7 Best Free Imaging Software for Windows 10/8/7

You will agree with me if I say: It is terrible if you lost data without any backup.

Well, your data is only as valuable as your current backup. If you have precations — a backup or image, it’s a piece of cake to protect your data.

Why Do You Need a Windows 10 Disk Imaging Software

In general, disk imaging is just a piece of storage equipment that includes the complete contents and structure on behalf of a data storage media, such as a hard drive. Usually, it can be created by some disk imaging software through the way of backing up the source media sector by sector.

With the increasing development of computer technology, computer users face many disk troubles, such as a system crash, which may cause a serious data loss or do great harm to the computer. The disaster happens to Windows 10 users frequently. To avoid the damage of data and the reinstallation of the operating system and some other application, the disk imaging software for Windows 10 can aid the users to clone system disk Windows 10 and do Windows 10 backup restore job with little effort is needed.

Not all disk imaging solutions are created equal. Some imaging software for Windows 10 only backs up specific files or files with limited platforms. Thus, I have listed the seven best free imaging software according to the price, platform, interface, and functions. Here is the list of the seven best disk imaging software:

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Top 1. EaseUS Todo Backup Free

Here we recommend you EaseUS Todo Backup Free, an award-winning and free disk imaging software for Windows 10/8/7Vista/XP, for its robust, safe, and easy-to-use feature. With its detailed instruction wizards, it allows you to quickly backup your system state, files, folders, partition, and disk in minutes without the help of an IT specialist. This way can help you save a lot of time to reinstall Windows OS & applications to recover lost data from an unexpected disaster.

Price: $29.95/yearпј›30-day free

Platform: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Interface: New and user-friendly

Highlighted Features:

• One-click backup and restore functions
• Support system backup, file backup, disk/partition backup
• Scheduled backup is allowed

How to Back Up Data with the Best Free Imaging Software

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup software and then choose «File Backup», «Disk/partition Backup» or «System Backup» for different backup purpose.

Step 2. Choose the system, disk partition, files or apps that you want to back up. Then select a destination where you want to store the backup file.

Step 3. Click «Proceed» to start the data backup process.

Top 2. Acronis True Image

Acronis True Image offers full disk image and incremental backups, notifications, and more. It is one of the top disk imaging solutions on the market for users who need to protect their data.

Price: $34.99/year; 30-day free

Platform: Windows 10/8.1/8/7

Interface: New and less user-friendly

Highlighted Features:

• Schedule automatic backup
• Open an image at any time
• Backup full disk images and individual files

Top 3. Macrium Reflect

This disk imaging software allows you to perform an incremental and differential backup. Besides, you can run a scheduled backup to protect files automatically. It is a free backup, disk imaging, and cloning solution that meets both commercial and personal users’ needs.

Price: $69.95/year; 30-day free

Platform: Windows 10/8/7, Vista, and XP

Interface: Old and less user-friendly

Highlighted Features:

• Pre-defined backup plan templates
• Protect your backups from ransomware
• File and folder backup

Top 4. Iperius BackupВ

Iperius Backup provides you with full system backup and disaster recovery. With this software, you can drive the image and backup to NAS, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. It is excellent for organizations that require a user-friendly disk imaging solution.

Price: $84; 30-day free

Platform: Windows 10, 7, 8 — Server 2008

Interface: Old and less user-friendly

Highlighted Features:

• Disk cloning and P2V conversion
• Instant restore by starting the cloned system in Hyper-V
• Standard format for backup files (VHD/VHDX)
• Complete BitLocker support (backup and restore)

Top 5. Clonezilla

This is free imaging software for Windows 10. It helps you to do system deployment, bare metal backup, and recovery. There are three versions of Clonezilla available to download: Clonezilla Live, Clonezilla Lite Server, and Clonezilla SE.

Price: free

Platform: Windows/Mac/Linux

Interface: Old and hard for beginners

Highlighted Features:

• Clone disk/partition to a separate hard drive
• Support multiple file system: FAT 12/16/32, ext2/3/4, NTFS, HFS+, UFS
• Provide a number of encryption options to encrypt disk images

Top 6. Zinstall FullBack

Zinstall FullBack covers everything you need. It can create a backup of your programs, software settings, accounts, and emails. You can save the backup on cloud storage or a USB drive or Dropbox, OneDrive, or Amazon.

Price: $199 one-time payment; 30-day free trial

Platform: Windows 10/8.1/8/7

Interface: New and simple

Highlighted Features:

• Easy on CPU
• Full and Partial Restore is possible
• Single One-time payment

Top 7. Active Disk Image

The last Windows 10 free imaging software is — Active Disk Image. With it, you can back up to a range of disks, including HDD, SSD, CD, DVD, USB flash drive, memory cards, USB, and more. Scheduled backups enable you to update your storage regularly.

