Windows Backup provides you with the ability to create a system image, which is an exact image of a drive. It looks like Windows will only do that if you have done extra backups - another +1 for Acronis. Acronis will allow you to restore one file, for example. It looks like Windows MAY be able to do it but you have to work at it, not just a 'one click' for the entire hard drive (all partitions). I would still go with Acronis, it can backup the entire drive with 'one click'.

I will gladly listen to any opinions comparing Win7 system image backup and Acronis True Image before I shell out the cash for Acronis when it may not really be needed. Acronis did prove useful MANY times for other computers in out house, but it is not something I do a lot.

I still had the original Windows XP installation on it when I retired it about a month ago after 8 plus years. I never once actually needed to restore the image on my last desktop. The Acronis interface (at least back in version 8) was simpler and very easy to both back up and restore complere disk images, but that could be due to my lack of familiarity with Win7. So, should I just use Windows 7 to create images or is there some benefit to using Acronis True Image? I am assuming with either I can create and restore (say to a new hard disk) the complete system image. I m just looking at complete image backups. I don't need the automated file backups - a USB memory stick with manual data backups suits my needs there. I had used Acronis True Image (version 8, before it became bloated) to make backups of system images. I have a Windows 7 machine, relatively new to me.

Acronis image backup