Discover the easiest way to create a system image backup in Windows 10/11. Safeguard your data and settings with our comprehensive guide
System Image Backup
If you work with computers or in IT, you probably know about programs like Symantec Ghost or Acronis TrueImage that make copies of your computer’s setup. Windows has a feature called System Image Backup since Windows Vista. It’s pretty good compared to other programs because it lets you make and restore backups without using things like CDs, DVDs, or USB drives
Creating a System Image Backup
In Windows 10, if you look for ‘system,’ ‘image,’ and ‘backup,’ you won’t find a quick link to the System Image Backup tool. There are two ways to get to it, but one might get removed soon in an update. One way is through Control Panel by clicking on Backup and Restore (Windows 7), then ‘Create a system image.’ This might go away soon because it’s meant for people moving from Windows 7. Another way is through File History in Control Panel; there’s a link for System Image Backup. But this might change by the time you try it.
The System Image Backup tool shows up as a wizard. It lets you choose where to save your backup: on your computer’s hard drive (it has to be inside the computer, not connected through USB), on DVDs, or on a network
See Figure. 1
I want to talk about the issues this might cause. Storing your backup on DVDs has some problems. Even if we ignore that DVDs don’t last a long time, a regular Windows 10 setup, around 25GB, needs up to 6 DVDs. My own setup, about 100GB, would need 23 DVDs. It takes a lot of time to create and restore backups using so many DVDs, and if any of them fail before you restore, it’s a problem.
Backing up on a network can be tricky. You can use network spots like servers, Network Attached Storage (NAS), or a hard drive connected to your router. But never put your System Image backup on a network you only access through Wi-Fi. That’s because when you restore from the System Image, it needs Windows 10 Recovery Options, which can’t use Wi-Fi. They can only connect through a physical network cable (Ethernet), not wirelessly.
Another thing to consider is your files. If your files are stored on a server or synced through a roaming user profile or a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive, and you don’t have lots of files, you might feel okay leaving them in your C:\Users folder.
If you use OneDrive or have lots of files that can’t be quickly downloaded from a web service, it’s best to keep your files on a separate physical hard disk or partition in your computer. When you make a System Image backup, it’s like taking a picture of the whole disk or partition where Windows 10 is installed at that moment. Restoring this backup brings back everything exactly as it was when the backup was made. If your files are on that disk or partition in the C:\Users folder (or elsewhere), they’ll be replaced, and older versions of your files will come back.
For cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive, it’s not a big issue because restoring the backup means these services will need to re-download all your files from the cloud anyway. OneDrive, however, works differently. It can continue where it left off before without needing to re-download everything.
■ Caution: – When you sync from the cloud, it brings down all your current files, but it might also upload old versions of files and files you’ve already deleted, putting them back in the cloud backup.
Putting personal files in a system backup makes the backup file bigger. However, if you ever need to completely reinstall Windows 10 from scratch, you won’t use these personal files in the backup anyway.
In other blog post, I’ll explain how to move your important folders like Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos, and also how to create and manage partitions. It’s a good idea to move your files away from Windows 10 because if there’s a big issue with Windows and you need to reinstall it, your files will be safe.
When you pick where to save your backup, you’ll be asked which hard drives or partitions on your computer you want to include. The things that are crucial for Windows 10 to work won’t be selectable, and they’ll be grayed out. You’ll probably only want to choose those essential things, as shown in Figure 2
Sometimes, you might have a small partition where you keep hardware drivers or setup files that could be handy to include. Or you might have another partition with win32 apps installed separately.
When you click ‘Next,’ you’ll see the details of where your backup will be stored and the partitions you’ve chosen to include. Then, you can start making the System Image Backup