There is never too many backups. If you can create backup backup, then be sure to do so. Luckily, Microsoft makes it a lot easier to create a complete copy of your entire computer with the built-in System Image Capture tool.

Never used this utility? We will explain in detail how to use it to your advantage.

What is a system image?

A system image in Windows 8.1 and includes a complete copy of the entire system. This backup includes the complete assembly operating system, settings, installed programs, Windows applications and all personal files.

The main advantage of this function is that it allows you to completely restore the system in case of critical error software or hardware failure.

Flaw this method is that you will not be able to restore individual files, i.e. all files on the hard drive. Although you will have access to the copied files in the Documents, Pictures, Music, etc.

Also, if you don't back up often, in the event of a system failure, you may lose valuable documents, settings, or programs because you can only restore data to the time of the last backup.

You can use a system image to create a master backup of your computer that includes the Windows installation itself, everything Latest updates, personalized configurations and programs. You can use File History or the Protect Important Files feature of OneDrive to back up your files. This backup recipe will avoid duplication of files, and you will always have an up-to-date copy of all personal documents.

If the computer is working correctly, then the system backup function will help in all situations where changes have been made to the system that could disrupt performance. At the same time, recovery initial state will take a reasonable amount of time.

The instructions provided allow you to create a backup system image in Windows 10, but they work fine in Windows 8.1 as well.

How to back up a system image in Windows 10 or 8.1

• Type in the search menu Start and follow the link found.

• Turn on view mode Large icons or small icons and select a section.

• Select the link in the lower-left corner of the window.

• Connect a portable hard drive (USB flash drive), USB flash drive or SD card with enough free space.

Note. The media must be formatted in file system NTFS so that it can be used to store a system image.

• Select from the left menu.

• The system imaging wizard will ask you to choose one of three options for placing the backup: on a hard drive, on DVDs, or on a network folder. The fastest procedure will be when choosing a hard drive. Click Further.
• Select the drives you want to include in the backup and click Further.

• Confirm the start of the backup by clicking the button Archive.

• The backup process can take from 10 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the amount of data being backed up. While the backup is in progress, you can continue to do other tasks as if you were using your computer normally.

• After the System Image Capture utility completes the task, you can create a . You can use the system recovery disc to boot your computer. It also contains recovery tools Windows systems, which you can use to restore your Windows system in the event of a serious error or restore your computer from an image using a system image.

Put the portable drive with the system image and the system recovery disc in a safe place.

Restoring a computer from a backup

If your system has stopped starting or you decide to change the primary hard drive on your device, then you can use the following steps to restore your system from a backup:

• Connect your system recovery disc or Windows 10 installation media to your computer.
• Connect the media containing the system recovery files (system image) to your device.
• Restart your computer.

Advice: if master Windows installation does not start automatically, then you should change system settings BIOS. Usually, to enter the BIOS, you need to press one of the function keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12) or the ESC and Delete keys. Hotkeys depend on the device manufacturer and even on specific model. The exact information can be found in the support section on the official website of the manufacturer.

• On the page, click the "Next" button.

• Select the link in the lower-left corner.

• On the next screen, select the option.

• On the Advanced Options page, select the option.

• Select as the target operating system.

• In the "Restore your computer from an image" window, select the "Use the latest available system image" option.

Advice: You can select the "Select a system image" option if you have created multiple system backups. In this case, you can restore an older copy.

• Press "Next".
• If you are restoring a full system image to a hard drive, you can also select the "Format and Partition Drives" option before restoring the backup.
• Press "Next".
• Click the Done button.
• In the confirmation window that appears, select Yes.

After completing these steps, the system recovery process will begin. The time it takes to complete the operation depends on the amount of data to be restored and the characteristics of your hardware. Any process interruptions can disrupt the computer and prevent it from booting up, so make sure your computer is connected to a UPS. In the case of a laptop, before starting the recovery, make sure that the device is connected to the mains power source.

Since a long time may have passed since the backup was created, it is recommended to go to the Settings > Update & Security > Center windows updates and select the "Check for Updates" option to download and install the latest security patches.

System Image Creation is a useful tool in many scenarios

A system backup image can be very useful in many cases. For example, if you are going to upgrade to new version Windows 10, be sure to create a copy of the system to simplify the process of rolling back to previous version in case of serious errors and failures after the update. In addition, it is recommended to create regular backups in case you need to quickly restore your system after a hardware or system failure, malware infection, or other problems.

