Back Up and Restore the System State

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Back Up and Restore the System State

Learn the fastest and easiest way to use Windows Server 2008 to back up and restore a server’s system state.


On Windows Server 2008 R2, there are approximately 50,000 system state files, which use approximately 4 GB of disk space in the default installation of an x64-based computer. The fastest and easiest way to back up and restore a server’s system state is to use Wbadmin. With Wbadmin, you can use the START SYSTEMSTATEBACKUP command to create a backup of the system state for a computer and the START SYSTEMSTATERECOVERY command to restore a computer’s system state. (Note that when you select a system state restore on a domain controller, you have to be in the Directory Services Restore mode.) To back up a server’s system state, type the following at an elevated command prompt:

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:VolumeName
Here VolumeName is the storage location for the backup, such as F:.

To restore a server’s system state, type the following at an elevated command prompt:

wbadmin start systemstaterecovery -backupTarget:VolumeName
Here VolumeName is the storage location that contains the backup you want to recover, such as F:.

Additionally, you can do the following:

-Use the –recoveryTarget parameter to restore to an alternate location.
-Use the –machine parameter to specify the name of the computer to recover if the original backup location contains backups for multiple computers.
-Use the –authSysvol parameter to perform an authoritative restore of the SYSVOL.

You can also recover the system state by using a backup that includes the system state or by performing a recovery.

From the Microsoft Press book Windows Server 2008 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant, Second Edition by William R. Stanek.


credit: technet.microsoft.com