3. Backing Up the Operating System
For many years the de facto choice for system
administrators backing up Windows was to create a system image, and for
many years the choices included Symantec Ghost or Acronis True Image.
With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced system image backup for the
first time, though only in the Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate
editions.
With Windows 7, this was expanded (much to the praise of IT
professionals everywhere—or maybe that was just me again) to every
edition of the operating system, and so it remains with Windows 8.
But there’s more: there’s now a second option in Refresh,
which creates an image that can be restored from within Windows 8 by an
end user, and that doesn’t affect his files, apps, settings, and if a
custom image has been created, his desktop software, as well.
So what are these different image backup solutions, and how do you use them? Let’s explore those questions in the next sections.
Creating a Windows 8 System Image
A Windows System Image is the backup you would from which you would
restore if Windows simply cannot start or if it is very corrupt indeed.
You might also want to restore from a system image if you want to
completely clear out all the computer and user settings and start again
with something that you know is clean and works properly.
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From the Control panel, select Windows 7 File Recovery.
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In the Windows 7 File Recovery window (see Figure 8), in the Control System Home pane, click Create a System Image.
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Select the destination for your system image and press Next, as demonstrated in Figure 9.
When the backup has completed, a pop-up window prompts you to create a
system rescue disc. This is a bootable CD or DVD that contains the Windows 8 rescue and repair tools.
Restoring Windows from a Windows System Image
If you have used the Windows 8 imaging tool to create your backup
copy of Windows 8, you will need to either boot your computer from the
Windows 8 installation DVD or from a system rescue disc that you create.
Restoring Windows 8 from a System Repair or Install Disc
Before you boot your machine from a system repair or Windows 8
installation disc, you will need to verify that your computer’s BIOS is
set to boot from the CD/DVD drive before it attempts to boot from the
hard disk. You can access the BIOS by pressing F2 or Delete on your
keyboard when you turn on the computer. The setting to verify is called Boot Order or Boot Priority.
The system repair disc first determines if there is a copy of Windows
on the computer that won’t start. Once this process is complete, you
will have the option to repair the faulty installed version of Windows 8
or restore it from a previously backed up copy.
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If you are starting your computer from a Windows 8 installation DVD,
click through the language and then at the Install Screen, click Repair
Your Computer. Windows will search for operating system installations
and then present you with repair options (more on this in a moment).
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If you are starting your computer from a System Repair Disc, it will
try to repair Windows 8. If it says repairs are completed, you should
press a key to restart, press Cancel, or press Esc.
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From the boot options screen, click Troubleshoot if you are presented with it.
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In the window that appears, you are asked if you want to Refresh or Reset your computer. Click Advanced Options below them.
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In the Advanced Options window, click System Image Recovery, as depicted in Figure 10.
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Windows will find the system image you have created on your hard
disk. When you have the correct image selected, click Next to restore
it.
Creating a Custom Refresh Image
By default Windows
8 includes a refresh image of the operating system, but even though
this might save your apps, it will not save your desktop software. If
you want to do this, you can create a custom refresh image by performing
the following couple of steps.
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Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator. You can do this by
opening the Start screen and searching for it or by pressing Windows
logo key+X on your keyboard.
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Type the command recimg -CreateImage C:\Folder to create a custom refresh image, where C:\Folder is the location where you want to store the image.
It really is that simple to create a custom refresh image in Windows.
Caution
While a refresh
will keep many of your Windows 8 settings intact, settings for some
desktop software packages, including Microsoft Office, can be reset
during the refresh process. A refresh will also reset your pinned
programs on the taskbar.
There are several ways to access the Refresh option, the simplest of which is via the Start screen.
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Swipe in from the right of the screen with your finger or Press Windows logo key+C on your keyboard, and then click the Settings charm.
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At the bottom of the panel that appears, click Change PC Settings.
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Under PC Settings, click General, and then in the Refresh Your PC Without Affecting Your Files section, click Get Started, as illustrated in Figure 11.
A window appears, informing you of what Refresh will do.
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When you are ready to perform the refresh, click Next.
Your computer will reboot at this stage and the refresh will execute.
Refreshing Windows 8 from the Control Panel
The process of refreshing your computer from the desktop Control Panel is identical to that described above, but it is the Recovery option in the full Control Panel that you need to click to access this feature, as illustrated in Figure 12.
Creating a Recovery Drive
In the Recovery options, which you can access from the desktop
Control Panel, in the Advanced Tools section, you can find the option to
create a recovery drive (see Figure 13).
Now, don’t be confused with CDs, DVDs, and external hard disks here. A
recovery drive will always be a USB pen drive from which you can boot
your computer in the event of a disaster to perform a refresh or a
system image restore.
In many ways, it is the USB equivalent of the system repair disc that I told you about earlier.
Most new Windows-based computers come with a recovery partition
instead of an installation DVD. The DVD is very useful for recovery,
and you should always get one if you can (after all, you paid for it),
but the recovery partition contains everything you need to restore Windows in the event of a disaster.
If you have a large enough USB pen drive, you
have the option to add the contents of that drive to your pen drive,
including the system image that came with the computer when it was sold.
The pen drive, therefore, becomes a very valuable resource and one that
should be kept in a safe place, should it be needed.
