

Image backups are a snapshot of a specific machine, and are designed to be used in either of two scenarios:

The concept is simple: restore the image backup to a replacement machine, and carry on where you left off. Since an image backup contains the entire system, many people would like to use it when moving to a new machine. What you’re asking is such a common question that I discuss it in each of my books on backing up. The correct solution for new hardware is a new, clean, installation of Windows customized to that hardware. They are unlikely to work - or work reliably - if restored to different hardware.

They contain a copy of Windows that is highly customized and configured for that specific hardware. Image backups are a safety net for software and hardware failures on the computer they back up. Restoring an image backup from one computer to another
