Refresh Windows 8 - Create and Use Custom Recovery Image

How to Create a Custom Recovery Image to Use to Refresh Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to create and register a custom recovery image to use instead of default when you refresh your Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8.1 RT PC.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do this tutorial.

Quoted from Microsoft:

Refreshing your PC to a state you define, including desktop apps

We know that many of you like to first configure your PC just the way you like it, by installing favorite desktop apps or removing apps that came with the PC, and then create an image of the hard drive before you start using the PC. This way, when you need to start over, you can just restore the image and you won’t have to reinstall the apps from scratch.

With this in mind, we’ve made it possible for you to establish your own baseline image via a command-line tool (recimg.exe). So when you get a Windows 8 PC, you will be able to do the following:

• Go through the Windows first-run experience to configure basic settings.
• Install your favorite desktop apps (or uninstall things you don’t want).
• Configure the machine exactly as you would like it.
• Use recimg.exe to capture and set your custom image of the system.

After you’ve created the custom image, whenever you refresh your PC, not only will you be able to keep your personal data, settings, and Metro style apps, but you can restore all the desktop apps in your custom image as well. And if you buy a PC that already comes with a recovery image on a hidden partition, you’ll be able to use the tool to switch from using the hidden partition to instead use the custom image you’ve created.

   Note

The recimg.exe command line tool lets you configure a custom recovery image for Windows 8 to use when you refresh your PC. When you create a custom recovery image, it will include the desktop apps you've installed and the Windows system files in their current state. Saved recovery images do not include your documents, personal settings, user profiles, or modern apps from the Store because that information will automatically be included by default at the time you refresh your PC. This way when you refresh your PC with the saved custom recovery image, it will save and include your current documents, personal settings, user profiles, and modern apps.

When you create a custom recovery image, recimg will store it in the specified directory, and set it as the active recovery image. If a custom recovery image is set as the active recovery image, Windows will use it when you refresh your PC. You can use the /setcurrent and /deregister options to select which recovery image Windows 8 will use. All recovery images have the filename CustomRefresh.wim. If no CustomRefresh.wim file is found in the active recovery image directory, Windows will fall back to the default image (or to installation media) when you refresh your PC.

Note that you cannot reset your PC using a custom recovery image. Custom recovery images can only be used to refresh your PC.

STEP ONE

To Create and Register a Custom Recovery Image

​

1. After you have finished seting up Windows 8 how you like it, open a elevated command prompt.​

​

2. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 3)​

​

NOTE: If you like, you can subsititute the C drive letter in the command below for the drive letter of the location that you would like to keep the CustomRefresh.wim recovery image file at instead.​

​

recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage​

​

   Tip

If needed, you can press the ESC key at anytime to cancel creating this custom refresh image.

​

3. When finished, this new custom recovery image of your current Windows 8 setup will now be set (registered) as the current active recovery image used whenever you refresh Windows 8 next in STEP TWO below.​

​

NOTE: It may take a bit to finish creating your custom recovery image. At the Writing image line the progress stays at 1% for a bit and then increases slowly until finished at 100%.​

​

​

​

​

   Tip

You can create multiple or new recovery images every so often to have an updated version handy if you should need to refresh your PC with.

Whenever you create a new recovery image, the new image will be used instead by default afterwards since it will be the latest registered (set) active recovery image.

   Note

To unregister this custom recovery image for refresh to have Windows 8 go back to using it's default refresh, see: How to Deregister the Current Custom Recovery Image to Refresh Windows 8

To set a previosly created CustomRefresh.wim recovery image file to be used by refresh, see: How to Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active to Use to Refresh Windows 8

STEP TWO

To Refresh Windows 8 with the Custom Recovery Image

​

1. If you have not already, you must have already previously created and registered a custom recovery image using STEP ONE first to use to do the refresh with.​

​

2. You can now use either option in the tutorial below to refresh Windows 8 like you would normally do so, but your custom system image will now be used to refresh Windows 8 with instead.​

​

Refresh Windows 8​

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Refresh Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
• How to Refresh or Reset Windows 8 without Installation Disk
• How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 8 without Losing Anything
• How to Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active to Use to Refresh Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Display Path of Current Active Recovery Image Used to Refresh Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Deregister the Current Custom Recovery Image to Refresh Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Reset Windows 8 and Windows 8.1
• How to Boot to the "System Recovery Options" in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Create a System Image in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Do a System Image Recovery in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[johnpombrio]

I thought the purpose of a REFRESH is clean out the Windows folders, clean out the registry, and reset all of the Windows settings to their default. If everything is still intact but just an earlier build, then anything you have stored in your user folder is GONE (music, videos, etc). Is that right? The regular REFRESH keeps all this stuff intact.

