Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Free and built-in into Windows
- Uses frequent VHDX containers
- Backs up your system, person libraries, and inner drives
Cons
- Windows catastrophe restoration options are restricted and unreliable
Our Verdict
While Backup and Restore (Windows 7) creates viable and wonderfully appropriate laborious drive photographs, varied flaws and limitations with the Windows Rescue/Recovery disks render it principally unusable for catastrophe restoration.
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Believe it or not, there’s an efficient drive imaging program built-in into Windows. It’s properly hidden within the legacy Control Panel however it’s there, and it’s known as “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).” No, actually, that’s the identify.
Alas, primarily due to Windows’ unreliable System Repair and Recovery Drive boot discs, but in addition as a result of it gained’t create a system picture to detachable media, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) will not be a very good resolution for catastrophe restoration or OS migration.
Read on to study extra, then see our roundup of the best Windows backup software for comparability.
What are Backup and Restore (Windows 7)’s options?
The first “feature” of Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is its low profile. Most customers don’t even understand it exists. Perhaps Microsoft would moderately you logged on and used Windows Backup to again as much as OneDrive?
To entry Backup and Restore (Windows 7), open the legacy Control Panel app (not Settings), click on on System and Security, and scroll down. If you determine to make use of this system after studying this evaluate, I extremely advocate that you just create a desktop shortcut as this process will get outdated in a rush.
In no less than a technique, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is extra handy than a lot of the for-pay competitors. It makes use of Microsoft’s VHDX (Virtual Hard Drive) recordsdata for photographs. These could also be mounted and browsed utilizing nothing greater than Windows Explorer. Cool.
Additionally, configuring a backup is extraordinarily intuitive. By default this system will again up all of your person folders, drives that aren’t serving because the vacation spot for the backup, and create a full system picture of any inner laborious drives. But you’ll be able to choose out of any of these.
It makes use of Microsoft’s VHDX (Virtual Hard Drive) recordsdata as containers. These could also be mounted and accessed by way of Windows Explorer with out use of every other software program. Cool.
Backup and Restore (Windows 7) can again as much as an inner laborious drive (which gained’t be backed up) or a community location. The latter is the most effective purpose I can consider for purchasing a NAS gadget, as a result of…
… For some purpose Microsoft gained’t allow you to create a full system picture backup to direct connected exterior media, e.g, a USB laborious drive or SSD. You can again up drives and person libraries to exterior drives, and it can save you system photographs to the community and native drive, so I’m at a loss to elucidate why. Other than Microsoft being Microsoft, that’s.
You might, in fact, copy a system picture backup to exterior media as soon as it’s completed, however geez, Louise — that is proper up there with eradicating the straightforward and intuitive “Add folder” perform from File History.
By the best way, if you wish to again up non-user folders, merely morph the non-user folder right into a person library. Right-click on the folder you need included within the backup, choose “Show more options,” click on on “Include in user library,” however choose the “Create new library” perform. Including a folder in a library gained’t trigger it to be backed up. At least it wouldn’t for me.
To un-morph a user-defined person library, go to the libraries part in Explorer, right-click, and choose “Delete.” This logical however fear-invoking motion doesn’t take away the precise folder, it solely kills its standing as a person library. “Undefine,” anybody? If you’re going to again up the complete C: drive, you don’t have to hassle with the person library trick in any respect.
How properly does Backup and Restore (Windows 7) carry out?
I had zero points creating VHDX photographs of my software program check mattress’s inner drives, although the method was slower than with a variety of pay software program. I additionally had zero points mounting the drives and pulling recordsdata off them. A wholesale restore is theoretically attainable, however to get better from a catastrophe utilizing a system picture you’ll want to create a system restore disc.
But disc on this case means simply that, a disc — as in optical. As in CD/DVD. There’s not even an choice to create a ISO. How 2005. So for you, expensive reader, I burned a CD (sure, as a storage man I nonetheless have a number of Blu-ray burners). I then extracted the contents to an ISO and wrote it to a thumb drive utilizing Rufus 4.8. Neither the CD or USB drive would boot. Grrrrrreat!
As an alternate, I created a Windows Recovery Drive (that features system recordsdata with the intent to reinstall all the things else from the digital laborious drives created by Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Theoretically, a Recovery Drive reinstalls Windows and drivers, then you definately run Backup and Restore to get all the things else again. In observe, Recovery Drive has confirmed unreliable for me and lots of different customers. In this case, it erased my system then advised me there was an issue restoring it. See beneath. Rescue got here within the type of a Macrium Reflect 8 Free system backup that I created earlier than trusting Microsoft with any of this.
Notable backup options which can be lacking from Backup and Restore (Windows 7) are incremental and differential backup. Also, there’s just one job. If you alter the settings, that’s what it’s important to stay with. That’s ok for many customers, however not supreme. Also, you’ll be able to’t again up exterior drives. Why? Don’t know and Microsoft was not up for dialogue.
If unreliable boot disks weren’t sufficient, there are different caveats. An extended-standing problem with Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is that it gained’t allow you to restore to a smaller capability drive than the one which was imaged — even when the information suits simply. I.e., it gained’t shrink (or broaden) partitions.
An problem with Recovery Drive, which might be used with Backup and Restore (Windows 7), is that it’s principally married to the PC you create it from. Don’t rely on it in the event you’re trying to migrate to a brand new laptop. As a matter of truth, if my experiences rely for something, don’t depend on in in any respect.
If all that sounds a bit daunting, I agree.
Should you utilize Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and/or Recovery Drive?
No. At least not for catastrophe or system restoration. It’s not well worth the effort, and the boot disks, fairly frankly, stink. Look to the free EaseUS Todo Backup 2025, Macrium Reflect 8 Free, or any variety of pay options to fill that function.
However, if all you need to do is create VHDX photographs of drives for later searching and handbook restoration, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) works very properly. It’s built-in and free, and the photographs will be mounted by Windows itself, all VM software program, and nearly every other OS.