eRecovery Custom Backup vs Factory Default Backup

I'm a bit stumped on what the differences are between the two.
Does the factory default., only back up the files that were originally on the drive when I first bought it, regardless of what I install afterwards?
and the Custom backsup everything? I noticed that Factory Default is 10GB, but the Custom is 29GB. This is confusing because I only install two small programs on top the Factory Default. WHat is the other 19GB?

I have a Aspire 6930G that came with 3 partitions.
After I make my backup image, so I still need the recovery partitions?

 

Speaking generally.
The recovery partition (hidden partition or factory default) contains a compressed image of the operating system and all applications and drivers. When you run it the files are expanded and the system returned to as it was on day one. Don't even think of deleting this. And make sure you burn recovery discs too... you just never know if you might need them. The size on the hidden partition has nothing to do with how big the final "uncompressed image is.
Vista and all the updates takes more room than you might think. My Vista installation takes around 24gb with around 4 or 5 gb of that as "other programs etc"
If you have system restore enabled, restore points build up to take around 15% of the free space.
When you make a backup, you are taking an image of the drive in it's current state, exactly as it is now.
It makes sense to have a backup routine, perhaps starting a new monthly incremental backup (every month )and adding running backups to it weekly. These have nothing to do with the factory restore image (which is fixed and unalterable) and are image snapshots of the entire system, allowing you to recover quickly to any backup you have made.
These image backups are stored on the "D" partition and will be quite large.

 

After making a factory default backup image on DVDs do I still need the rxtra partitions though?
I have a 320GB drive, and it is divided like this C: 105GB of 142GB and D: is 138GB of 138GB, since D: is empty, can I merge it with C? I really don't like the way they've done this. I'd rather have one large drive.

If I'm not expected to use Drive D 138GB and a hidden partition of unknown size then theres no point in getting a 320GB hard drive. If all I'm left with is 105GB. I don't care too much about incremental backups.

 

That is pointless of merging them.
Have a few partition is always better than have a single partition only.
Advantages of having a few partition:
1.) Multiboot
2.) Backup/Store your important stuffs
3.) more pagefiles can be do

 

Ok, sorry to be a pain, and thanks for your help. But when I create a backup image on DVDs, do I still need a hard drive based image?


BTW I noticed in Disk Managment I had 4 partitions, 2 were hidden, one 13GB and one 3.5GB, One is I guess the Recovery Partition but what is the other one? and do I need it?

 

Personally I wouldn't even consider any optical media for backups, to prone to error, damage etc. And how many discs would you need to create just one image ? and to restore from them you need to insert them in the correct order ! Forget it You have bucket loads of HDD space... use it I would say.
As you store images on the HDD you just delete older ones, I have a couple of incrementals on the go at any one time (Using Acronis but Acers own is similar) and keep just the last and current months on the HDD. All on a 53gb partition too
Can you "explore" the partitions to see what's there ? Can't answer your question on those really.

 

You can freely mess up your hard drive .

If you mess it up for good , you will just pay about 100$ to ACER to restore the drive to ACER default , and thats it ... ( Shipping to then and back not included )

 

Well I tested the backup I've made just now, and I noticed that it restored all the trial software that I deleted BEFORE I made an image. So I assume it restored these programs from one of the other Partitions.
So my next question is, if I remove software AND delete the back up partition and then make another backup, will this effect the restoration in some way?

Acer restore discs are only $19.99.

 

Which is why you should burn your own recovery discs as I mentioned earlier, but these discs are not "backups", they are the "last resort" to restore the HDD to factory default if all else fails
Image backups are a real lifesaver, you never worry over messing anything up or an update wrecking everything. You are just a couple of clicks away from a perfectly restored system all as it was when you made the last backup.

 

I am talking about restoring the HDD image ( partitions and the hidden one), not few CDs .

 

That doesn't sound right. Are you sure you actually restored from your "custom" backup file. Image backups are just what they say, an image or snapshot of exactly how the system was when the backup was made.

 

I agree with those advantages of having the backup images on a hard drive, but I'd prefer to have them on external hard drives at least. That way I can use the internal drive for what I intended, my own on personal stuff.
A 320GB drive only being able to use 108GB of it is ridiculous.

No I did the factory default backup. I assume that I was making my own Default by removing all the stuff I did'nt want first.
I think I'm beginning to understand now though. The factory just backs up the primary partition and uses the secondary partitions as sources for preinstalled programs. And the Custom Backup backs up the entire drive.

 

The "factory" image is fixed, to restore back to as it was on day one.
You make a "custom" backup image, lets say an incremental today, then you use the PC and add to that same incremental file tommorrow, and the same again the next day. After a week you have 1 "large" file todays which is a "full" image and 6 small images that contain only the "differences" since the last backup in the "tree" of files.
Then you mess something up, so you pick a file in that tree, and your drive is restored to how it all was on that date.
They are called "backup" images that you "restore" from.
The hidden partition is a restore image that is unalterable. And to have to restore back to that is a pain as you lose EVERYTHING you ever did on the PC.
Perhaps you could invest in Acronis as that will allow you to do all this to an external drive as well, even clone your drive so if it fails you just pop in the replacement as if nothing had happened.
You could then do what you want with your partitions.
I never see dynamic discs get a mention... that's something to leave with you

Can you use dynamic disks on a laptop ? dunno

 

Acronis tutorials
http://www.ugr.com/tutorials.html
which should give you an idea. The Acer utility should be similar.