When restoring backup image is defragged state restored?

[holygamer]

I'm build a PC then install everything I want then create a backup image. The drive isn't defragmented. Then over time the drive gets fragmented. If I then restore the image, is the drive still NOT fragmented so I won't need to defrag it?

[Splash]

Generally an image is a bitwise copy of the drive in the state that the backup image was taken, so any fragmentation will be exactly as it was when you took the image.

That said: you're not seriously thinking of reimaging a PC just because it's fragmented are you?

[AETAaAS]

Depends on the software, many home backup utilities copy file by file. So when it creates (and later when restoring, unpacks) the image, files are written one by one and will be 'defragmented' because they will be written contiguously. Some more advanced settings or pieces of software copy sector by sector and will be a true image of what is on the drive, regardless of its usefulness or weather it was deleted. These programs are used more in data recovery scenarios. They create images equaling the size of the original drive and not merely its used space.

If you are asking because you want to know if you need to defrag before creating a backup, it depends on the software but probably not.

[holygamer]

I use Macrium Reflect to create a backup image. It just backs up the actual data used NOT including the unused space. So if I created a backup image like that. Would the restored image be unfragmented since it wasn't fragmented when I created the image?