Windows 7 System Image

A system image is an exact copy of a drive. By default, a system image includes the drives required for Windows to run. It also includes Windows and your system settings, programs, and files. You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard disk or computer ever stops working.

When you restore your computer from a system image, it's a complete restoration—you can't choose individual items to restore, and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced with the contents of the system image.

System imaging utilities aren't actually all that new; corporations have been using them for years. But now that consumer-oriented system imaging utilities have gained in popularity, Microsoft has created its own version, which it includes with Windows 7.

Notes

• Microsoft system image utility was called Windows Complete PC Backup in Windows Vista.
• System imaging utilities typically compress the data on your hard drives so that the image file takes up a lot less space than the original installation. Various solutions use different compression schemes,
• Windows 7 uses the tried-and-true Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format that Microsoft also uses in Windows Virtual PC and its server-based Hyper-V virtualization solutions. That means system images created with Windows 7 will be supported for a long time to come.
• Microsoft System images contain complete PC environments. You can't arbitrarily restore only parts of a system image, as you can with data backups. Instead, when you restore a system image, it restores the entire PC and overwrites any existing operating system you may already have on it. That means you should be careful before restoring a system image: any data you have on the disk will be overwritten. Of course, you're using automatic backups, too, right?

To create a system image, launch Backup and Restore and click the Create a system image link on the left. This launches the Create a system image wizard, which walks you through the steps needed to completely back up your PC system. You can save system images to hard disks or optical storage (such as recordable CDs or DVDs), as well as network locations (Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate only). However, network-based system images cannot be securely protected, as hard drive–based and optical disc–based backups can.

NOTE

• You can only write a system image to a hard disk that is formatted with the NTFS file system. That's because system images often exceed the 4GB file size limit imposed by the older and less reliable FAT32 file system.
• The wizard will give you a chance to confirm the backup settings and remind you which partitions are being imaged. It will also provide an estimate of the amount of space needed to create a system image. The required storage space varies according to the size and usage of the hard disk on your PC.
• Two file system locations must be included in the system image—what Microsoft refers to as the boot partition and the system partition. The boot partition is always C:\, whereas the system partition is the drive with the Windows 7 Windows directory. This is typically C:, but if you installed Windows 7 in a dual-boot setup with a previous Windows version, the system partition might be in a different location. If you have other drives or partitions, you can optionally choose to include them in the system image as well.

As the image is created, Windows Backup will provide an ongoing progress indicator,

This process could take some time, especially on a heavily used PC. When it's done, Windows Backup will prompt you to create a system repair disc. You should do so: While Windows 7 does install recovery files directly into the boot partition, in some instances, these files will not boot the PC. If that happens, you can use the system repair disc to boot your PC, a requirement for restoring the entire PC with the system image (as you'll see in the next section).

You can use any writeable CD or DVD for a system repair disc.

NOTE

If you have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 on different PCs, you cannot use the same system repair disc for each. Instead, you must create separate system repair discs for 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

If a catastrophic hardware or software failure has rendered your computer untenable, and you simply want to return to a known good system backup, you can use one of the system images you've previously created. Note, however, that you typically need to boot your PC into the Windows Recovery Environment to make this happen, either using the boot files on your PC or using the system repair disc that you previously created. Note, too, that restoring your PC in this fashion will wipe out all of the data and settings changes you've made since the last system image, so this should not be undertaken lightly.

Follow these steps to restore your entire PC using a system image:

1. Reboot the computer.
2. If you are using a system repair disc, boot the PC with that. Otherwise, after your PC has finished its BIOS sequence, hold down the F8 key. Choose Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot Options screen   and tap Enter.
3. After the Loading files screen, choose the correct language and keyboard input method and then click Next.
4. If you booted from the hard drive, you will need to choose System Image Recovery from the System Recovery Options window that appears. Otherwise, System Recovery will examine the hard drives attached to your PC and look for Windows installs. When it's done, it will list the install(s) it found and give you the opportunity to use Windows 7's built-in recovery tools to fix problems with Windows or you can restore your PC to an earlier time using a system image. Choose that latter option and click Next.
5. The Re-image your computer wizard begins . In the first phase of this wizard, you can choose the latest image available (the default) or you can select a different system image. When you've chosen, click Next.
6. In this step, you can choose to format the PC's hard drive and repartition disks (as Windows 7 Setup would do) to match the layout of the system image. Generally speaking, you should enable this option. Click Next to continue.
7. In the final phase of the wizard, you can verify your selections and click Finish to continue. Note that restoring an entire PC from a system image can be a time-consuming process.

NEWS CONTENTS

• 20120729 : System Image Recovery - Windows 7 Forums ( System Image Recovery - Windows 7 Forums, Jul 29, 2012 )
• 20120720 : Restore your computer from a system image backup ( Microsoft )

Old News ;-)

[Jul 29, 2012] System Image Recovery - Windows 7 Forums

This is whole drive solution -- bad...

You can only do a system image recovery to a HDD that is the same size or larger than the one the system image was created from. You will not be able to do a system image recovery to a smaller HDD.

When you restore your computer from a image backup, it is a complete restoration. You can't choose individual items to restore, and all of your current programs, system settings, and files are replaced.

If your backup image is on a external device (ex: USB drive), then make sure it is connected before starting. If USB drive, then also make sure that you have your BIOS settings (ex: Legacy USB) set to allow USB devices at boot.

A system image recovery will format everything on each hard drive that was included in a system image, and will only restore what is included (see step 7 in STEP TWO below) in the system image back. Be sure to backup anything that you do not want to lose that is not included in the system image backup first.

[Jul 20, 2012] Restore your computer from a system image backup

Microsoft

You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard disk or entire computer ever stops working. For more information about system images, see What is a system image?

Warning. When you restore your computer from a system image, it's a complete restoration. You can't choose individual items to restore, and all of your programs, system settings, and files are replaced with those on the system image.

Before starting, make sure that the removable media that your backup is stored on is available, if applicable. Also, make sure that the disk that you're restoring the backup to is the same size or larger than the disk that you backed up. Hide all

To restore using the Recovery Control Panel (recommended)

If your computer is still working and you can access Control Panel, or if you want to restore your system image backup onto a different computer, follow these steps:

1. Open Recovery by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type recovery, and then click Recovery.

2. Click Advanced recovery methods.

3. Click Use a system image you created earlier to recover your computer, and then follow the steps.

To restore using preinstalled recovery options

If you can't access Control Panel and you don't have a Windows installation disc or a system repair disc, use this method to restore your computer:

1. Restart your computer using the computer's power button.

2. Do one of the following:

If your computer has only one operating system installed, hold down the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, try again.

If your computer has more than one operating system installed, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system that you want to start, and then press F8.

3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then press Enter.

4. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next.

5. Select a user name, type the password, and then click OK.

6. On the System Recovery Options menu, click System Image Recovery, and then follow the instructions.

To restore using a Windows installation disc or a system repair disc

If you can't access Control Panel, you can restore your computer using a Windows installation disc or a system repair disc (if you have one).

1. Insert the installation disc or system repair disc.

2. Restart your computer using the computer's power button.

3. If prompted, press any key to start the computer from the installation disc or system repair disc.

If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check the information that came with your computer. You might need to change your computer's BIOS settings. For information about which settings to change, check your computer manufacturer's website. For more information about BIOS, see BIOS: frequently asked questions.

4. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.

5. Click Repair your computer.

This step only applies if you are using a Windows installation disc.

6. Select a recovery option, and then click Next. Was this helpful?

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