How to Create a Windows 10 Backup Image

Explore the essential guide to creating an image with a backup copy of Windows 10 in this comprehensive tutorial. Safeguarding your system is crucial, and having a backup image ensures you can restore your system to a working state in case of unexpected events.


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How To Create a Recovery Image and Restore Your System From Windows 10 Image ⚕️💻🤔

How To Create a Recovery Image and Restore Your System From Windows 10 Image ⚕️💻🤔

Creating a Backup System Image Copy In Windows 10

In order to restore a backup system image copy, let us use the console utility wbAdmin. We will store the system image on a separate external disk (you may use a partition on the current disk, but this choice is less reliable), where there must be enough space to store a complete system copy.

How to Create a Windows 10 Backup Image

In the search window, type PowerShell, find Windows PowerShell in the list that appears and launch it as administrator.

How to Create an Image With a Backup Copy of Windows 10

In our example we want to create a complete system copy (the system is located in disk C:\), including all necessary partitions required for the system operation (including partitions containing the boot manager and the boot configuration) and save the received image to a network folder. In this case, the command to create an image should be as follows:

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:\\Remote_Computer\\Folder -include:C: -allCritical –quiet

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget://Remote_Computer//Folder -include:C: -allCritical –quiet

wbAdmin start backup

Note. To create a system image with the help of Wbadmin.exe you should be a member of Backup Operators or Administrators group.

If you need to include into the image other partitions or disks in addition to the system partition, the command should be as follows:

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C:,D:,F:,G: -allCritical -quiet

If you need to save the system image to external disk:

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical -quiet

Execution of the command will take up a certain time period depending how much data should go to the image you are about to create.

wbAdmin Backup Creation

After wbAdmin utility finishes work, a directory entitled WindowsImageBackup containing a system image will appear in the system directory of the target disk.

Windows 10 Image

Advice. You can also launch creating a backup system image copy from the graphic interface of Windows 10. This function is accessible via the control panel (Control Panel -> File History, the button System Image Backup in the lower left angle).

File History in Windows 10

Restoring Windows 10 From The Image

To restore the system from the available image we will need:

  • An installation image of Windows 10 / Windows 8 on a DVD disk or a USB drive (how to create such disks from official images of Windows 10) or a system recovery disk.
  • In BIOS settings, to change the system boot sequence so that the system should boot from a network folder first (in our case, or from DVD / USB media in other cases).

Boot from the installation/boot disk. Click Next in the first screen.

Windows 10 Install

Press the button Repair your computer in the left angle below.

Windows 10 PC Repair

Then proceed to Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> System Image Recovery.

From the list of target OS, select Windows 10. The installation wizard will scan the connected disks and find the list of previously created backup copies.

Advice. As the system has loaded from a boot disk, letters of disks may not coincide with the letters of disks in the system.

From the list of available images select the image you need to restore.

Mark the option Format and repartition disks. In this case, recovery wizard will delete all partitions available on the disk and re-create the partition table in accordance with the partitions in the image. The only thing left to do is to confirm system recovery from the image.

After the recovery wizard finishes work, boot from the hard disk drive (do not forget to change the sequence of boot devices) and make sure that the system condition corresponds to the condition at the time of creating the image.

In this article reviewed the algorithm of creating an image with a backup copy of Windows 10 and system recovery from it, without reference to any case or reason which would lead to these actions. This article has more exploratory than application character because users often do not aware of this functionality of operating system.

However, even such a useful and reliable feature of Windows 10 subject to certain risks which may cause a loss of your data.

In our case, we create a system image and restore it from a network folder. But the most of users create backups of their systems to external storage - portable or external hard drives or other USB devices. About reliability and possible fails of these devices has been written many articles and our blog is no exception.

So we just have to say, that there are cases of Windows backup loss because of failure of storage device. But do not worry, reliability to this Windows features are added by hdd recovery software (Hetman Partition Recovery is perfect in this case), with help of which you can restore required system image from failed media.

Partition Recovery™ 5.0
The tool recovers data from any devices, regardless of the cause of data loss.
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How to Recover Data After Resetting Windows 10, Resetting a Laptop to Factory Settings 📁🔥⚕️

How to Recover Data After Resetting Windows 10, Resetting a Laptop to Factory Settings 📁🔥⚕️

Vladimir Artiukh

Author: , Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: , Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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Questions and answers

  • What is an image backup copy in Windows 10?

    An image backup copy in Windows 10 is a complete backup of the entire system, including the operating system, settings, applications, and all user data. This type of backup creates an exact copy of the system, which can be used to restore the computer to its original state in case of a system crash or other data loss.

  • How can an image backup copy help in protecting your data?

