How to create a Windows 8.1 recovery image. How to back up in the management console

In one of our previous articles, I noted that Microsoft removed the tool from Windows 8.1 Reserve copy, but as it turns out, this function is still “alive”, but in the console view. Now, to create a system backup, users must use the "Wbadmin start backup" tool in PowerShell, which has been used by system administrators on server versions of Windows for years.

Let me remind you that the “Backup and Restore” tool, which in Windows 8 is called “Recovery” Windows files 7" is a simple solution designed to create backup copy system image. Simply put, this tool allows you to create an exact copy of your hard drive, which, in turn, can be used during system failures to restore desktop programs, Modern applications, PC settings and much more.

In Windows 8.1, the backup tool disappeared from view, but as it turns out, you can still create a system image backup, but using PowerShell. The mere mention of this console may scare many users, but in reality it's not as scary as you might think. Just follow the instructions below.

Instructions

Go to the Start screen, type "powershell", right-click and select "Run as administrator".

Connect to computer external hard disk. A system backup will be saved to it.

In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter:

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

To save a backup copy to a shared folder on your local network use the following command:

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:sharedFolderfolderName -user:username -password:userPassword -include:C: -allCritical –quiet

Explanation

• wbAdmin start backup is a command line program for archiving;
• -backupTarget:D:– with this command we indicate external drive, where the system backup should be saved, so if your drive is assigned a different name, change "D" to your drive letter;
• -include:C:– with this command we indicate to the backup tool that we want to make a backup copy of the main hard drive, on which, in our case, Windows 8.1 is installed;
• -allCritical– a command that specifies that all data from the hard drive should be included in the backup (a very important parameter);
• -quiet– Execute a command without displaying prompts to the user.

Note: if your PC has more than one hard drive, you can enable them all. In this case, the -include:C: command will look something like this: -include:C:,E:,F:

The duration of the backup process will depend on the amount of information on the hard drive and, of course, on the hardware configuration of the computer. During testing for virtual machine this tool took 30 minutes to backup about 10GB of data.

After completing the backup, on the external drive that was selected as storage, you will find the WindowsImageBackup folder, which stores files with the extension .xml and .vhdx.

How to restore Windows 8.1 from a backup image

Now we'll talk on how to restore Windows 8.1 from a backup.

Instructions

To restore the system, you will need to boot from the installation Windows disk 8.1. Also, do not forget to connect the backup media to your computer.

So, restart your computer and then boot from installation disk Windows 8.1.

When the installation wizard starts, click "Next" and then select the "System Restore" link in the lower left corner of the window.

Click "Diagnostics" then " Extra options" and select "System image recovery".

Connect your external drive containing your system image backup if you haven't already done so. Now you can restore your computer from it.

Conclusion

As you can see, Windows 8.1 still allows you to make a full system backup, which will save all data from the hard drive, including Windows installation files, desktop and Modern applications, user profiles, PC settings, personalization and even information from others sections.

One of the backup features in Windows 8 is the creation of an archived system image, with which you can restore the operating system even if it is completely inoperable. This technology came from Windows 7 and to replace it in the eight, new Reset and Refresh functions appeared. Nevertheless, the functionality is fully functional and can be used for disaster recovery in Windows 8 and 8.1.

To create a system image, you need to go to the control panel, go to the “Windows 7 File Recovery” section and click on the “Create a system image” link.

In the window that opens, you need to decide where to save the system image. We can choose one of three options:
1) Saving to a hard drive - to store a system image, you can specify any partition (except the system one) of the internal or external hard drive. It is not recommended (although it is allowed) to store the image on a non-system partition of the disk on which the OS is installed, because if the disk fails, you will lose both the system and the backup copy;
2) On DVDs - you can specify to record the image directly to a DVD. The possibility, in my opinion, is purely theoretical, taking into account the fact that a freshly installed Windows 8 without any programs takes up about 10 GB, and a standard double-layer DVD has a capacity of only 8.5 GB;
3) To a network folder - it is possible to specify saving the backup in a network folder. In this case, you will need to enter the network path and specify the credentials of a user who has write permission to this folder.

In the next step we can select the partitions that will be included in the image. System partition and the partition on which it is located Windows boot loader, are included in the image by default. If there are other partitions on the system, you can select them in this window. Having decided on the choice of sections, click the “Archive” button.

