Create Factory Default Backup issues

I have recently purchased an Acer Aspire R11 laptop and today was creating a Factory Default Backup as per the instructions on page 20 in the User's Manual.

Firstly the process took about 2.5 hours to complete - is that normal? A very long time to write about 8GB of data to the usb memory stick.

Secondly I used a 64GB memory stick (didn't have a 32GB one) and after the backup I found that the process had created a 31GB (approx) PARTITION on the usb memory stick leaving the remaining capacity UNALLOCATED. Once again is this normal?
The user's manual makes no mention of this only to advise the use of a 32GB usb memory stick YET after the backup only 8GB was written to the memory stick. Does this mean that a 16GB memory stick would have been ok?

Thanks

John

 

long time - normal
partition - normal
smallish size - normal (its compressed)
16gb stick would have been fine

 

Thanks for the info.
I have learnt a lot both from your reply and also since purchasing.
I had thought that by doing this backup that it was actually backing up the system as it is at the time of system build but it seems that all it does is backup the hidden partition which contains the data to actually build the system and that restoring using the backup results in simply recreating the system build.
Also I noted that using a 32gb usb stick also results in it being partitioned.
I wonder why it gets partitioned and if the unused potion can be created as another partition to be used for storage of other things.