Price: $39 for the standard version

Platform: Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP

Interface: Old and complex

Highlighted Features:

• Clone disk images and partitions
• Scheduled backup
• Incremental and differential images
• AES-128, AES-192, and AES-256 encryption

The Best Free Windows 10 Disk Imaging Software

According to the top imaging software list for Windows 10, EaseUS backup and recovery software stands out among them. EaseUS Todo Backup provides one-click system backup and restore so that you can quickly back the system up and running in the event of a system crash or hardware failure. Besides, it allows you to back up and restores Windows 10 disk, partition, files, or folders after viruses attack, unstable software download, hard drive failure, etc.

Besides, to provide continuous protection for the system, you can back up the Windows 10 system with incremental backup later after the first backup. Differential backup and incremental backup only backs up the changed files.

Meanwhile, EaseUS Todo Backup is useful if you want to upgrade the older smaller hard disk without reinstalling the operating system and applications once again in Windows 10.

Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP

Conclusion

The disk-imaging product with advanced functions, user-friendly interface, and lower price, is the best one.В EaseUS Todo Backup is the best disk imaging software on the market today. Download it and protect your data at any time.

Free Imaging, Backup and Recovery Software for Windows 10

The Windows operating system includes built-in tools that let you backup and make copies of your files and create a system image. It now also includes a System Image Backup Tool, with which you can now backup or clone an image of your disk. But it is found wanting in some features, and that is why many prefer to use one or the other free backup software available.

We have already been individually covering many such freeware backup solutions on this website. Today, I am going to list some free Imaging/Backup/Recovery software here, for the convenience of our readers.

Free Backup software for Windows 10

Here is a list of some free imaging, backup and recovery software for Windows 10/8/7/Vista. Do check if they run on your version of Windows OS.

1. Areca Backup
2. Clonezilla
3. Cobian Backup
4. EASEUS Todo Backup
5. AOMEI Backupper
6. Macrium Reflect
7. DriveImage XML
8. DiscWizard
9. GFI Backup
10. PartImage
11. PING
12. Paragon Backup & Recovery
13. Redo Backup & Recovery
14. SimpleBackup
15. Auslogics BitReplica
16. Genie Timeline Free
17. Handy Backup Free
18. Veeam
19. JaBack
20. MiniTool ShadowMaker
21. Renee Lab Data Backup software
22. Ocster Backup
23. Ashampoo Backup Free
24. Duplicati.

Let us now take a look at them in brief.

1] Areca Backup

Areca Backup is an Open Source file backup software that runs on Windows and Linux. It allows users to select and create backup copies of files, which can be encrypted and compressed, or directories for storing them on external drives, pen drives, FTP servers, and others. Areca also provides tools required for Archive recovery – with or without deleted files.

2] Clonezilla

Clonezilla is based on DRBL, Partition Image, ntfsclone , partclone , and udpcast , allows you to do bare metal backup and recovery. Two types of Clonezilla are available, Clonezilla Live and Clonezilla SE (Server Edition). Clonezilla Live is suitable for single machine backup and restore.

3] Cobian Backup

Cobian Backup has a lot of options that we mostly find in commercial backup software. The interface is simple, and we find it quite easy to set up the backup. You don’t need to be an IT wizard to set this up; the developers have made it very simple.

4] EASEUS Todo Backup for Windows

EASEUS Todo Backup Home is a free file backup and disaster recovery software, protecting your data, including photos, music, videos, documents, financial data, and applications. It provides backup, restore, disk-clone functions based on Windows operating systems with ease and reliability.

5] AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper offers three main functions: Backup, Restore, and Clone. It is easy to find them on the left side of the main interface.

6] Macrium Reflect

Macrium Reflect Free version is a favorite of many. It offers the following features: Compatible disk imaging software with BartPE and Linux-based recovery options; Create a disk image whilst running Windows using Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS); Image to Network, USB, FireWire drives and DVD; Built-in scheduler; 32-bit and native 64-bit versions; Industry-leading compression levels and speed; Linux-based Rescue CD with Network access and full GUI. Only 6.5MB in size; Built-in CD/DVD packet writing engine. Supports packet writing to DVD DL media; HTML log files, etc.

7] DriveImage XML

DriveImage XML is A “Norton Ghost Alternative”! It is an HDD backup and restoration software similar to Norton Ghost but FREE; the software enables you to create a complete backup image of any drive or partition, which you can restore later restore the image to the same, or another partition, you can also clone a drive to another. The program also includes an image explorer similar to Norton Ghost Image Explorer that lets you explore previously created backup images and extract individual files.

