Windows 10 system backup. Creating bootable media in Macrium Reflect

Backup operating system will be useful to the user if he decides to restore previous state OS from the image, or an unexpected situation will occur in which the computer will fail. In both cases, you will need standard utilities from Microsoft and several third-party ones. free programs. Let's figure out how to make a backup copy of Windows 10.

Built-in using Windows you can easily create a backup copy. However, in terms of functionality and capabilities, standard operating system utilities are much inferior third party programs, so below we will consider applications for archiving and recovery from independent developers. So, you can reserve the OS using:

• built-in Windows 10 wizard;
• third party programs.

The article will also discuss instructions for restoring from a backup with detailed description actions.

We use standard OS functionality

You can create a backup on the hard drive itself if there is free space, or place it on an external drive. The second option is convenient if your hard drive turns out to be completely faulty. You can restore the operating system by simply connecting a flash drive/inserting a disk and performing the necessary operations.

Windows uses the concept of "system image" instead of Reserve copy. To access the Backup Wizard, you must complete the following steps:

1. Open Control Panel.

1. Select the “Category” view type and open the “Backup and Restore” subsection.

1. Here you need to select the “Create a system image” option.

1. Now you need to specify the location of the future backup. You can select current HDD(if the hard drive is completely damaged, in addition to personal data, a backup will also be lost), a separate DVD or network folder(saving a backup online will not be 100% secure). After selecting a location, click Next.

1. On the new screen you will see a list of those sections that will be archived. To start the procedure, click on the “Archive” button.

You can configure backup settings in detail, enable or disable saving archives as follows:

1. You must be in the same “Backup and Restore” window. In it, click on the “Set up backup” button.

1. At the first stage, select the location where all backups will be stored.

1. By checking the second box, you will be able to independently determine from which files the backup copy.

1. Select data files and local disk to archive all available information.

1. On the next screen, click on the “Change Schedule” button to configure the time and date for creating the archive.

1. Finally, click on the marked button to start the automatic archiving process.

You can delete archived files manually from the WindowsImageBackup folder through the administrator account.

You can do all the described actions through DISM.exe on the command line. This method is less convenient, but it may be useful to you.

Creating a backup via DISM

You can launch the standard utility through Windows 10 recovery mode. To open the recovery environment, follow the described algorithm:

1. Open Settings.

1. Next, go to “Update and Security”.

1. In a new window, open the “Recovery” section. Click on the “Reboot Now” button.

You can also go to the OS recovery environment using the Windows 10 lock screen. Click on the power icon while holding down the Shift key.

After the reboot, you will see a menu in front of you. In it you need to go to “Troubleshooting” – “Advanced options” – “Command line”.

The usual cmd window will appear in front of you. You must enter the following:

1. Commands "diskpart", "list volume". By the name label, determine which of the disks is the system one and which one is for saving the backup. For example, the system drive is marked with the letter E, and for backup – with the letter D.

1. Now use the "exit" command to exit the previous menu. Next, enter “dism /Capture-Image /ImageFile:D:\Win10Image.wim /CaptureDir:E:\ /Name:”Windows 10” and press Enter.

1. After some time has passed, you will see a message indicating that the operation was completed successfully.

Restoring the OS from a backup

You can also use the created restore point via GUI or DISM. Let's look at the first option first:

1. First of all, you need to open the Windows Recovery Environment. Read above for information on how to do this. Then open the "System Image Restore" section, which is located in the advanced options. In this case, a backup drive must be connected to the computer.

1. You will see the presented window on the screen. You can entrust the procedure to the recovery wizard (1) or select the OS image manually (2).

1. Select the partitions to overwrite and wait until the installation is complete, then restart your computer.

Consider the same operation via command line in a recovery environment. Open DISM again using the above method. If your hard drive is working properly and the entire partition structure is preserved, then use the following method:

1. Enter the commands “diskpart” and “list volume” in turn. After the second command, remember the section numbers from the list (take a photo or write it down).

1. Now enter “select volume N”. Instead of the letter “N”, you must substitute the number of the system partition (the “Volume” column). Next, use “format fs=ntfs quick” to format the volume with the operating system. Exit the menu with "exit".
2. Now enter the line “dism /apply-mage /imagefile:D:\Win10Image.wim /index:1 /ApplyDir:E:\” if the saved OS image is called “Win10Image.wim” and is located on drive D, and the recovery partition marked with the letter E. Modify the line using this analogy to suit your situation and run the process with the Enter key.

