create a image back up on win 8.1

I have a new machine that I have updated to win 8.1. I want to have a single system image to use in case of hard drive failure.
I understand that macrimum reflect free is popular on this site. Could some one walk me through how to create a boot disk that will work on win 8.1?
I have heard that bcd would work for this.
I just want to make a basic image, but do not have the understanding of much of what some of you discuss here.
I have made a rescue usb drive from win 8.1 but I assume it can only be used to restore an image that was made by windows. Is that so?

 

The "recovery drive" can be used to restore an image created with the Windows 8.1 system image program.

Also, if you included the "recovery partition" when you created it, you can in principle execute a "reset", that would restore the Windows 8 (not 8.1) OEM factory image.

Finally, if you execute a "refresh" operation and you create a refresh image, the recovery drive would restore this image.

 

Is WinPE 5 available yet?

 

It is very simple. Download Macrium Reflect FREE. Install it. Run it. In the "Other Task Menu" you will find "Create Rescue Media".

It will download about 340MB of WADK 8.0 (WinPE 4.0), and it will create an ISO. Then you can use this ISO file to:

1. Create a Macruim Reflect Rescue Boot Disk.
2. With EasyBCD, you can also have Macrium Reflect available as boot menu.

Best regards,

Mohamed

 

Hi GrafZeppelin,

Yes, WADK 8.1 is available as WinPE 5, but some imaging programs still don't use it.

Best regards,

Mohamed

 

That's what I was wondering about. Do third party imaging programs made WinPE 5 option available in their rescue media creation wizard already (which you've already answered, thanks)? And I thought WinPE 4 won't work with 8.1?

 

Even WAIK will work in Windows 8.1 with Rescue Media. And, on booting these Rescue Media, one will be provided with Windows 7 startup on these Rescue Media, rather than Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 strarup.

I have Windows 8.1, but Macrium Reflect uses WADK 8.0 (WinPE 4.0) to create the Rescue Media and it works.

Whereas, IFW uses WADK 8.1 (WinPE 5.0) to create the Rescue Media.

Best regards,

Mohamed

 

Oh... I thought 8.1 is restricted to only WinPE 5. Guess I was misinformed then. Thanks for the clarification.