Maintenance :: Make Image Of Windows 8 With All Apps / Data?
Jun 17, 2013
When I first got my new laptop I made and image using Asus backup restore but all it did was make a copy of the restore partition on the hard drive. Is there a way to make an image of what the computer is with all the data and programs there are installed? I had to do a restore and then I had to reinstall everything and reload all my data files. This took a long time to do. It would be so much easier to just have an image of everything just the way it is now.
I installed Windows 8 Through my windows DVD and now want to make it so I don't need the Windows Installation Disk or any USB Recovery key. Is there any way to make a refresh AND reset partition and image.
I have got a new lap, it has pre installed Windows 8,and for recovery of warranty, if something goes wrong, I want to make an ISO image for burn it in dvd. I have read that it will be around 4gb of the dvd...
So when I was using Windows Vista I used Acronis True Image, when windows 7 came along I use macrium reflect, now I am using windows 8.
don't know what to try or use this time. I have three hard drives one for my OS, one for media+installation of programs and lastly one for backups. I want to make a system image in case something goes wrong save me the hassle of reinstalling and downloading again?
how to make a mirror image in Windows 8. I remember in win7 I could just type "Recovery" and select "Create mirror image" but that doesn't work in Windows 8.
have our friends computer all set up and ready to go.One of the things that came about during this process is, I learned that you can make a real disk image in Windows 8 without using a third party software program.
Something I didn't think was possible, and you don't have to jump through hoops to do it.
As "Badrobot", pointed out to me.
There is a utility in the Windows Control Panel named Windows 7 File Recovery, (the strange name is probably why I never figure out what it does) It is really the Disk Image utility from Windows 7 and will make a Disk Image of the C: drive on your Windows 8 computer, and has nothing to do with recovering Windows 7 files, as far as I can see.
Why they didn't include this option in Windows 8 Recovery is a mystery.
Anyway the utility is really easy to use, makes a backup very quickly, and also creates a Windows Boot disk that will take you to the recovery interface if your computer won't boot or go to the Recovery Screen.
I haven't actually checked but it says that the option to restore you computer from a Disk Image will now, be available when you open the System Restore Windows along with the Refresh, and Restore options.
[URL]
On the laptop I'm setting up, I created a new partition just big enough to hold the image and placed it there. On my computer I placed it on a different physical drive so that it will work even if my hard drive dies.
So I have to admit that I complained about Windows 8 not having this capability in error, but I still say that it's Microsoft's fault for hiding it in a location that I never expected to find it, under a name that makes no sense at all.
As long as I'm complaining again, I want to ask, "Why can't you type in "Disk Manager" in the search on the Metro screen and find "Disk Manager".
Half of the problem with Windows 8 is that they changed the name on things that have been the same for years.
Anyway both computers now have Windows 8 generated Disk Images and I feel better. LOL
I plan to get a ssd drive and run only windows with few other most useful software on it.
I transfer only windows 8 system with system settings. can I make a image of windows system only, not whole hard drive? and how to backup activation. the windows 8 I have is a upgrade license I brought from Microsoft upgraded my existing windows 7.
I'm not 100% sure on how to make backups of my computer, and which programs are good etc. Also will it just backup the operating system itself, or all my programs and setting also?
I have put together a PC for the first time. It' POSTs and All is well. I have installed a SSD 250G drive as my primary drive with windows 8.1 install. Also have a 1.0 Terbyte Hard Disk for storage. How do I make sure that all data files(downloads, applications, etc) are sent to the hard drive.
I've been dual-booting Windows 8 Pro and Windows 7 Ultimate, but a while back my Windows 8 kind of went "South" and wouldn't boot at all (I got an error message that a device was "not attached"). I have a recent system image on an external USB hard drive, but when I boot to "system recovery" using my repair disk it can't seem to find my USB drive at all.
The tutorials here mention installing a SATA driver to access disks that are not recognized, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
Some time ago Installed Windows 7 on one of my Windows 8 computers. But during the install i had to delete all partitions and that was the recovery partition that had he recovery software on it. Well now I want to go back to Windows 8 and I don't really want to send my PC to Samsung for re imaging. But I have the image i made with the software before I installed Windows 8. All I need is to get the recover partition back with the software on it. I have 2 other Samsung computers that have the same software on it but I need to find a way to make a image of the recover partition so i can use my backup image for the computer.
Win 8.1 ProThe system allows system image backup done on either external hard drive ( which I do every week ), or on DVDs. Why it does not allow USB flash drive ? I tried to use a 32 GB flash and it refuses to do backup on it.
When I put Windows 8 in sleep mode (yes sleep mode...I'm not shutting it off), and I turn it on, it sometimes takes up to 5 minutes to respond to any input. I'm wondering what I can check to make sure the minimal apps/programs are running, and there are no unnecessary memory hogs churning in the background? How can I test it, monitor it, and optimize it?
Any issues with Firefox sucking up tons and tons of RAM? When I look in the Task Manager, and sort by Memory, Firefox is ALWAYS at the top of the list. Is there any way to regulate the max memory settings for Firefox?
My biggest complaint about Windows has always been backing up application data.
Does Microsoft backup data like icloud for Metro apps? I have a windows 8 pro tablet, but would like to use more Metro apps, but only if backup and restore is as easy as ios icloud or Android titanium backup.
I bought an Acer notebook with Windows 8 SL (Single Language) and UEFI BIOS (with Secure Boot) factory installed (Windows Key is set in Bios).
I have the habit of installing all programs and make an image of partition C: in case of having to reinstall the entire system for problems with Windows, HDD exchange or similar cases. With this gain too long and not have to reinstall all the programs one by one.
My HDD is partitioned into 4 parts: C:, E:, F: and G:.
