Include a disk system image in archiving. Backup on Windows
With the control panel item you can:
- Archive specified folders on a schedule and restore them from a backup copy
- create a full system image
- create a bootable recovery disk for Windows 7
This article will discuss the backup capabilities of Windows 7 - creating file archives and disk images.
On this page:
Archiving options in Windows 7
Windows 7 allows you to create both backup copies of folders and a full image of your hard drive partitions.
| Archiving type | Technology and capabilities |
| User files |
|
| Partition image |
|
This functionality, combined with the ability to boot into a recovery environment without an installation disk, can satisfy the needs of most home users. Now they can do without third-party backup programs.
Changes to the user interface
Changes in the archiving capabilities of Windows 7 affected not only technology, but also the user interface. In particular:
- the interface of the main window of the control panel element has been redesigned
- a new user interface has been created to manage the space used for backups
- file recovery is simplified using a wizard
- integration with the support center has been implemented to promptly notify users about the need to create a backup copy
The archiving user interface elements are described in the activity below.
Configuring regular backup options
By default, backup is not configured. Click the link Set up backup in the control panel item's main window to set archiving options.
Options for placing a backup copy of files are given in the table.
| Accommodation | Comments |
| Internal hard drive | You can place archived files on:
|
| External hard drive | If scheduled backup is configured, the external hard drive must be connected at the time the backup is created. Note. Windows 7 does not support creating images on USB flash drives. |
| The local network | Backup is supported only to computers on a network running Windows 7. Of course, you will need credentials to access the computer where the backup is located. |
You can place archived files on partitions formatted in both the NTFS and FAT32 file systems. When archiving to a hard drive, files are placed at the root of the partition. You cannot specify a subfolder for the archive, but nothing prevents you from placing other files and folders on this drive.
The rest of the article discusses saving a backup copy to a partition of the internal hard drive. Having decided on the location of the archive, you must set the archiving parameters. You can leave this decision to the operating system, or you can select the folders yourself.
If you choose yourself, you can create backups:
- user files, including libraries
- local disk folders
- full system image
At the end, Windows 7 displays a summary of your backup options.
The schedule parameters you specify are saved in the task scheduler, which is responsible for starting archiving in a timely manner.
Once you've finished configuring your backup settings, you return to the main Control Panel item window.
Backing up your files
The main window now displays all archiving options. Click the button Archive to start the backup process.
The archiving progress is displayed using a progress bar, but you can view details by clicking the button View details.
After completing archiving, you can view information about the disk space used and proceed to archive management.
Creating a system image
Unlike file archives, a system image can only be saved on a disk formatted with the NTFS file system. This is because the images are VHD files that can be larger than 4GB (FAT32 file size limit).
The first system image is a complete snapshot of the partition, and subsequent ones are incremental, i.e., they include only changes compared to the previous image. This feature, which allows you to save disk space, is implemented using shadow copies. This principle of creating images is used when saving them on internal, external and optical disks. For internal and external drives, this principle applies as long as there is enough space on the drive. When space runs out, a complete image is created and all previous ones are deleted. As for network drives, a full image is always created on them, and the old image is overwritten with a new one.
Let's look at creating the first image. In the left pane of the item, click the link Creating a system image. A window will open with options for image placement.
In the next step, you will be able to select partitions for archiving.
The image automatically includes a service partition with a recovery environment (Windows RE) and a system partition. You cannot exclude them from the backup. If there are other partitions on the system, you will be able to select them at this step. Having decided on the selection of sections, click the button Archive to begin the backup process.
All the following images are created in exactly the same way. As I said above, they only contain changed blocks. In order to create a full system image again, you need to delete the existing images or move them to another partition. You can also move them from the root of the drive to subfolders, but be aware that in this case they will not be seen by the system image recovery program. The location and contents of backup copies will be discussed further.
Space management
In the main Control Panel item window, click the link Space management. A window will open that displays information about the location of the archive, a summary of disk space usage, and links and buttons for viewing and managing archives.
Backup locations
In addition to viewing detailed information about the space used, you can open the backup location - click the link Review, and the files will open in Explorer.
