System Image Backups in Onedrive

Question

Hello Everyone, 

This Question has been asked before but always shot down. I'm bringing it up again because its worth talking about now. 

internet speeds accross the world have come up in general. data limits are being lifted/raised and the ONLY embedded system image backup tool in windows 10 is slated for depreciation. We The People need a solution we can rely on.

I propose a solution. Please upvote this if you want the devs to see it.

OneDrive is now capable of redirecting your desktop, documents, and pictures folders into OneDrive. Great, but no system image if my HDD fails. 

Windows 10 system image backup uses a volume shadow copy technic to backup to a physical hdd. if you setup the (windows 7 backup) solution and opt to create a system image. this has been great but useless because its not automatic. you have to manually create a new system image every time you want to update it. 

DEVS: 

Can we create a system that uploads an initial system image to the users onedrive account (selectable at the time of backup creation) (with onedrive personal and onedrive for business as options) and use volume shadow copy to create the initial and upload it then schedule future update processes to  "update" the image with new updates like an online backup recovery partition? 

one way to restore it could be adding that functionality into the system restore on the windows 10 install media to check online for a system image recovery. 

Microsoft 365 is cheap storage for the general masses in both personal and business uses.

the backup should be encrypted and use the same key for the encryption as the drive is already encrypted with.

you dont have to make the backup visible to onedrive (just like the encryption key) but that could be a feature in the future. 

we can already backup a lot of data quickly as i have done COUNTLESS times to OneDrive. its a viable solution now. and i say it needs to be implemented.

THIS TOPIC DEMANDS ATTENTION!

i have seen my customers wiped out completely due to no easy-to-manage solution to backup their data. we can even make setting this up part of the OOBE so users dont have to think about it once they set it up. (except to keep paying for the onedrive storage and make sure they are connected to the internet at the time of the selected schedule for backing up)

what do you guys think. ideas to expound on? features the devs can implement? data loss is an epidemic. we need a built in solution that is easy to manage. i think this will start the much needed conversation to create a new tool that will do this.

Answer 1

I've been using the free version of Macrium Reflect to external hard drives for years without any problems.  That just works and works perfectly for me, so I say it's not broken and I see no need to try to fix it with another approach.  Also I'm not a big fan of the cloud.

Answer 2

I have to agree with Hula_Baloo. Not a fan of the cloud when it comes to important data.

Heard many good reports of Macrium, even the freebie, however my personal choice has always been Acronis. I do have the option to save to cloud, but seriously, my backup images can run over 50GB and even with a 600Mbps line, I prefer to use a combo of spare internal drive and external drives.

As 20H2 is nearing completion, basically 20H1 with all the bugs fixed, will probably run a total clean install starting fresh on my main. Will take me several days to install everything but well worth it. Mainly use image backups for any data I may miss on backup as I store most data on secondary drives. There are the odd programs that insist on storing to C:\Drive regardless of moving Documents to secondary drives.

About the only time I would use an image recovery is during the summer in an emergency situation. Winters in Canada can be brutal so have all the time in the world to start fresh with clean installs. Great way to clear out programs never used anymore and all the junk that collects over time, for example all the CU's, version upgrades, etc. It's like getting a new system again.

@1mn0tjack,

Suggest that you post this in FBH as a suggestion, if enough users agree, as it is a good idea (not so for me) perhaps MS could consider this option. Good luck.

Regards,

Answer 3

I agree for some reason I don't want to put my stuff on a remote server which is located and access by who knows.

Answer 4

Hello Everyone, 

This Question has been asked before but always shot down. I'm bringing it up again because its worth talking about now. 

internet speeds accross the world have come up in general. data limits are being lifted/raised and the ONLY embedded system image backup tool in windows 10 is slated for depreciation. We The People need a solution we can rely on.

I propose a solution. Please upvote this if you want the devs to see it.

OneDrive is now capable of redirecting your desktop, documents, and pictures folders into OneDrive. Great, but no system image if my HDD fails. 

Windows 10 system image backup uses a volume shadow copy technic to backup to a physical hdd. if you setup the (windows 7 backup) solution and opt to create a system image. this has been great but useless because its not automatic. you have to manually create a new system image every time you want to update it. 

DEVS: 

Can we create a system that uploads an initial system image to the users onedrive account (selectable at the time of backup creation) (with onedrive personal and onedrive for business as options) and use volume shadow copy to create the initial and upload it then schedule future update processes to  "update" the image with new updates like an online backup recovery partition? 

one way to restore it could be adding that functionality into the system restore on the windows 10 install media to check online for a system image recovery. 

Microsoft 365 is cheap storage for the general masses in both personal and business uses.

the backup should be encrypted and use the same key for the encryption as the drive is already encrypted with.

you dont have to make the backup visible to onedrive (just like the encryption key) but that could be a feature in the future. 

we can already backup a lot of data quickly as i have done COUNTLESS times to OneDrive. its a viable solution now. and i say it needs to be implemented.

THIS TOPIC DEMANDS ATTENTION!

i have seen my customers wiped out completely due to no easy-to-manage solution to backup their data. we can even make setting this up part of the OOBE so users dont have to think about it once they set it up. (except to keep paying for the onedrive storage and make sure they are connected to the internet at the time of the selected schedule for backing up)

what do you guys think. ideas to expound on? features the devs can implement? data loss is an epidemic. we need a built in solution that is easy to manage. i think this will start the much needed conversation to create a new tool that will do this.

you said it

Answer 5

hi-speed internet is not as widespread as you think yet. I am not in a rural area or small town, but am stuck with a 6Mbps internet plan. It really sucks, but it's the maximum available for where I live.