Backing up Windows 10 OS

Thank all for your feedback,I will look into the Macrium option but please bear with me regarding the option of using the Microsoft media creation tool,if I download this on my current Win 10 PC in the event of a system failure would I be able to reinstall/repair Win 10 onto my PC,thanks for your patience.

As far as I know the media creation tool allows you to create bootable media containing the installation files to reinstall the operating system.

With a backup, either Macrium or Windows own, you aren't reinstalling the OS from scratch you are replacing it with an exact image made at the instant you created it.

Macrium I assume has its own method of allowing you to create some bootable recovery media to use in the event that Windows will not boot.

Windows also allows you to create a bootable 'repair disc' that offers various repair options, and this disc also allows recovery from an image. Again, you only use this if Windows will not boot correctly.

Macrium Reflect Free now supports differential images ie you make a full back up, then a few days later you can make a differential image which just contains the changes. So you can either just recover initial full backup, or full backup+differential backup. Much more space efficient.

Another great feature is you can install it as a dual boot option and you do not even need to use a recovery drive unless hard disk has failed or is badly corrupted.

It also backs up linux partitions etc if you dual boot linux with windows.

I have never had MRF fail on a variety of devices. Windows' own feature has not been developed since windows 7, and has failed me before (but my paranoia of always having at least two full image backups using different software saved me). In fact, MRF is so reliable, I only do an image backup using Easeus Todo now and then.

You can mount image as drives (not sure about windows own system) and extract individual files.

Finally MRF images are more compact and it is much faster, and has good repairing boot options.

To me, MRF is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in the free versions.

cereberus said:

You can mount image as drives (not sure about windows own system) and extract individual files.

I believe that you can mount the images (I asked that in another thread a few days ago) although its not a one click operation. You use disk management console and mount the image via that... I haven't had need to do that though.

Hemimax said:

Good recommendation, never had a problem backing up this way.

Thanks, its good to see another vote for Windows backup. In fact I've done 2 restores today while chasing down a bug in Edge as I don't want to corrupt my main set up. It just works :)

Mooly said:

I believe that you can mount the images (I asked that in another thread a few days ago) although its not a one click operation. You use disk management console and mount the image via that... I haven't had need to do that though.



Thanks, its good to see another vote for Windows backup. In fact I've done 2 restores today while chasing down a bug in Edge as I don't want to corrupt my main set up. It just works :)

Ok so let me ask you a question on Windows image backup then. Say you can't boot to your C drive, to restore any of your windows image files, and the users boot files on their c-drive are corrupt, how would you restore one of your Windows image backups??

Word Man said:

Hey, Mike. While you wait for Mooly's response. The system image restore is covered by Brink at http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ndows-8-a.html which he links to out of Boozad's tutorial on creating the image at: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

I didn't say I didn't know how.....I wanted to know how Mooly would......Word Man.....darn it.....