Windows 7 recognizes the archive folder and provides convenient access to recovery options, which can also be opened by double-clicking on the folder.
Of course, the following folders are of interest:
- %COMPUTERNAME% (in this case ADMIN-PC) - archive of files
- WindowsImageBackup - folder with the partition image
Contents of the file archive
You can open the archive folder using the context menu. The contents of the archive are transparent to the user - inside ZIP archives, and if desired, files can be extracted from there directly from Explorer.
However, it is more convenient to restore files from the control panel, for example, thanks to the built-in search.
Image Contents
An archived system image is created in VHD format and stored in the folder WindowsImageBackup along with supporting files.
You can see its contents by using a new feature in Windows 7 - connecting virtual hard disks in Disk Management ( Start - Search - diskmgmt.msc - Action - Attach a virtual hard disk).
You might be wondering if you can add files to a virtual hard disk. Technically this is possible, but from the point of view of recovery using Windows it will not give anything. It is better to make a new image - changed blocks are added incrementally based on shadow copies, which saves disk space.
View and delete backups
From the space management window you can delete file archives and backup images.
Click the button View archives in the space management window to see the list of archives.
Windows 7 finds all archives and displays the archiving period and occupied disk space. In this window you can delete unnecessary archives.
To delete backup images, click the button Change settings in the space management window. Image storage options will open.
The system offers you to delete absolutely all images, or all images except the last one.
Everyone knows that they need to back up regularly, but not everyone does it. Given the extensive backup capabilities in Windows 7, you will only regret losing important data if you do not set up regular backups.
A separate hard drive is ideal for storing backups - internal or external, connected via USB or FireWire. If you have a network drive at your disposal, you can also use it. Storing backups on a different partition on the same drive where the OS is installed is not a good idea. If a drive fails, you will lose both the system and your backups.
Since backups take up a lot of space, I can only give general recommendations that you will need to adjust depending on the free disk space you have.
System partition images
- First image. Install Windows 7, then all updates and drivers. After making sure that the OS and devices are working normally, create the first backup image. If you "kill" the system during further configuration and software installation, you can return to its original state faster than if you reinstalled it.
- Second image. Install all applications and configure the system as you wish. Since fine-tuning the OS is usually done as you use it, work in Windows 7 for a couple of weeks. After making sure that the OS is working normally, create a second backup image. If you delete the first image before doing this, you will have a complete image of a fully updated and customized system with your favorite set of applications.
- Subsequent images. Depending on your available disk space, create subsequent images monthly/quarterly. If a problem arises that requires you to restore from an image, you can return to a relatively recent state of the system.
Archives of user files
How often you archive your files is determined by how valuable they are to you and how often you add or create new files. In general, I recommend archiving weekly or twice a month. Combined with monthly system imaging manually you will have an excellent backup set that will allow you not only to return the system to a recent working state, but also to restore all your data and files acquired through back-breaking labor. You can always free up disk space by deleting old archives if disk space is needed for other needs.
It is not possible to set different schedules for image creation and data archiving in the GUI. So if you want at different times automatically create an image and archive files, use the wbadmin command line utility and the task scheduler.
The Windows 7 operating system has built-in backup tools that allow you to back up the Windows operating system and user data. Archiving will allow you to create a backup image of the system and other user data, with which you can restore the system after serious problems.
This article will give an overview of using the built-in backup tools of Windows 7. The built-in backup tools of the operating system, in their capabilities, can satisfy most computer users.
How to make a backup? There are quite a lot of backup programs, among them such popular programs as, Nero BackItUp, Norton Ghost, Paragon Drive Backup Professional,. You can also back up your system without the help of third-party programs using Windows archiving and backup tools.
Why is it advisable to make backups? Because, if you reinstall the Windows operating system for some reason, all data on your computer will be lost that is on the system disk. You will have to reinstall all programs and make other operating system settings.
Suddenly, due to hard drive failure or viruses, you may lose all your data, and lost data may not always be recovered by recovery specialists.