To create a system image, you can use the Wbadmin command line utility. To create a system image on drive E: you need to open the command console (with administrator rights) and run the command:
Wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -allCritical -quiet
The -allCritical parameter specifies that all critical partitions containing system files and components. Typically this is the system disk and a hidden boot partition. The -quiet parameter specifies the execution of the command in silent mode, without user intervention.
If you want to include other partitions in the image besides the system one (for example, drives D: and H:), then you need to specify them using the -Include key, separating them with commas:
Wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -Include:D:,H: -allCritical -quiet

Depending on the volume of data and the performance of the computer's disk subsystem, the process of creating a system image can take from 20-30 minutes to several hours. We can find the result on the target disk in the WindowsImageBackup directory, in the folder with the computer name.
The backup includes configuration xml files and disk images in VHDX format. For each partition being archived, its own virtual disk is created, so in my case 2 VHDX files were created - one for the boot partition, the second (larger) for the system drive C.

Created during the system imaging process virtual disks, to a living system.

Restoring a system from an image

The main purpose of a system image is emergency recovery of the OS in the event that the system is completely inoperable or does not exist at all, for example, the hard drive has failed and has been replaced. Therefore, when restoring we will need boot disk, which can be used as a Windows 8 installation disk or a pre-created recovery disk.

Boot from the installation disk and select “System Restore”.

Next: Diagnostics - Additional options - System image recovery.

Select the OS that needs to be restored and start the recovery procedure. The master checks all connected to hard on the computer disks and finds a system image that it offers to use for recovery. If the image is not found or you want to use another image, such as one located on the network, you can specify its location manually.

In the next window, you can configure additional recovery options and install the necessary drivers.


After clicking the “Finish” button, the recovery process starts, after which the computer will boot in normal mode. In this case, all data on the disk will be overwritten by the data from the image.

In Windows 8.1, there have been some changes with archiving. Now the start of creating a system image is located in the “File History” section, and the ability to configure scheduled backups has been removed. Thus, Microsoft subtly hints that the system image is intended exclusively for disaster recovery, and for regular archiving of files, you must use the File History mechanism.

Conclusion

The disk on which the system image is saved must be formatted in NTFS;
Windows stores only the most latest version system image, so if an older archive is stored in the specified location, it will be overwritten. If you want to store several different images, then the previous ones must be moved to another location;
When restoring, the bitness of the installation disk (or recovery disk) must match the bitness of the image. It is impossible to restore a 64-bit Windows image using an installation disk with 32-bit Windows, and vice versa.

In contact with

We previously reported that the function system image backup was deleted in Windows 8.1. But this is not entirely true - while GUI For creating system images has been removed, you can still create system images with PowerShell. This is good news for system administrators because it allows them to create and restore system image backups without having to switch to third-party tools like Norton Ghost. System images are different from recovery images created with recimg because they contain a complete snapshot of the hard drive system, including user files and settings.

Creating a System Image Backup

First, you need to connect an external drive for your system that will serve as a backup drive. You can also backup to a folder public access over the network. However, you cannot save copies of the system image to the system drive or any other drive when performing a backup.

Next, open a PowerShell window as an administrator. To do this, press Windows Key + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the menu that appears. You can also search for PowerShell on the Start screen by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator.

In a PowerShell window, run the command to start the backup:

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

The above command tells Windows how to make a backup from drive C: to drive E:, including all critical volumes containing the system. The Quiet switch is a command to run without warning. Of course, you will have to replace the values ​​with your preferred values. Instead of “E:” for backup destination, select the drive where you want to save the system image.

If you want to copy multiple drives or partitions to the image system, you must include them in a list separated by commas:

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

You can also create a backup to a shared folder over the network:

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

For getting additional information For cmdlet syntaxes, refer to the Wbadmin Run Backup page on Microsoft Technet. You can also run wbAdmin start backup without any switching to view » Command » Options.

The command will take some time to complete. Once it is completed, you will find a “WindowsImageBackup” folder containing the backup images on the backup drive you specified.

Restoring a System Image Backup

System image backups cannot be restored to Windows 8, since they are completely overwritten by the Windows system. Recovery system image backup, you need to boot from the installation disk Windows 8.1 or system repair disc. Insert the installation disc or recovery disc and restart the computer. When the installation process begins, click the System Restore button

Click Troubleshoot and perform troubleshooting.

Click Advanced Options to access options designed for advanced users.

Select the System Image Recovery option to reimage your computer from a system image.

Windows will guide you through restoring a backup from a system image. Connect an external drive containing copies system image on your computer, if you haven't already done so, you can restore directly from it to your computer.

Microsoft is clearly hiding this functionality, so on average users will use new File Windows 8 history as a tool Reserve copy and characteristics Update and Reset.

Luckily they didn't remove this feature completely, which allows system administrators and computer scientists to continue to create and restore system image backups on Windows 8.1- none third party programs this is not required.

