Creating an image of the windows 8.1 system. Create an image on the command line

08.06.2023

I think it is not 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 done only in your interests. Do you have a lot of time to install all the necessary programs? Personally, I have no time not to reinstall Windows and install all the necessary utilities. For this, 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, a program was used for this purpose; in Windows 8, this application is not available, so you must use the command line to create a backup. And also make a separate hard disk partition 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 necessary. 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. Now you need to launch the CMD console by pressing the WIN + R key on the keyboard at the same time. In the line indicate cmd or using 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 specify both the path to the flash drive and to another medium.

If the command is entered correctly, the console will start creating an image on drive E in the Backup folder. In time, a backup copy is created from 10 to 60 minutes, it all depends on the number of installed programs. I recommend creating the image immediately after all the programs you need to install, otherwise you will shove a bunch of unnecessary information into the image.

Restoring from an image

To restore the system, you must have a Windows 8 installation or boot disk, with it you can restore the original settings with all programs in a few minutes. This option is suitable if there is no way 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 enjoy the new OS.

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

Another way to recover if there is shell access

If you have shell access, just open a CMD prompt and type " system reset". The OS will be restored from the registered and created system disk image.

To open CMD:

Press WIN + R on the keyboard and in the window that opens, enter cmd

Right-click on the lower bar where the current time is located, then select Task Manager. In the manager, go to the menu "File" -\u003e "Run a new task". We indicate the CMD command in small letters.

After running the command system reset 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 Settings -> Change computer settings. On the general tab, scroll the mouse to the very bottom, and click the Restart computer button.

The 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. Download first RecIMG Manager, then run it.

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

3. Select the hard disk where the image of the Windows 8 operating system will be written. For recording, I chose disk E, but you can write the backup either to a USB flash drive or to an external USB hard drive.

4. Click the Backup Now button.

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

If we compare the command line and the program RecIMG Manager, the speed of the task is the same. There are a bunch of different backup programs out there, 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 a crashed operating system, because I periodically make a backup of data, which will always be at hand in case of an operating system failure, or rather, on one of the hard disk partitions. Do not forget that the image can also be written to a USB flash drive and to a CD / DVD disc. But still, summing up, I used other more powerful utilities, such as or a free analogue . There are already two backups on my hard disk partition, one created with Macrium, the other with Windows 8. Why would I do this? Just for fun. Good luck!

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

Create a system image backup

First, you need to connect an external drive for your system, which will serve as a backup drive. You can also back up to a shared folder over the network. However, you cannot save copies of the system image to the system drive or any other drive while a backup is in progress.

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 on the Start screen for PowerShell 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 backup from drive C: to drive E:, including all critical volumes containing the system. The Quiet switch is the command to run without warning. Of course, you will have to replace the values with your preferred values. Instead of "E:" for the backup destination, select the drive where you want to save the system image.

If you want to copy multiple disks or partitions to an image system, you must include them in the 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 more information on cmdlet syntaxes, refer to the Wbadmin Startup 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. After it is executed, you will find the “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, as they are completely overwritten by Windows. Recovery system image backup, you need to boot from the installation disk Windows 8.1 or a system recovery 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 advanced options.

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, you can restore directly from it to your computer.

Microsoft is clearly hiding this functionality, so on average users will use the new Windows 8 History File as a means of Reserve copy and features Update and Reset.

Luckily, they haven't removed this feature entirely, allowing system administrators and geeks to continue creating and restore system image backups on Windows 8.1- no third-party programs are required for this.

Hello admin, the question is - How to back up Windows 8.1? Downloaded and installed on the computer a new operating system Windows 8.1 for a comprehensive study. The very first thing I decided to do was to create a full backup of Windows 8.1. If something happens to her, I'll just restore her from a backup.
I create an image - everything is as written in your article. Settings->Control Panel and I can't find any tool to create a full image of Windows 8.1. In plain Windows 8, there is a tool with the strange name "Windows 7 File Recovery", with which you can make a complete image of Windows 8, but in the new Windows 8.1 there is no such tool. How then to create a backup copy of the operating system? Use Acronis True Image 2013?