The way out of this situation is to create a backup copy of the system and other files you need. After a sudden system or equipment failure, you can restore all data from a backup copy. The operating system, drivers, programs and other files that you archived will be restored to your computer.
Now you can move on to an overview of how archiving works in Windows 7.
To start a system backup, go to the Start menu => All Programs => Maintenance => Backup and Restore. You can also launch the built-in Windows archiving and backup tools from the “Start” menu => “Control Panel” => “Backup and Restore Files”.
It may happen that in case of serious problems with the operating system, you will not be able to boot the operating system in normal or safe mode. Then you will have to use a Windows 7 installation disk, or a bootable USB flash drive with an operating system image recorded on it, to restore the system.
A bootable Windows flash drive can be created using specialized programs, reviews of which you can read on my website in the “Programs” section.
If you do not have an installation disk with the Windows 7 operating system, you should create a system repair disk. The recovery disk, which contains the recovery environment, can be used to boot the computer.
This system recovery disc contains recovery tools for the Windows operating system, using which you can restore the operating system after a serious error, or restore the system from a created system image.
Creating a system repair disc
For those users who have pre-installed operating systems on their computer, creating a bootable system recovery disk is a must. Computer manufacturers now often do not include a Windows installation disc with them. In this case, an emergency system recovery disk will help boot the computer to restore it if it is not possible to boot in any other way.
In the “Backup and Restore” window, you must click on the “Create system repair disk” item to create an emergency system recovery disk. In this case, you will have an emergency CD for system recovery in case of serious problems with the operating system.
After clicking on the “Create a system repair disk” item, the “Create a recovery disk” window opens. To create a system recovery disc, you need to insert a blank CD or DVD into your optical disc reader, and then click the “Create Disc” button.
Next comes the process of creating a system recovery disk. After completing the creation of the emergency recovery disk, you need to click on the “OK” button. The Windows 7 emergency recovery disk takes up about 150 MB.
You will now be able to access system recovery options using a bootable recovery disc if you are unable to boot your computer using other methods.
To boot your computer from a rescue or installation disk, you will need to select in the BIOS the boot priority from a CD/DVD reader, and in the case of using a bootable flash drive, from the USB drive to which such a bootable flash drive is connected.
If, when creating a recovery disk, you are prompted to insert an installation disk with the Windows 7 operating system, this means that the necessary files to create a system recovery disk were not found. In this case, you will need to insert the Windows 7 installation DVD into your computer's optical drive.
Using the Windows 7 installation disk or recovery disk, you will be able to boot into your computer and have access to all of the operating system's recovery options.
Creating a system image
If you select “Create a system image” in the “Backup and Restore” window, then a system image will be created for its recovery, which includes copies of the disks necessary for the operation of the Windows operating system. You can include additional disks in the system image and use it for recovery in case of problems. However, you cannot use individual elements for recovery.
In the "Create a system image" window, you will need to select a location to store the backup.
In the “Create a system image” window, you will need to select the disks that you want to include in the backup. In this case, it will not be possible to add the disk on which the backup copy will be saved. Then click on the “Next” button.
In the new "Create a system image" window, you will need to confirm the archiving parameters and backup location. After that, click on the “Archive” button.
Backup in Windows 7
Now let's move on to the archiving and backup settings. In the “Backup and Restore Files” window, click on the “Set up backup” item.
Next, the “Archiving Settings” window opens. You will have to wait some time while data archiving starts. You will see the message “Starting data archiving” in the window, but the archiving itself is not yet happening.
Then the “Archive Settings” window opens. In this window, you must select a location to store the backup archive.
The best option for storing the system backup being created would be an external hard drive. Because if you back up your copies on another partition of your computer's hard drive, then if the hard drive fails, then the operating system, your data, and the backups created for recovery will be lost forever. The data, in this case, is physically located on one hard drive, they are only located on different logical drives.
This image shows that the system itself suggested a storage location for me - an external hard drive, with enough space to create a backup copy.
In the Archive Settings window, you will need to select what to archive.
If you choose Windows, the operating system will archive files saved in standard folders, in libraries, on the Desktop, and will also create a system image that will allow you to restore your computer in case of problems. All your data and settings will be archived, and you can restore your system from a backup if necessary.
