Windows 8.1 backup

I'm getting ready to roll out Windows 8.1 to some users.  I've noticed that Backup and Restore has been changed to File History (and System Image is a different tool now).

Why can I no longer store backup files on a network share?  It gives no option to backup to a network share.  System Image does, but it does not let me choose what drives to backup and also gives no option to schedule a backup.

Are there any free alternatives to backup (as done in Windows 7) for Windows 8.1?

June 9th, 2014 1:37pm

rudnicke,

You can still backup your files to a network drive. Take a look at the Set up a drive for File History page for more details on specifics.

Hope this helps!

Mike

Windows Outreach Team IT Pro

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June 9th, 2014 6:07pm

You can still schedule a Windows Backup, but now you have to roll your own wbadmin command and add it to the Task Scheduler. I have my systems set up to do nightly backups this way - it does work.

File History is NOT a viable substitute for Backup.

  

June 9th, 2014 6:14pm

Hi

As mentioned above, the function does exist in Windows 8.1, just see screenshot below

For schedule, as Noel saied, you can choose Task Schedule, or use the advanced settings in File History

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June 10th, 2014 7:04am

I think this weblink will help you: http://www.backup-utility.com/features/backup-to-nas.html that is with aomei backupper. you can also try other third-party software, why you insist on windows built in tool?
June 11th, 2014 2:43am

A better question would be: Why would you pay money for a 3rd party tool when all you need is supplied with the OS? 

Do you think a 3rd party tool will be as likely to allow you to restore your data as the Windows native software?

Windows Backup is integrated right in with the recovery environment you get when you boot up your Windows disc.

 

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June 11th, 2014 3:26am

Not all 3rd party tool are paid. There are also some free edition
June 11th, 2014 9:30am

By the way, you can ask wbadmin for its embedded command line help by typing:

wbadmin start backup /help

The specific command line I use, scheduled via Task Manager to run every day at 2 am, is:

wbadmin start backup -allCritical -vssFull -quiet -backupTarget:G:\

After a long initial backup of the entire set of critical volumes, this does an incremental Volume Shadow Copy-integrated System Image backup.  It completes often in less than an hour.

Drive G: is my external 3 TB USB MyBook drive, and on it at the moment are 54 system images I can choose to restore from.

I can also access the backed-up data in any of these shadow copy system images via 3rd party VSS access programs such as Z-VSScopy (since Windows 8 does not have the Previous Versions feature any longer). 

That's protection for every single file on the disk, not just those File History chooses to include.

 

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June 11th, 2014 3:57pm

I run exactly same command but pointing it to E:\ instead of G:\. However, when I tried to do restore after booting from Win media, I could point to only one backup (from yesterday). Where may other backups be hiding? Can I verify their existence without attempting to restore? Thanks.
May 24th, 2015 4:52pm

Last time I booted up the WinRE environment I was presented with a list, similar to the list shown in the System Restore function.

System Restore can be used to enumerate volume snapshots.  As I recall there's a command line command for that as well...  Yes, here it is:

vssadmin list shadows

When I do that, having had the scheduled command I listed above run every night now for months, I get quite a long list of shadow copies available for drive C:.  With my 3 TB backup drive they presently go back to May 12 (2 weeks ago).

-Noel

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May 26th, 2015 9:08am

when I tried to do restore after booting from Win media, I could point to only one backup (from yesterday).

I just went through the process to capture some screen grabs, and I think maybe you stopped a step too soon...

Note this progression:

-Noel

May 26th, 2015 9:40am

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