Feb 23, 2007 To create a Complete PC Backup image for your computer you need to enter the Backup and Restore Center. To begin please follow these instructions: Click on the Start button to open your Start Menu. The Start button looks like this: Click on the All Programs menu option. Click on the Maintenance folder. Click on the Backup and Restore Center icon.
Jul 11, 2016 It's quite possible the Vista backup format is not the same format for Windows 10. You can only restore your personal files from Vista to Windows 10 so the best bet will be to just copy your personal files to external media and then copy those to the relevant folders on the Windows 10 device. 2 people were helped by this reply.
How to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10. Select any partition on the hard drive (usually 'Drive 0') and make sure to click the Delete button to remove the partitions. Select the hard drive (Drive 0 Unallocated Space). Click Next to begin the installation process.
How to Back Up Your Computer in Windows Vista - Backing up files and folders Click Start and open the Control Panel. Click the System and Maintenance tab, then Backup and Restore Center. Click the Back up files button. Choose where to backup your data in the drop-down box, then click Next.
How to check the specified iPhone Backup Location. Generally speaking, iTunes saves backups to a Backup folder in your Users folder, and the specific location of the Backup folder varies by different version of operating system. In Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10: You got two options to locate the iPhone backup folder in Windows 7, 8 or 10. Open the Backup Status and Configuration window. From the Start Menu, All Programs→Accessories→System Tools→Backup Status and Configuration. Choose the Back Up Now button from the left side of the Backup Status and Configuration window. Click the Restore Files button.
Device Drivers are software which lets you use anything on PC with the OS. There are drivers for graphics card, keyboard, mouse, and everything else. Now it may so happen that for some reason a device has stopped working, or is not responding as it should. In that case, the only option to remove the driver, and reinstall it. In this guide, we are sharing some of the best methods to Backup and Restore Drivers in Windows 10.
While it sounds easy, not everyone has their device drivers available right on the Windows PC. One may have to download it from OEM or let Windows configure it by downloading through the updates. The only solution is to backup the driver so you can use it anytime. This becomes very useful for the old device for which OEMs don’t have the device driver anymore.
How to Backup & Restore Drivers in Windows
Before we start, to get all of these done, you need Admin privilege with your account. You should know that unless you are very clear about these, do not attempt them. We will start with Windows inbuilt methods, and then suggest some third-party software which has an easy to use interface.
Backup Drivers using Command Prompt & PowerShell
We will use the popular tool DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) here. It can both export, and import drivers in bulk.
Create a folder “Driver-Backups” in your PC anywhere on a drive other than where Windows is installed.
Restore Files From Vista Backup To Windows 10
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges, and execute the following command-
Here and later elsewher in this post, “Driver-Backups folder path” is the path of the folder you created. If you created this folder on your D drive, then the path would be D:Driver-Backups.
This will export all the drivers in your Windows 10 PC in the folder. It should say – The operation completed successfully. Make sure to keep a backup of that folder in one of your cloud drives.
The driver servicing command supports only .inf files. Windows Installer or other driver package types (such as .exe files) are not supported.
Now here is the deal. While this tool lets you export all drivers, it doesn’t help you installing those drivers back to Windows. The command has an option /add-driver, but it will work with Windows 10 ISO image. If you are creating an ISO and then planning to install it, you can use the following command.
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Navigate to the Backup Driver folder.
Execute the following command-
If you are used to PowerShell than the command prompt, you can use that too. It offers a command, Export-WindowsDriver -Online -Destination “Driver-Backup folder path”, which lets you take backup. Please read out the detailed post about exporting Device Drivers using PowerShell here.
Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10
It is best to install the driver manually if you are following this method. You will have to do it one by one, but in case something goes wrong, you will have a better understanding of what caused the problem. Make sure to keep the path of your Backup-Driver handy.
Open Device Manager using the Win+X Quick Link menu.
Now right click on any of the devices for which you want to install the driver, and click on Update driver.
You will have two option, automatic, and manual. Select Browse my computer for drivers software.
In the next screen, you need to copy paste the folder path, and also select the option include subfolders.
Click Next.
The Device Manager will now search for driver that is available for the hardware and install it. It is possible that Windows might have updated it with the new version, but if you want to rollback or keep an old one, you can do so.
Software to Backup & Restore Drivers
If you are looking for an easy way to backup drivers in Windows 10, then you may also use third-party software which can do that for you. This software can create a backup, and later restore them on demand.
Free Driver Backup is one such software which can do that for you. Apart from drivers, it can also backup cookies, registry, and other things as well. It also offers recommendations, or you can choose to backup all the drivers. Restoring is easy as well. Just point out to the backup folder, and it will pick up, and install it one by one.
Some others you may check out are Driver Sweeper, DriverBackUp, Free Driver Backup and Double Driver. If you are specifically looking to update AMD driver, check out AMD Autodetect, and for Intel, check out Intel Driver Update Utility.
Let us know if we missed anything.
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Microsoft is retiring Windows Vista on April 11, which means that if you're using a computer with the decade-old version of the OS, the time has come to upgrade. However, this is not to say that Windows Vista will stop working after its life support cycle ends. After April 11, 2017, your device will no longer receive any more maintenance, including security and performance updates, and Microsoft won't provide any kind of support.