In this case, you can select specific drives and select individual folders located on the selected drive. Be sure to check the box next to “Include disk system image: (C:)” so that you have the opportunity, if necessary, to restore the system from the created backup copy.
The data you select will be archived according to a schedule unless you start archiving manually. After completing the selection of objects for archiving, click on the “Next” button.
In the archiving settings window, you need to check the archiving settings again, and then click on the “Save settings and start archiving” button.
Before starting the backup, you can click on the "Change schedule" link to select your schedule or perform backups on demand.
If you do not perform archiving according to a schedule, but manually when you need it, then you will need to uncheck the box next to “Run archiving on a schedule (recommended)” and then click on the “OK” button.
Next, you will need to start archiving. The time it takes to create a backup will depend on the size of the disks and files that will be backed up, as well as the power of your computer. Repeated backups will be faster because only files that have changed since the previous backup will be overwritten.
Please remember that if you set up a scheduled backup, the external hard drive must be connected to your computer at the time. If you will be doing backups without a specific schedule, then the best option would be to back up about once a month. In this case, you will retain the system settings that you made relatively recently.
Important data that you change frequently will need to be backed up more than once a month to always have an up-to-date backup version for recovery.
How to disable archiving in Windows 7
Sometimes, it is necessary to disable archiving if you have set up scheduled backups, and the disk where you save the backups runs out of free space. In this case, you will need to disable scheduled backups.
To do this, you will need to go to the “Start” menu => “Control Panel” => “Administration” => “Services”. In the "Services" window, you need to find the item "Block-level backup engine service (WBENGINE service is used to perform backup and restore operations)."
To disable automatic archiving, you must change the service startup type from “Automatic” to “Manual”. To do this, you need to right-click on the “Automatic” item and select “Properties” in the context menu.
In the “Properties: Block-level archiving module service” window that opens, in the “General” tab, in the “Startup type” item, select “Manual” and click on the “OK” button. Next you will need to restart your computer. Now you can run the backup manually at your discretion.
If you are annoyed by messages that appear from time to time about the need to configure archiving from the Notification Panel (tray), then such messages can be disabled. To do this, go to the Start menu => Control Panel => Action Center. In the “Support Center” window, in the “Maintenance” field, in the “Archiving settings” item, you must click on the link “Do not receive any more messages on the topic: “about Windows archiving.”
Conclusions of the article
Using the built-in operating system tool - Windows 7 Backup, you can backup Windows, the entire contents of your hard drive, or make copies of individual disks, files and folders.
In the event of a serious failure of your computer, you can restore the system and all your data from a backup copy. Archiving allows you to make backups not only manually, but also according to a schedule you choose.
Backup in Windows 7 (video)
Due to our own erroneous actions on the computer or a virus attack, it is not possible to download Windows 7 by any means?! Or the operating system boots, but working in it is simply unbearable?! If you are familiar with these situations and would like to correct the situation within a minimum time, you need to prepare in advance for such problems and sometimes (once a month/every two months) make an image of the system and, if necessary, restore the operating system by rolling back to the created image. Windows 7 has a built-in system archiver, which is very simple and intuitive; you don’t need to install additional programs to create an image of your system, much less spend money on these programs.
How to make a system image of Windows 7? There are several ways to launch System Archiving, here is one of them. Come along the way
In the window that opens, you will see on the left "Creating a system image"- this tool will allow you to create a system archive once, if you look at the right side of the window, you will see a button, i.e. It is possible to configure archiving automatically. 
It's up to you to choose which method suits you; in this article I will describe both of these methods.
Creating a system image
Click "Creating a system image", in the window that opens, select the location where the system backup will be stored, the ideal option is an external hard drive, you can use a CD/DVD, but keep in mind that you will need a lot of them. It is also better not to use a local disk, since in the event of a virus attack, recovery from the local disk is not always possible.
After choosing a location to save the backup, you need to choose what to archive. If you have enough space, save all local drives. In this example, I will only save drive C.
