Windows 10: If creating HDD image is being deprecated how do I restore installed software and settings?

With the graphic design software and settings I use on my machine it takes DAYS to manually set them up after reinstalling Windows.


Even then I will have to constantly tweak settings for weeks afterwards.


As you can imagine this is really bad for productivity in a work environment.


Which is why I prefer to rely on a disc image if I need to restore my system.


But I see that Microsoft intends to phase out the ability to create a disk image.


So my question is what can I do instead without removing apps and settings I installed?

:)

 

Help, cant create windows image

Hello there, @fullinfusion!

It seems like some sort of an OS confusion has happened with your secondary WD Black and I'm sorry to hear about that. *Frown
Maybe re-formatting it would help indeed as the community already mentioned. I'd suggest to take a look at this step-by-step how to partition and format an HDD: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=PYCoid
Keep in mind that this will wipe clean the drive, so you should backup all important data from the drive somewhere else.
I noticed from the screenshots that your HDD appears as Disk 0, this means that it's plugged in the primary SATA port where the SSD (as an OS drive) should be. Actually it is possible that because of this Windows cannot create the image there. Swap the ports of the SSD and the HDD, this might help as well.

Keep me posted. Hope this helped! *Smile
SuperSoph_WD

 

Restoring Windows 10 Image using Macrium Reflect


In addition to the above. Here's my suggestion in step by step.
I assume you have Macrium Installed in your current HD and already made a backup copy.

1. Connect your new HD via USB port and boot up.
2. Run Macrium, click on Restore tab then select the Backup Image that you made to restore
3. click on "select a different target disk" then select your new HD as destination
   
   
   
4. Proceed to restore then Shutdown and disconnect the old HD and replace with the new HD
5. Boot up with your new HD.

 

OS restore image?

going to be doing another XP reinstall again here soon -

does anyone know how to make a image backup of the OS, similar to what is used on most OE restore CDs? It's the kind of backup that needs it's own seperate HDD partition usually, I think called a "ghost" format or something similar?

I was considering doing this kind of backup after the re-install and everything is too my liking and updated, so next time I run into some screw-ball issue, I can just format the HDD and unload the image and be back up and running (would prob eliminate about a days worth of hardware driver installing, software installing, system updates, etc).