It takes time & effort, though not as much as many think – it takes commitment – and it takes extra storage, e.g. external drives or maybe an NAS [Network Attached Storage]. In return you get insurance or piece of mind – should something bad happen the consequences can be much less severe. Backing up your software & data works best if you develop a strategy, and your organizational & management skills will come in handy wrangling your backup archives and the data storage they require. Backing up Absolutely Requires testing, especially for disk/partition image backup software [more on this further down]. The software itself isn’t that complicated, nor are the tasks it performs, but booting [starting] a USB stick or drive to restore a backup when you need to can too often fail if you skip that testing – you need to make sure that the USB sticks you create with image backup software do work with the devices you want to use it with. You also need to make sure that wherever you store your image backups, it’s reliable – lots of external USB drives fail.
A file backup app copies files and folders from the drive where they’re normally stored to a backup storage archive – it’s what you use for your data, documents, & pictures and such that you want to have stored in more than one place because *stuff* happens. At its simplest all you need to do is have stuff like the docs you create saved to the OneDrive account you get with win10, though you really should use more than one cloud service, having the same stuff on each account, because while rare, data in the cloud can be lost forever, same as on a failed hard drive in your PC. You can of course store a copy of your stuff on local storage, but it’s easier if you use the cloud for frequent backups [syncing], and copy your stuff to local storage once a day or once a week etc. That because doing something like connecting an external drive via USB, copying the files etc., then disconnecting the external drive is a bit of a hassle that you don’t need to be doing constantly. And you do want external storage disconnected when not in use because ransomware.
An image backup app copies the raw data from a hard disk to a backup archive. A disk or partition image backup is not as practical as file backup or syncing [storing in more than one place] when it comes to your often-changing data files. It’s common nowadays for that backup archive to be a VHD [Virtual Hard Disk], so that when it’s mounted by software, all that raw data appears in Windows Explorer like the original files & folders, allowing you to copy individual files and folders from that mounted backup archive. An image backup may include a single partition, regardless how many partitions exist, or it can include more than one partition, or every partition on a single drive. Likewise, you can restore any single partition without effecting the other, existing partitions, or you can replace all of them – restoring just the backup of a damaged or non-working partition, leaving the others alone, saves time & trouble.
Standard best practice is to have a copy of your backup archive stored in more than one place, and on more than one drive, in case a drive fails or gets physically damaged. One strategy is to use more than one external USB drive, or maybe a few hard drives and a USB drive dock [you can sometimes buy remanufactured drives cheap]. If you use one drive to store your backup, then another drive to store the next backup, that gives you some protection in case your system was infected, and possibly that external drive along with it, when you performed that 2nd backup. It’s also good practice to save some older backups… if you get infected by malware for example, it’s often not immediately apparent, so you may have to go back to before that infection happened. Another situation that I’ve experienced, was an Intel graphics driver had been updated a few times, but the newest version was incompatible with a new version of Windows 10. The only way I could get the device to work was to restore a 1-2-year-old backup with an older driver version that was no longer available.
If you right click on a drive letter in Windows Explorer, and then click properties, the amount of disk spaced shown as used in that partition will be slightly more than the average image backup archive for that partition. It won’t take all that many backup archives to fill up the hard disk where you store those archives. One way to deal with that is to delete some of those archives… if you backup once a month, after say 6 months you might delete every other backup archive, or maybe everything but the 1st & last.
Many image backup apps give you options for incremental &/or differential backups, as well as excluding some files &/or folders. Those 1st two can save disk space because a backup will only store what’s new since the previous backup, but the price is that it takes time to determine what’s new and what’s not, and a 2nd backup only works if the previous backup is intact and available [when the prior backup is on another drive this obviously won’t work]. Excluding files &/or folders from a backup also increases the amount of time it takes, because rather than just copying raw data, the software must translate files and folders to the raw data they consist of, and then just copy that portion. Some image backup software advertises that backups happen in the background, while you continue to use the device normally. It’s rare, but errors copying data do happen, usually when or because Windows is doing something else at the same time, so it *might* be better to avoid image backup apps using that feature.
Many image backup apps also let you schedule backups, which can be good because that’s one less thing you have to bother with, but it’s not the most efficient approach. Windows changes when Microsoft issues new patches, and assuming nothing changes about the hardware, that’s the only time Windows changes, so you can have however many backups taking up valuable storage where the only meaningful difference is the malware pattern image for security software. Windows updates are released on the afternoon of the 2nd Tuesday of the month, but that doesn’t mean every copy of Windows on every device gets updated that afternoon, especially if there’s a problem with that update – there too often are. The 2nd [and sometimes a 3rd & 4th] Windows update of the month does not come on a regular schedule, while driver and other software updates happen when they happen. While a case could be made for backing up every day if you get the GOTD every day, most people don’t – the best use of backup scheduling *may* be to set a backup to occur the evening or overnight or the next morning after software has changed, e.g. after a Windows update.