A few months ago, I wrote about how to create a system image in Windows 8, and I didn’t mean the “ ” created by the recimg command, but a system image containing all the data from the hard drive, including user data and settings. See also: (also suitable for 8.1).

In Windows 8.1, this feature is also present, but it is now called not “Windows 7 File Recovery” (yes, that’s exactly what it was in Win 8), but “System Image Backup,” which is more true. Today's tutorial will cover how to create a system image using PowerShell, and then use the image to restore the system. Read more about the previous method.

The system image cannot be used from within operating system Windows, since using it completely overwrites the contents of the hard drive. To use, you will need to boot from or OS distribution. If you are using an installation flash drive or disk, then after downloading and selecting the language, on the screen with the “Install” button, click the “System Restore” link.

On the next Select Action screen, click Diagnostics.

After this, you will need to specify the path to the system image and wait for the recovery to complete, which can be a very long process. As a result, you will receive the computer (at least the disks from which the backup was made) in the state in which it was at the time the image was created.

I don’t think it’s necessary to tell the user or administrator why a backup or a backup copy of the operating system is needed. Although, I can say that this is being done only in your interests. Do you have a lot of time to install all the necessary programs? Personally, I do not have the time or desire to reinstall Windows and install all the necessary utilities. This is why a system backup is created in order to restore all information in one click within 5-15 minutes if for some reason the system crashes or you want a clean Windows.

In Windows XP the program was used for this purpose, in Windows 8 this application is missing, so to create a backup you need to use the command line. And also make a separate section hard drive for storing the created backup, if, for example, there is no flash drive or other device. An article has already been written for you. Read if you need to do this. In general, the image can be recorded anywhere, the choice is yours.

Creating an image

I hope you already have a disk where you will place the backup copy. Now you need to launch the CMD console by simultaneously pressing the WIN + R key on your keyboard. In the line we indicate cmd, or using the task manager.

Now in the CMD console you need to enter the following command: recimg -CreateImage E:/Backup. Instead of the letter E, we can indicate the path to the flash drive and to another media.

If the command is entered correctly, the console will begin creating an image on drive E in the Backup folder. The time it takes for a backup to be created is from 10 to 60 minutes, it all depends on the quantity installed programs. I recommend creating the image immediately after all the installed programs necessary for operation, otherwise you will put a bunch of unnecessary information into the image.

Recovery from image

To restore the system, you must have a Windows 8 installation or boot disk; with it you can restore in a few minutes initial settings with all programs. This option is suitable if it is not possible to get into the shell itself. How to do it?

1. Boot from the Windows 8 installation disk

3. Three sections will appear on the screen, select “Diagnostics”

4. Select the very first section “Restore”.

In 10-15 minutes we will be enjoying the brand new OS.

Pay attention, that you don’t need to go to Advanced options and try to restore the system from an image, you still won’t succeed. An image with a *.Wim extension will not be found by this application.

Another recovery method if you have shell access

If you have access to the shell, just open command line CMD and specify the command " systemreset". The OS will be restored from the registered and created system disk image.

To open CMD:

Press WIN+R on your keyboard and type cmd in the window that opens

OR

Right-click on the bottom bar where the current time is located, then select Task Manager. In the manager, go to the "File" -> "Run new task" menu. We indicate CMD command in small letters.

After running the command systemreset A window will appear on the screen. Follow the instructions and everything will be fine. (Figure)

Safe mode

If you want to get into a special mode where the main video card and many drivers are turned off. To do this, go to the Settings -> Change computer settings section. On the general tab, scroll the mouse to the very bottom, and click the Restart computer button.

Second backup option.

You can also create a system backup using the program RecIMG Manager. The utility is completely free and specially made for the new operating system.

1. First download RecIMG Manager, then launch it.

2. Select the first section called Backup. (Figure)

3. Choose HDD where the image of the operating room will be recorded Windows systems 8. For recording, I chose drive E, but you can record the backup either to a flash drive or to an external USB hard drive.

4. Click the Backup Now button.

5. After the program finishes creating the backup, a notification will appear on the screen

If you compare the command line and the program RecIMG Manager, the task is performed at the same speed. There's a ton of it various program to create a backup copy, the most popular of them is, of course Acronis True Image Home, we will also talk about it a little later.

In conclusion, I want to say that now I don’t worry about the operating system crashing, because I periodically make backups of data, which in case the operating system fails will always be at hand, or rather on one of the hard drive partitions. Don’t forget that the image can also be written to a flash drive or to a CD/DVD disc. But still, to summarize, I used other more powerful utilities, such as or a free analogue . On my hard drive partition there are already two backups, one created using Macrium, the other with using Windows 8. Why did I do this? Yes, just for fun. Good luck!