Windows 10: How to restore system image backup

Hi guys, i made a system image backup of the window 10 running on my toshiba laptop via control panel on a external harddrive. And i am trying to restore it by going to window recovery, then system image recovery in advanced options. But the problem i am facing it that when i get the restore option and i click next then i get ( To restore this computer, windows need to format the drive that the windows recovery environment is currently running on, bla bla bla) and it asks me to create a disk. So can someone please tell me how can i fix this issue. Thanks

:)

 

How to delete system image backup restore points created by using an external hard drive

Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts on my question and to follow up. Could be I worded my query incorrectly. I found the answer, I did not setup a schedule to backup in windows 7 backup and restore, and when I did it brought up the link
Manage Space and that was what I was looking for. I did investigate all support information provided earlier and it always is a learning experience. Thank you both very much. In the future I am sure I will be asking many more questions. Sincerely, Chris

 

How to delete system image backup restore points created by using an external hard drive

Hi Chris,



Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I'd be glad to help you.

Let’s try to refer and follow the steps in the Microsoft article link, mentioned below and check, if it works:

Create a system restore point:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/create-a-system-restore-point

• 
  In the System Protection tab, select and click on
  Configure button.
  
• 
  Click on Delete
  button, to delete all the restore points on the drive and check, if it works.
  

For further assistance, refer to these links, mentioned below to fix your issue:

Backup and restore your files:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/getstarted-back-up-your-files

Let’s try to refer and follow the steps in the section “Restore from a system restore point” in the Microsoft article link, mentioned below and check, if it works:

Recovery options in Windows 10:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options

Hope this information helps you. Kindly post back with the updated issue for further assistance.



Thank you.

 

Ryan,

Whilst I can find the tutorial for making a system image [Create a System Image], I cannot find one about restoring it at the moment so here are my own notes on the procedure - [I never see the message windows need to format the drive... so I am not sure where you are when you see that]

[Added later - There is an illustrated guide to restoring a system image in Restore Image on Computer - EightForums. The procedure seems to be the same and the illustrations should be helpful.]

1 Go to

• Settings,
• Update & security,
• Recovery,
• Under the Advanced startup heading, click on the button for Restart now.

2 This will take you into the onboard Windows recovery environment [WRE], a menu-driven environment -

• Troubleshoot,
• Advanced options,
• System image recover.

3 You will be rebooted into the System image recovery procedure -

• Log into an Admin account,
• Connect the drive containing the image,
• Accept the latest image identified by the system or Select a image,
• The rest is entirely menu driven.
• [Whilst there are some options that can be chosen, the defaults are normally off for all these and should be accepted.]

There are variations of this procedure such as starting the restoration from an installation disk, system repair disk or System recovery drive [see page 2 of this thread].

Denis

 

Thanks for the reply mate and i am doing exactly the same as you have mentioned. But in the 3rd stage when i accept the latest image( which shows there) and click next then i get that message on the next page about formatting the drive. Just a head up, the external harddrive i am using to restore system image also have another data like movies, softwares, music, etc in it, so do you think it only needs to contain system image for it to work?

 

Ryan,

I also keep other files on the drive containing my images so that does not cause the problem you describe.

Does your system image contain all the partitions that were on the original system drive such as, if they existed, System reserved partition? In other words, was the image made in the normal manner [described in the tutorial I linked to before?]. I do not understand why you are getting that message.

I think you'll have to wait for everybody else to wake up on Monday in the hope that one of the others understands your situation and posts advice.

Best of luck,
Denis

 

Yes, the system image was created exactly same as the described in the link you shared. And you are right about others to see this thread and then maybe someone will be able to help me out. Cheers

 

Ryan,

Best of luck then.

By the way, at some stage in the future you will need to start using a third-party facility for making system images but you would still be able to restore your current images using your current version of an installation disk, System repair disk or Recovery drive.