Restoring an image backup generally puts stuff back the way it was, so if you restore a complete disk image backup that includes everything needed to start & run Windows, it should work just like the original, even if you restored that backup to a new drive. One reason I use the word “Generally”, is that you usually perform a disk or partition image backup saving just the raw data, or you can save everything, including storage that’s listed as free space – that’s what you’d do if you want to run file recovery operations after restoring that backup to another drive partition. Another reason for using the word “Generally” is that data can be spread all over a partition on a conventional hard drive, while the restored backup will usually start at the beginning, writing data until there’s no more data to write, so everything will be consolidated towards the start of the drive. And finally, I use the word “Generally” because some disk image backup software may modify the boot files [e.g. Paragon] when you restore a backup – that’s usually OK but may sometimes break things, e.g. with NVMe SSDs.
Who should backup, why?...
If you use Windows 10, don’t have much software installed, can easily reinstall that software, and your device [PC, laptop, tablet etc.] uses very common hardware components, so that needed drivers are in Microsoft’s database, a good argument could be made for simply reinstalling Windows 10 plus your software if there’s ever a need. Restoring a disk image backup *might* take a little less time, but if you include the time spent regularly creating backups and add in the cost of added storage for those backups, just reinstalling Windows 10 can make good sense. You will need the setup files for Windows 10 & any software, so it would be good to keep those reasonably handy. Unfortunately there’s no easy, sure fire way [AFAIK] to tell if the minimum drivers needed for Windows to start will be available when you run Windows setup – the only advice I can give is to search [Google] for other people using the same hardware that have tried, and successfully installed Windows fresh on an identical device.
Windows 10 also has the option of repairing a Windows 10 installation, accessed through an IMHO convoluted process to get to the proper boot menu, which will also just appear if trying to start Windows fails several times. Repairing Windows 10 may or may not work, and may or may not work very well – my personal opinion is that it’s more of a last-ditch effort for those unprepared for disaster, and it may take as long or longer than a reinstall or restoring an image backup, but won’t have the guaranteed results either of those solutions provides.
If you’ve got lots of software installed, and particularly if you can’t reinstall a good portion of it [GOTD], image backups make good sense. If the device has less common hardware components, you may never be able to find drivers for it, and worst case, may never be able to install a fresh or new copy of Windows, so that’s a great reason to perform image backups. If you’re using Windows 7 or 8, the number of updates you’ll need to install after reinstalling Windows is yet another reason image backups make sense.
What to backup…
A Windows device uses one or more hard disks [while more-or-less official, “hard disk” may not be the best term, since it can be a regular, conventional hard drive, an SSD, USB stick or drive, eMMC storage etc.]. Each hard disk has at least one partition – a partition has tables listing where all the data making up the stored files is physically located and is necessary to use a hard disk with Windows. A Windows installation includes one partition that holds Windows itself, and at the bare minimum that’s all that’s necessary. The average installed copy of Windows 10 has one FAT32 partition with the boot files on a GPT formatted drive, a 16 MB partition used by the system, a Windows partition, and a 500 MB Recovery partition with the very basics to run Windows Recovery Environment.
You should have an image backup including those partitions needed for Windows to run, e.g. the 4 listed above for Windows 10. Once you have that, normally only the Windows partition will change, until the next major version update of Windows 10 anyway, so that’s the partition you want to make sure gets backed up regularly. That said, it’s usually *just a little bit* easier to just back up the entire disk if it’s just got those 4 partitions on it. If you have additional partitions on the main or additional hard disks, those should be backed up every time the data stored on them changes, but it’s up to you how strict you are at obeying that rule, for example: I use a separate partition to store GOTD games, and I also store a 7-zipped copy of the individual game folders whenever I download and install one. It takes little time to copy games to that partition, so I won’t back it up until I’ve added at least a half dozen or so games.
Restoring Image Backups…
You cannot replace files that are currently being used by a running copy of Windows. If Windows is broken but still runs, e.g. a bad graphics driver was installed, many image backup apps, e.g. Macrium Reflect [free or paid], give you the option to copy the files needed for a mini version of Windows [WinPE] to the hard disk, along with a minimal version of the backup software. In that case when you restart the device [reboot] this copy of WinPE starts [rather than Windows], the backup software starts, the backup you chose will be restored, and then the system is restarted so that Windows can start normally. Some image backup apps, e.g. Macrium, will let you add those same files to the hard disk proactively, so they’re there if/when you need them – that way you don’t have to wait for those files to be copied, &/or you can go [boot] directly into that copy of WinPE to restore a backup if Windows will not start. The obvious Gotcha to having those files on the hard disk is that if that hard disk should fail, you can’t use them to restore a backup to a new hard disk. AFAIK every image backup app lets you create a bootable USB stick or drive with WinPE files and a minimal copy of the backup software, and some will let you create an ISO file to burn to DVD.
