process.
Its Copy Disk or Migrate OS to SSD/HD can help a lot.
Bottom Line
How to image a hard drive in Windows 11/10/8/7?
After reading this post, you know it is easy to create a hard drive image for disk backup.
Just get MiniTool ShadowMaker, the reliable hard drive image software to image your hard drive.
Besides, you might also get it to ghost a hard drive via disk cloning.
When you use our software to back up your machine, perhaps some issues will happen to you.
yo write a comment in the following zone to tell us.
In addition, share any suggestions with us.
Hard Drive Image FAQ
Disk cloning creates a one-to-one copy of a hard drive.
The disk imaging method can save disk space since all the contents are compressed to an image file.