However, you need to be aware of the limitations and features this method recovery. For example, the user must take the initiative when creating backups, since the state of the system and files can only be restored to the time the full backup was created. Any data, settings, and applications created, modified, or installed after the backup will not be restored during this process.

This feature is designed to restore the entire system, and not to restore individual files, settings and applications. If you want to keep an up-to-date copy of your files, you should consider additional use features or OneDrive Protecting Important Files.

System imaging is a deprecated feature in Windows 10. This means that while you can still create backups, the feature may suddenly stop working or may be removed in future versions.

How often do you make a full backup of your computer? Which software you are using? Share your backup experience in the discussion below.

Backup operating system will be useful to the user if he decides to restore the previous state of the OS from the image, or an unforeseen situation occurs in which the computer fails. In both cases, standard utilities from Microsoft and a few third-party ones will come in handy. free programs. Let's see how to make a backup a copy of Windows 10.

Embedded Windows tools can be easily backed up. However, in terms of functionality and capabilities, the standard operating system utilities are much inferior to third-party programs, so below we will consider applications for archiving and restoring from independent developers. So, you can reserve the OS with:

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

Also, the article will consider instructions for restoring from a backup copy with detailed description actions.

We use the standard functionality of the OS

You can create a backup on the hard drive itself, if available. free space or place it on external media. 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 USB flash drive / inserting a disk and performing the necessary operations.

Windows uses the concept of "system image" instead of backup. To access the Backup Wizard, follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel.

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

1. Here you need to select the item "Create a system image".

1. Now you need to specify the location of the future backup. You can choose the current hard drive (in the event of a complete failure of the hard drive, in addition to personal data, the backup will also be lost), a separate DVD, or network folder(saving a backup online will not be 100% secure). After choosing 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 fine-tune the backup settings, 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, choose a place where all backups will be stored.

1. By checking the second item, you can independently determine which files will be backed up.

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

1. On the next screen, click on the "Change Schedule" button to set 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 using an 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 run the standard utility through the mode Windows Recovery 10. To open the recovery environment, follow the described algorithm:

1. Open Options.

1. Next, go to Update & Security.

1. In a new window, open the "Recovery" section. Click on the "Restart Now" button.

You can also go to the OS recovery environment using the screen windows lock 10. 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 in it:

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

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

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

Restoring the OS from a backup

You can also use the created restore point through GUI or DISM. Let's consider the first option first:

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

1. You will see the window shown 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 for the installation to complete, then restart your computer.

Consider the same operation through command line in the recovery environment. Open DISM again as described above. If your hard drive is healthy 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 picture or write it down).

1. Now type "select volume N". Instead of the letter "N" you must substitute the number system partition(column "Tom"). Next, use "format fs=ntfs quick" to format the operating system volume. 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 is marked with the letter E. Modify the line according to this analogy to match the specifics of your situation and start the process with the Enter key.

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

Third Party Programs

Let's move on to the description of the functional 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 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 necessary sections and click on the "Actions" button. Select "Image this partition only" from the menu.

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 does not start, then you will have to use the Windows 10 LiveCD (an operating system that is loaded via external media without installation). Through it, you can connect the drive with the OS image and restore the PC with one of the programs presented.

Outcome

Choose carefully 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 in the event of a hardware failure.

Video

With the help of the video, you can learn more about the procedure for creating Windows 10 backups and understand those points that were not understood while reading the article.

The vast majority of users (perhaps you are one of them too) are dismissive of the feature that allows you to backup Windows 10. By the way, very much in vain.

It also provides a system backup function. Moreover, by default, the image is created for all media files, documents and SMS, calls and bookmarks in the system browser or application.

To do this, you need to go to the "Settings" application in the "Update and Security" section.

There you need to find the archiving service. You need to put the toggle switch in the “on” position under the line where it is proposed to create a backup copy of the content.

Interestingly, the user can independently choose which parameters will be backed up and which will not. You can do this using the "Other options" section.

True, if on a PC it was possible to independently determine where the system image would be written, on mobile devices everything is automatically saved to the OneDrive account.

Regular system restore

If the backup was performed in the first way, then in the event of a critical error and incorrect system operation, you need to go to the “Shutdown” section in the “Start” menu, select the restart item and click on it while holding the Shift button.