1. Restart your PC after the “Operation completed successfully” message appears.

Third party programs

Let's move on to the description of the functionality third party applications. The following popular options for creating and restoring backups will be discussed below:

• Macrium Reflect Free;
• Aomei Backupper Standard.

Similar software is used to restore the OS on mobile devices With using Windows Device Recovery Tool.

Macrium Reflect Free

This utility is free and can be downloaded from the creator's website. To create a backup, use the following guide:

1. On the main screen of the program, select the required sections and click on the “Actions” button. In the menu, select “Image this partition only”.

1. To restore files, go to the “Restore” tab. Click on the “Path” button and specify the path to the directory with the image. To start the operation, click on “Start Restore”.

You can start the system image recovery process using the presented programs. But if your OS is damaged and will not start, you will have to use Windows 10 LiveCD (an operating system loaded via external media without installation). Through it you can connect a drive with an OS image and restore your PC using one of the presented programs.

Bottom line

Carefully choose where to save your Windows 10 backups. It is not recommended to leave backups on the main hard drive, as you risk losing everything beyond recovery if the hardware fails.

Video

Using the video, you can learn more about the procedure for creating backup copies of Windows 10 and understand those points that remained unclear while reading the article.

The Windows 10 operating system includes a backup feature that allows you to create full image system to later use for recovery working condition computer, for example, in case of failure. The backup copy includes information about the system itself, drivers, settings, and computer user programs. In other words, by restoring the computer from a backup copy when problems arise, the user has the opportunity to return it to the state in which this copy was created.

Unlike Windows restore points, a backup allows you to not only undo change information system files, but also completely restore the system to its normal state.

Because in the process Windows operation the number of programs on it regularly increases; it is recommended to create a backup copy immediately after installing and configuring a new operating system. Like backup file will take up less space and can be placed, for example, on an external drive so that the system can be restored from it.

You can create a backup copy of Windows 10 using the built-in tools of the operating system or using third-party applications. Let's consider both options.

How to create a backup of Windows 10 using the built-in utility

Windows 10 provides a utility for creating a backup copy that will be supported by the system without the need for installation additional applications for the purpose of reading data from it. To create a backup on Windows 10 you need to:

At the end of archiving, the Windows 10 operating system will prompt you to create, which may be required if problems arise with the system.

Restoring Windows 10 from a backup

To restore the operating system from a previously created backup copy, you must use the appropriate tool. It is in a recovery environment that can be downloaded from third-party drive or from Windows interface. You can start the recovery environment in one of the following ways:

• Boot the computer from a recovery disk - these can be DVDs, external flash drives or hard drives;
• Using installation disk with Windows 10 or an installation flash drive. After booting from such a drive, you will need to select “System Restore” to open an environment with the necessary tools;
• Through the Windows system, performing the appropriate reboot. To do this, you need to log out and select the option to turn off the computer on the lock screen. A list of three options will open - turn off, restart or put the PC into sleep mode. You need to click on the “Restart” button, but at the same time hold Shift on the keyboard, thereby giving the command to the computer that it needs to boot into recovery mode.

When the recovery environment loads, you will need to go to the “System image recovery” item. After this, you need to select an account and enter a password for it, if one is set on it.

Next it will start Windows utility, with which you can restore your computer from a previously created image. The Windows operating system will automatically detect the image on your hard drive, if there is one. If the backup is located on an external drive, you can specify the path to it manually.

By clicking “Next”, a window will open in which you can configure additional recovery options - install additional drivers immediately or format partitions. If you want to save all the data on your computer, we recommend not changing anything and clicking “Next”;

The final step of the recovery environment will then appear, where you can specify a new computer name, set the time, and make sure that the disk being restored is configured correctly. After clicking “Finish”, an operation confirmation window will open, which will indicate that all information from the disk whose image is being restored from the backup copy will be deleted. You need to confirm your actions.

The process of restoring the operating system from the image will begin, which can last from a couple of tens of minutes to several hours, depending on the speed of the disks in the computer, the amount of information in the backup copy and other parameters.

At the end of the recovery process, the computer will return to the state it was in at the time the backup was created.

