Create a Windows 10 Image: Backup Your PC Before Upgrading
Preparing for Windows 10: Creating a System Image Backup
The release of Windows 10 represents the most extensive and ambitious deployment of a Windows operating system yet undertaken. Prior to upgrading, it is strongly recommended to create an image of your hard drive.
This precaution ensures that, if desired, a return to a previous operating system – such as Windows 7 or Windows 8 – can be accomplished easily.
Understanding System Image Backups
This guide provides instructions for generating a sector-by-sector backup, also known as a disk image, of your existing Windows system drive.
This image allows for a complete restoration of your computer to its previous state. It’s a vital step for a smooth transition.
If your goal is to directly copy your entire disk to a new hard drive – a process called disk cloning – a different tutorial is available.
Alternative: Disk Cloning
For those interested in duplicating their disk onto a new hard drive, we offer a comprehensive guide titled: How to Upgrade Your Existing Hard Drive in Under an Hour.
This alternative method facilitates a direct transfer of your operating system and data to a new storage device.
Creating a system image provides a safety net, allowing you to revert to your previous setup if the upgrade to Windows 10 doesn't meet your expectations.
The Importance of Pre-Upgrade System Imaging
Few experiences are more frustrating than implementing a significant PC modification only to discover it disrupts your established workflow. This could manifest as incompatibility with essential older applications or, in severe cases, complete system failure due to unsupported drivers after an operating system upgrade.
Throughout the years, we have detailed numerous methods utilizing Windows' built-in utilities for creating snapshots, backups, and facilitating system restoration to previous configurations. However, when undertaking a substantial shift, such as migrating from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10, relying solely on snapshots and rollback features is insufficient.
A more robust solution is required: the ability to perform a complete, clean wipe of the drive and restore it precisely to its pre-upgrade condition. This necessitates creating a drive image – a perfect, unaltered copy of the system before the upgrade commences.
This image serves as a reliable fallback, unaffected by any subsequent changes made to the computer. Even if drives are formatted or Windows 10 is used for an extended period and ultimately disliked, the image allows for a seamless return to the original system state.
Why Imaging is Crucial
The significance of this step cannot be overstated. Utilizing freely available tools, the process incurs no cost beyond the potential need for additional storage for the image file. Furthermore, the time investment is minimal, particularly when contrasted with the complexities of reinstalling the previous Windows version and reconfiguring all settings.
Creating a system image provides a safety net, ensuring a swift and complete recovery should the upgrade prove problematic. It’s a proactive measure that safeguards your data and minimizes potential downtime.
Here’s a breakdown of the benefits:
- Complete System Backup: Captures the entire drive, including the operating system, applications, and data.
- Independent of System Changes: The image remains untouched by any modifications made after its creation.
- Fast Restoration: Allows for a quick return to the previous system state.
- Cost-Effective: Utilizes free tools and requires minimal investment.
By taking the time to image your drive before upgrading, you are proactively mitigating risk and ensuring a smoother, more secure transition to the new operating system.
Essential Requirements for Drive Imaging
As previously mentioned, this process is entirely free of charge, barring the potential need for an extra internal or external hard drive to store the disk image. To effectively follow this guide, ensure you have the following items readily available:
- The computer you intend to back up.
- A copy of Macrium Reflect Free, which can be downloaded from their official website.
- A hard drive – either internal or external – possessing sufficient storage capacity to accommodate the entire contents of the drive you plan to image.
- A USB drive, with a minimum capacity of 1GB, to be utilized as a restoration drive.
Several considerations should be noted before we begin. This procedure doesn't involve cloning your Windows drive to a new, bootable drive. Therefore, a completely blank drive or one that can be wiped is not necessary.
Any available drive with adequate space can be used, provided it can hold the disk image. For instance, a 2TB external drive already containing several hundred gigabytes of photos can still be used to back up your Windows disk image without jeopardizing your existing photo collection or other data.
While having enough space for the entire drive is recommended, it’s likely your disk isn’t completely full. Furthermore, compression techniques will often reduce the image size. During testing, a 100GB SSD, with 75GB of data utilized, resulted in a compressed image of only 50GB.
However, it’s prudent to plan as if a 1:1 space ratio is required, and then consider any space savings a pleasant surprise. Before moving forward, collect all necessary materials and download and install Macrium Reflect Free.
Generating Rescue Media for System Restoration
Due to the fact that we will be working with the system drive, creating rescue media is essential for a successful drive restoration process. This is because the system drive cannot be used simultaneously for both operation and reloading the system image.
Furthermore, well-prepared rescue media can prove incredibly useful when troubleshooting potential issues that may arise in the future.
When you are prepared to generate your restoration media, initiate Macrium Reflect and select "Other Tasks" then "Create Rescue Media" from the file menu, as illustrated above.
The Rescue Wizard provides substantial assistance, guiding you through the selection of optimal rescue media and automatically downloading and installing the necessary files from Microsoft.
The initial step within the wizard involves verifying that you have the correct version of Windows PE. The system automatically identifies the version of Windows on which the rescue media is being created.
It is recommended that the rescue media utilizes a Windows PE version that shares the same kernel base as the backup version.
If you are backing up a Windows 7 system prior to upgrading to Windows 10, Windows PE 3.1 (based on the Windows 7 kernel) is the appropriate choice. For upgrades from Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 10, Windows PE 5.0 is recommended.
While PE 4.0 is an option, it offers fewer features compared to PE 5.0, and its specialized use cases are limited and not relevant to this tutorial. To modify the PE version, click the "Change PE Version" button at the bottom of the wizard screen.
Proceed by clicking "Next" and then confirm the drivers list. The media intelligently retrieves required drivers, such as USB 3.0 host drivers, from the host Windows installation by default. Click "Next" again.
