Creating a Windows System Image

Today we are going to talk about windows, specifically how to take a snapshot of your system at a particular point in time.  It is useful to have a saved image of your system so that in the case of a catastrophic failure you can restore your system to a working state.  For the purpose of this tutorial I am using Windows 7 Home Premium.

Taking an Image

Open up Control Panel and locate Backup and Restore.  Click to open.  Locate Create a System Image which should be at the top left of the screen.  Next you will have to decide where you want to save your image.  Windows will allow you to save to either DVD / CD or an external hard drive.  The best option is the external hard drive.  Once chosen Windows will tell you how much space will be taken up for the image and once you are happy start the backup.

Restoring an Image

You will require a copy of the Windows Installation disk for this.  Boot your computer from the Windows Installation Disk and when prompted choose your language and keyboard.  On the following screen choose Repair Your Computer.  This will take you to System Recovery Options where you need to pick Restore your computer using a system image that you created earlier.  Next step is to choose the image you made and then on the following screen choose Format and Repartition disks.  Finally start the restore.

About the Author

Hi I am Chris the owner of ComTech. I provide IT Support, Laptop repairs and Computer repairs to both personal and business clients in and around Stirling. For a list of what I can offer you why not visit my website www.comtech247.net where you will find my blog, testimonials, services and much more.  Start supporting a local business today so I can start supporting you.

If you found this blog useful then why not sign up to my RSS Feed for news, tutorials, views and general techie stuff!!