The screen will open upon reboot. additional options, where you need to click on "System Image Recovery". After selecting this item, the system will search for a backup copy and try to install it, so you need to consider that the media must be inserted into the PC (if we are talking about a flash drive, CD or external hard drive).

via DISM

In the event that the Windows image was recorded using DISM, you need to open the administrator command prompt (as was done above), where you need to enter:

1. diskpart.
2. list volume.
3. We remember on which disk the backup is stored (according to the “Name” column) + the disk that will contain the system.
4. select volume 5.
5. select volume 6.
6. format fs-fs quick.
7. assign last=V.
8. exit.
9. dism /apply-mage /imagefile:*drive where the backup is stored*:\*backup name*.wim /index:1 /ApplyDir:6:\.
10. bcdboot:6:\Windows /s V:.
11. diskpart.
12. select volume 5.
13. remove letter=V.

5 - disk number with the system.

6 - disk number where the system will be installed.

V is the Latin letter that will be assigned to the system partition.

Then you will need to restart the PC, and the system will be restored.

System Restore via LiveCD Aomei Backupper Standard

To restore the operating system using this utility, you need to open this program and go to the Restore section, which is located in side menu. The program itself will find where the system image is stored and offer to install it. This is only possible if the media with the image is connected to the PC, or if it is some kind of disk inside the system.

In any case, you can specify the path to the backup yourself.

After all the settings (if any) click on Start Restore, which will be highlighted in orange.

As it turned out, creating a Windows system image is not difficult at all. The main thing to learn is that you should not neglect the backup function and, if necessary, it is better to use it.

Who knows what data you will need in the future. It is better to make their image so as not to lose it without a trace in the future.

All of these actions apply to mobile version operating system from Microsoft, because now users store great amount important information on smartphones and tablets - mobile devices that are always at hand. Yes, cloud services in Russia and the CIS are not yet so popular.

The newly installed Windows operating system cannot but please the eye. Virgin clean, without any processes slowing down the computer, unnecessary software and a bunch of games. Experts recommend regularly reinstalling the OS every 6-10 months for preventive needs and cleaning up redundant information. And for a successful reinstallation, you need a high-quality disk image of the system.

When You May Need a Windows 10 System Image

The main reasons for the urgent need for an OS image are, of course, reinstallation or recovery of the system after damage.

Damage may be caused by broken files on hard drive sectors, viruses and/or incorrect installed updates. Often the system can recover itself if none of the critical libraries have been damaged. But as soon as the damage affects the bootloader files or other important and executable files, the OS may well cease to function. In such cases, it is simply impossible to do without external media (installation disk or flash drive).

It is recommended that you have multiple permanent media with a Windows image at once. Anything can happen: disk drives often scratch disks, and flash drives themselves are fragile devices. In the end, everything falls into disrepair. Yes, and the image should be updated periodically in order to save time downloading updates from Microsoft servers and immediately have it in your arsenal latest drivers for equipment. This is mainly about a clean install of the OS, of course.

Burning an image to a disk or flash drive

Let's say you have an image Windows disk 10, assembly or downloaded from the official Microsoft website, but there is little use for it, as long as it just lies on the hard drive. It must be correctly written using a standard or third party program, because the image file itself is of no value to the bootloader's attempt to read it.

It is important to consider the choice of media. Usually a standard DVD-blank with the declared 4.7 GB of memory or a USB flash drive with a capacity of 8 GB is enough, since the weight of the image often exceeds 4 GB.

It is also desirable to clear the flash drive of all contents in advance, and even better, format it. Although almost all recording programs format removable media before writing an image to it.

Create an image using the installer

In our time created special services to obtain images of the operating system. The license is no longer tied to a separate disk, which may become unusable for various reasons, or its box. Everything goes electronic, which is much safer than the physical ability to store information. With the release of Windows 10, the license has become more secure and mobile. It can be used on multiple computers or phones at once.

You can download the Windows image on various torrent resources or using the Media Creation Tool recommended by Microsoft developers. This small utility for writing a Windows image to a USB flash drive can be found on the official website of the company.

1. Download the installer.
2. Run the program, select "Create installation media for another computer" and click "Next".

   Choose to create installation media for another computer

3. Select the system language, edition (choose between Pro and Home versions), as well as 32 or 64 bits, again "Next".

   Define boot image parameters

4. Specify the media where you want to save the bootable Windows. Either immediately to a USB flash drive, creating a bootable USB drive, or as an ISO image to a computer and then using it:
   
5. Wait for the process of your choice to finish, after which you can use the downloaded product as you wish.

   After the process is completed, the image or bootable flash drive will be ready to use

While the program is running, Internet traffic is used in the amount of 3 to 7 GB.

