Reinstall System Image Question –
When saving a system image in Windows 10, it saves it as “Windows Image Backup.” I then add the date to the listing and save it. Therefore, I have a list of backups that read like “Windows Image Backup 9-4-19.”
So, this is my question.
If I need to reinstall my system image, does Windows allow me to choose any of the backups in my list to reinstall?
Thanks,
Jerry
I have not investigated Windows own imaging capabilities in several years.
But...............I would be quite nervous about relying on it generally and in particular about renaming anything. It is known to be cranky and quite fussy, with little room for personal touches.
I'd be more apt to accept default names and store each image in a dated folder--if that's possible. That itself may be verboten for all I know. As I said, it's fussy.
Maybe you can instead rely on the date shown in file properties rather than renaming?
I think there may be a few people on here who have some experience with it, but most have moved on to other products.
You'll never know what will happen with a restore until and unless you make the attempt. Otherwise, you are just assuming, hoping, or speculating. Not a good idea with something that may be highly important when your drive drops dead.
Windows own system image backup is probably the most unreliable imaging you can use. Possibly one of the most reliable system imaging solutions is Macrium Reflect Free. In fact Microsoft deprecated their system imaging over two years ago and recommend that you use something (anything) else.
Features removed or Deprecated in Windows 10 Fall Creators UpdateMicrosoft said:
I used to use the MS system imaging extensively, so I am familiar with it's failings. The most noticeable of which is a failure to recognise a system image that it should be able to restore. Renaming the Windows images is one of the prime ways to encourage this fault to appear.
I now use Macrium exclusively. I encourage you to do the same. As for using meaningful names for you system images, Macrium allows you to choose any name you like for the name of the system image file it creates.
Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect
To answer that specific question, Microsoft creates sytem images in the WindowImageBackup folder. It will ONLY look in this folder for images to restore. If you rename WindowsImageBackup in order to keep an old image, then you will have to rename it back to WindowsImageBackup before you can restore the image it contains.
For 'little room for personal touches' read 'NO room for personal touches'.
It does in fact have the capability to store multiple system images and offer a choice of images to restore. Do NOT touch anything! (Microsoft know best!). Just save a new image and it will be added to the existing image(s) in the WindowsImageBackup folder. Do NOT rename anything in the WindowsImageBackup folder - in fact, by default you do not even have permission to see the contents of WindowsImageBackup.
When space is getting tight, saving a new image will delete the oldest one (without warning you). There are NO user controls over this, it is something of a gamble as to how many older images are available at any one time.
Again, Macrium scores in giving you complete control over purging older images.
Bree –
I will probably use your suggestion: “To answer that specific question, Microsoft creates sytem images in the WindowImageBackup folder. It will ONLY look in this folder for images to restore. If you rename WindowsImageBackup in order to keep an old image, then you will have to rename it back to WindowsImageBackup before you can restore the image it contains.” I was using Windows in case Macrium fails.
However you did answered my question – thank you. Before marking it solved, I have a follow-up to your Macrium link. I do have Macrium on my PC and I have made a Macrium Rescue CD disk. Part Five explains restoring an image and using the disk as a boot.
My question is at what point do I insert the Rescue disk in my PC for the boot? This is my thinking. These are the steps I think I need to take:
1 Access the boot menu via F12
2. Select CD/DVD/CD-RW Device from the boot options
3. Insert the Macrium Rescue CD disk
4. What do I do next?
Jerry
Choose the DVD drive from the menu.
Rap the enter key and hope you can boot from it.
You should have confirmed you can do that when you first made the rescue disk.
If you can boot from it, you will be lead to the Macrium interface---from which you use menus to do whatever you intend---presumably "restore" in your case.
Do you actually have a Macrium image to restore? Identifiable by an .mrimg extension.
Never known that to happen, and I use Macrium to do a LOT of restores. My System Two in My Computers below is a test machine with multiple images available. I'm continually restoring one image or another for test purposes.
Generally I prefer to boot from the Macrium USB rescue media rather than CD. For the USB if you insert it before turning on and hitting F12 then it will be listed in the boot menu. A bootable USB has to be present before you hit F12 otherwise the USB option doesn't appear in the boot menu. If you use the CD, then you have no choice but to turn on and hit F12, you can't insert the CD until the optical drive has power so you can open its tray.However you did answered my question – thank you. Before marking it solved, I have a follow-up to your Macrium link. I do have Macrium on my PC and I have made a Macrium Rescue CD disk. Part Five explains restoring an image and using the disk as a boot.
My question is at what point do I insert the Rescue disk in my PC for the boot?
In the F12 one-time boot menu, select the device (CD or USB) you want to boot from then press the Enter key. The PC will then boot from your selected device. If that is the CD/DVD drive, then you may also see a 'Press any key to boot from CD...' message. If you don't press a key in time it will default to booting from the hard drive instead.4. What do I do next?
If your Marcrium image in on an external HDD then you can connect that at any time. The Macrium recovery environment is plug-and-play and will recognise a usb HDD if you connect it after booting to Macrium.
Again, thanks to Bree and ignatzatsonic for your replies. They were all very helpful.
Jerry
- - - Updated - - -
There are times in which the routine methods to restore an image may fail.
For example, in January 2018 many end users had boot failure with USB ports that could not be used to restore an image.
There were alternative options before Microsoft posted a method to fix the inaccessible boot device with malfunctioning USB ports.
A common method to recover from computer problems is system restore.
Restore points may be unavailable or may malfunction.
Another method that can fix problems is regback.
This option was automatically available through Windows 1709.
It now can be performed manually.
A tutorial was released in July:
Enable Automatic Backup of System Registry when Restart in Windows 10
Like other preventative measures it should be done when the computer is normally functioning so that the backup is available when there is registry or operating system corruption, failure to boot, etc.
If you backup the registry using regback, like a backup image, you also must learn how to restore the backup registry.
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