A disk image allows you to restore your entire system, not just files and folders. Windows 10 had a tool that allows you to create system image files that you can use to backup and restore your computer.
Even if you have good data recovery software installed on your computer, it’s still a good idea to schedule and create regular backups of your important data.
While you can use backup software like DataNumen Backup to create backups of the important data and files on your hard drive, you might want to consider taking a disk image instead.
Why take a disk image?
A disk image doesn’t just copy important files, it takes a snapshot of your entire hard drive. This means it also copies the programs and systems settings.
So if your hard drive crashes for some reason, you can use it to restore your system to how it was when the image was taken. No more downloading and installing of any additional programs and no more tweaking of settings. You can restore your system and your files and start working again right away.
Taking system image backups in Windows 10
Windows 10 allows you to create system image backups with their System Image Backup tool. To use it, follow these steps:
1. Find the Systems Image Backup tool by going to “Start” and typing “backup” in the search bar.
2. You should see a match that says “Backup and Restore”, click on it.
3. The Backup and Restore window should open. There should be an option that says “Create a system image”. Click on it.
4. The tool will begin to scan for an external drive. Select the drive you want the image to be saved on.
5. Click “Next”.
6. A new window will open, asking you which drives you want to be included in the backup image. We recommend that first just create an image of the system drive, than create separate images of your other drives.
7. Select the drive to be backed up than press Next.
8. Click “Start Backup”
9. A window called “Create a system image” will open that will show a status bar as your backup is being created, wait for it to finish. This could take an hour or more, depending on how much data is on the drive.
10. When the backup has been made, another message box will open. This one will ask if you want to create a system repair disc. This will be what you can use to restore your system. Click “Yes”.
11. Select the drive you want the system repair disc to be created in and click “Create Disk”.
Why should you get a disk image program?
Despite Windows providing the System Image Backup tool, we still recommend that you find another disk imaging program.
The reason you want another disk imaging program is that the system image backups that Windows will create cannot be used to restore your system on a different computer. So if the reason that your computer crashed is hard drive failure, you won’t be able to use the disk image because your hard drive is now unusable.
Using DataNumen Disk Image, on the other hand creates disk images of your system that you can open and use to restore you system either on the original drive or on a different drive.
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