How to Back up Windows System before Upgrading Windows OS

Back up Windows System can prevent from suffering the data loss. Windows 10 includes several different types of backup and recovery tools. And we’re going to show you how to back up your Windows system when you want to install a new Windows update of Windows 10.

• Part 1: Back up Windows 10
• Part 2: Create a system image

How to Backup Windows 10 using Built-in Backup Tools

Many users experience file loss or file deletion errors when installing a new Windows 10 update. The next update to Windows 10 is the May 2019 update, and many users may experience the same problem again. Therefore, it is very necessary to create a backup of system data and files on your PC to the external storage device before the Windows 10 operating system update.

Option 1: Backup your PC with File History

File history does not create a full backup of the entire PC. Instead, File History backs up important folders in your user folder—stuff like Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and parts of the AppData folder. You can exclude folders you don’t want to be backed up and add folders from elsewhere on your PC that you do want to be backed up. You can set up file history to back up all your files to an external drive. Here is how:

Step 1: Select the Start​ button > Settings > Update & Security.

Step 2: Select the Backup > Add a drive, and then choose an external drive or network location for your backups.

RELATED: How to Use Windows’ File History to Back Up and Restore Your Data.

Option 2: Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

Unlike file history backup solutions, you can use Backup and Restore to more easily create backups of almost everything on your hard drive. However, it also does not have the functionality of file history to maintain older versions of files.

You can find the tool by clicking the Start button, typing "Backup" and then press Enter to open Backup settings.

Click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

Then select Set up backup.

Windows Backup will now start.

Then follow the steps in the wizard, select the location you want to save backups, then click Next.

Select Let me choose, then click Next and then go on. If you do not want to choose what to back up, then you could click Let Windows choose (recommended), and then click Next.

Select the check boxes of the items you want to include in the backup. Then click Next.

When ready, click on the Save settings and run backup button.

After you have set up Windows Backup on your PC, you can click the Back up now button manually to create backups on demand.

How to Create a System Image in Windows 10

This tool creates an image snapshot of the entire system - including personal files, installed applications, operating system files, and everything else. The advantage of using an image backup is recovery. If your hard drive fails, you can replace it and restore the system image. You do not need to reinstall Windows.

Although they sound great - and they are mostly - there are some drawbacks to using image backup. The backup process itself is a bit slow and can take several hours. Because you want to back up everything, you need a larger drive to store your backups.

If you want a quick and efficient to perform the system backup to an external storage device. A professional system backup software - iSumsoft Clone may be a good choice. Because you can take a 7-day trial of the new software. What's more, it allows to clone, backup and restore your system partition quickly without booting into Windows when the Windows fails to boot.

If you do want to use the image backup feature, you can find it in the Control Panel. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open Control Panel in Windows 10. Open the Backup & Restore (Windows 7) option.

Step 2: In the left pane, click the Create a system image link, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

Step 3: Then select the location you want to save the system image, then click Next.

Step 4: Confirm your backup settings, click Start Backups button.

Windows is saving the backup, it can take a while.

After the backup is complete, Windows will give you the option to create a system repair disc. You can use this repair disk to boot your PC and recover from an image backup when you need to replace your hard drive and you cannot start Windows. We strongly recommend that you continue to create the disc and then mark it and store it in a secure location.