Windows 8.1 comes with System Image Backup but it needs to be manually run and cannot be scheduled from GUI.

If you have purchased Linux NAS storage that uses sparse file allocation and does not have root privilege, you will encounter error when running Windows System Image Backup directly into Linux NAS share folder.

Since you have purchase it, I advise make use of it and create a system image backup with VHD for recovery in case.

You decide!!

1. On Linux NAS, create a share folder and user account

2. On Windows Server, logon with Administrator account and create New User with the same username and password in Linux NAS. In this case, I create a new account ‘BackupWSB’

3. Remove ‘Users’ group and added ‘Administrators’ group

4. Logoff the current administrator and logon with new user account.

1. Open Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Management

2. Right click on ‘Disk Management’ and select ‘Create VHD’

3. Click ‘Browse’ and navigate to Linux NAS share folder and enter VHD filename

    eg. WSB-TEST_W81_X64-01.vhdx.

    Note:

    Due to Linux file system (ext4/XFS) uses sparse file allocation, new created VHD must use

    Fixed Size. Otherwise you may encounter the error

    For more readings on Linux Sparse: Technet, BackupAssist

4. Right Click on New created VHD, and select Initialize Disk

     Select ‘GPT (GUID Partition Table)’ and click OK

    Note:

    Once Volume Drive is assigned to VHD, in this case Drive D,

    It will remain when VHD is remounted again.

    Hence, the drive letter assigned to VHD for Backup should not be used

    for other disk.

 

Step 3: Configure System Image Backup (Manual)

1. Open ‘Control Panel’ and click on ‘System and Security’

2. In ‘System and Security’, click on “File History”

3. In File History, click on ‘System Image Backup’

4. Select ‘On a hard disk’, If none of Harddisk listed, click the drop down and select ‘<Refresh>’.

    Select HDD for Windows Backup and click ‘Next’

Step 4: Configure System Image Backup (Schedule)

1. Save the Admin Scripts into your desired Administrative Folder:

    In this blog, Admin script is saved into this location

     “C:\SYSTEM_ADM\SCRIPTS\WindowsBackup\YLNotes__WindowsSystemImageBackup_W81.cmd”

2. Open ‘Control Panel’.

    Navigate to ‘System and Security’ -> ‘Administrative Tools’ -> ‘Task Scheduler’

3. In Task Pane, Expand Task Scheduler Library until Windows folder.

    In Action Pane, click on ‘New Folder’

4. Enter New Folder name ‘Backup’

     Note:

• If the folder does not appear in sorted order after creating new folder, scroll down to the last folder under ‘Windows’ folder.
• If you like to view in sorted order, close the task scheduler and reopen again.

6. Follow ‘Create Basic Task…’ Wizard

Admin Scripts

1.  [ddownload id=”1306″] YLNotes__WindowsSystemImageBackup_W81 ([ddownload_count id=”1306″])

 

Report 1: System Image Backup (Schedule) Log

==================================================================
 YL Library : Windows System Image  8.1
 Author     : Zhang Yunlong
 Blog       : blog.ylnotes.com
 Filename   : YLNotes__WindowsSystemImageBackup_W81.cmd
==================================================================

-------------------------------------------------------------------
[0] Configuration
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Remote VHD Attach: [\\MyNAS\BACKUP_VAULT\WSB-TEST_W81_X64-01.vhdx]

-------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Attached Remote VHD
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.3.9600

Copyright (C) 1999-2013 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: TEST_W81_X64

DiskPart successfully selected the  file.

  100 percent completed

DiskPart successfully attached the virtual disk file.

Leaving DiskPart...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[2] Start Windows System Image Backup
-------------------------------------------------------------------
wbAdmin start backup -quiet -allCritical -include:C: -backupTarget:D:
wbadmin 1.0 - Backup command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Retrieving  information...
This will back up (\\?\Volume{deed87ef-b020-11e3-8252-806e6f6e6963}\),W81_SystemFiles(C:) to D:.
The backup operation to D: is starting.
 a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a shadow copy of the volumes specified for backup...
Creating a backup of volume  (356.00 MB), copied (0%).
Creating a backup of volume  (356.00 MB), copied (81%).
The backup of volume  (356.00 MB) completed successfully.
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (0%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (0%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (2%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (4%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (6%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (7%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (8%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (10%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (11%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (13%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (14%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (15%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (17%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (18%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (19%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (20%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (22%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (22%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (24%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (25%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (26%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (27%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (29%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (30%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (31%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (32%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (34%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (35%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (36%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (37%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (38%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (40%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (41%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (42%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (43%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (44%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (45%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (47%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (48%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (49%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (50%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (52%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (53%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (54%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (55%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (56%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (58%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (59%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (60%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (61%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (62%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (64%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (65%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (66%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (67%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (69%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (70%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (71%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (72%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (73%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (75%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (76%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (77%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (78%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (79%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (81%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (82%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (83%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (84%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (85%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (87%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (88%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (89%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (90%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (92%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (93%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (94%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (95%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (97%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (98%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (99%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (99%).
Creating a backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:), copied (100%).
The backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:) completed successfully.
Summary of the backup operation:
------------------

The backup operation successfully completed.
The backup of volume  (356.00 MB) completed successfully.
The backup of volume W81_SystemFiles(C:) completed successfully.
Log of files successfully backed up:
C:\Windows\Logs\WindowsBackup\Backup-20-03-2014_16-05-48.log

-------------------------------------------------------------------
[3] Clean Up
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Start /Time: Fri 21/03/2014  0:05:03.77
End   Date/Time: Fri 21/03/2014  0:21:46.13
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Backup of volume \?\Volume{deed87ef-b020-11e3-8252-806e6f6e6963}\ succeeded.

Backup of volume C: succeeded.