Video: How to Create a Windows 10 ISO Image Using the Media Creation Tool

Creating an image using third-party programs

Oddly enough, but OS users still opt for additional programs to work with disk images. Often due to more user-friendly interface or functionality such applications outperform the standard utilities that are offered by Windows.

Daemon Tools

Daemon Tools is a well-deserved leader in the software market. According to statistics, it is used by about 80% of all users who work with disk images. To create a disk image using Daemon Tools, do the following:

Daemon Tools also allows you to create a bootable USB disk:

Video: how to burn a system image to disk using Daemon Tools

Alcohol 120%

The Alcohol 120% program is an old-timer in the field of creating and burning disc images, but still has some minor flaws. For example, it does not write images to a USB flash drive.

Video: how to burn a system image to disk using Alcohol 120%

Nero Express

Almost all Nero products are designed to work with disks in general. Unfortunately, not much attention is paid to images, but a simple burning of a disc from an image is present.

1. Open Nero Express, hover your mouse over "Image, project, copier." and select "Disk image or saved project" from the drop-down menu.

   Click on the item "Disk image or saved project"

2. Select the disk image by clicking on desired file, and click the Open button.

   Open the Windows 10 image file

3. Click "Burn" and wait for the disc to finish burning. Don't forget to check if the bootable DVD works.

   The "Record" button starts the process of burning the installation disc

Unfortunately, Nero still doesn't write images to flash drives.

Video: How to capture a system image using Nero Express

UltraISO

UltraISO is an old, small, but very powerful disk imaging tool. It can record both to discs and flash drives.

1. Open the UltraISO program.
2. To burn an image to a USB flash drive, select the desired disk image file at the bottom of the program and double-click on it to mount it in virtual drive programs.

   In the directories at the bottom of the program, select and mount the image

3. At the top of the program, click on "Boot" and select the item "Burn image hard drive».

   The "Burn hard disk image" item is located in the "Boot" tab

4. Select the required USB media that fits the size and change the recording method to USB-HDD+ if necessary. Click the "Burn" button and confirm the formatting of the flash drive if the program requests this request.

   The "Burn" button will start the process of formatting the flash drive with the subsequent creation of an installation flash drive

5. Wait for the recording to finish and check the flash drive for compliance and performance.

Burning boot disks with the UltraISO program takes place in a similar vein:

Video: how to burn an image to a USB flash drive using the UltraISO program

What problems can occur during the creation of an ISO disk image

By and large, problems during the recording of images should not arise. Only cosmetic problems are possible if the carrier itself is of poor quality, spoiled. Or perhaps there is a power problem during recording, such as a power outage. In this case, the flash drive will have to be formatted on a new one and the recording chain will be repeated, and the disk will, alas, become unusable: it will have to be replaced with a new one.

As for creating an image through the Media Creation Tool, problems may well arise: the developers did not really take care of decoding errors, if any. Therefore, you have to navigate the problem using the “poke” method.

If the download does not start and hangs already at 0%

If the download does not even start and the process freezes at the very beginning, the problems can be both external and internal:

• Microsoft servers are blocked antivirus programs or provider. Perhaps a simple lack of connection to the Internet. In this case, check which connections your antivirus and connection to Microsoft servers are blocking;
• lack of space to save the image, or you downloaded a fake backup program. In this case, the utility must be downloaded from another source, and disk space must be freed up. Moreover, it is worth considering that the program first downloads the data, and then creates an image, so you need about twice as much space as stated in the image.

If the download hangs at a percentage, or the image file is not created after downloading

When the download freezes while loading the image, or the image file is not created, the problem is (most likely) related to the operation of your hard drive.

When the program tries to write information to broken sector hard drive, the OS itself can reset the entire installation or boot process. In this case, you need to determine the reason why the hard drive sectors became unusable by the Windows system.

First of all, check the system for viruses with two or three anti-virus programs. Then check and disinfect the hard drive.

Video: how to check a hard drive for errors and fix them

Creating an installation disk from an image is very easy. Every Windows user should have this kind of media on an ongoing basis.

Want to optimize Windows 10? Then you need to create a custom system installer that will install a clean OS without unnecessary applications and add-ons. See how to create an ISO image of Windows 10.

Windows 10 has a number of add-ons that many users never use. Along with the system, Modern programs such as Skype for Windows 10, Weather, Mail, Contacts and Maps are installed. Not to mention games like Candy Crush Soda Saga from the Windows Store. Added to all this are features that annoy many users, including Microsoft telemetry (data collection), the built-in OneDrive cloud, and many other additions that were not in the widely popular version of Windows 7.