Backup Windows 10 using AOMEI Backupper

A convenient program for creating a backup copy and restoring Windows from it is AOMEI Backupper. It includes all the necessary functionality and is distributed free of charge on the developers' website in a standard version, which is sufficient for home use.

Creating a Backup

To create a Windows backup using AOMEI Backupper, you need to do the following:

When the process Windows archiving will be completed, the backup copy will appear in the previously determined location, and if necessary, it can be used to restore the system.

Restoring from a backup

Produce Windows recovery from a backup created in the AOMEI Backupper application can only be done using this program. It can be launched from Windows environment or with boot disk. It can be created on the basis of a DVD or flash drive. A bootable version of the AOMEI Backupper program is created as follows:

If the Windows operating system fails, and the ability to run AOMEI Backupper in standard mode there will be no recovery option, the created flash drive/disk will allow you to load the application when you start the PC. To do this, you will first need to set the disk/flash drive as bootable in BIOS settings. The program interface will not differ when loading the recovery tool in this way.

Many PC users mistakenly overlook the importance of backing up the Windows image because... They think that nothing bad will happen to their operating system and that it will work stably and reliably for a long time. But then rainy day X comes and the system, due to certain reasons (virus attack, etc.), stops responding to commands or does not boot at all.

No matter what you do, nothing helps and all that remains is to reinstall the OS, followed by the tedious process of searching and installing, setting up previous programs. But everything could have been much simpler if there was a backup copy. It would take a matter of minutes to restore full functionality and all applications would be in place.

In this article we will look at simple instructions on how to make a backup copy of Windows 10 using a built-in, standard tool. A backup copy means a complete image of the system with all programs and settings installed at the time the copy was created. Those. after a potential failure and restoration of the system from the image, the user receives the state of the operating system at the time the copy was created.

How to create a backup of Windows 10 using a standard backup tool

To get to the function you are looking for, click right click mouse on the “Start” menu, then go to the following path Control Panel – System and Security – Backup and Restore. There is another alternative path: Start – Settings – Update and Security – Backup Service – Go to the “Backup and Restore” section.

In the new window, click on the “Create a system image” tab.

Then you should select the location where the system image will be stored. In my case selected external HDD disk.

In the next window we indicate which disks will be included in the archiving. Archiving system disk C will be executed by default.

As you can see, the required space to save this archive is quite large and it will take some time to create the image.

Once the procedure is complete, you will be prompted to create a system repair disc.

If you do not have a free disk at hand, then you should refuse this offer.

How to run Windows 10 recovery

You can restore the system from a backup image in several ways: from the recovery environment of the working operating system and using a boot device (if the system does not boot).

If you have problems with Windows 10, but this does not affect its ability to boot, you can enter the recovery environment through the Settings application. You should follow the following path: Start – Settings – Update and Security – Recovery. In the “Special boot options” section, click on “Restart now”.

If Windows 10 does not boot, then you can get into the recovery environment from installation media, for example from bootable flash drive . After opening the recovery partition, look for a window with additional parameters, and then restore the system using the image.

Friends, hello everyone! In this article we will continue the topic of computer security and data preservation. So now I’ll tell you about creating an image Windows systems 10 regular means. And we’ll try to copy it even to a flash drive.

By the way, the method described below is quite suitable for Win 7, since the whole procedure is done in complete analogy. Now a few words about the essence of the image being created. Its difference is that it can contain a complete copy of a PC disk.

So, let's go. Remember, our task is to copy the system partition to a USB drive. To do this, first of all we go to the Control Panel and follow the path “Small icons-backup copy and restore (Windows 7)":

And look, it says here that this recovery archive can be used even if your hard drive or computer fails. I wonder if it’s really possible to upgrade the system on new hardware using standard means? If so, then respect and respect to the guys from Microsoft. But to be honest, I seriously doubt it. Although...

Now about saving to a flash drive. As you can see in the picture below, it is available in the device selection list. But there is one caveat - it must be formatted in NTFS:

And one moment. In this way, only standard system directories necessary for recovery are copied Windows performance and programs. free custom folders and files are not taken into account. At least that's how I understand it. But below we will still consider the option of a full backup.

So, since I didn’t know about such requirements for the file system, we will copy the archive to the second partition of the hard drive. In my case it is called Multimedia:

Well, click the “Archive” button and wait for the Windows 10 image to be created. I must say that here everything depends on the amount of information being saved, but in any case you will need to wait a while.

