How to create a system image in Windows 10

One thing that’s noticeably missing from the new Windows 10 Settings menu is the system image backup utility. A system image backup is basically an exact copy (“image”) of a drive — in other words, you can use a system image to completely restore your computer, settings and all, in the event of a PC disaster.

Microsoft introduced the system image utility in Windows 7, and then tried to hide it in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. It’s still hidden in the Windows 10 Technical Preview, but the Recovery section of the Update & recovery tab does mention system images (under “Advanced startup”), so I hope that the system image utility will remain a backup option when Windows 10 officially launches.

At the moment, this is how you can create a system image in Windows 10:

1. Open Control Panel and go to File History.

2. At the bottom of the left pane, you should see a link to System Image Backup, under “See also.” Click this link.

3. The System Image Backup utility will open. Pick a place to save your system image backup (on a hard disk, on one or more DVDs, or on a network location), and click Next. Confirm your settings and click Start backup.

To use your system image to restore your PC, open up the new Windows 10 Settings menu and go to Update & recovery. Under Recovery, find the Advanced startup section, and click Restart now. When your PC restarts, go to Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, and then choose System image recovery.