In the next window, confirm our choice and click "Archive".
Next comes the archiving process/creating a system image; it can last for quite a long time, it all depends on the amount of space being archived and the power of the computer.
At the end of archiving, the system will offer to write the data to disk, since I’m archiving to an external hard drive, I don’t need this, click “no”, besides, I don’t really want to write 32 GB :)
This completes the process of creating a system image, the backup is located on a removable disk, the folder name is WindowsImageBackup.
Setting up automatic system image creation
I remind you that we originally came along the way “Start-Control Panel-Backup and Restore”,press "Set up backup", in the window that opens, select the location where the system backup will be stored, please note that the specified backup location must be available when it is launched according to a schedule. The ideal option is an external hard drive; CD/DVD is not entirely suitable, since it will not be very practical to spend several disks on each backup. It is also better not to use a local disk, since in the event of a virus attack, recovery from the local disk is not always possible.
In the next window, we select what we will archive or present the choice to the system, i.e. leave it as default, in this example I will leave it as default. Click "Further".
In the next window, select the schedule for executing the system image, I recommend once a month, although this is individual, it all depends on how often you make changes to the system.
After clicking "Save settings and start archiving", the archiving process will begin. System archiving can take a long time, up to several hours, it all depends on the amount of data and the speed of the computer.
I hope you will never need a system backup, but situations are different and to be on the safe side, I strongly recommend making an archived image of the system.
Using Windows Control Panel features, you can:
- Archive specified folders on a schedule and restore them from a backup copy
- create a complete system image
- create a bootable Windows recovery disk
Background
The information in this article applies to Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. Initially, we were talking about the backup capabilities of Windows 7 - creating file archives and disk images. In Windows 8, they were replaced, respectively, by file history and Windows recovery without deleting files (Refresh Your PC).
However, everything written is applicable to Windows 8 and 8.1, since it retains the functions of the previous system. You can find them by searching in Control Panel.
Enlarge picture
In Windows 10, the Refresh Your PC feature from Windows 8 is dead, but the old features of Windows 7 remain. You can find them by searching for the word backup in the Start menu or the old Control Panel.
On this page:
Archiving options in Windows 7
Windows 7 allows you to create both backup copies of folders and a full image of your hard drive partitions.
| Archiving type | Technology and capabilities |
| User files |
|
| Partition image |
|
These features, coupled with the ability to boot into a recovery environment without an installation disk, can satisfy the needs of most home users. Now they can do without third-party backup programs.
Changes to the user interface
Changes in the archiving capabilities of Windows 7 affected not only technology, but also the user interface. In particular:
- the interface of the main window of the control panel element has been redesigned
- a new user interface has been created to manage the space used for backups
- file recovery is simplified using a wizard
- integration with the support center has been implemented to promptly notify users about the need to create a backup copy
The archiving user interface elements are described in the activity below.
Configuring regular backup options
By default, backup is not configured. Click the link Set up backup in the control panel item's main window to set archiving options.
Options for placing a backup copy of files are given in the table.
| Accommodation | Comments |
| Internal hard drive | You can place archived files on:
|
| External hard drive | If scheduled backup is configured, the external hard drive must be connected at the time the backup is created. Note. Windows 7 does not support creating images flash drive systems. |
| The local network | Backup is supported only to computers on a network running Windows 7. Of course, you will need credentials to access the computer where the backup is located. |
You can place archived files on partitions formatted in both the NTFS and FAT32 file systems. When archiving to a hard drive, files are placed at the root of the partition. You cannot specify a subfolder for the archive, but nothing prevents you from placing other files and folders on this drive.
The rest of the article discusses saving a backup copy to a partition of the internal hard drive. Having decided on the location of the archive, you must set the archiving parameters. You can leave this decision to the operating system, or you can select the folders yourself.
If you choose yourself, you can create backups:
- user files, including libraries
- local disk folders
- full system image
At the end, Windows 7 displays a summary of your backup options.
The schedule parameters you specify are saved in the task scheduler, which is responsible for starting archiving in a timely manner.
