guilbert53
master brummie
Following on from my "Make a Windows System Repair Disc" topic I created earlier, this tells you how to create a Windows System Image.
If you have Windows 7 (not sure about Vista) you can create a system image of your hard disk which will allow you to "reinstall" Windows very quickly if your computer should crash or Windows fails to start.
This function is built into Windows 7 so no need to buy or install any software.
It is probably best if you have an external hard drive on which to store the image (or a set of empty DVDs), as if your computer fails to start you still need to be able to access this image.
On Windows 7 click on the "circle" in the bottom left, and in the small search field type "Backup" and an option will be displayed called "Backup and Restore".
Click on this "Backup and Restore" option and a window is displayed called "Backup and Restore your files"
On the left will be an option "Create a System Image", select this and a window will be displayed offering you the option of where to store the image, on your hard disk, on DVDs, or on an external hard drive.
Select your choice and go through the various windows till the process starts and your image is created.
Once you have your image keep it safe.
If at some future date you need to reinstall Windows then you can "boot" the PC with the Windows System Repair Disc I covered in my other append, then you can select the image you created earlier, and reinstall Windows.
Note this reinstall will TOTALLY overwrite everything on your hard disk so make sure you take regular backups of your personal files in case you ever need to do this reinstall.
Note also that the reinstall will only put your computer back to the time you took the image, so any programs you have reinstalled since will need to be reinstalled.
If your computer changes a lot it may be worth taking one of these images every month or 3 months or whatever.
If you have Windows 7 (not sure about Vista) you can create a system image of your hard disk which will allow you to "reinstall" Windows very quickly if your computer should crash or Windows fails to start.
This function is built into Windows 7 so no need to buy or install any software.
It is probably best if you have an external hard drive on which to store the image (or a set of empty DVDs), as if your computer fails to start you still need to be able to access this image.
On Windows 7 click on the "circle" in the bottom left, and in the small search field type "Backup" and an option will be displayed called "Backup and Restore".
Click on this "Backup and Restore" option and a window is displayed called "Backup and Restore your files"
On the left will be an option "Create a System Image", select this and a window will be displayed offering you the option of where to store the image, on your hard disk, on DVDs, or on an external hard drive.
Select your choice and go through the various windows till the process starts and your image is created.
Once you have your image keep it safe.
If at some future date you need to reinstall Windows then you can "boot" the PC with the Windows System Repair Disc I covered in my other append, then you can select the image you created earlier, and reinstall Windows.
Note this reinstall will TOTALLY overwrite everything on your hard disk so make sure you take regular backups of your personal files in case you ever need to do this reinstall.
Note also that the reinstall will only put your computer back to the time you took the image, so any programs you have reinstalled since will need to be reinstalled.
If your computer changes a lot it may be worth taking one of these images every month or 3 months or whatever.
