How do I restore from a Win 8.1 WindowsImageBackup file, using Win 11?

Hmmm..... Sorry about not mentioning that I am looking into the VHD link you gave. Will see if that can give me something I can work with.

Thank you for that.

There was NOTHING in the creation of the Image File that said it had this Omission of Use, or I would have tried using Acronis, or some other backup program. Why would I do that, when I thought I had used up a Few Hours, doing what was needed???

I DO have files backed up to 2 or 3 Off pc places. I have Onedrive. I have Google photos. I have 2 external drives (>1tb). NONE of them did backups of my Adobe Photoshop Elements Catalog. Ok... I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF IT!

The laptop even had a "built-in" program, OneKey, which I had used to "Recover" to Factory installed Win 8, when I got the laptop as a Gift. I had created a More Current OneKey backup, but, when my laptop wouldn't startup, and couldn't seem to fix it, I Tried the Recover. Did NOT Work! After pressing the special laptop Start button, and choosing Recovery, and choosing the Onekey option, the program files loaded, then NOTHING. Did NOT Start. I was hoping that running a Windows Recover from a WORKING computer would get me the ability to Find and Copy those files I needed.

In the past, I have copied the Program files to other (similar) systems, then run the original Installs. This would usually keep the Changed files There, and load the rest of the files/links needed for the program(s) to run.

Why doesn't, under Control Panel, the Windows Recover at Least SEE that there ARE Backup files, and "tell" you that these can Only work, from the Same System? Of course you would have to replace the problem drive, and install a Base setup of Windows, to be able to get to the Recovery program.

Do Acronis, or any other company (Microsoft included) have files that Will let the Windows Image Backup be recovered?

But if the Original System can NOT be used Anymore, AND you have an Image Backup that has the Files you NEED to get back, shouldn't you be ABLE to use That Image Backup SOMEHOW to be able to Recover your files??

If I could Recover that Image to Another drive (connected by Usb to my New computer), then I could Browse those Recovered files and get BACK my Documents, program settings, pictures, etc. Isn't THAT WHY there was a BACKUP available to do?

Other backups (Filehistory, OneDrive, etc) that I did, were NOT COMPLETE ENOUGH! They may have made backups of my pictures, documents.... But Catalogs for things like Adobe Elements, Profiles for my E-mail program, files from program folders that had "Yes, I was Purchased" in them.... Did NOT get backed up! They were in Excluded Folders.

Getting the Windows Image Backup to be recovered to an External drive, would have ALL that stuff on it. THAT is the reason Why I did those backups.

So, all I have to do, is PURCHASE ANOTHER similar drive, to the one that Quit. Re-load Win 8.1 on it. Run the Recover, to that drive. Copy over whatever files I have to get. Security Erase that drive, and bring it in for a Refund. As I said, the computer was running Win 8.1, which is No Longer Under Support. The manufacturer of the laptop has NO Win 10 or 11 drivers for that model. It is NOT Win 10 or 11 compatible.

In other words... There is a System Image Backup option, that Backs up the Entire drive, with ALL the information that you want backed up, BUT, you can ONLY Recover from the SAME physical system, if something goes wrong with it???? NO OPTION to Restore from the Backup, when you end up getting a NEW System to replace the one that just Quit.

Said SPOCK: "That is NOT Logical."

I am trying to Restore a Windows Image Backup, created with Win 8.1, to another external drive. I try going to the Advanced Storage and picking Backup/Restore Win 7. I then try to select the Image file to Restore. The list of Found Backups stays BLANK. If I click on Network attached, it just shows a Network button. If I Type in f:\ on the line, I see folders in the F drive, One of which is "WindowsImageBackup". Won't go to Any of those folders. "OK" button stays grayed out. I have to Cancel. I tried Refresh... Just "blips" and Nothing added to the choice window.

Is there a file that I can download from Microsoft that will allow me to SEE AND USE image backups created in Previous versions of Windows?

My Windows OS/Boot disk from my previous pc, Quit on me. I am trying to see if I can Restore my OS volume to an external Usb drive, then search it for the files I need to Recover.

I actually have Two backup files, on Two drives. Get the Same problem with Both. If I type in the Drive letter (e:, f:) the folders On Those Drives Come UP, so the program CAN "see" the drives. Just doesn't want to see that there are backup files there. Looking at the content of those folders, with File Explorer, I don't see any files to Start a Backup/Restore with (.exe).

The Image Backup for Windows 8.1 is to use to load that image backup back onto the original computer where the image backup was made from.

It was to help you if the hard drive failed in that particular device or the file system was damaged beyond repair.