Windows 10: Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10

How to: Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10

How to Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10



Note Checkpoint is a powerful Hyper-V feature to easily undo all changes on a virtual machine. You can play with virtual machines testing apps, changing settings, editing registry and so on as if "sandboxing" and when needed, discard all changes and restore an earlier Checkpoint in a few clicks and seconds.

A standard checkpoint stores virtual machine state exactly as it is (see Part Three in this tutorial for difference between a production and a standard checkpoint). Whereas a Windows Restore Point only stores and restores the Windows system state but does not store the app state and restore or remove user files, a standard Hyper-V checkpoint stores and restores the complete system including app state and user files. A checkpoint can rather be compared with a system image than a restore point although even that comparison is not accurate.

You can create as many Checkpoints as you want to. Creating a checkpoint only takes a few seconds. Testing for instance sysprepping Windows 10 Technical Preview in Audit Mode you can create a checkpoint before entering the Audit Mode after installation has finished and Windows boots to OOBE / Welcome Mode, second checkpoint when signed in as built-in administrator in Audit Mode and third before sysprepping with your answer file. Now when something does not work as you'd expected, simply return to any of your earlier checkpoints instead of starting from scratch.

In the Windows 10 Creators update you can now take checkpoints and saved states on virtual machines that are acting as nested Hyper-V hosts.

In this tutorial we will create checkpoints and apply (restore) them.

For this tutorial you will need Hyper-V enabled and setup as told in this tutorial, and at least one working virtual machine.

Contents:

Part One: Create a Checkpoint
Part Two: Apply (restore) a checkpoint
Part Three: Checkpoint settings



Part One [/i] Create a Checkpoint
1.1) Checkpoints can be created in Hyper-V Manager from Action menu (#1) or from context (right click) menu (#2). Select a vm first, then create a checkpoint for that vm. The vm don't have to be running, you can create a checkpoint also when the vm is turned off:



A checkpoint can also be created from Action menu in Virtual Machine Connection > Action menu:



1.2) When you select Checkpoint in Action or Context menus as told in 1.1 Hyper-V asks if you want to rename the checkpoint (default name vm_name_date&time). Name the checkpoint as you wish, click Yes (No for default name):



1.3) The progress can be seen in status bar of Virtual Machine Connection:



1.4) When checkpoint is created click OK:



1.5) You can see all your checkpoints in Hyper-V Manager. Select a vm to see its checkpoints, Now is the current state:





Part 2 [/i] Apply (restore) a checkpoint
2.1) To revert (restore) to last checkpoint created directly from Virtual Machine Connection, select Action > Revert:



2.2) Confirm the operation:



2.3) To apply any existing checkpoint, select your vm in Hyper-V Manager and double click a checkpoint, alternatively right click a checkpoint and select Apply:



2.4) The selected checkpoint will now be applied and vm turned off. Hyper-V notifies you of success (#1), start (boot) the vm to checkpoint you had selected by clicking the Start button (#2):






Part 3 [/i] Checkpoint settings
3.1) In vm settings you can select what type of checkpoints you will use:

1. Production checkpoints
   • A Production Checkpoint stores the machine state but considers all apps being closed; if you have let's say an Excel workbook open but you have not saved your work, applying this checkpoint will restore the state of the vm as it was when you had saved your work last time. When a production checkpoint is applied Windows boots as in cold boot, to Welcome screen and empty desktop after sign in with no running apps.
2. Standard checkpoints
   • A Standard Checkpoint stores the machine state with app state; all open apps and unsaved work will be saved in checkpoint, if you have PowerPoint with an unsaved presentation open when checkpoint is created, it will be open and and your unsaved work there when the checkpoint is applied. This causes a minor security risk, though: as a standard checkpoint when applied bypasses Welcome / Sign In and enters directly to desktop as it was when checkpoint was saved, anyone having access to your vm can see your files and use your access rights.

3.2) The location of checkpoints (highlighted in above screenshot) can only be changed when the vm in question has no checkpoints. When the first checkpoint is created and saved, you can no longer change the location of checkpoints of that vm.


That's about it! Do not hesitate to post your questions and concerns in this thread.

Kari


Related Tutorials

• How to Setup and Use Hyper-V in Windows 10 for OS Virtualization
• How to Create VHD of Windows 10 Installation and Use in Hyper-V

:)

 

Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10  

PowerShell really is a nice tool to be used with Hyper-V.

I see you had used default checkpoint names. I like to rename mine to better remember to what point any checkpoint takes me.

Earlier today I recorded video to be sent to Macrium support. I've had contact with them because an issue with Macrium Reflect CBT and Image Guardian features; they simply break OneDrive Files on Demand feature (OD FOD) in Insider builds 17035 and 17040. To demonstrate it I clean installed W10 on a VM, then reproduced the issue creating checkpoint after each step:




I like doing it so, making a relatively short video now by applying checkpoints one after another, capturing those few seconds from that step I want to show, then applying next checkpoint and so on.

Renaming checkpoints with descriptive names tells me exactly which checkpoint I need to / want to apply.

 

Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10  


Hi Kari,

actually I do this similarly. Just, I like to keep the date/time in name as it is not otherwise shown in Hyper-V Manager.

So I always create my checkpoints with generated name and then just append some description in Hyper-V Manager.





Like here in Ubuntu, where I've kept track of nearly every step installing stuff on it... sorry just my paranoia *Wink as I'm a somewhat dummy in Linux.

Gerhard

 

Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10  

It is interesting that if you delete an intermediate checkpoint, that gets merged with vhd.
In my simple example where I kept adding same shortcut and creating a new checkpoint, I could not initially fully understand how deleting the 2nd checkpoint with two shortcuts merged anything into the vhd. I then realised the vhd is dynamically changing as we go along (now point) and contains info from check point 2 making simple deletion more complicated.

I guess this shows the incremental nature of a checkpoint. Checkpoint 3 shows 3 shortcuts but the actual checkpoint simply adds 1 from previous checkpoint. So if vhd was not updated to have 2 icons, checkpoint 3 would end up only showing 2 checkpoints (1 from checkpoint 1 and added one from checkpoint 3).

It took me a while to realise that once checkpoint 2 was deleted, you are only ever going to change to status of other checkpoints or final state ie the merging of the deleted checkpoint is only an intermediate step to keep the 'accounts balanced" for want of a better metaphor.

Using my Macrium analogy, the checkpoints are more like the chain links of incremental backups but clever enough to handle the deletion of an intermediate incremental link.

With Macrium once an intermediate incremental link is deleted, all subsequent incremental links are useless.

If checkpoints did not do this, each checkpoint would have to be cumulative (like Macrium differentials).

So, checkpoints are really clever imo!

 

Create and Use Hyper-V Checkpoints in Windows 10  

When a Hyper-V checkpoint is deleted, it will be merged to current state of VM. In screenshot I've just deleted whole checkpoint subtree from a VM which is now merging them to base VHD:




I've been using Hyper-V since installing first preview version of Windows 8 in September 2011 . Windows 8 brought Hyper-V to workstation versions of Windows, I was immediately sold. I am one of the not too many users who really loved Windows 8 & 8.1, one major factor being Hyper-V.

My Hyper-V usage is quite extensive, more often than not I have at least one or two virtual machines running. I also use checkpoints relatively often simply because they are so practical, fast and easy to use. I have never had checkpoint issues.

 

Hyper-V doesn't delete checkpoint files

Useful info. Thanks!