Windows 10 How to correctly make an image backup of all UEFI partitions with Secure Boot ?

Gogito

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Aug 5, 2015
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So I've been looking everywhere for this and in the end I still can't find rock-solid info.
So I've just installed Windows 10 Pro in UEFI mode with Secure Boot enable and now I've got 4 partitions:

Normally, I would just "ghost" my C partition and be done with it with Legacy boot but now with all these new partitions, I don't know where to start. I read up and see stuffs like "boot missing" and similar scary stuffs when making an image of UEFI system.
So what tools should I use to achieve this, and how should I do it ?
If I were to use a normal tool like say clonezilla, which partitions do I need to backup and in what order ?
 
Solution
The Critical partitions on a UEFI system are the Recovery, EFI System, MSR and OS. An imaging utility will back these up if it understands UEFI installs.

You can use the Windows built in utility or a third party imaging software. Some other folks will probably have recommendations. I use the Windows one, but it is fairly limited as far as options.
The Critical partitions on a UEFI system are the Recovery, EFI System, MSR and OS. An imaging utility will back these up if it understands UEFI installs.

You can use the Windows built in utility or a third party imaging software. Some other folks will probably have recommendations. I use the Windows one, but it is fairly limited as far as options.
 
Solution

Thanks, what is this Windows built in utility you mentioned ?
 
Thanks, what is this Windows built in utility you mentioned ?
I just found it. I'm just curious, how can it perform the backup while I'm using Windows ? I thought that wasn't possible since the data is being changed
 
It makes copies while the system is active. You have to create the backup image on a separate hard drive from the one being imaged. I like to keep an internal drive for this purpose, but external ones can be used as well.
 
It makes copies while the system is active. You have to create the backup image on a separate hard drive from the one being imaged. I like to keep an internal drive for this purpose, but external ones can be used as well.

I know that but what I'm curious about is how can the data on Drive C be copy if it's being used ? Like I can still surf the web, edit document and such when it's creating the backup, how can it copy the data while I'm using it ?
 
You may want to do some research online... Since I always leave my system alone while it is doing a backup, I have no experience... You could always test yourself to see what might happen, if anything.
 
The backup software takes a snapshot of the directory structures then copies all the data. Data changes not reflected in the directory snapshot will not show in the image.
 
I make my images by booting from the Acrois boot disk. That way there is nothing updating or running in the background to cause problems.
Joe
 
You can use a third party software like AOMEI Backupper, which can support almost all the Windows OS, including Windows 10. The standard version is free and it can help you make the backup image in a few steps. Install and launch it, click backup and you can follow the wizard, it's ver simple and easy.
 
I use Acronis but the best advice I can give here is test your backup system at least once… every single day I hear "we had a backup but it doesn't work now"
  • Make the backup with whatever software floats your boat then remove the hdd physically from the system and replace it with a different one.
  • Now load your backup image onto this new drive and confirm that it boots up.
Don't wait to the shit hits the fan to find out what your options are and don't have all your back ups inside the same system… fire, power overload and thieves tend to bugger that scenario.