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Create a full system backup.



Windows 7, 8 and 10 have a great built in backup program known as 'Backup and Restore'. It creates a backup snapshot of the system, programs and data as it is at time of backup.

Below we'll take you through the process of making the backup.

Before you can make the backup you must have a second drive to store the backup image to.
Note: It will not work if the drive is a second partition of the same drive.


Firstly click on the Start Menu button.
Then click on the cog icon (Settings).

From the Windows Settings Menu, clicking on 'Update & Security'.


Now click on 'Backup' on the left hand side menu.
Choose 'Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).'

A new windows will open. Now click on 'Create a system image'.


Windows will now scan the system looking for possible storage devices.


Choose the right storage device for your needs.
Note: If Windows finds previous backups they will be shown here.
Click next to continue.

Windows will now verify the storage device and whats going to be backed up.
And finally click 'Start backup' to begin the process.

The image file will now be created. The process bar will give you an indication of how long its going to take. The more data there is to backup, the longer this process will take. It can take hours to complete, so be patient.
Note: Make sure Windows doesn't go to sleep during the backup or it may fail to complete successfully.


Once the backup is complete, Windows will ask if you want to create a system repair disk. The choice is yours, if you have a writeable disk and a disk drive.


Close any open Windows as the job is complete.




If you are going to make more than 1 backup, its a good idea to keep your file backup system tidy. Renaming the backups is a great way to keep them organised.

First, open file explorer its usually on the task bar, if not search for it on the start menu.


Now, navigate to the drive you chose to stored your backup. You will see 'WindowsImageBackup' folder, this is your backup image.
Right click on the folder.

From the drop down menu choose 'Rename' and give the folder a new name.
If you are going to keep multiple, add a date so you know which backup is which. Or if you plan to delete old backups after a successful new backup is created just add old to the end of the name. Then when you have your new WindowsImageBackup folder you can delete the old folder.

Thats all there is to creating a backup image. Just remember if you make major changes to your system and you want a full backup, do the backup regularly.