Many are looking for ways to remove these unnecessary applications and features preinstalled in the system. But you can approach this problem from the other side and make changes to yourself. installation image system so that these add-ons are not added at all during the installation of Windows 10.

Thus, you can create your own Windows 10 image that will install immediately clean system without unnecessary additions.

What do you need to create your own Windows 10 installer?

You can make changes to the ISO image with Windows 10 using the MSMG Toolkit utility. This program allows you to make changes to the ISO image and create your own installer. That is, you can remove all Modern applications from the installation, as well as disable all unnecessary features.

To create it, you will need the indicated MSMG Toolkit, as well as the latest Windows 10 ISO image. You can download them from the following links.

Download MSMG Toolkit (file ToolKit-v7.3.7)

Download Media Creation Tool for Windows 10

Run the Media Creation Tool, then accept the agreement that appears.

In the next step, specify further action. Here you can choose the system update function, as well as the option to download the Windows 10 installer. Check the second option, that is, "Create installation media for another computer."

Media Creation Tool will automatically offer to download the appropriate language version of the operating system compatible with the architecture of your computer. If the settings do not match, then uncheck "Use recommended settings" and specify the version and architecture 32-bit or 64-bit yourself.

On the next screen, you need to specify where you want to download the installer, directly to a USB flash drive or to ISO file. In our case, you need to download in an ISO file, because before downloading to a USB flash drive, you need to create your own installer and make the appropriate changes using the MSMG Toolkit. Open the ISO image download item, and specify the disk location for downloading it.

After downloading the utility, unzip it to the specified folder. Before running the tool, you need to unpack the downloaded image into a "DVD" folder inside the MSMG directory.

An ISO image can be unpacked using any archiver, such as WinRAR or 7-Zip. To do this, click right click click on the image and select "Open with" and select a program such as WinRAR.
The data extraction utility window will open. Select the "Extract to..." option and then navigate to the DVD folder which is inside the MSMG directory.

After extracting the data, launch MSMG using the ToolKit-v7.3.cmd file. A window will appear notifying you that the author is not responsible for any problems and you must acknowledge that you are using the service at your own risk. Press the A key to accept the terms.

The program will check the Windows 10 system image unpacked to the DVD folder. When the message “Press ENTER Key to Continue” appears, press the indicated button.

The main menu will open with the available options. Bookmarks are opened using the number buttons. You can return to the main menu with the X button.

Let's move on to how to create a system image in Windows 10 without unnecessary features and programs.

1. Go to the "Convert" tab and select the "Convert ESD Image to Wim Image" option. When the program asks which version of the operating system was downloaded, select according to the downloaded one. The process of converting the Install.esd file to Install.wim will begin.

2. After the process is completed, return to the main menu and open the "Source" tab, and then "Select Source from Folder". Recognized versions of Windows 10 will appear in the list - press a key, for example, 1, to select the downloaded one. When a notification is displayed, whether you want to mount the image, confirm with the Y (Yes) key. Wait until the message " Press any key to continue" and press any key to return to the main menu.

3. Go to the "Remove" section and select "Remove Default Metro Apps". This setting is responsible for deleting applications of type Modern. You can check the "All Apps" option to remove all programs of this type, or "Any individual apps" and select individual ones to remove. If you want to remove all Modern apps, select All Apps (Windows Store will also be removed).

4. Return to the "Remove" tab again and select "Remove default Metro Apps Associations". This option removes all remnants and relationships associated with Modern.

5. Go back to the "Remove" tab and open "Remove Components". Here you can check the option "All Windows Components" to remove all Windows components 10 or "Any desired option" to remove unnecessary features yourself.

Among these components are telemetry (data collection) service, Xbox app complete with overlay for games, Geolocation, Cortana, OneDrive cloud and others.

6. Now return to the main menu and go to the "Apply" item. Confirm saving the changes with the "Apply & Save Changes to Source Images" button.

7. Click the "Apply" tab again, and this time click on "Rebuild Source Images" to rebuild the installer files and apply your changes.

8. Finally, return to the main menu and open the "Target" option, then go to "Make a DVD ISO Image". This option will allow you to create your own Windows 10 installer in ISO format, ready to burn to DVD or create a bootable flash drive.

The created image will be available in the "ISO" folder in the directory with the MSMG program. Now you can burn the ISO image to a disk or flash drive and install a clean one from it. Windows version 10 without unnecessary services and applications.