8] DiscWizard

DiscWizard is an “Acronis Clone”! Most know of Acronis True Image, which is a popular hard-drive backup software. But you can get a re-branded version of True Image with the name DiscWizard as a free legal download from the Seagate website.

9] GFI Backup

GFI Backup – Home Edition, is a freeware backup solution that has just been launched. GFI Backup 2009 allows you to back up all your important documents, photos, music, emails and program settings using a simple but smart wizard-driven interface to nearly every storage device, including local and external disk drives, LAN, CD/DVD, removable devices, remote FTP servers, etc.

10] PartImage

Partimage is a Linux utility which saves partitions having a supported file system to an image file. Most Linux and Windows filesystems are supported. The image file can be compressed with the gzip / bzip2 programs to save disk space, and they can be split into multiple files to be copied on CDs / DVDs.

11] PING

Ping is considered by some as the best available Linux toolbox for rescuing a system. Features include – Backup and Restore partitions or files locally or to the network; Backup and Restore the BIOS data as well; Either burn a bootable CD / DVD, either integrate within a PXE / RIS environment; Possibility to Blank local admin’s password; Create your own restoration bootable DVD; Partition and Format a disk before installing Windows and more.

12] Paragon Backup & Recovery

Paragon Backup & Recovery Free Edition is a powerful disc-imaging and recovery solution. It claims to be the only one that can do differential backups; create a bootable USB/flash drive and execute an automatic data exclusion option. It also supports all existing backup techniques, performs disc imaging to any backup destination, and supports Windows 10/8/7 too.

13] Redo Backup & Recovery

Redo Backup & Recovery is a free open source tool based on xPUD and part-clone, which not only works with Windows but also supports Linux. It is a recovery tool that even works when your hard disk crashes because it boots from a live CD. Redo offers many other tools that are really helpful if you are performing a system restore. It sports a web browser, IM tool, a Facebook app, hard disk manager, and Google apps. In short, Redo is a complete package of must-have tools required at the time of a disaster.

14] SimpleBackup

SimpleBackup is free backup software, which adds the backup option to the right-click context menu of files and folder. SimpleBackup makes it easier for you to back up your files and folders regularly and very quickly on the fly!

15] Auslogics BitReplica

Auslogics BitReplica is another free tool for backing up files stored on your Windows PC. The tool is so intelligent that it lets you specify file groups to back up, such as Internet Explorer favorites or Windows Mail contacts, or select individual folders to back up under each profile you create.

16] Genie Timeline Free

Genie Timeline Free is a Metro UI inspired Backup Tool for Windows. Using Genie Timeline Free one can easily backup images, videos, music, and of course, documents!

17] Handy Backup Free

Handy Backup Free comes with a basic set of features. It lets you back up your files and folders locally, or to their Online Backup service. Let me know if I have missed out on any or if you have any favorites.

18] Veeam

Veeam Endpoint Backup Free provides Image-based backups of your files, drives, or even the whole PC. Veeam Backup Free lets you backup, restore, and manage Virtual machines.

19] JaBack

JaBack is a free backup software with automation and email notifications.

20] MiniTool ShadowMaker

MiniTool ShadowMaker backup software offers an easy way to backup and restore data.

21] Renee Lab Data Backup software

Renee Lab Data Backup software lets you back up, recover, and clone your Windows installation easily.

22] Ocster Backup

Ocster Backup is a user-friendly application, and no technical knowledge is required for installation. You can backup the whole data of the computer with this tool. It saves the data in a compressed format so that the backup will occupy less space on your computer. Incremental backups and encryption of data with AES are the other special features of Ocster backup freeware. UPDATE: Ashampoo has acquired all Ocster Backup products, so we suggest you use Ashampoo instead.

23] Ashampoo Backup Free

Ashampoo Backup Free seems user-friendly. It has an uncluttered interface, and there aren’t too many tabs and options that can make the process overwhelming. You have to simply select which disk partition you want to back up, set a target location and time of the day when you’d like the backup to occur, and you’re done.

23] Duplicati

Duplicati is designed for online backups and you can use it to store encrypted backups online. It works with standard protocols like FTP, SSH, WebDAV as well as popular services like Backblaze B2, Tardigrade, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon S3, Google Drive, box.com, Mega, hubiC. Also, you can back up the data locally.

If you are looking for cloud options, you might want to check out these Free Online Backup Services. Also, check out our post on Free Acronis True Image Alternative software. Here is a list of best free backup software for VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines.

Date: June 26, 2020 Tags: Backup, Recovery