Back Up and Restore Windows with Acronis in WinPE

Acronis True Image can back up a Windows system disk to an image archive and restore it later from compatible rescue media. When running it from an NHV-BOOT WinPE environment, identify the source disk and the backup destination carefully before starting either operation.

Backup and recovery are opposite operations. Creating a backup reads the source and writes an archive elsewhere. Recovery writes the archived contents onto a destination and can overwrite its existing files and partitions.

Prepare compatible rescue media

Check the current NHV-BOOT release's included tools and licensing. Do not assume a particular Acronis version is included merely because an older tutorial used it. Use recovery software compatible with the archive and storage hardware.

Boot the rescue USB and confirm that you can see the Windows disk and the separate drive that will hold the backup. Disconnect unrelated drives when practical to reduce selection mistakes.

Identify the system partitions

Inspect disk identity, capacity, partition type, and contents. A GPT label alone does not prove that the currently running environment booted in UEFI mode. Likewise, a small FAT32 partition should be identified by its role rather than its size alone.

A UEFI Windows installation normally relies on an EFI System Partition and the Windows partition. Other reserved or recovery partitions can also be part of a complete disk-recovery plan. A whole-system-disk backup is often clearer than guessing which small partitions can be omitted.

Drive letters may change in WinPE. Do not choose a source or destination simply because it is called C:. See the UEFI and legacy BIOS guide for related boot-mode concepts.

Create the Windows backup

1. Open Acronis True Image and choose its disk-and-partition backup function. Older interfaces may label this My Disks.
2. Select the intended system disk or all partitions required by your recovery plan.
3. Browse to a backup destination on a different physical drive.
4. Create a new backup archive and give it a name that identifies the computer and backup date.
5. Review the source selection and archive path, then start the backup.
6. Wait for completion and use the available archive-validation option where appropriate.

The archive format depends on the Acronis version and backup type. This older workflow uses TIB; do not rename another archive format to TIB to make it appear compatible.

Keep the archive drive separate from the system disk and test that recovery media can find it. An archive saved only on the same failing physical disk may be unavailable when needed.

Restore Windows from the archive

First copy newer files off the destination and confirm that the image is the one you intend to restore. Do not delete every partition smaller than 500MB. Those partitions can contain essential boot, recovery, or manufacturer data. Pre-deleting EFI and Windows partitions is not a universal requirement.

1. Open the recovery function and browse to the existing archive, not a new save location.
2. Select the correct recovery point and choose disk-and-partition recovery.
3. Inspect the source partitions contained in the backup.
4. Map each required partition to the intended destination disk or space.
5. Check the resulting layout and every proposed overwrite, deletion, or format.
6. Start recovery only after the summary matches your plan.

For partition-level recovery, the EFI and Windows source partitions require appropriate separate destinations. Unallocated space is unused disk space, not a formatted partition. Do not map both source partitions onto the same existing volume.

For whole-disk recovery, expect the target disk layout to be replaced according to the selected operation. Do not use the disk containing your only backup archive as the restore destination.

Restart and verify

After recovery completes, boot from the restored disk in the mode appropriate for the image. For a UEFI installation, select its Windows Boot Manager entry. Check files, applications, drivers, and activation after Windows starts.

If startup fails, review the firmware mode, required boot partitions, and destination mappings before repeating recovery. A different hardware configuration may need additional drivers or a supported migration process.

The TIB and UEFI/GPT recovery overview and Acronis recovery documentation provide further context.

Video reference

This older demonstration shows backup and restore in an NHV-BOOT environment. Menus and bundled software can differ in other releases.