Despite the relatively long-standing appearance of Windows 8, the title of the “good old system” still belongs to Windows 7, the love of which users have already surpassed that for XP. Given that extended support for this system will last until 2020, the number of its users will be extremely large for a very long time.
Unfortunately, few of them think about the issue of maintaining the OS after virus infection, hardware or software failure. As a rule, there are enough “recovery points”, but in serious cases, it no longer helps.
That is why today we will learn how to make a Windows 7 image. This knowledge will help you restore the system even after a hard disk crash or some serious damage to system files by malware. Unfortunately, even those users on whose computers reliable antivirus programs are installed are not immune from the latter.
We use means of OS "Windows"
This is the simplest method, and the integrated system tools themselves are very logical and understandable even to inexperienced users. First, go to the "Control Panel", and then find the item "Backup and Restore" there.
In the dialog box that opens (in the leftmost part of it) there is an item “Creating a system image”. Click on it with the left mouse button. A new working window will open in which the user can select the location of the backup file he creates. Before you make the image of Windows 7, we strongly recommend that you buy an external hard drive or connect a reliable network storage.
We do not recommend using Yandex-drive, Mail.ru Cloud and other common
cloud storage. And the point here is not only in privacy, but in the speed of downloading data: as a rule, it is very small. In addition, not all of these services can work correctly with really large files.
Where to post?
The fact is that it is foolish to rely on flash drives in such a crucial matter, since the percentage of failures (especially with a large capacity) is very high, and CD / DVD discs not only do not inspire confidence in terms of their reliability, they will also require unreasonably many .
Placing the image on a local disk (even if physical) is also stupid, because no one will guarantee its integrity during a virus attack. Having decided on the place, click on the "Next" button. In the newly opened window, you have to choose which disk to archive. Accordingly, you should choose the one on which you have the system installed.
Click "Archive", and then calmly wait for the process to complete. At the end of the work, the system will not only give a corresponding message, but also offer to write the created file to an optical disk. It is hardly worth agreeing, although here everything remains at your discretion.
Here's how to make a Windows 7 image this way. Are there other methods? Of course!
Using third-party utilities
Alas, only the ease of use and accessibility make the system utilities at least partially suitable for creating emergency images of the system. In particular, such programs provide very weak data compression, which is why the system, which occupies 30-32 GB on a real hard disk, “weighs” only a little less as an image. So, now we’ll learn how to create an image of Windows 7 using such programs from third-party providers.
Ultra ISO
The name of this program is well known to every user who has found the heyday of optical discs. With the help of this utility it was possible not only to create and record images, but also to edit them. However, in our time, the ability of the program is still very much in demand. So is it possible to use it to make an image of Windows 7 x64? Yes, of course!
First, run the application and look at the left side of its working window. In the upper left corner there is a disk icon whose name is the date and time that are displayed on the computer calendar. Attention! We immediately warn that you will not create a full-fledged image of Windows 7 (ISO), but you can make a recovery disk with system files. And this in many cases is much more valuable than a complete "impression" of the system.
Image capture
This is your future image. Right-click on it, then select “Rename”, and then give the created image some meaningful name. After that, you can add system files to the image project.
To do this, use the "Explorer" panel. Select the necessary files, and then simply drag them to the central part of the program’s working window. As soon as this tedious procedure is completed, left-click on the "File" menu, and then select "Save As". We recommend using the most common and standard image formats (ISO, NRG). That's all!
Original images
As you may have noticed, we scornfully spoke about optical discs when it came to recording emergency images. But in any case they will have to deal with them when it will be necessary to create an original image of an optical disk from which it will be possible to install the system.
Alcohol 120%
This company is known to almost all the more or less experienced users for its developments in the field of programs that allow you to create images of optical discs bypassing their copy protection systems ... As you understand, now we will discuss another important question: what to do if Do you need an original Windows 7 image? And you will have to do not so much. First, insert the original disk (from Microsoft) into the drive, and then run the program.
In its left part there is an item “Creating disk images”. Click on it with the left mouse button, after which a working window opens, in which you can select the recording speed of the image, its format, as well as other important characteristics. Important! Immediately select the location of the image you are creating, otherwise you will have to look for it all over the hard drive!
After that, you can click on "Start". Depending on the characteristics of your drive and system, a Windows 7 image will be ready in about 10-15 minutes. As you can see, its creation was very simple!