Windows is going to drop its own facilities for making & restoring system images at some stage but there is no published schedule for this.

Many people in this forum recommend the Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - TenForums.

I use free versions of Acronis True Image instead [they allow free versions for computers with Western Design, Samsung, Seagate hard drives - one of which must always be in or connected to the computer for the application to run]. Several Macrium Reflect users have said that it is better than Acronis but I have never got around to switching.

You cannot mix n match - you must use

• Windows' own system images & Windows' own image restoration procedure,
• or Macrium's images & restoration, or
• Acronis' images & restoration.

You cannot restore a Macrium image using Acronis etc.

Denis

 

Easeus TODO BACKUP HOME free version seems to do a good job of backing up System Partition. I haven't tried restoring yet so I don't know good of a job it will be doing that.

Acronis, which I also have, is able to convert Windows System Image into a file that Acronis will be able to use to restore back. I need to check to see if Acronis still has that feature in the current version. I did try a System Image restore from Acronis, but the restore wasn't very accurate. But that was when I first installed Acronis about 5-6 years ago.

Yes, the Windows 10 version 1709 has a bug that prevents you from restoring the System Image created by the same version. I needed to use a Windows 10 Installation disk copied on another internal Hard drive to get my System Image to restore successfully. Restoring using the Windows 10 on C: drive failed twice in a row. That has never happened to me before until now.

 

Acronis can only work with its own format system images or with Windows 7 system images [which are based on vhd files]. It cannot work with Windows 10 system images [which are based on vhdx files].

When I last spoke with Acronis [about three months ago], they said they had no plans to introduce vhdx file capabilities.

Denis

 

Are you saying that you experienced the same fault symptom as Ryan? If that was the case I would try to help him by writing up my scribbled notes about restoring images using installation disks, System repair disks & recovery drives.

Denis

 

Ryan,

Have you tried restoring the system image using an installation disk, System repair disk or recovery drive?

Do you have an installation disk, System repair disk or recovery drive?

Denis

 

Although I am a Macrium Reflect person I help many people where I volunteer using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) process and always create a System Repair disc and haven't had any problems restoring anyone's system image yet using the System Repair disc: I also have the disc verified upon completing the system image backup. I have seen one of the procedures mentioning something like you said but I don't follow through on it, I click Next if I remember correctly. What I'm describing may not apply in your case, but if this is helpful for you, I hope so.

 

Ryan,

To restore from a system image by booting with an installation disk or System repair disk -

• [Boot from the disk]
• Select language, formats & keyboard,
• Select Repair your computer,
• Troubleshoot,
• Advanced options, [and see note ***]
• System image recovery,
• Accept the latest image identified by the system or, if you have multiple images saved on your backup drive, use Select a image to chose the one you want.
• The rest is entirely menu driven. Whilst there are some options that can be chosen, the defaults are normally off for all these and should be accepted.

I am not familiar with use of a Windows 10 "Recovery drive" but I would expect only the opening steps to be any different. Everything after selecting System image recovery would, I expect, be the same.

If you get any untoward events such as warnings about formatting drives, please take a photo of the screen and post it here.

If, when booting from an installation disk etc, you are interrupted by this dialog, just select No. The only time I have seen this dialog was when I was restoring a system image straight after having installed a new Windows 10 version.




*** Do be aware that your normal drive letter assignments do not [temporarily] apply when booting from an installation disk etc or using the onboard restore facility ["WRE"] so from the Advanced options you can select Command prompt then use Dir C: then Dir D: and so on commands to look at each drive in turn to figure out what each one is temporarily called [ignore the X drive, it is a virtual drive controlling the computer during this procedure]. When you have finished, type Exit to close the Command prompt and it will take you back to the Choose an option screen where you can select Troubleshoot, my step 4 above.

Denis

 

In the past versions of Acronis the program did have a feature to convert Windows System Image file format into an Acronis File format that can be used by Acronis to restore your computer. But I see now that feature has been removed.