 

[Brink]

Hello John,

Doing a refesh with a custom refresh image is basically like doing a system image recovery from a created system image, but for only Windows 8. The custom refresh will refresh Windows 8 to how everything was when you created the refresh image.

This is good for say to create a custom refresh image of a clean install of Windows 8 with everything setup how you like to be able to use to refresh with instead of the default refresh.

 

[whs]

Interesting. It sounds like a hybrid between restoring from an image and a system restore from a shadow. The good part is that the user files stay intact.

 

[johnpombrio]

Thanks Brink. I have used stored images in the past but if I recall, it basically wipes the hard drive completely and then installs only what was stored in the image (kinda like cloning the drive, storing it away, and then using the cloned drive image to overwrite the boot drive). Am I wrong in this? I should Google images I think, heh.

 

[Brink]

Yes and no, but a custom refresh only affects Windows 8 and it's drive letter, and nothing else.

 

[johnpombrio]

Thanks Brink, here is what I got Goggling (1st hit too_) .

The answer is that with a custom image REFRESH, your personal data IS KEPT along with the Metro apps AND Desktop apps/programs you installed before the image is made.

Refresh and reset your PC - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Quote from article:
Refreshing your PC to a state you define, including desktop apps

We know that many of you like to first configure your PC just the way you like it, by installing favorite desktop apps or removing apps that came with the PC, and then create an image of the hard drive before you start using the PC. This way, when you need to start over, you can just restore the image and you won’t have to reinstall the apps from scratch.
With this in mind, we’ve made it possible for you to establish your own baseline image via a command-line tool (recimg.exe). So when you get a Windows 8 PC, you will be able to do the following:

1. Go through the Windows first-run experience to configure basic settings.
2. Install your favorite desktop apps (or uninstall things you don’t want).
3. Configure the machine exactly as you would like it.
4. Use recimg.exe to capture and set your custom image of the system.

After you’ve created the custom image, whenever you refresh your PC, not only will you be able to keep your personal data, settings, and Metro style apps, but you can restore all the desktop apps in your custom image as well. And if you buy a PC that already comes with a recovery image on a hidden partition, you’ll be able to use the tool to switch from using the hidden partition to instead use the custom image you’ve created.
If you’d like to try this out now, a preview version of this tool is included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview. You can try it out by typing the following in a command prompt window running as administrator:

mkdir C:\RefreshImage
recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage

​

This creates the image under C:\RefreshImage and will register it to be used when you refresh your PC. Again, this is a very early version of the tool, so we know it’s not perfect yet. Rest assured that we’re working hard to get it ready for primetime.

End Quote

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

​

Brink I just tested your tutorial and it works. The command prompt window output dialogue has changed since the Developer Preview and it took about 35 mins to create the refresh image. Note: At the "Writing image" line the progress stays at 0% for the first 5 mins or so then increases slowly.



I used the How to Refresh Windows 8 at Boot option to refresh windows.

As advertised Windows Consumer Preview was restored with all programs and files intact with the exception of both IE 9 and Firefox which were reset to default configuration having to import saved bookmarks and restore extensions. The task bar properties were also reset to default with no previously pinned shortcuts.

 

[Brink]

Thank you for the update mate. Well, so much for all of your settings being kept and restored. Maybe in the next release.

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

Thank you for the update mate. Well, so much for all of your settings being kept and restored. Maybe in the next release.

Still a lot easier than installing from scratch as all installed programs and files still work unlike the days of Vista or XP using a repair install which was a nightmare determining which ones still worked when you clicked on it's icon.

 

[Brink]

Thank you for the update mate. Well, so much for all of your settings being kept and restored. Maybe in the next release.

Still a lot easier than installing from scratch as all installed programs and files still work unlike the days of Vista or XP using a repair install which was a nightmare determining which ones still worked when you clicked on it's icon.

Agreed.

 

[johnpombrio]

Thank you for the update mate. Well, so much for all of your settings being kept and restored. Maybe in the next release.

Still a lot easier than installing from scratch as all installed programs and files still work unlike the days of Vista or XP using a repair install which was a nightmare determining which ones still worked when you clicked on it's icon.

Amen to that. That was a good 3 hours of my life lost rebuilding everything after a clean REFRESH. Of course, the reason I had to do the refresh was that I managed to screw up Metro UI so badly that I had to go back to square one. My bad.

Iown, Thanks for letting us know how well creating an image works!