When I enter the Windows 8 app to generate the system image appear two partitions pre-marked for backup: C: (Programs) and EFI System Partition (no drive letter). C: partition is formatted as NTFS, but the EFI is as FAT32.
My question is: when I restore this, how should I format the partition where you install the system again (C ? Format all the partition as NTFS and Backup app creates the EFI partition FAT32 by own?
How it works and how to proceed? I will boot the system by CD-ROM.
Its my first time to create my first system image in my windows 8. Can I exclude a certain file if not how many blank cd's do I need I got 146GB used currently in my C drive and while creating a system image could it take the process an hour or more?
I tried to start windows 8.1 this morning and it was stuck in a boot loop. System tried to carryout repairs to no avail.
I re-installed Windows and I have some drives that are setup in a raid configuration which has a system image I created some time ago after I performed a fresh install of windows 8.1. However, I can't seem to get recovery to locate it.
Is there a way of restoring from this backup to save my having to install each programme from scratch? The file is 141 gig and is an ADI file with an XML and disk image text file.
I'm attempting to follow the instructions here, to do a system image of my Dell Windows 8 machine:
Using Windows 8′s “hidden” backup to clone and recover your whole PC | Ars Technica
As I go through the wizard, I arrive at this screen:
I don't have the option to deselect any of these "drives". I proceed with the backup - it chugs along, and then consistently fails here:
"One of the critical volumes is not having enough free space." It doesn't tell me which - but, it's certainly not the OS drive, this is a virgin system.
I have 2 hard drives in my computer, my main Windows 8 C:, and a win7/game/data drive, the second of which is failing. reports show it is failing a smart short test, and although it has been running fine for months, i figured i would replace it with my tax return.
My question: If i create a system image of C: and D:, would it be possible to just restore the D: portion of the image, or do I have to restore both, then delete the second C: on the new drive? i do not have the resources or courage to test this on my system now because I am not sure what this reformat, and with my luck, the drive would die during the restore.
I created a custom refresh image the day before upgrading to 8.1. I am having shut down and sleep issues with windows 8.1 that I don't have time to troubleshoot any longer and I wish to go back to win 8 for now. I went to check that my image was there and active and this is what i get:
It showed successful when I created it? I can find in in the location that is it supposed to be:
and:
Now I'm stuck. I don't want to use the factory image and reinstall everything, and I can't cope with the bsods and hangs when trying to sleep or shutdown ( I have tried every option in that massive thread about windows 8.1 not sleeping ) ...
To ask what is probably well known amongst IT pro's; does a system image backup solution (and consequently a restore from that image if needs be) work on OEM PC's, like a desktop from Acer, actually work without problems, and would I get a proper bootable and working machine after restoration.
Brief scenario - I have used Acronis TI 2014 (Or even the Windows 8.1 system image utility) to create an image of my C: Drive/EFI Partition/Recovery Partition - and backed it up to an external USB HDD.
My OS crashes for whatever reason and I can't boot.
I then either use my Acronis bootable media CD (which I've tested and boots despite all the secure boot/UEFI/GPT mania going about users like myself) to reinstall the Acronis disk image.
OR I use a Widnows 8.1 bootable disk with the ISO (which I've tested to boot) to reinstall the Windows created system image. (I could also use the recovery drive I created in Win 8.1, which just to add, however irrelvanat it might be, includes my OEM factory default partition which was copied as part of the recovery flash drive creation)
Would either of those restore solutions give me a reasonably likely working PC again - taking into account all the stuff I don't understand like the Windows 8.1 OEM key being on the motherboard (which I would understand in terms of Windows activation and authentication could have a negative impact on restoring images over an OEM installed OS and it's partitions)....
I have read a lot about windows 8 (and 8.1) and how to make a system image for it.
Well the most people used the 7 file recovery tool in windows 8 to make full system images. But in windows 8.1 it's gone.
Like in this thread: System Image - Create in Windows 8
Now I hear and see everyone making system images with a powershell command.. How to Create and Restore System Image Backups on Windows 8.1
But why doesn't anybody just use the windows 8 (and 8.1) backup function wich also includes a feature called:
include a system image of drives:
It seems to me that if you do this at an clean install it's a lot easier then powershell? (and maybe you can uncheck the backup of files and only include a sytem image?)
I know that at this moment I can still make a 7 file recovery tool image and restore it with windows 8(.1) repair/recovery disc.
But I wan't to know this for the future when I have a system with 8.1 from factory.. (some manufacturers like asus don't provide repair/system restore discs or utils anymore....)
I made a system image from Windows 8.1 using Windows' own system image feature. I seem to be unable to restore it. I booted with the Windows 8 disc, and told it to restore from a system image. It found the image, ran a few minutes, then failed because of version mismatch (?). Not before hosing the entire system, by the way. Luckily, I was well backed up.
I booted with the Windows 7 disc, and it didn't even see the system image (on my external HD). It saw my Windows 7 system image and restored it just fine, and here I am.
Anyway, is there some trick to restoring a Windows 8.1 system image? I am not running Windows 8.1, so I can't generate a repair disk that way. Is there one available online somewhere for download?
I have been trying to a system image (Windows 8) and keeps telling me to insert a blank disk and mark it, Computer Name, Date and Disk #. It keeps telling me to install one and mark it #1 every time the current disk (DVD) is full, also the status bar does not show any advancement in the process. The other 2 machines I have and did a system image on asks you to insert a disk with the numbers going in sequence, 1, 2, 3 etc.
I just got Windows 8, and there are some programs that I want exclusively on my account. We have two accounts set up so far, and I just don't want to clutter up the other user's desktop with my stuff. Is there a way to assign a program to certain users?