Once you've finished configuring your backup settings, you return to the main Control Panel item window.
Backing up your files
The main window now displays all archiving options. Click the button Archive to start the backup process.
The archiving progress is displayed using a progress bar, but you can view details by clicking the button View details.
After completing archiving, you can view information about the disk space used and proceed to archive management.
Creating a system image
This function has a number of limitations that are useful to know so that it does not cause excruciating pain later.
- Only NTFS-formatted disks can be included in the image.
- The image can only be saved on a disk formatted with the NTFS file system.
- The image cannot include the disk or partition on which the image is saved.
- All system and boot disks or partitions (see Disk Management) are forcibly included in the image.
- The image can be saved to a network location only in Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise.
- It is not possible to restore a 64-bit Windows image to a 32-bit system.
- The size of the recovery disk or installation disk must match the size of the Windows in the backup image. It is not possible to restore a 64-bit Windows image using a 32-bit Windows installation disk or recovery disk, and vice versa.
- An image saved on a UEFI PC cannot be restored to a BIOS PC.
- When restoring a system image from a dynamic disk, it is impossible to restore the configuration of disks and partitions saved in the image. Therefore, the image must be saved on the base disk.
- The image cannot be restored to a partition smaller than the original disk.
- The image is saved in the root of the target disk in the folder WindowsImageBackup. If the folder is moved from the root of the disk or renamed, the image cannot be restored.
- Storing a system image on another disk partition is not a backup. If the drive fails, you will lose everything.
The first system image is a complete snapshot of the partition, and subsequent ones are incremental, i.e., they include only changes compared to the previous image. This feature, which allows you to save disk space, is implemented using shadow copies. This principle of creating images is used when saving them on internal, external and optical disks.
For internal and external drives, this principle applies as long as there is enough space on the drive. When space runs out, a complete image is created and all previous ones are deleted. As for network drives, a full image is always created on them, and the old image is overwritten with a new one.
Let's look at creating the first image.
- In Windows 7, in the left pane of the Control Panel item, click the link Creating a system image.
- In Windows 10, in the left pane of the Control Panel item File history Click the link below System image backup, then Creating a system image.
A window will open with options for image placement.
In the next step, you will be able to select partitions for archiving.
If there are other partitions on the system, you will be able to select them at this step. Having decided on the selection of sections, click the button Archive to begin the backup process.
The image automatically includes the system partition and the partition on which the files necessary to boot Windows are located (it may differ from the system partition in multiboot configurations). A solution to problems with including unwanted partitions in the image is in this article.
All the following images are created in exactly the same way. As I said above, they only contain changed blocks. In order to create a full system image again, you need to delete the existing images or move them to another partition.
You can also move them from the root of the drive to subfolders, but be aware that in this case they will not be seen by the system image recovery program. The location and contents of backup copies will be discussed further.
Space management
In the main Control Panel item window, click the link Space management. A window will open that displays information about the location of the archive, a summary of disk space usage, and links and buttons for viewing and managing archives.
Backup locations
In addition to viewing detailed information about the space used, you can open the backup location - click the link Review, and the files will open in Explorer.
Windows 7 recognizes the archive folder and provides convenient access to recovery options, which can also be opened by double-clicking on the folder.
Of course, the following folders are of interest:
- %COMPUTERNAME% (in this case ADMIN-PC) - archive of files
- WindowsImageBackup - folder with the partition image
Contents of the file archive
You can open the archive folder using the context menu. The contents of the archive are transparent to the user - inside ZIP archives, and if desired, files can be extracted from there directly from Explorer.
However, it is more convenient to restore files from the control panel, for example, thanks to the built-in search.
Image Contents
An archived system image is created in VHD format and stored in the folder WindowsImageBackup along with supporting files.
You can see its contents by using a new feature in Windows 7 - connecting virtual hard disks in Disk Management ( Start - Search - diskmgmt.msc — Action — Attach a virtual hard disk).
You might be wondering if you can add files to a virtual hard disk. Technically this is possible, but from the point of view of recovery using Windows it will not give anything. It is better to make a new image - changed blocks are added incrementally based on shadow copies, which saves disk space.
