Windows 10 – gone from the hard disk

by Olaf Kehrer -

We recently got to grips with the new situation that regular system backups are now no longer an option but are being forced upon Windows 10 users.

There is another aspect to this which we want to specifically highlight: what happens when a hardware defect arises after the free Windows 10 upgrade (the service often lets the hard disk down) and the new Windows 10 system is gone?

Microsoft does not currently have an answer to this question. Also, if this happens after the offer for a free license expires in July, 2016 then you cannot restore your old system and update it either. Your new system is gone, and you cannot get your old one back.

The only protection is to make an image of the Windows 10 system immediately after the upgrade, literally the first thing you should do. And not just a file backup, but a complete system copy so that should a hardware defect arise you can restore your entire PC system. That you must then regularly update these images under Windows 10 was covered in our previous blog post.

It is also strongly recommended that you make a complete system copy of the old Windows 7 or Windows 8 system before the upgrade to 10. An upgrade of this nature can go wrong, and it could also be the case that you have applications that do not run under Windows 10 as expected. You could here, for example, create a virtual machine using a program like O&O DiskImage and get it running under Windows 10 that way.

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Olaf Kehrer

Olaf Kehrer is Managing Director of O&O Software GmbH and is responsible for product development. His focus is centered on developing new concepts for the system tools sector as well as in expanding and adapting existing product lines. Olaf Kehrer was one of the founders of O&O Software GmbH in 1997 and has played a primary role in developing O&O products. Even today, he stands at the very center of their further development and remains dedicated to the goal of creating the best possible products for O&O customers. He has also published white papers on the subject of “Data Data Everywhere”. These papers analyzed the handling of obsolete and discarded hard disks and their undeleted data. Olaf Kehrer studied at the Technical University Berlin and has a diploma in Computer Science.