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Backing Up a Computer for Full System Recovery

Create a full system backup that can rebuild the computer on a new disk or as a Hyper-V virtual machine.

Applies to: NovaBACKUP 22 PC Agent and Server Agent, on UEFI computers with GPT disks.

A full system backup captures everything needed to rebuild a computer: the drive Windows runs from (usually C:) including Windows, programs, settings, and the data on that drive, plus the computer's disk layout. With it, you can restore the computer onto a new disk from recovery media or start it as a Hyper-V virtual machine. In NovaBACKUP 22, you create a full system backup with an ordinary backup job that has Disaster Recovery selected.

Prerequisites

  • A UEFI computer whose system disk uses a GPT partition table. Computers that start in legacy BIOS mode with an MBR disk are not supported for Disaster Recovery.
  • A backup device on a different disk, a NAS, or the cloud, with free space roughly equal to the used space on the system disk. See Adding a Local or Network Backup Device.

Tip: To check the partition style, right-click Start, open Disk Management, right-click the disk that holds C:, and select Properties. On the Volumes tab, Partition style should read GUID Partition Table (GPT).

Step 1: Create the job

  1. Click Backup, open the job list, and select New backup job.
  2. Name the job, for example Full System to Local Backups.
  3. In the selection tree, select Disaster Recovery. It includes the drive Windows runs from, so you do not need to select C: as well. If the computer keeps data on other drives, such as D: or E:, select those drives too. Disaster Recovery does not include them, and data on a drive that is not selected is not protected.

    Backup page with Disaster Recovery selected

Step 2: Choose the destination

  1. Click Choose destination and select the device, for example Local Backups. Do not choose a device on the disk you are protecting.

    Destination dialog listing the backup devices

  2. Click OK.

Step 3: Schedule the job

  1. Click Schedule and select Weekly.
  2. Set the Start time to a time when the computer is on but not busy, for example Friday evening.

    Schedule dialog with Weekly selected

  3. Click OK.

A weekly full system backup, together with a daily backup of your data folders, suits most computers. After the first run, each run stores only what changed.

Step 4: Save and run the job once

  1. Click Save, then Start.
  2. Follow the progress on the Activity page. The first full system backup copies the whole system disk and can take an hour or more.

    Activity page showing the completed full system backup

Step 5: Create recovery media

A full system backup is restored from recovery media. Create the media now, while the computer is still working. See Creating Bootable Recovery Media.

Restoring from a full system backup

Best practices

  • Store at least one full system backup off the computer, on a NAS or in the cloud.
  • Antivirus software that scans every file the backup reads slows the backup down considerably. See Antivirus and EDR Exclusions for NovaBACKUP 22.
  • Test a restore to a Hyper-V virtual machine from time to time. It proves that the backup can be restored without touching the original computer.

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Still Need Help?

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