Upon completion of the process, a folder will appear on the disk we specified WindowsImageBackup with fallback image:

Now a few words about how such an archive can be used in practice, for example, in a critical situation. It's very easy. If the system is crooked, but boots, use the "Recovery" function of the Win 7 backup partition:

Now let's look at another section of this panel, which is called "Configure backup":

Please note that here copying to a flash drive is not available at all. You can only select external or internal hard drive:

But the user is given a choice. It is possible to archive not only the system partition, but also absolutely any user data. By the way, about the last one. note to the one highlighted in the picture Below is a fragment.

It says that the program will back up only those files that are stored in the user's libraries (Pictures, Music, Videos folders, etc.), desktop and standard system directories:

Therefore, by clicking “Give me a choice,” you should specify either the entire C drive, so to speak, with all the available stuff, or only the necessary directories:

I hope you can see the difference now? But keep one more thing in mind. If yours is divided into only two sections, for example, like mine is now, then you won’t be able to copy the second one in this way, since it will be selected as the save location.

Go ahead. On next step Another pleasant option awaits us. You can configure the creation of images on a schedule. Agree, this is very convenient. Therefore, all that remains is to click on the “Save parameters and start archiving” button:

That's it, friends, now you know everything about creating a Windows 10 system image on a flash drive using standard tools. Do you think this function is conveniently implemented in the top ten?

Share your opinion in the comments and also ask questions if you have any. And finally, as always, I suggest you watch another interesting video.

This article shows how to create an image backup Windows disk 10 using the built-in archiving program.

The operating system has a built-in backup and restore function that allows you to create a backup copy of a disk image and, if necessary, restore the computer to functionality.

The disk image backup includes a complete Windows image 10 with information about the system itself, with all installed drivers, programs, computer settings at the time of creating a copy of the disk image.

If various problems arise with your computer, using a disk image backup, you can quickly restore the system to a previously saved state.

Unlike, a disk image backup allows you not only to undo information about changes to system files, but also to completely restore the system to the state when the disk image copy was created.

It is recommended to create a backup copy of the disk image immediately after setting up the operating system (installing device drivers, installing the minimum required number of applications). In this case, a copy of the disk image is created faster and takes up less space on the drive.

Windows 10 disk image backup is created using the built-in backup program Backup and Restore (Windows 7), the executable file of the program is located in the System32 folder of the Windows system directory and has the name sdclt.exe

To create a backup copy of the disk image, run the Backup and Restore utility by searching in Windows, enter sdclt in the search field and select sdclt in the search results Run command

Or use the dialog box Execute called by pressing the keyboard shortcut + R , in which type sdclt and press the key Enter↵

As a place to save the disk image, you can select, for example, a local disk (usually disk D) located on the same physical disk, as a result the system will warn you that the selected disk is on the same physical disk that is currently being archived and in case of failure archives on this disk will be lost.
You can also use a separate physical (HDD or SSD) disk installed in the computer, an external hard drive (HDD or SSD), DVDs or a network folder as a place to save the disk image.
If you choose DVDs as the place to save the disk image, you will need a lot of them; this option is the most inconvenient
You also need to know that the system disk image can only be saved on a disk with the NTFS file system. If the disk has a different file system, then the system will warn you that the disk cannot be used to store a system image, since it is not formatted as a file NTFS system. Format the drive to the NTFS file system.

The operating system will back up the following drives by default:
Encrypted (EFI) system partition
Disk (C:)(system)

Chapter Restore(system)

The required space for archiving will also be displayed (in this case, 17 GB is required, a clean system with installed device drivers and a couple of applications). How more programs has been installed on your computer since Windows installations, the more space you will need to store your operating system backup.

Before completing the backup process, you will be prompted to create a recovery disk. If necessary, you can create it (you will need a DVD). You can also create a recovery disk later on a USB drive (USB flash drive), how to do this is described in detail in the article

After completing the process of creating a backup copy of the system disk image, click Close

A Windows 10 disk image backup has been created and is located on the disk ( D:) in folder WindowsImageBackup

Now you have a backup copy of the Windows 10 disk image, which you can use in the future if various system problems occur. For information on how to use a disk image backup, read the article.