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For many years, I've been used to using Win (7) Backup and Restore, including a system image, and always made a point to create a system repair disc. My understanding is that this lets you boot into an environment where you can do a complete restore (of a hopefully recent system image), etc. using your backup device. Now, most laptops don't come with DVD drives, so how can I create a flash drive version of the system repair disc that includes the utility needed to restore the image, etc. from my backup drive?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Now I'm confused again. First, Create a system repair disc is part of Backup And Restore, where you would then boot from the disc and use it to restore your system from the backup drive. Second, Create a system repair disc does not have a flash drive option. It only creates cd's or dvd's.
Thank you for the reply,
I appreciate your cooperation to help others
Of course you can, It’s a bootable USB drive that gives you access to the same troubleshooting tools as a system repair disc, but also allows you to reinstall Windows if it comes to that. To achieve this, the recovery drive actually copies the system files necessary for reinstallation from your current PC.
I hope this answered your question
Best Regard
Amr
I had customized my backup settings to backup (weekly) everything that is readily subject to change, such as docs, and of course, everything normally covered. Periodically I do 'system image' to make sure I get everything important to Windows. IOTW, outside of any temp directories and anything 'disposable', I want to know that my backup drive has everything. Now in this case, the laptop belongs to my adult daughter, it's a gaming laptop, and she doesn't use a lot of space for personal things.
Getting back to the issue, I'm looking for a recovery USB setup that includes Windows Backup & Restore, so that if the SSD fails and is replaced, I boot off the recovery USB stick, restore, and then reboot normally. Most other backup software and drives I've found don't seem to do this; they assume that you'll reinstall Windows, and then restore your files. Minus the user profiles, drivers, utilities, etc.
Hi,
The question, is if you create a recovery drive, can you boot with it, and find an option to use the Backup & Restore backup with system image I've created on an external drive to restore Windows along with my files? I've got a new, 6tb WD drive that works well with Backup & Restore. But I need to create an equivalent to the System Repair Disk that B&R creates, since I don't have a DVD drive. No doc on the various recovery tools that I've gone through show them being usable to do this.
On a separate note, I appreciate help I get on sites like this, and when I can, I try to help others.
Few laptops come anymore with dvd drives. So no, we can't specify. Plus, this was a warranty replacement; new one has no dvd drive. But that wasn't my question. I asked, if one is using Backup & Restore, there is an option to create a system repair disc, emphasis on disc. It won't let you create such on a flash drive. Now there are flash drive 'recovery' drive options. The question is whether any of these let you access, before reinstalling Windows (say your drive had crashed), Backup & Restore to use the system image and backup on your backup device, and if so, which, and how?
