Reasons you might create a disk image
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A disk image is a single or spanned file that contains an exact replica of a hard disk drive. The image contains all the data stored on the source drive and can also contain the partition information, depending on whether the image was taken of the entire disk or a single partition. There are a couple reasons to take a disk image, one being with the intent of replicating an original hard drive that contains a typical corporate build across all new machines setup for users. The applications and configuration customizations that are standard and required are loaded onto a source computer, then a disk image is take and stored on a location on the network. From that point forward, all new computers introduced will be targeted by that image and will have the exact same build as the source computer once the disk image has been fully loaded.
Another common reason to take a disk image is to upgrade a hard drive. To increase free space on a computer, there are two options. The first is to add an additional drive side by side with the existing. This can be inconvenient to users, having to direct their data storage to a drive other than the root drive, and if the space occupying the root drive is mostly in application data files, those applications will have to be uninstalled and then reinstalled on the secondary drive to recoup space. Taking a disk image can remedy this by allowing you to transfer the entire original drive to the larger new one. Then, the computer will run and look exactly as it did prior to the disk image being copied, and yet still have the added space of the new drive. A disk image can also be taken if a drive is suspected to be bad. It provides a backup of the data, and can allow you to transfer the system to a known good drive for testing purposes. A disk image is a versatile tool with many applications in the world of computer repair.
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