    An image backup copy helps in protecting your data by creating a complete copy of your system, including the operating system, applications, and data. This allows you to restore your system to its exact state before any data was lost or corrupted. This means that even if your system experiences a catastrophic failure, you can restore it to its original state without having to reinstall the operating system and all of your applications.

  • What are the steps involved in creating an image backup copy in Windows 10?
    1. Open the Control Panel and select the “Backup and Restore” option.
    2. Click on “Create a system image” from the left-hand side menu.
    3. Select the location where you want to save the image backup.
    4. Select the drives that you want to include in the image backup.
    5. Click “Start Backup” to begin the process.
    6. When the backup is finished, you can select “Verify integrity of the backup” to make sure that the backup is complete and error-free.
    7. Finally, click “Close” to finish the process.
  • Can an image backup copy be created on an external hard drive or a network location?

    Yes, an image backup copy can be created on an external hard drive or a network location. Image backups are complete copies of the entire hard drive and can be stored on any type of storage device, including an external hard drive or a network location.

  • How long does it take to create an image backup copy in Windows 10?

    The time it takes to create an image backup copy in Windows 10 will depend on the size of the data being backed up. Generally, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Comments (14)

  • Jora84
    Jora84 30.09.2016 14:15 #
    I have two small questions: 1) why after the restore wizard is finished, you need to load it from the hard drive 2) exactly how I can make sure that the state of the system corresponds to the state at the time of image creation. I understand that my questions are not very smart , but would be happy if you answer them without ridicule. Thank you in advance for your reply!
    Reply
    • Hetman Software: Data Recovery
      Hetman Software: Data Recovery 3.10.2016 11:15 #
      After the recovery wizard finishes work, you can boot from the hard drive - this is the common way of booting Windows. To make sure that the system condition corresponds to the condition at the time of creating the image, just check the availability of all your files and applications you want to restore from system image.
      Reply
  • Svitlana
    Svitlana 4.07.2016 14:36 #
    I have always use an external hard drive disk for data storage and backup. It seems to me, backup to a local disk is not sufficiently reliable. Because the computer has a problem, and all of its internal parts can also have problems. The fact that you can create a backup in Windows 10 and it will be safe for future work, I didn*t know. Thanks for the usefull information.
    Reply
  • Caleb Hartston
    Caleb Hartston 14.04.2016 23:58 #
    What are some best practices to follow while creating and using image backup copies in Windows 10?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 15.04.2016 00:28 #
      1. Always store your image backup copies in a secure, offsite location.
      2. Use encryption for your image backup copies to protect them from unauthorized access.
      3. Schedule regular backups to ensure you have the most up-to-date version of your system.
      4. Test your backups regularly to ensure they are working properly.
      5. Make sure you have enough storage space to accommodate the size of your image backups.
      6. Use a reliable imaging tool that is compatible with Windows 10.
      7. Consider using an automated backup solution to simplify the process.
      8. Regularly clean up your system to reduce the size of the image backups.
      9. Make sure you have the necessary hardware and software to restore the image backups.
      10. Back up important data separately to ensure it is not lost in the event of a system failure.
      Reply
  • Taylor Edwardes
    Taylor Edwardes 14.04.2016 20:15 #
    Is it necessary to use third-party software for creating image backup copies in Windows 10?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 14.04.2016 20:30 #
      No, it is not necessary to use third-party software for creating image backup copies in Windows 10. Windows 10 has a built-in tool called File History that can be used to create image backups of files and folders.
      Reply
  • Abe Fendley
    Abe Fendley 14.04.2016 17:03 #
    Can a scheduled backup plan be set up for creating image backup copies in Windows 10?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 14.04.2016 17:37 #
      Yes, a scheduled backup plan can be set up for creating image backup copies in Windows 10. To do this, open the Control Panel and go to System and Security > Backup and Restore. Select "Create a system image" from the left-hand menu and follow the on-screen instructions to create a system image backup. You can then schedule the backup plan to run at a specific time and frequency.
      Reply
  • Edgar Atkins
    Edgar Atkins 14.04.2016 15:24 #
    How often should you create an image backup copy of your Windows 10 system?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 14.04.2016 15:40 #
      It is recommended to create an image backup copy of your Windows 10 system at least once a month.
      Reply
  • Jeff Glancey
    Jeff Glancey 14.04.2016 12:15 #
    Is it possible to restore individual files and folders from an image backup copy?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 14.04.2016 12:41 #
      Yes, it is possible to restore individual files and folders from an image backup copy. Depending on the software you are using, you may be able to select which files and folders you want to restore. Alternatively, you can restore the entire image backup and then manually copy the individual files and folders you need.
      Reply
  • Hetman Software: Data Recovery
    Hetman Software: Data Recovery 27.04.2018 12:38 #
    Read how to create an image with a backup copy of Windows 10. If you do have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our technical support service - we will be happy to help you.
    Reply
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