So far, backing up your entire computer has been easier than creating a standard system image on the Windows OS. However, starting with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, Microsoft has deprecated the system image creation and restore feature.
The official Microsoft website states: “Please use third-party software for your entire OS backup.” So when I looked for a tool to replace the system image feature, I found a great backup software. Its name is “AOMEI Backupper”.
You can use it for free to create the same functions as creating a standard Windows system image. I’m glad to share this software with you for free backup.
Today, in this article, I will introduce how to use the free backup software – AOMEI Backupper, which is the best choice for overall Windows 10 OS backup.
Free Version of AOMEI Backupper
The free version of AOMEI Backupper is AOMEI Backupper Standard. What can I do with the free version of AOMEI Backupper Standard?
- Backup Windows 10’s entire operating system for Volume C
- Restore backup data immediately
- Fully back up other storage
- Schedule backup is also possible
- Recover from dedicated media which can boot even if the operating system stops working
- Do incremental/differential backup
- Move storage such as HDD and SSD (disk cloning function)
It has all the necessary functions required for backup, such as the scheduled backup function, which is more advanced than the standard system image creation.
If you want to do more advanced backups, or if you want to increase the backup speed, we recommend that you can use the paid version of “AOMEI Backupper Professional”, but for now, if you only want to back up your entire PC, the free version is completely sufficient.
How to Use AOMEI Backupper to Backup the Entire Operating System
Step 1.
To use AOMEI Backupper to back up the entire operating system, first download and start AOMEI Backupper Standard, then select the tab: Backup < System Backup;
Step 2.
Then you will see the partitions included in the system backup listed automatically. Select a destination path to save the image file.
Step 3.
Click ”Start Backup” button and wait for the backup process to end.
The backup is 45GB and takes about 15 minutes. It’s a free version, but it’s very fast. Follow the above operation to complete the backup of the entire operating system. Everything is easy.
Note:
The system image saved by AOMEI Backupper is reduced by the original compression method, so the backup data should be reduced to 1/3 of the size. This is also a wonderful part of AOMEI Backupper.
SEE THIS: 7 Ways to Protect Your PC From Virus Attack
More Flexible Backup Methods
Although the free version AOMEI Backupper Standard is free to use, as the best backup software, it still provides multiple backup methods:
Full backup
Create a new system image. It takes up the most time and space, but it is the most secure backup method.
Differential backup
Back up any changes or additions from the previous backup. As a result, less backup time and image file storage space is required compared to a full backup.
Incremental backup
Always back up any changes or additions based on the first full backup. Therefore, incremental backups require less time and image storage space than full backups.
READ: How to Automatically Backup C Drive to OneDrive
Switch to Scheduled Backup
If you created a file backup task but have not enabled the schedule feature, you can enable it as shown in the following screenshot.
After setting the schedule, it will automatically back up according to the set schedule. You can set daily, weekly, monthly and schedule as the way you wish.
SEE ALSO: AOMEI Onekey Recovery Software
How to Flash Android Smartphones.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft has deprecated the standard Windows system image creation and restore functionality, so it’s impossible to know when it will be removed.
AOMEI Backupper is an excellent backup software that has almost the same features as a standard Windows system image, and also includes other features such as schedules.
SEE ALSO: AOMEI Partition Assistant to Clone Windows 8 Partition
It’s great, especially because it’s completely free to use. If you find someone who needs to back up his data, please introduce AOMEI Backupper and let him try it!
