Windows 10: Image Backup - Win 10

I may be the first one to do it, or maybe not. But just a reminder to everyone (who did hard installation on SSDs and HDDs). All of us here have just clean installed the Win 10 Tech Preview. If it's running okay now, before you go any further messing it up and before bugs started attacking our Win 10 installation, create your image backup now.

I am currently doing mine now using the Windows native backup utility Control Panel >>> File History (same as Win 8). And don't forget the rescue disk too. I will check if the win 8 rescue disk will work (if you already have one).

System Image - Create in Windows 8











Cheers!

:)

 

System Image Backup on Windows 10

Have just moved to Win. 10 from 8.1

I used to run "System Image Backup" in 8.1

In 8.1 new runs of the backup overwrite older versions.

So two questions for Win 10 "System Image backups"

1 Should I delete the Win 8.1 version before starting the Win 10 version?

2 Does the Win 10 version overwrite older copies of the System Image backup?

 

Is the system backup for Windows 10 still identified as a Windows 7 task name?

Thanks to Santosh for showing the 2 ways in file backup. However, in doing a system image backup and when a system is upgraded from Win 7 to Win 10, the system still keeps the Win 7 system so you can go back to it in case you have Win 10 problems. So for
method 1, through Control panel > Backup and Restore (Windows 7), does it mean it is going to backup Win 7 system image only? What happen to Win 10 system? Will Win 10 or Win 7 or both systems be backed up?

Method 2 does not have a system image backup option in latest Win 10 backup screen (for sure, at least in a Win 7 upgraded Win 10 system, it is not there). How do you do a system image backup in method 2 through
Settings > Update & security > Backup?

 

I've created and restored a W10 image using Macrium Reflect, but will do one using the native imaging program as well. Thanks for the reminder! One can't have too many image backups IMHO.

 

I've also tested the Macrium Image Restoration using the same Macrium Rescue disc for Win 8. Now, I am working now on my ultimate backup... a CLONE. I am going to keep a cloned copy on 80GB HDD.

 

I don't really need an image bacup since I don't really install any special software on Beta installs.

But one thing I noticed when I finally got an OEM system of Windows 8.1 is the Windows utility will not back up the special partitions. You can use wbadmin.exe to include things like the Recovery Image partiton, but my Dell has a 40 MB OEM partiton which it will not touch... I have needed to take special precautions to back it up.

 

It's not about preserving what you have installed but rather saving the time to do a complete re-install and avoid the ever annoying Microsoft account setup when bugs present themselves or Microsoft pushed a destructive update. Up to you.
I've installed W10 TP like a primary OS on my PC. I will be using it in place of my main Win 7 OS which is intact and safe on a separate SSD.

Cheers!

 

Hi

Good Idea, I have it all setup with 80% of my software installed, I should do it now while it's all working great.
By the way I installed and ran Malwarebytes and picked up all kinds of stuff, so it's probably a good idea to do that first.

I haven't even looked at the native security stuff yet.

Mike

 

Yeah Mike, I've ran both Superantispyware and Malwarebytes before back-up.

Thanks!

 

FYI, you don't have to set up with a MS Account. Instead of putting the MS Account, click create new account then click on using local account.

 

It doesn't matter. MS Account or Local Account, these extra annoying steps can be avoided with image restoration and that is the only point I am trying to make. Thank you for clarification.

 

Hi there
Still using ACRONIS for my backups - works fine.

Cheers
jimbo

 

You are totally correct about having a backup.

I have always made them for operational systems and tested on the betas. Keeping the Recovery system intact, is important to me. If you do have an OEM system, you need to have the Factory Image partition backed up somehow, and any other strange partitions from the original install. Dell is willing to sell there own version of backup software, which I assume will restore the install back to what it was. I also assume the other backup options you mention would include all the partitions on a drive so they could be reinstalled correctly. I may have to start using one of those.

Right now, I have the same type of setup as you, with the beta on a separate drive.. But since many of us will have nightmares for years concerning the 8 to 8.1 process, I wonder if Microsoft will be using the same type of thing for Windows 10. I probably need to do an install over a working 8.1 system to see how it works. They are still using the smaller Recovery Tools partition in 10, which I was disappointed to see, since that limitation was involved is some of the problems encounter during the update.

 

Are you talking about that 350MB System partition?









I got rid of that. It is causing me issues when cloning the Win 10. A quick startup repair is always needed to make a cloned copy work. I noticed that the 350mb system partition is created when you let windows format and create partitions for you during the installation. So I did a reinstallation from scratch by formatting the entire ssd first before installation. Now I only have 1 partition. No other small annoying partitions. And clones work instantly. It's not that I need so many copies. I am just doing tests with cloning and image backup. How to do them right to make sure that they are working properly when the time comes that you need them. It will be very disastrous to make backups that doesn't work later when you need one.



I am doing clone tests with both Macrium and this little duplicator.

 

The whole point of creating system images and, in my case, saving a cloned copy of my installation is to avoid the lengthy process of system recovery using the system recovery partition. The cloned copy (on separate 80GB HDDs) serves as my "system recovery". I use the cloned copy if my system is beyond "fixable". It only takes 15mins to do it rather than an entire day of system recovery. So, it is not important for me to backup the recovery partition partition as well as I never use them. But these days, you can also create a USB system recovery media.