Booting to or starting WinPE doesn’t always work with WinPE on the hard disk, and more often fails with WinPE on a USB stick or DVD, so it’s critically important to test that with any image backup software, and yes, that includes Windows built-in backup. The first step is knowing how to boot WinPE using your choice of hard disk, USB stick or drive, or DVD. Next is testing to see if it works. If it does not, some backup software will let you change how that copy of WinPE is configured, so you can try that, or you can just try using another brand of backup software. There are several things that you can do experimenting & troubleshooting if you want, but in my experience the success rate is likely going to be less than 50%. If you can add a 2.5” SSD to a desktop PC, a $20 SSD running a copy of Windows 10 with a full copy of your backup software [and not much else] can be a convenient alternative. And some software, e.g. AOMEI Backupper, still includes the option of creating a Linux-based bootable USB stick, which may help with some [but by no means all] devices.
Booting into WinPE…
If you have your backup software install WinPE to the hard disk, it’ll either be added to a boot menu you’ll see whenever you start the device, or it’ll have a hotkey or key combo that you press when the device is starting up after being completely turned off – not sleeping or hibernating. Otherwise, to start WinPE on a USB stick or drive, or on an optical disc, you’ll have to change the boot order, either bringing up a boot order menu when the device is starting from a power off condition, usually by pressing a hot key, or changing the boot order in the BIOS. To get into the BIOS setup you’ll usually press a hotkey when the device is starting [again from power off], but some devices use a special button -- rarely you must go through Windows own boot menu, which you can also get to through Windows 10, but that gives you no options if the hard disk fails, which I think is why it’s so rare. You’ll have to check the device’s documentation to find out about the hot keys to use etc. – it varies by brand & model.
Every brand & model of Windows device has a unique BIOS, which is a chip that runs stored programming code, and the GUI you’ll see will vary from one device to the next. Some will let you use a mouse, but most require a keyboard. It ties all the components together, and it also starts the Windows boot loader, which in turn starts Windows. The boot order is the order in which all connected storage devices are checked, looking for a boot loader -- the BIOS will start the first boot loader it finds. So to start WinPE on a USB stick or drive, or on an optical disc, the BIOS must check that USB stick or drive or CD/DVD *before* it checks and find the boot loader Windows normally uses, meaning that USB stick or drive or optical disc has to be first in the boot order list.
Usually the BIOS has a separate tab where you’ll find the boot order listing. If you’re running Windows 10 there may be an additional wrinkle to setting the boot order… In some cases, Windows 10 will replace that boot order list with a single entry for the Windows 10 boot loader, so there’s nothing [no list] for you to choose from. Normally there’s an option in the BIOS settings, usually on that same tab or page of settings, to restore the BIOS defaults, and that should bring back the full list of storage devices or drives. Once you’ve changed the boot order you must save the new BIOS settings, which is usually a separate step on a separate tab. Once you save the BIOS settings the device will normally restart.
Once you change the boot order in the BIOS, it may go back to the way it was, e.g. just showing Windows 10 boot loader, on its own. Or the BIOS might keep the new boot order, and you have the option to change it back when you’re done – if you never start the device with a USB stick plugged in or a disc in the optical drive, it can be convenient to leave the new boot order in effect, saving you the hassle of changing the boot order in the future if you ever need to.
Problems starting WinPE…
Before getting into the more complicated: “why doesn’t it work?”, the WinPE USB sticks & drives, as well as the optical discs backup software can create, can include Windows Legacy boot loader, Windows UEFI boot loader, or both – try it all 3 ways as necessary. [Note: AOMEI Backupper only lets you set one or the other]. The free HWiNFO app can tell you if your device boots [starts] using UEFI or Legacy mode – matching that can be a good place to start. - neowin[.]net/news/hwinfo-612 - If you’re only concerned with booting one device, try having both boot loaders installed, and if that fails, try one or the other. If you’ve got a few or more devices it can often be best to create two USB sticks, one Legacy & one UEFI, and if one doesn’t work, use the other. Now the “why” things sometimes get iffy…
All BIOS used to be hard coded using special programming – this is now called Legacy mode. Newer devices can use a UEFI mode, but they often also have a non-standardized compatibility mode, where the BIOS acts as if it’s an older, legacy mode BIOS. There are two versions of Windows boot loader, one for Legacy BIOS and one for UEFI BIOS, and the BIOS must find and use the one it can work with. It would seem to make sense to include both types of Windows boot loaders on the USB stick or drive [they coexist just fine] but having both available confuses some BIOS. Also, the BIOS may change into compatibility or UEFI mode when it finds a Windows boot loader on a USB stick or drive -- optical discs often cause the BIOS to use its compatibility mode. The BIOS may have compatibility vs. UEFI mode settings available, but those settings may only work to varying degrees [where what you set is not what you get]. That all can make booting WinPE on a removable storage device [USB stick] unpredictable.
