PC backups

[Burgerman]

I have 3 laptops, and a desktop PC.

A long while back I got fed up with having to do a backup of each one DIFFERENT from each other. So in the event that you have similar time wasting issues I suggest you do the following.

Set up your most used machine perfectly. Make sure that one has everything up to date, and has been fine tuned over many years to be as perfect and up to date as its possible to be. I micro-manage every bit of how windows works, and is configured. To repeat this would take years. Make sure everything important is on that one drive. All work and everything important to you. With the exception of really huge stuff like photos, movies etc. Those belong on huge seperate disks.

Now remove all temp files. And do a disk cleanup.
In device manager, show all HIDDEN drivers. Delete them.

Now you can either make a disk backup, or use the clone option to make another drive (in my case these are all m.2 nvme but thats does not matter).
I use Macrium free. Now install that cloned drive into the next laptop or PC. It will be a bit of a fight, as it will have wrong drivers etc. After a few reboots, and installing the missing drivers it will all work normally. All the drivers from the 1st PC are still there but are hidden. DONT delete them this time.

Now clone that 2nd PC to the 3rd computer/laptop.
And go through the same fight installing correct drivers etc. Dont delete the hidden ones.

And now that drive has 2 lots of drivers hidden but not loaded. And the ones it is actually using.

Do the same with every PC you own.

Then clone that final disk to ALL your computers. Because it will now work in every one with all the correct drivers. And can be swapped from one to any other and it will boot and work normally. Along with passwords, log on fingerprints etc.
So you can now backup only the one you last used. And that will be your master. That can then always be deployed to ANY of your machines, and will work fine. With the latest software you just installed or configured, with the latest small tweaks you just made, etc. And you only need backup the computer you just used last. I use Macrium free to do all my backups/clones/etc. Its simple works well.

Its great to have 1 perfect up to date FULL C DRIVE backup that can be used to update, repair, fix all your PCs. From a bootable memory stick.

ALL his works as long as you are not using drive encryption, such as bitlocker or any other security system. It still can, as long as you have all the different recovery passwords for each computer. Personally I dont use it - and dont use any Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 or the intel on chip version. For this very reason.