If you want to avoid your computer quickly becoming vulnerable to viruses and other security risks, you should start planning to upgrade. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't provide a direct path to upgrade to Windows 10, but you can still make the jump and leave behind Windows Vista for good. However, it's a process that requires that you do a full backup of your data and perform a clean installation of Windows 10. We've got you covered with all the steps.
In this guide, we walk you through the steps to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10 using a clean installation.
Before you begin
If you're still using Windows Vista, it's likely that your computer has low hardware specifications, considering today's standards. Before going through the upgrade process, you have to make sure your device meets the minimum hardware requirements to install Windows 10.
These are the official minimum system requirements to run Windows 10:
Processor: 1GHz or faster processor or SoC.
Memory: 1GB for 32-bit OS or 2GB for 64-bit OS.
Storage: 16GB for 32-bit OS 20GB for 64-bit OS.
Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver.
Display: 800 x 600.
Best Driver Backup Windows 10
Once you know that your device can handle the new OS, you'll need to purchase a genuine copy of Windows 10. You can get a copy of Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro at the Microsoft Store.
Additionally, you'll need a USB flash drive with 8GB of storage to create a bootable media.
How to create a full backup on Windows Vista
Upgrading Windows Vista to Windows 10 requires a clean installation, which means that everything on your computer will be erased. As such, it's a good idea to make a full backup of your data and the entire computer.
To make a backup of your personal files, you can simply connect a removable storage and copy the files over. Once you complete backing up your files, make sure you have the installation files and product keys to reinstall any applications you're currently using.
You can also connect an external hard drive with enough free space and use the Windows Vista backup utility to create and restore a system image, which is a form of backup that includes a copy of everything on your computer. If you want to use this tool, do the following:
Open Control Panel.
Under 'System and Maintenance,' click the Back up your computer link.
Click the Back up computer button.
If prompted for permission, click the Continue button.
Select the hard drive you want to use to make the backup, and click Next.
Click the Start backup button to begin the process.
Click Close.
Once the full backup is complete, disconnect the removable storage, and you can proceed with the upgrade process. In case you need to restore the previous version, remember that you'll need a bootable media with the Windows Vista files to use the recovery option.
How to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10
While there is not a direct path to upgrade a decade-old OS, it's possible to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7, and then to Windows 10. But that's not an ideal approach, as you'll be wasting time and additional licenses.
The best way to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10 is to start fresh with a clean installation, which you can do with the following steps:
Windows 10 Driver Backup Tool
Download the Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft support site. Note that if you're using an older version of Internet Explorer, you'll probably need to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to load the download page.
Under 'Select edition,' choose Windows 10 and click Confirm.
Select your product language from the drop-down menu and click Confirm.
Click the 64-bit Download or 32-bit Download button depending on your hardware.
Quick Tip: Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type the msinfo32 command and press Enter. If your system type is x64-based PC and the amount of RAM is higher than 4GB, you can install the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Otherwise, select the 32-bit version.
In order to burn the ISO file to a USB flash drive, download and install Rufus, which is a free and easy to use utility to create bootable media.
Launch Rufus.
Under 'Devices,' select the USB flash drive you want to use.
Under 'Format Options,' click the disk drive icon next to 'Create a bootable disk using ISO image' option.
Select the Windows 10 ISO file you want to use, and click Open.
Click the Start button to continue.
Click the OK button to confirm that all the data on the flash drive will be erased and to start the process.
Restart your computer with the newly created bootable media.
If your device isn't booting from the USB flash drive, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB. Usually, you power up your computer and hit one of the functions or ESC keys to access the BIOS, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.
Click Next on the first screen of the Windows Setup wizard.
Click the Install Now button.
Enter the product key for your copy of Windows 10.
Click Next.
Select the edition of Windows 10 you want to install (if applicable). This selection must match the edition for which you bought the product key.
Click Next.
Accept the licensing agreement.
Click Next.
Click on the Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced) option to start a clean installation of Windows 10.
Select any partition on the hard drive (usually 'Drive 0') and make sure to click the Delete button to remove the partitions.
Select the hard drive (Drive 0 Unallocated Space).
Click Next to begin the installation process.
Once you complete these steps, the setup will take over and finish installing Windows 10 on your Windows Vista machine. After the installation, simply follow the on-screen directions to complete the out-of-box-experience (OOBE) with the settings you want.
During the OOBE, you'll be asked to set up an account with a Microsoft account. As such, you should make sure to have this information handy. Alternatively, you could use a local account, but you'll miss out on many advanced features, including the ability to sync settings between devices.
After you finish configuring Windows 10, you'll be presented with the new experience, and the only thing left to do is to restore your files from backup, and reinstall any app you were using on Windows Vista.
It's also recommended to go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update, and click the Check for updates button to make sure your device has the latest security and performance updates.
Additionally, you may want to use Device Manager to double-check that all your hardware and peripherals are correctly installed on your machine. If something didn't install correctly, make sure to use your manufacturer's support website to download and install the latest drivers.
If you can't find a driver compatible with Windows 10, sometimes drivers designed for the previous version of the OS will still work. But only try this as a last resort.
More Windows 10 resources
For more help articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
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