Instructions: How to create a system image under Windows 8.1

System image backup is one of the most important backup measures for computers. This allows you to restore the operating system to an old state in the event of complications and use the computer again without any problems. In previous versions of Windows, Microsoft provided the easy-to-find "Backup and restore" function for this purpose, but the programmers have changed the procedure in Windows 8.1.

The first steps: Call up function and select target medium

The difference between a Windows 8 system image and the backup in earlier versions can be seen right from the start:

• Microsoft has abolished the "Backup and restore" menu item in the Control Panel, so finding the function is trickier. Right-click on the Start menu icon to open the Control Panel. Under the heading "System and Security" you will find the awkwardly worded item "Save backup copies of files with the file version history", click on this. Click on "System image backup" to start the wizard.
• Now select the data carrier on which you want to save the backup. You can choose between internal and external hard disks, DVDs or a network. Please note that a Windows 8 system image requires a lot of storage space. You should therefore prefer a hard disk for external storage, as you need a large number of DVDs.

Create system image and repair data carrier

• After clicking on the "Next" button, select the drives to be backed up on the next page. Windows automatically selects the system hard disk and the "PQSERVICE" partition, which is required for the recovery. As a rule, you can leave this preselection as it is. Below you can see how much disk space the Windows 8 system image takes up. Thanks to this information, you can check, for example, whether the capacity of an external hard disk is sufficient. Then click on "Next". On the following page you will see a summary of all the information, click on "Start backup" to begin the process.
• You will also need a repair disk in case of an emergency. To do this, press the "Windows" key and the "R" key, then type "recoverydrive.exe" without quotation marks. Follow the instructions of the wizard. Have a USB stick with at least 512 MB of storage space ready for the process; Windows 8.1 no longer accepts CDs and DVDs.

Creating a system image prevents major damage

You should regularly create a Windows 8 system image, even if it takes some time. If serious complications occur in the operating system, you can easily restore the system using just such a system image backup and a repair disk. All you have to do is insert the USB stick, start the PC and, if necessary, explicitly set the startup via USB stick in the Bios. A dialog window will then open, which you can use to start the restoration of the system image.

Photo source: Microsoft.com