How to back up Windows 8.1

Hello friends! In the new Windows 8.1 operating system, you can back up your operating system using the GUI as well as using the command line.

How to back up Windows 8.1 using the graphical shell of the operating system and how to restore your computer from this backup.

How to back up Windows 8.1 using the command line.

Note: after reading the article, you can read more complete articles on this topic

We return to our article. Backing up Windows 8.1 of my computer, I have one hard drive divided into two partitions.

Move the mouse to the lower right corner and select "Search",

in the window that appears, select "Backup system image."

If you, like me, have one single hard disk installed in the system unit, divided into two partitions - C: and D:, then this window will appear in which the operating system will offer us to save a backup copy of drive C: with Windows 8.1 installed on the disk D:. You can also select On DVDs. If your computer has a second hard drive or a connected USB portable hard drive, you can save a system backup to them. Choose Next.

Archive.

The Windows 8.1 backup process will begin.

Now imagine the situation, our Windows 8.1 is unstable for some reason, but we will not reinstall it again, let's do it easier, restore our computer from a backup. Change computer settings.

Update and restoration.

Recovery. Special download options. Reload now.

The computer restarts and Special Boot Options starts. Diagnostics. Extra options.

Use the latest available system image.

Ready.

Backing up Windows 8.1 using the command line

Friends, there is no need to be afraid of the command line, we only need to run one command. This method is suitable for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1. I have the operating system on drive C:, I want to create a backup on the second drive D:

Right-click on the Start menu and select Command Prompt (Admin),

enter the command:

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

-backupTarget- a parameter responsible for the storage location of the Windows backup, in our case we want it to be created on drive D:

-include:C:- a parameter indicating what exactly will be included in the archive backup, in our case, the drive with the installed operating system C:

-allCritical- parameter indicating that we have included a critical volume (containing operating system files) in the backup copy.

The hidden partition “System Reserved” (350 MB in size, it contains Windows 8 boot files) and drive C will be backed up:

We agree Y and press Enter, archiving has begun.

Volume backup (C:) completed successfully.

Go to drive D: and see the created backup WindowsImageBackUp.

Now another question. Imagine a situation, due to a system failure or a virus attack, you cannot boot your Windows 8.1 operating system. Then let's restore it from a backup!

How to restore Windows 8.1 from a backup

We boot from the Windows 8.1 installation disk or recovery disk. Press any key to boot from CD or DVD, press Enter.

System Restore.

Diagnostics.

Extra options.

Restoring a system image.

Use an available system image. If you have more than one, check the box - Select a system image. Further.

One of the backup options in Windows 8 is the creation of a backup image of the system, 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 - any partition (except the system one) of an internal or external hard drive can be specified to store the system image. It is not recommended (although it is allowed) to store the image on a non-system partition of the disk where the OS is installed, because if the disk fails, you will lose both the system and the backup;
2) On DVDs - you can specify to burn the image directly to a DVD. The possibility, in my opinion, is purely theoretical, given that a freshly installed Windows 8 without any programs takes about 10 GB, and a standard two-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 a network path and specify the credentials of a user who has write access to this folder.

In the next step, we can select the partitions that will be included in the image. The system partition and the partition that hosts the Windows bootloader are included in the default image. If there are other partitions in the system, they can be selected in this window. Having decided on the choice of sections, click the "Archive" button.

You can use the Wbadmin command line utility to create a system image. 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 option specifies that all critical partitions that contain system files and components should be included in the image. This is usually the system drive and a hidden boot partition. The -quiet parameter sets the command to run in quiet mode, without user intervention.
If you want to include other partitions in the image than the system one (for example, D: and H: drives), then you need to specify them using the -Include key, listing them separated by commas:
Wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -Include:D:,H: -allCritical -quiet

Depending on the amount 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. Each archived partition creates its own virtual disk, so in my case 2 VHDX files were created - one for the boot partition, the second (larger) for the system drive C.

The virtual disks created during the system imaging process, to the live system.

Restoring a system from an image

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

We boot from the installation disk and select "System Restore".

Next: Diagnostics - Advanced options - System image recovery.