Ensure that the "PE Architecture" aligns with your machine's specifications; it should default to the correct setting. Most recent computers (manufactured within the last few years) are typically 64-bit.
If you are uncertain, you can learn more about the differences between 64-bit and 32-bit Windows, and how to determine your system's configuration, in our article, HTG Explains: What's the Difference Between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows?
Click "Next" and you will be prompted to authorize a download from Microsoft, which is typically around 500MB in size.
After the files from Microsoft have finished downloading, you will reach the final stage of the Rescue Media Wizard. Carefully select your USB drive; while the recovery media creation process does not format the drive, it does place numerous files onto the disk and makes minor alterations that will need to be reversed.
Once the process is complete, it is safe to eject the recovery disk. You will not need it again until the time comes to restore your system.
Creating a Disk Clone of Your Windows System
This stage of the guide is performed on your computer prior to initiating the Windows 10 installation. To reiterate, as many users may not frequently utilize disk imaging software, this process must be completed on your machine before starting the Windows 10 upgrade.
This is an opportune moment to perform some final system maintenance. Delete unnecessary files, utilize CCleaner to remove obsolete temporary data, and uninstall applications you no longer require.
Once you are prepared to generate an exact replica of your disk in a clean state, initiate Macrium Reflect. Within the main window, navigate to the left-hand panel and select "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore Windows," as illustrated in the image below.
This action will automatically launch the Disk Image dialogue box, pre-selecting only the essential Windows partitions, as shown in the screenshot below.
Several key points should be considered. The tool defaults to selecting only the partitions necessary for Windows to function. The screenshot demonstrates the selection of the system and OS partitions. Partitions like the recovery partition, or others on the primary disk, are not included by default. You can choose to include these if desired.
If preserving the recovery partition or other partitions is not a priority (and it often isn't), leave them unchecked. Conversely, if you wish to include them, ensure they are selected.
Proceed to select the storage location for the image file. A local drive, excluding the operating system drive, or a sufficiently sized removable USB drive is recommended. We opted to store our image on a USB 3.0 drive with ample free space. Click Next, and you will be presented with options to configure a backup plan.
These options can be disregarded. Macrium Reflect, even in its free iteration, features a robust automated backup system, but this is unnecessary for our purpose – a single, one-time backup. Select the "None" template, refrain from setting a schedule, and ensure all options remain unchecked. Click Next to advance.
Review your settings on the final page, verifying that the listed operations align with your previous selections, such as copying the system and Windows disks. Click Finish. On the concluding screen, confirm that "Run this backup now" is checked and then click OK.
Allow Macrium Reflect to create the disk image. The process may take a minimum of 30-60 minutes. Upon completion, you will possess a complete copy of your disk, ready for restoration if needed. Store this image in a secure location!
Reverting to a Previous System State
It’s possible to be fully satisfied with Windows 10 and its functionality. We always aim to ensure users have a positive experience with upgrades, and while Windows 8 received criticism, we found improvements even with a Windows 7 aesthetic. However, not all upgrades are seamless, and issues like instability or driver conflicts can detract from your experience with Windows 10.
In these situations, a rollback procedure utilizing Macrium Reflect and the disk image previously created is necessary. Initially, to prevent potential difficulties, restart your computer and access the BIOS settings. The method for entering the BIOS varies depending on the manufacturer, but is typically achieved by pressing F2 or F11 during startup.
Having a computer capable of booting from USB is insufficient; the boot order must also be verified. We have frequently encountered instances where a boot disk fails because the USB drive option is positioned lower in the boot sequence than the physical hard drive and CD-ROM drive.
Ensuring Proper Boot Order
- Double-check that the USB drive is prioritized in the boot list.
- In some cases, the physical USB drive needs to be connected during BIOS adjustments for proper detection and ordering.
Save the changes and initiate booting from your recovery media.
The recovery media, created earlier in the tutorial, automatically launches the Macrium Reflect recovery software, offering convenience. Upon booting, locate the "Restore" and "Image Restore" tabs, as illustrated below.
If the computer is booted with the hard drive containing the disk image attached—either internally or via USB—it should automatically recognize the image and confirm its compatibility with the target disk. Should automatic detection fail, you can manually browse for the image file.
Select "Browse for an image file" to locate and choose the .MRIMG file created previously. Loading the backup image will then display further details about the file.
Confirming the Image
Verify the image file's correctness by checking its name, drive size, and partition layout. Once confirmed, click "Restore Image" as shown above.
You will then be prompted to select the destination disk for the restoration. Click "Select a disk to restore to..."
Choose the disk with caution. Avoid overwriting secondary data drives; ensure you target the primary system disk. After selecting the disk, click "Copy selected partitions" to initiate the partition restoration process.
It’s worth noting that discrepancies in disk size and partition distribution may be observed in the image. This occurred because the computer used for this tutorial’s steps did not cooperate with our capture tool while running Windows PE. We recreated the sequence in a virtual machine specifically to generate the screenshots for your reference. In scenarios where you are overwriting an existing disk with an older image, the image and the actual hard drive configuration should align.
With the disk selected (and carefully verified), click Next. Review the Restore Summary and Operation list to ensure they match your expectations, then click Finish to begin the restoration.
Upon completion of the restoration process and display of the conclusion summary, the process is finished. Click the shutdown button in the lower-left corner of the restoration interface, remove the USB restoration drive, and confirm your desire to restart. Your computer will then boot back into Windows, restored to its previous state.
A reliable disk image provides the most secure method for system restoration. Before upgrading to Windows 10, dedicate an hour to create a clean disk image, providing a safety net should the upgrade prove unsatisfactory.