BTW, find the profile.default for Firefox at

C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

and back it up. When Firefox is restored, it creates a NEW profile name so you have to copy everything in the old profile into the new (with replace all). ALL of your settings, bookmarks, passwords, history, etc is ALL kept. A marvelous way to restore Firefox.

 

[IownAmoneyPit]

Iown, Thanks for letting us know how well creating an image works!

BTW, find the profile.default for Firefox at

C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

and back it up. When Firefox is restored, it creates a NEW profile name so you have to copy everything in the old profile into the new (with replace all). ALL of your settings, bookmarks, passwords, history, etc is ALL kept. A marvelous way to restore Firefox.

Thank's for the tip johnpombrio I already use the FEBE extension for firefox so all bookmarks, extensions - etc. were backed up & exported to user folder and external drive for good measure along with IE bookmarks for easy importation and restoring.

Out of boredom I made a completely new Refresh Windows 8 Using a Custom System Image but this time using the Refresh Windows 8 from within Windows 8 (Option Two Halfway down page)

The results were the same as post #7 with all programs and files restored and working albeit programs reverting to initial installation parameters with all customization lost ( Example: Ccleaner - cookies to keep & check marked boxes restored to default, iTunes reconfigures itself to accept/decline the user agreement)

Conclusion: Backup / Export bookmarks and extensions and make note of program / Taskbar - etc. customizations before Refreshing Windows 8 Using a Custom System Image

 

[johnpombrio]

Iown, that's pretty bored!

Your latest results were similar to what I had with a regular REFRESH. I too had the exact same issue when I moved the folder for a utility from the Programs folder from Windows.old to the new Programs folder created during the REFRESH. It SOUNDS like the any changes to the registry are removed which is why it starts in a default/new installation state. Would you concur?

 

[nate42nd]

This sounds cool. I create images of my Windows 7 drives every week or two. Is the regular "Create a System Image" still the same? Guess it's about time to pick a desktop and install Windows 8. Hard to learn about it if you're not running it. Great tutorials as usual Brink. I love reading through them.

 

[Brink]

Hello Nate,

This isn't quite the same as a full system image backup since it only affect the OS and not the HDD. However, a system image in Windows 8 is the same as in Windows 7.

Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup - Windows 7 Forums

 

[glennc]

Hello Brink and thank you for your exceptional assistance. To create a true system image, one that will delete the drive and put everything back on that was there at the time of the system image, I must use the alternate method as in Window 7 or with a program like Macrium. Is this correct?
If so then I would not need the C:\RefreshImage folder or it's contents, also correct. If so may I just delete them? Sorry still a little slow on the uptake!
Thank you for your assistance!
Regards,
Glenn

 

[Brink]

Hello Glenn,

Yeah, if you wanted to restore selectedHDDs/SSDs as they were as well, then you would need to create a normal system image with them included using the same method as W7 or with a program like Macrium.

You wouldn't want to delete the C:\RefreshImage folder unless you are just real tight on space. Having a custom refresh image could be handy if you ever needed to use it for a quick fix, or backup in case something happend to the full system image. You can always update the refresh image as well by doing this tutorial again.

 

[glennc]

Hello Glenn,

Yeah, if you wanted to restore selectedHDDs/SSDs as they were as well, then you would need to create a normal system image with them included using the same method as W7 or with a program like Macrium.

You wouldn't want to delete the C:\RefreshImage folder unless you are just real tight on space. Having a custom refresh image could be handy if you ever needed to use it for a quick fix, or backup in case something happend to the full system image. You can always update the refresh image as well by doing this tutorial again.

Thanks Brink,
Just from my personal experience with W7, I've never had total success with anything other than a system image. I have had repairs fail, restore points fail, but with the system image I know I can get back to then exactly the same. I really haven't taken the time to delve into the differences. I will attempt to learn the difference. In general sfc takes care of restoring the system....is this a true statement or am I barking up another wrong tree?
Regards
Glenn

 

[Brink]

Glenn,

No problem.

SFC will only repair Windows corrupted or modified system files if able, and nothing else (ex: user files or programs).

System Restore will restore Windows system files, system settings, programs, and registry back to how they were when the restore point was created. It does not affect user files.

I agree. A full System Image backup is the ultimate and best fix all solution. It will restore everything, including how the selected HDDs/SSDs were setup, in the system image back to how it was when the system image was created. You just have to keep an updated system image to not lose to much if you have to do a system image recovery inbetween creating updated images.

A refresh with a custom image could be useful if you wanted to restore Windows back to how it was when the refresh image was created without worrying about it affecting the HHDs/SSDs and accidently letting the wrong one get deleted like it could happen with a full system image recovery.