View and delete backups
From the space management window you can delete file archives and backup images.
Click the button View archives in the space management window to see the list of archives.
Windows 7 finds all archives and displays the archiving period and occupied disk space. In this window you can delete unnecessary archives.
To delete backup images, click the button Change settings in the space management window. Image storage options will open.
The system offers you to delete absolutely all images, or all images except the last one.
Everyone knows that they need to back up regularly, but not everyone does it. Given the extensive backup capabilities in Windows 7, you will only regret losing important data if you do not set up regular backups.
A separate hard drive is ideal for storing backups - internal or external, connected via USB or FireWire. If you have a network drive at your disposal, you can also use it. Storing backups on a different partition on the same drive where the OS is installed is not a good idea. If a drive fails, you will lose both the system and your backups.
Since backups take up a lot of space, I can only give general recommendations that you will need to adjust depending on the free disk space you have.
System partition images
- First image. Install Windows 7, then all updates and drivers. After making sure that the OS and devices are working normally, create the first backup image. If you "kill" the system during further configuration and software installation, you can return to its original state faster than if you reinstalled it.
- Second image. Install all applications and configure the system as you wish. Since fine-tuning the OS is usually done as you use it, work in Windows 7 for a couple of weeks. After making sure that the OS is working normally, create a second backup image. If you delete the first image before doing this, you will have a complete image of a fully updated and customized system with your favorite set of applications.
- Subsequent images. Depending on your available disk space, create subsequent images monthly/quarterly. If a problem arises that requires you to restore from an image, you can return to a relatively recent state of the system.
Archives of user files
How often you archive your files is determined by how valuable they are to you and how often you add or create new files. In general, I recommend archiving data weekly or twice a month. Combined with monthly system imaging manually you will have an excellent backup set that will allow you not only to return the system to a recent working state, but also to restore all your data and files acquired through back-breaking labor. You can always free up disk space by deleting old archives if disk space is needed for other needs.
It is not possible to set different schedules for image creation and data archiving in the GUI. So if you want at different times automatically create an image and archive files, use the wbadmin command line utility and the task scheduler.
Questions and answers
Why, when creating a system image, is it forced to include another disk or partition, and how can I avoid this?
Greetings, dear visitor to the PenserMan blog! Who doesn't know what it is Windows 7 data archiving and came to this page to find out, I’ll explain. The concept of archiving means processing data for subsequent storage, and in relation to computer data, that is, its files, also transcoding and compression.
Why is this needed? Everything is very simple. In order to restore all our data in exactly the same form in which it was before in the event of a system failure. How to do this, what is needed for this and what you should pay attention to we will consider in this topic.
What do you need for this and where to start?
Well, first of all, you need to take care of the place where the data will be archived. It is best to have a separate external hard drive for this. Because if you use a Windows 7 disk, there is a high probability that after a “system disaster” the files of the archive itself will be damaged. That is, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”!
Now let’s talk about where on the computer this archiving location is located. So, click “Start” then “Control Panel” and in the window that appears, select “Backup computer data”:
Or, if your “Setting parameters” window is not in the “Category” mode, but in the mode, for example, “Small icons”, then find “Backup and Restore” and click there:
But regardless of the type of the top window, you will still end up in a window, which we will consider in the next section of our topic. I ask you not to be annoyed by “advanced” PC users about such a detailed description, but still, my blog is primarily intended for retirees and dummies.
Choosing an archive location
Above I already talked about which disk it should be placed on. To accurately indicate this, you need to do the following: Click on “Change settings”:
Don't be scared by the next window. This is not the beginning of the process yet, although for some reason it says “Starting data archiving”, but at the top there is the inscription “Setting up archiving”:
Wait until the flashing green bar calms down and next select your external hard drive. In my case, it’s “GST-PENSERMAN (I:)”. Then click “Next”:
We are done with choosing the archiving location. Go ahead.
