to do a double insurance for Windows7 system
Windows 7 (hereafter referred to as Win7) while streamlining a lot of functions, also added a function — — native support VHD (virtual Disk) boot. But how can this function be used, and what convenience can it bring to our operation?
Speaking of the magical use of VHD, let us start with the simplest and most practical: system backup. In the past, we used Ghost, Imagex and other software, but Win7 has native support for VHD, which is very different! Because the backup file we created is a VHD file, as long as it is set a little more Used by a separate system, this does not affect the normal backup operation, but also a new choice.
What is VHD:
VHD is the abbreviation of Virtual Hard Disk, which means virtual disk. When we use Virtual PC or Virtual Server software, we create VHD file. Therefore, after being mounted in a virtual machine or system, it can be formatted, partitioned, etc., just like a normal hard disk.
Create Backup = Create VHD File
VHD file creation is very simple, just click “Start →All Programs & Rarr;Maintain →Backup and Restore", and then click on the left pane to create System Image & rdquo;, select an NTFS partition in the pop-up creation wizard (because the backup file is larger than 4GB, so you must select the NTFS format partition and ensure that there is enough space), then follow the prompts to select the system partition to complete the backup (such as Figure 1).
Tip: "Create system image" component default backup system partition and boot partition, so if your Win7 has 100MB hidden partition, then the resulting backup includes two VHD files, you have to according to the size of the VHD file Make a distinction to retain. In addition, only the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Win7 support VHD booting, so if your system is not both versions, it cannot be started as a clone system. Configuration Startup After only one command is used to complete the backup operation, the VHD file is finally created. The default is saved under “Storage Partition: WindowsImageBackup Computer Name Backup Backup Date”. Now right-click on “computer” and select “Manage”, then expand “save →disk management& rdquo;, then right-click and select “Add VHD"; As shown in the figure), the VHD file created above is loaded again, and the system automatically assigns a drive letter to it.
Next, start the command prompt as an administrator, enter the “bcdboot m:windows /s c:” command to add this VHD clone system to the BCD boot menu, the entire setup is complete.
After rebooting, select the first "Windows 7" in the multiple boot options to boot into this clone system. Then open "Disk Management", the current system partition C drive is "Disk 1", that is, the clone system that loads VHD files
VHD backup system recovery options
Compared with Ghost and ImageX, use VHD Backup The way you choose to repair your system is more flexible.
First of all, you can restore the entire system in the traditional way: after restarting, press F8 to select “ repair computer & rdquo;, after entering the WinRE repair environment, in the "system repair options" window selection "Use Windows image recovery system" ”, then follow the prompts to select VHD backup recovery system. Similar to the Ghost software, this operation will overwrite the current system data.
Secondly, you can also choose to enter this VHD clone system and perform other operations. It is particularly worth mentioning that the system partition of the VHD clone is still the C drive, so even if the original software is installed in other partitions, most of the software can still run normally (the software installed after creating the VHD backup may not work). In this way, we can use the system to repair when needed, without having to restore the system. For example, when the system is poisoned and the software cannot be started normally, you can choose to enter the clone system for killing. You can also choose to enter the system and back up the current system data before performing corresponding operations. This will not cause data loss due to repairing the system. .
In addition, after doing some operations in normal times, the important files of the system are lost or wrong, you can also mount the VHD and use it as the source system backup warehouse to extract the original system files for repair.
In general, the latter two methods are safer and more convenient than the direct recovery system. The system data and system settings can also be saved to the maximum extent, and will not be "traversed" to the state of the initial backup. Everything has to come again. Therefore, a friend who installs Win7 may wish to try the method described in this article and do a double insurance for your system!