By comparison, an image backup simply saves you the major hassle of reinstalling everything. On Windows 8.1 and 10, just open the File History backup window in the control panel. To restore using the System Image you created in Windows 10: Go to Start Menu, select Settings and then Update and Security If you have tried the above three solutions, … For most users, we recommend using an external hard drive connected to the computer as a backup drive. Of the two, the file backup is by far the most important. As part of your recovery plan, a full backup should be at the top of your list since it is the best strategy against hardware failure, and apps and upgrade problems, as well as malware attacks that can corrupt your files and damage your Windows 10 installation. If you already have a Windows 10 installation disc, that will typically work as a System Repair Disc as well. Im Video zeigen wir, wie ihr ein komplettes Image-Backup eurer Windows-Festplatte mit der integrierten Systemwiederherstellung erstellt: The beauty of a system image backup is that you can restore Windows, including your preferences and all of your data quickly and easily. When the backup is over, you’ll be asked if you want to create a System Repair Disc. Windows 10's System Image Backup is an intuitive and versatile tool for creating a Windows 10 backup and is ready to use right away if you're running Windows 10. The biggest problem with this system is that it does not allow to back up or create a System Image on a USB drive. You can use this guide to access the BIOS/UEFI, but the steps are usually different per manufacturer and device model. Microsoft also includes the old Windows 7 Backup and Restore in both Windows 8 and 10 and it works the same way it always has, allowing you to perform selective or even full image-based backups. You can always reinstall Windows and your applications, but you can’t reinstall your business records or your family photos. PCWorld |. Instant computer, just add a screen! How to create backup with system image tool on Windows 10, How to restore backup with system image tool on Windows 10, this guide with alternative ways to back up your computer, USB installation media to access the recovery enviroment, Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know, These are the wheels you need for a top Xbox racing experience, What Microsoft needs to fix with Xbox for 2021, It's not just you, Slack appears to be down across several countries, These are the best PC sticks for when you're on the move. Select the Windows 10 option as the target OS. With the Windows 8.1 update, Microsoft once again revived the Windows 7 backup app, which resulted in Windows 8.1 having two backup utilities (both File History and Backup and Restore.) section, click the Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7) option. To restore a backup on Windows 10, use these steps: On the USB bootable drive startup prompt, press any key to continue. Image backups are created through the Backup and Restore utility included with Windows. Create a System Backup with MiniTool ShadowMaker. There's no rest for the wicked, and Microsoft's big Xbox expansion is only just beginning. But if you have a relatively recent image backup handy, you can recover Windows, your programs, and your configurations with a few minutes’ work. Image backup vs. file backup. You can use the built-in tool to create a temporary full backup in case you need to rollback. Windows 10 system image backup. Therefore, in order to ensure data security, disk backup is good for the entire disk data. Don’t confuse this with a file backup, which only copies your data files (documents, photos, spreadsheets, and so on). The software will then automatically recognized your operating system. This article focuses on Windows 10. Go to Settings > Update & Security > click on Backup in the left-pane. Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc. One toolset that you might be used to from Windows 7 is the ability to create a full system image backup. Usually, you will find this tool better suited to restore the entire system from critical hardware or software problems, such as hard drive failure or when trying to roll back to a previous version of Windows 10. By Cherry / Last Updated December 16, 2020 About VHD and VHDX. The difficulty for most users was recovering the image once it is created. Connect the drive with the full backup to the device. If you don’t have the installation disc around, you’ll need to create some recovery media. How to Create a System Image Backup. Quick tip: If the device does not start in the Windows Setup wizard, you will need to access the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) to change the boot order settings. As a result, it’s a good idea to backup your computer on a regular basis, and the most fool-proof way is to manually create a disk image in Windows 10 and save it to an external hard drive. Now go to Control Panel > Backup and Restore (Windows 7)—don’t worry about the “Windows 7” label. A system image is another way to say "full backup," as it contains a copy of everything on the computer, including the installation, settings, apps, and files. After you complete the steps, the recovery process will start on the computer. One thing that's noticeably missing from the new Windows 10 Settings menu is the system image backup utility. 4. A system image backup is basically an exact copy ("image") of a drive -- … On Windows 7, it’s integrated with the normal backup tool. Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Once you complete the steps, the tool will create an image of the entire system that includes everything on the primary hard drive and other drives you may have selected. Another technique involves the usage of a third-party backup software solution, this article is all about a particular software i.e. You should always create a full backup to safeguard your files and Windows 10 setup. That’s the general idea of the ultra-portable PC Compute Sticks, but it can be hard to know which one you want. For system restore from disasters, Windows 10 system image backup should be done. You can follow the steps below to create a system image backup. Quick tip: If you choose this option, use the Exclude disks option to prevent formatting secondary drives that may contain data. If you want to keep updated copies of your files, you should be using other solutions, such as OneDrive or File History. I would like to receive news and offers from other Future brands. System images contain all of the info on your PC at a particular state. Then select Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7). 2. (The WD My Passport 4TB is our current top pick for this purpose.) For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: Looking for a great wheel to improve your Xbox One racing experience? This guide will show you the instructions to complete this task with the System Image Backup tool. In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the steps to create a full backup with all your custom settings, apps, files, and installation using the system image tool. Windows 10 tip: Create a full image backup using this hidden tool. I’ve already covered the subject for Windows 7 and 8. And while it’s not really a true backup solution, the inclusion of OneDrive does let you build a little redundancy into your file storage. 1. Click the Repair your computer option from the bottom-left corner of the screen. When Windows is in a seemingly hopeless condition, you’ll need to get into the recovery environment to restore the image. The backup feature in Windows 10 offers an image copy of the entire system including full installation of the operating system, settings, desktop programs, Windows apps, and user data. There are several ways for creating a system backup image for windows 10. In addition to technology, freelance journalist (and sometimes humorist) Lincoln Spector is a passionate cinephile who writes the Bayflicks.net movie blog. 3. Sometimes you may need just a few files from your Windows 10 Backup and you don’t want to completely restore your Windows Backup. RELATED: How to Create a System Image Backup in Windows 7, 8, or 10. Create a system image. Click Create a system image in the upper left. Quick tip: You can use the "Select a system image" option if you have multiple backups and you are trying to restore an older version of the system and files. However, I prefer to start the backup at the end of the workday so it doesn’t slow anything down. Make sure the backup drive to receive the image backup is well connected to your Windows 10 computer. You can also read this guide with alternative ways to back up your computer. The time to make a Windows 10 recovery drive is before your PC dies. If you’re not regularly backing them up, see my 3 easy steps for getting this going. If you are about to restore a device, do not interrupt the process as it can cause the backup to fail, making the device unbootable. When introducing Windows 10, Microsoft decided to continue to make both Windows backup tools available (as of the date of publication of this article anyway.) You can create a full Windows 10 backup with Backup and Restore feature. You can continue to work as it backs up. Windows 10 offers several ways to back up and recover your data. Windows 10 has a new feature called Reset this PC, but it’s not as versatile as a system image backup. Read our, Learn more about PCWorld's Digital Editions, Setting up a local user account in Windows 10. (See our roundup of best external drives if you don’t already have one.). Should you need to apply a backup to a non-booting machine, you can use this media to boot your PC and apply the backup from outside your Windows installation. An image backup copies everything on your drive, including partitions and the boot sector. Or follow our guide to making a recovery drive. Although there many other solutions to create a full backup of the entire system and files, there are still many reasons to choose the System Image Backup tool. (Optional) Select any additional hard drives to include them in the backup. In the left pane, choose Create a system image, and then follow the steps in the wizard. Creating system image backups is still fairly simple. And what you need to do … Under this circumstance, if you have made a Windows 10 image backup for the system, here system restore will be the best solution. For example, you can backup Windows 10 to external hard drive or network drive. The integrated recovery console for Windows 10 allows for a quick restore of image backups. Contributing Editor, To back up your computer files or system, MiniTool ShadowMaker is a great help for you to not experience Windows 10 Backup failures again. Or if Windows becomes so messed up it’s useless or even unbootable? Do you miss the old Windows 7 backup tool? If you are not proactively creating full backups, you will be putting at risk documents, priceless pictures, and configurations you have spent long hours setting up. If you need to replace the hard drive or hardware failure occurs, you can use one of the backups to recover the device and files. On the "Re-image your computer" page, select the Use the latest available system image option. The image can then be later used to restore Windows 10 to the same state when you took the backup. Because the tool to create a system image is somewhat buried in Windows 10 ($160 at Amazon), let's shine a light on where it's located and how to use it. Windows 10 presents File History as its default backup solution, which automatically creates new copies of your files as they change. Plug in your external hard drive—which should have enough free space to hold everything on your internal drive. Microsoft made tremendous strides in the area of recovery as well. But after that you must reinstall all of your programs, and then reconfigure everything. The image backup feature in Windows 10 (and Windows 8.1) can be used to create a complete backup of your system, including the operating system, settings, applications, and your personal files.