Windows 11 backup and restore using Windows 7 backup and restore option.

Question

have a new laptop with win 11 home . I disabled one drive (the cloud) as much as I could because I don't want my personal information in the cloud. I want to use the windows 7 backup option and I did a system image backup to an external HDD. I want to create a restore DVD and use it to do a system restore if necessary. I want to restore my computer from the system image on my external HDD. How do I do that?

Answer 1

I forgot to mention that Windows 7 System Image backup on Windows 11 does not support external hard drives formatted in exFAT format. Also the The Windows 7 System Image recovery utility does not recognize external hard drives larger than 2TB. The Windows 7 System image backup tool allows you to use external hard drives larger than 2 TB. Before a system recovery just copy the backup files to the "/WindowsImageBackup/<PC-Name>" directory on a 2TB or smaller external drive. This is assuming that your backup will fit on the smaller external hard drive.

The Windows 7 System Image Backup utility overwrites existing image backup files. If you want to keep different snapshots of your computer, you need to archive the system image backups to a different directory.

Please note that you do not need an external DVD drive to do a full system image recovery. The repair/recovery DVD is used when you can not access the recovery tools in Windows 11. IE. Your Primary Boot drive failed and you are installing a new HDD/SSD drive.

In Windows 10/11, you can create a recovery drive (USB Stick) to replace the recovery DVD.

Just do a web search on "Windows 11 create a recovery drive" for instructions. The USB Key should be at least 16 GB and the creation tool will erase anything on the USB stick.

To Boot from the Recovery USB Stick, Just do a web search on "how to use a windows 11 recovery drive" for

instructions.

Answer 2

Hello,

There are two easy ways to do this, with the first option using Control Panel, the second option using WinRE.

The first option is to go to the Control Panel, and then once Control Panel opens, immediately under System and Security is "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)". Click that, and then under "Restore", the WIM file that was backed up to your external hard drive should be there. If it isn't, push "Select another backup to restore files from", and if prompted by UAC, push yes, and then select the WIM file that you backed up to your computer.

The second option is to use WinRE. To go to WinRE, simply push the power button in the Start Menu, and push Restart while pushing the Shift key. If this was executed correctly, there should be spinning dots that say "Please wait" below it. Once WinRE pops up, push Troubleshoot, then "See more options", then push the option that says, "System Image Recovery". Once the dialog box pops up, select the WIM file that you backed your stuff onto (if it's not there already), and then follow the prompts there.

Let me know how this goes and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Answer 3

Thanks for replying to me question. It sounds like the Windows 7 Backup and Restore will work for me. Fortunately, I don't have a need for the Restore option at this time. As soon as I get an external DVD drive, I will make a System Restore Disk. I do want to know how to do a restore for future possibilities ... Robert

Answer 4

Hello,

To make a system image backup, you would follow the above steps to get to the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) page, and then on the left hand side will be a button that says, "Create a system image". Push that button, and then a window should pop up., and then follow the steps in the window.

Hope to hear back from you.

Answer 5

Please note the Windows 7 Full System Image recovery is not part of the control panel (Windows 7 Backup and Recovery tool) in Windows 11. You need to go into Windows 11 "settings" ( Left Mouse click on Windows start icon ). Under the "System" tab go to and select "Recovery" option. In the Recovery screen under "Advanced Startup" select "Restart Now" . On the Restart Screen select "Troubleshoot" option , then select "Advanced Options", then select "See more recovery options". Select System Image Recovery. This will allow you to select a system image backup file on an external Hard Drive.

Please note that Windows 7 System Image backup slows down each time you use it. This is due to the backup utility creating recovery points on your backup drive. To fix this go into the Windows Control Panel. Select View by "Large Icons" select "Recovery". In the Recovery screen select "Configure System Restore". In the Systems Properties window select your External Hard drive in the "Protection Settings Windows" then click on "Configure". Disable System Protection. Then delete all restore points on this drive by clicking on the "Delete" tab. Current Usage should show 0 bytes. Also you should defrag and optimize your external hard drive using "Windows Tools" in the control panel. The option to do this in Windows Tools is the "Defragment and Optimize Drives" tool. I do this cleanup after 3 - 5 System Image Backups to maintain optimum performance. Backup speed is 20-30 minutes per 100 GB on a USB 3.0 external HDD. Please note that all instructions are for Windows 11 Home.