Another thing that complicates using a USB stick or drive is that not all USB sticks or drives can be bootable, and there are some devices that just don’t like some brands/models of USB sticks or drives. If nothing works, try another USB stick, or two or three. Complicating things further, some of the USB ports on your device may work while others may not, so try them all if necessary. Using a USB hub may cause booting to a USB stick or drive to not work. The bootable USB sticks/drives & optical discs that one backup app creates are also very different from those created by a different app, so if you can’t get things working, try changing image backup software. Some Are better than others -- that’s one area where Macrium Reflect really shines, and one reason their free version is so popular.
If the image backup software lets you create an ISO, or you create one based on its bootable CD/DVDs, one option if its USB sticks don’t work, is to *try* using the free Rufus to create its own format bootable USB stick using that ISO. Many image backup apps give you the option to download the files needed for the official Microsoft version of WinPE – otherwise they’ll usually base their boot.wim file on what’s stored by some versions of Windows for its Recovery Environment. With Windows 10 that boot.wim is usually stored on a separate Recovery partition. When you boot to a WinPE USB stick/drive it normally creates a RAM drive [a virtual hard disk in memory], using Windows and any other software files stored in a boot.wim file. A .wim file is an image file format developed by Microsoft that works a bit like a .zip file. Microsoft tools expand the individual files in a .wim file so they’re all available in a single folder. You can copy/paste files to and from that folder, and you can save the changes you make by compressing everything back into a .wim file. [It’s sometimes possible to take the WinPE compatible version of a backup app out of its .wim packaging, and/or add it to the files that will be compressed into a new boot.wim file.]
The potential advantages of downloading & using the fuller WinPE vary from one brand of backup software to the next, because the portion of the downloaded files that are actually used varies, and because the options you’re given to configure WinPE using those downloaded files varies too. Based on my own experience I wouldn’t go through the extra bother unless after trying different brands of backup software you weren’t able to find one that worked without the extra download.
Microsoft has done an awful lot of work designing its WinPE to work on all sorts of hardware, but the USB sticks/drives created by many brands of backup apps have lots of WinPE-related stuff missing. You can create a WinPE USB stick or ISO using Microsoft’s Windows ADK, and a backup app *might* run after booting to it. If you can get the files for the minimal copy of the backup app that’s normally added to their USB sticks, e.g. AOMEI Backupper has them all in a convenient folder in the program’s folder, you might be able to run that after booting to a WinPE USB stick you made. However, the backup app might or might not be activated when you run it that way.
Image Backup Software Extra or Special Features…
Support for Linux and Apple file systems and drives varies from one disk/partition image backup app to the next, so if this is something you must have, research first. Support for BitLocker and backing up & restoring removable drives also varies. Some backup apps let you work with partitions, e.g. resizing, but it’s normally nothing that can’t be handled with the AOMEI partitioning app that’s regularly given away. Some image backup apps like Paragon and Macrium let you work to an extent with VHDs [Virtual Hard Disks] and VMs [Virtual Machines] – most people won’t need or use this sort of thing. And some image backup apps have tools for Windows Migration [Note that AOMEI includes these tools with its partitioning app rather than its backup software].
When you take an installed copy of Windows and copy it as-is to a different device, or after upgrading the motherboard and CPU in a desktop PC, it’s called Migrating Windows. Prior to Windows 10 it normally wouldn’t work, because the drivers Windows used to talk to the hardware were the wrong ones. Migration tools generally go into the registry for that copy of Windows, deleting most references to the hardware drivers needed to start Windows, so Windows 7 and 8 would look for and [hopefully] install the drivers that were needed. You’d run those tools from the software’s bootable USB stick, or if you were moving a copy of Windows to a VM, use the regular app. And whether it worked or not was a coin flip, a 50/50 chance where Windows might be screwed up enough that you’d be better off installing a fresh copy. Unlike earlier versions, Windows 10 recognizes if the installed drivers don’t match the hardware and will try to install the correct drivers on its own, without the user having to do anything. That *usually* works, and the next time Windows 10 is upgraded to a new build, most leftovers will be dropped from the new version.
Windows 7 is at EOF [End Of Life], while Microsoft doesn’t include or supply Windows 7 drivers for new hardware [hasn’t for a while now], and if you manage to get things working, Windows Update is turned off unless you add a hack. So I don’t imagine migration tools will interest a lot of people, since few will even try to run Windows 7 on a new device. But, there’s an exception… A newer type of SSD, called NVMe is becoming more common, and while Windows itself has no problems with these new drives, settings for Windows boot loader must be changed. You either install Windows fresh to a NVMe drive, or use migration tools which hopefully can also correct the boot loader.