We select the OS that needs to be restored and start the recovery procedure. The wizard checks all hard drives connected to the computer and finds a system image that it suggests using for recovery. If the image is not found, or if you want to use a different 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 with 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, while the ability to configure scheduled backups has been removed. Thus, Microsoft subtly hints that the system image is intended solely for disaster recovery, and for regular archiving of files, the File History mechanism must be used.

Conclusion

The disk on which the system image is saved must be formatted in NTFS;
Windows only stores the most recent version of the 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. You cannot restore a 64-bit Windows image using a 32-bit Windows installation disc, and vice versa.

In contact with

Every computer user should know how to back up Windows 8. Thanks to this, in case of any problems with the operating system, you can restore it and all personal data.

It is worth noting that the "eight" allows you to back up data using built-in tools. That is, you do not need to search, download and install special applications. But at the same time, the built-in utilities have changed their traditional names. In the management console, there is no longer such a section as "Archiving". The tool we need opens in this OS in a different way. So how do you back up Windows 8?

Performing a Windows 8 backup

Although at first glance Windows 8 does not have traditional backup tools, they are all there, just hidden in other sections. To begin with, it should be noted that there are several ways to back up data:

Through .
in computer settings.
With help .

All options work stably, and which one to choose is up to you. Of course, the second method is quite complicated, but in some cases it works more reliably. Experienced PC users usually use the command line. But the management console has proven itself to be "excellent". Moreover, system recovery is performed in the same way in any case.

How to perform a backup in the management console

Backing up a Windows 8 system in the management console is extremely simple. There are two ways to open the desired service. The first is to launch the tool through the control panel. To do this, simultaneously press two keys - Window + X. Select "Control Panel" from the menu that appears. After that, enter the "System and Security" section. Next, open File History. So we got to the menu where you can create a copy of the Windows 8 image.

The same service can be opened in another way. Move the mouse cursor to the upper right corner and select search from the menu that appears. Type "File History" in the search bar. Open the result. Next, in the lower left corner of the menu, click "System Image Backup".

After that, you will need to choose a location where to save the file. Here you can select your hard drive, as well as write information to disk or use network resources. Choose the right option. Next, you need to select those hard drives that will be included in the backup.

After that, you will be taken to the archiving confirmation. Here you just need to check if all the settings are correct and click the "Archive" button.

How to Install Gadgets for Windows 8: Video

Creating a backup image through computer settings

As you may have guessed, in order to perform a backup in Windows 8, we will need to enter the computer settings. How to do it? In Windows 8, everything is extremely simple and clear. Hover your mouse over the top right corner and a pop-up menu will appear. Select "Options" here. Next, go to the "Change computer settings" section. So we got into the PC settings. Here you can configure various components, including system restore.

Now we are interested in the "Update and Recovery" section. We open it. Next, click on "File History". It is worth noting that here you need to enable Windows 8 backup. To do this, in the "File History" line, move the slider to the "On" position. After that, the system will start searching for drives where you can save files. If there are suitable drives, then the "Create backup" button will be highlighted below.

How to back up Windows 8: Video

Performing a backup from the command line

Creating a Windows 8 backup on the command line requires some knowledge from you. But let's go in order. First you need to open this tool with administrator rights. To do this, simultaneously press two keys - Windows + X. Select "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu that appears. Now it remains only to register the necessary commands. To start archiving, type wbAdmin start backup –backupTarget:D: -include:C: -allCritical.

Here - backupTarget is a command that indicates where the Windows 8 archive will be saved. In this case, this is the second volume of the hard drive (disk D). The --include:C: command is a parameter that specifies what exactly will be archived. In the example, drive C is indicated. It was in this partition that the OS was installed. The third part of the command, --allCritical, means that the backup includes a critical volume that contains OS boot files.

After writing the command, press "Enter". Next, you need to agree and continue archiving. To do this, press the Y key and press Enter. It remains only to wait for the tool to finish archiving. After that, go to drive D and look for the WindowsImageBackUp folder. This is our Windows 8 backup.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in archiving, you just need to know where the necessary tools are hidden.