Selecting Archiving Objects
At the next stage of setup, we decide “What to archive?”. I advise you to put an end to “Give me a choice.” The fact is that if you give the choice to Windows, then the system disk will also be archived. This is of no use to us. I'll explain why later. This is the window:
After you clicked “Next” above, the following window will appear, where we are required to check the boxes where necessary. Of course, the inscriptions will be different for you and me, but their meaning will not change. First of all, you need to check the boxes in the places that are enclosed in red rectangles; the rest are at your discretion, but it’s better if you check there too:
Let's figure out what all the above inscriptions mean.
- Archiving data of new users - this is if several users work on your computer.
- “HOUSE s” libraries are what are stored in the “My Documents” folder.
- “Guest s” libraries, if there is one, are when you provide the opportunity for strangers to work on your computer with limited rights.
- New volume (X:) is a logical disk on which there are no system files. Some may have several.
- Including a disk system image is what I talked about above when I suggested checking “Give me a choice.”
Regarding the last point, I hope you now understand that if we had checked “Give Windows a choice” at the very beginning, then the drive (C:) would have been backed up twice. And this is already unnecessary.
Now we need to decide how we will archive manually or automatically. Let's look at each of them.
Manual way to back up Windows 7 data
There is absolutely nothing complicated here. Again, as at the very beginning, go to Start/Control Panel/System and Security/Backup of computer data and get into the “Backup and Data” window. Here we click archive and the process begins:
Just don't forget to connect an external hard drive. Although if you do not connect it, you will immediately see that the “Archive” button will not be active, that is, gray.
During the archiving process, you can monitor how the process is progressing. To do this, click on the “View information” button and an additional window will appear. There it will be written how many percent of archiving has already been completed and which files are being copied and to which disk. You can also stop the archiving process from there by clicking on “Stop backup”:
Of course, all this can be done automatically, if suddenly the need arises.
Automatic way to back up Windows 7 data
In order for backup to be carried out automatically, you need to make the necessary settings, and more specifically, you need to specify the start time. It is better to do this immediately after selecting archiving objects, in the last window, where we checked the archiving parameters again. Click “Change schedule”:
And here you indicate the time you think is necessary. I think every Monday at 1 am will be the most acceptable option. Of course, you can set the day of the week at your discretion, depending on when your data changes usually accumulate, but it’s better to choose the time at night. Still, the process is long and responsible, and it is better not to interfere with it at this moment:
Then click “Save settings and exit”. Now, every time at the specified time, archiving of your data will automatically begin. Well, of course, unless you connect an external hard drive to your computer. This is what the archive itself looks like:
That's all about archiving Windows 7 data. Let's look at the next point.
Recovering data from an archive
You can restore data from the archive either completely or partially. This is done as follows. We go to the main window of the archiver and click on the “Restore my files” button. This, of course, is not the only method of entering the recovery archive, but in my opinion the most convenient:
After this, the following window will open for us, where we must either find the folder or file we need through the “Search” button, or do the same through the browse:
After clicking on “Browse Folder,” it usually takes about twenty seconds, or even more, until the next window appears. So don't be nervous and wait calmly. Then select what you need and click “Add folder”:
By the way, you can add more than one folder, but as many as you need. And if, for example, you need a folder that is located inside “Documents”, as in our case, then simply double-click with the left mouse button and so on until you find what you need. After this, the following window appears, where the added folder will be visible and we need to click “Next”:
In the following, select the location where you would like to restore this folder and click on “Restore”:
After all these manipulations, damaged or lost files or folders will be restored.
And the last point concerns the free space on your hard drive. Over time, more and more archives will be added and you need to keep an eye on this, especially when automatic data archiving is configured in Windows 7. Otherwise, you may not notice and hope that everything is archived, but it turns out not. To prevent this from happening, old unnecessary archives must be deleted. To do this, go to the main window of the archiver and click “Manage space”:
Well, there’s probably no need to show and describe further - everything is simple there. I think you can figure it out for yourself. But if you have any questions, comments are at your service. I will answer.
That's all I wanted to convey to you about such a wonderful instrument as Windows 7 data archiving. I hope you can use it. But I sincerely wish you that no system failures occur and that you do not have to restore data!
Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the Penserman blog.
