So you spent days waiting for the RTM to be released and now you finally have it installed, only to find that the old Windows 7 backup tool is no longer there. Sure Windows 8 and 8.1 has the recovery options. But, IMO there is nothing like a good old image backup. After all, once you have all your apps, settings, and your 8.1 RTM system set up and activated just the way you like it, why risk having to do it all over again. Creating an image file freezes that moment in time, so you can restore your system back to that perfect state when all was well with your system. It’s pretty simple in Windows 8.1 RTM Open Admin Command Prompt or Powershell Enter: wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical –quiet Replace “E” with your target drive (Where you want to save your image file) Hit enter, sit back and know all is well. You can restore your computer using a Windows installation disc or a system repair disc. Thanks to user antifriz for this: I've tested it and it seems to work just like the command line but with an interface. Excellent find...
I use HDClone 4.2 for to create an Image of the whole HDD which take about 15-20min after my full installation of Windows and the all times needed applications are done and place that HDD Image on an external Storage. In that case I have have an fully working system back in an very short time even if the Master HDD is dead. The Data I backup with 3.party Backup Apps.
Thanks gdg, very nice contribution! I wasn't aware that win8.1 had anything useful left in it on this front.
I use easeus back up version 6.0 as it excellent as I did try restored Windows 7, Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1 with no problem at all.
For UEFI with GPT, there are 4 partitions for windows installation that need to be backed up: Recovery, EFI partition, MSR partition and C: partition. Some of the partitions listed have no drive letter. In this case, do you know a way to back up the partition without a drive letter? This question is for you and the op and anyone else who has UEFI with GPT, because with DISM or powershell comdlet I don't know a way to back up partitions without a drive letter.
For Windows 7, I always used the back up and restore built in Windows, no 3rd party software and all is OK. Now, I like this way in Windows 8.1. Thanks gdg for this
Correct me if I'm wrong, But doesn't this command work in the elevated Windows PowerShell instead of the Command Prompt?
Shouldn't matter. Also this feature is a Vista feature, in Windows 8 it has been outphased in favor for recimg.exe, it's not a image backup but it will instead create a .wim (smaller) with all your files/settings but Modern applications wil not be backed-up but being re-used if you refresh or reset with that image.
Yes, recimg is the preferable way of restoring the system for the usual cases, But the system image is more useful if you have to do a bare metal restore (i.e. On a completely new formatted Drive), or if the startup files are corrupted (i.e. the system can't boot at all)