Recover Computer from
a System Image
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| If a System Repair
Disk was created at the same time the System Image
was created, the simplest method is to use it to
boot the system. The longer method is to boot into
Windows 7 and start the recovery process from Backup
and Restore. I'll use the longer method here and
point out where you'd enter the process if using a
System Repair Disk. |
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| 1 - Use
your preferred method to launch Backup and Restore. |
| 2 - In the
Restore section, click [ Recover System Settings On
Your Computer ] to continue. |
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| 3 - Click [
Advanced Recovery Methods ] link to proceed. |
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| 4 - Click [
Use a System Image You Created Earlier to Recover
Your Computer ] to proceed. |
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| 5 - The
option is available to back up files before
continuing the recovery process. If you want to do
so, click [ Back Up Now ] button and you'll be
walked through creating a user file backup. If
current, tested backups are already available, click
[Skip] button. |
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| 6 - A final
admonition is shown about backing up your data
files. Heed it if you aren't 100% sure you have a
current data backup tucked away somewhere,
especially since a System Image recovery is going
to, at the minimum, reformat the partition where the
image will be written - and if you screw up by
accident and make a wrong selection it could end up
reformatting the entire drive, not just the
partition contained in the image. When you're ready,
click [Restart ] button to proceed. |
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| I mentioned earlier you
could have just booted from a System Repair
Disk. If that had been done, none of the
previous steps would have been involved. On
the plus side you wouldn't have had to wade
through all these screens and selections. On
the negative side, you wouldn't have
received the reminder about backing up your
data files, which in a lot of cases does
make people stop and think about whether or
not they really do have a current data
backup. |
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| 7 - After
the system restarts the System Recovery Options
screen appears. Select a language. Click [ Next ] to
proceed. |
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| 8 - The
system will scan for system image disks. This can be
skipped, but why bother - it only takes a few
seconds. |
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| 9 - After
the scan completes, the Select A System Image Backup
screen appears. I've never seen anything but the
recommendation to use the latest available system
image. I'm sure that's by design. If the location,
date and time, and computer description match the
image you were expecting to use, just click the
[Next ] button to proceed. However, there may be
times when you do want to use an image that isn't
the most recent. If that's the case, select the
radio button by [ Select A System Image ] and then
click [Next ] to proceed. In this example I just
selected [ Next ] button for the latest available
image. |
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| If the latest available system image is
not the one you want to use, highlight the
radio button next to [ Select A System Image
] (see above) and click the [ Next ] button
to show additional locations of system
images as shown below. Heed the note about
inserting the last DVD from the image backup
set. If the system image is on a network
location, click [ Advanced... ] button to
continue. |
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| After clicking the [ Advanced... ]
button the option is available to search for
a system image on the network. |
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| You'll be asked if you're sure you want
to connect to the network and to make sure
it's a secure connection. Answer
affirmatively and the dialog box opens where
the path to the network location of the
system image is entered. Network credentials
will have to be entered and then the system
image to be used properly identified. Once
that is done the imaging process continues. |
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| 10 -
Depending on the system hardware and setup, it may
or may not be possible access the Format and
Repartition Disks checkbox. If you can't and know
that drivers are needed to access the drives, use
the [ Install Drivers... ] button and follow the
prompts. Otherwise, just click the [ Next ] button
to proceed. |
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| 11 - The
final screen before the imaging process begins
confirms the image that will be used and the
drive(s) to be restored. Equally, if not more
important, is the cautionary note at the bottom. If
for any reason the process is interrupted the
recovery may fail. In real life this means you
never, ever do a recovery on a laptop that is
running on battery power only, and preferably for
any system (laptop or desktop) you have it plugged
into a Universal Power Supply with sufficient
capacity to get through the recovery process. Still,
sometimes a recovery will fail and the system will
be unable to boot. That's when you really do need
that System Repair Disk that was too much trouble to
make previously. Reconsider and make one now if you
haven't already. |
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| 12 - One
last chance to change your mind. Click [ Yes ]
button to proceed. |
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| 13 - A
little eye-candy if you're prone to finding progress
bars entertaining. |
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| 14 - For
those lacking patience, here's a possible
consequence of clicking the [ Stop Restore ] button
while it's in progress. |
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| 15 - When
the restore has completed successfully, this is what
you see. Unless you changed the option earlier so
the system doesn't reboot automatically after a
successful restore, this screen will disappear, the
system will automatically reboot, and you'll be
brought to the login screen. |
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| 16 - After
logging back in a prompt appears on the desktop
asking if you want to restore the data files. |
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| 17 - Just
follow along with the prompts, selecting what Data
File Backup to use, what folders and files you want
restored, and the location where the files are to be
restored. |
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| Recovering the system
using a system image is a pretty simple procedure
overall. Just pay attention to the prompts and think
things through and there should be no problems
encountered along the way. |
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