How do you save windows 7 to an extermal device?

[ShawnSMB]

I want to transfer my windows from my hard drive to an external hard drive so I can factory restore my computer, I could back it up but I don't want to get all of the other items.

UPDATE:
The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

 

[Bossyfins]

I am pretty sure a system recovery disk will allow you to transfer your files back, but I am not sure.

 

[USAFRet]

I want to transfer my windows from my hard drive to an external hard drive so I can factory restore my computer, I could back it up but I don't want to get all of the other items.

A clearer description of exactly you want to do would work here.

What do you have, what do you want the end state to be....that sort of thing.

 

[Bossyfins]

I think he means he has lots of files he wants to keep, but he just wants to have the entire OS on his USB so he can factory restore it

 

[USAFRet]

I think he means he has lots of files he wants to keep, but he just wants to have the entire OS on his USB so he can factory restore it

"I think..." is the operative phrase here...

 

[Bob57]

You can use something like acronis (paid utility) or clonezilla (open source utility) to image your Windows drive onto a backup drive. You boot from the utility to make the backup and to restore your system in the event of a catastrophic failure.

 

[McHenryB]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

 

[ShawnSMB]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device without getting any other programs I have so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

 

[USAFRet]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

Was this a preinstalled OS? Win 7, right?
Do you want to save everything as it is right now, or 'just' the OS?
Your Windows license code can be discovered via Magical JellyBean or Belarc Advisor.

 

[ShawnSMB]

I think he means he has lots of files he wants to keep, but he just wants to have the entire OS on his USB so he can factory restore it

The opposite actually I have alot of files that I want to get rid of but I don't have a recovery disk or my windows code so I want to save only my Windows 7 to an external device if that's possible.

 

[ShawnSMB]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

Was this a preinstalled OS? Win 7, right?
Do you want to save everything as it is right now, or 'just' the OS?
Your Windows license code can be discovered via Magical JellyBean or Belarc Advisor.

Every time I Scan the download's on JellyBean and Belarc Advisor with my Security Plus 0.1.2 Add-On it says that the download is suspicious.

 

[USAFRet]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

Was this a preinstalled OS? Win 7, right?
Do you want to save everything as it is right now, or 'just' the OS?
Your Windows license code can be discovered via Magical JellyBean or Belarc Advisor.

Every time I Scan the download's on JellyBean and Belarc Advisor with my Security Plus 0.1.2 Add-On it says that the download is suspicious.

I have used Belarc Advisor for years, with zero issues. Assuming you are going to the actual site, possibly your "Security Plus" thing is coughing up a false positive.

 

[ShawnSMB]

If you are doing a factory restore then you don't want to copy Windows to an external drive. This will defeat the purpose of the factory restore as it would be overwritten when you transferred Windows back again.

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

Was this a preinstalled OS? Win 7, right?
Do you want to save everything as it is right now, or 'just' the OS?
Your Windows license code can be discovered via Magical JellyBean or Belarc Advisor.

Every time I Scan the download's on JellyBean and Belarc Advisor with my Security Plus 0.1.2 Add-On it says that the download is suspicious.

I have used Belarc Advisor for years, with zero issues. Assuming you are going to the actual site, possibly your "Security Plus" thing is coughing up a false positive.

Could you give me a link to the main site?

 

[USAFRet]

Could you give me a link to the main site?

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

 

[McHenryB]

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device without getting any other programs I have so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

I repeat - if you save Windows to an external device, do a factory restore, then copy Windows back again you are back where you started. You end up not having done a factory restore; so what's the point? And why do you want to do a factory restore in the first place?

If you want to cover the case where are hard disk fails, and you want to restore your system to how it is now - which is very different from a factory restore - there are a host of programs that will image your disk to an external drive.

 

[USAFRet]

The reason I want to do this is because I don't have a windows recovery disk or my windows code so I want to transfer my windows 7 to an external device without getting any other programs I have so I wouldn't have to re-buy my windows after I factory restore my system.

I repeat - if you save Windows to an external device, do a factory restore, then copy Windows back again you are back where you started. You end up not having done a factory restore; so what's the point? And why do you want to do a factory restore in the first place?

If you want to cover the case where are hard disk fails, and you want to restore your system to how it is now - which is very different from a factory restore - there are a host of programs that will image your disk to an external drive.

This is why I asked early on...'exactly what do you want to do?'

 

[McHenryB]

I suspect there is a confusion over terminology here.

 

[USAFRet]

I suspect there is a confusion over terminology here.

yup

 

[Bossyfins]

He wants to copy some files i guess... I realy dont see why there is a need to complete back up windows when he wants to get rid of most of his files