Forum Discussion
Azure Backup for laptop backup
Hi,
is it possible to create a complete backup of a laptop using Azure? I have 2 critical laptops that I need to be able to back up and restore if case of laptop failure. This means, restore on another laptop with all installed apps and setting.
Thank you.
Yes, this is support, step similar on below:
- Create a Recovery Service Vault on Azure:
In the Azure portal:
Create a new Recovery Service Vault
Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “MyLaptopVault”)
Choose a location
Click “Create.”
- Install Azure Backup Agent on Your Laptop:
Download and install the Azure Backup Agent on each laptop
This agent will handle the backup process
- Configure Backup Settings:
Open the Azure Backup Agent
Set up a backup schedule (daily, weekly, etc.)
Select the files and folders you want to back up (your critical data)
Point it to your Recovery Service Vault
3 - Select the files and folders you want to back up (your critical data) .... I dont want to backup critical data as my critical data are on onedrive/sharepoint. I need to backup the system so that it can be restored on another laptop in case of laptop faulure.
Anyway, ... thank you both! Will be testing it coming days.
sumo83if your OS is listed in the support matrix for the MARS backup agent then yes, it is possible (see an overview here).
For a one-off solution to preserve the state of a critical machine (short of a full backup solution) there is also the Sysinternals utility Disk2VHD. This will create a VHD (virtual hard disk) that you can mount in Hyper-V as a virtual machine. It's a good solution for short-term recovery or copying data from an older machine but because you have detached the Windows instance from its hardware it can cause license issues to run it this way.
Azure backup also creates a VHD, and updates this snapshot with subsequent incremental backup runs. The documentation notes that if you intend to preserve the state of your machine that will be accomplished for Windows, but not necessarily for other programs you run (although most programs still recover nicely using their own cached state which is being backed up as part of your machine's snapshot).
thank you for this.
Please correct me if I am wrong - I will select "System State" for my scenario right? As there is also a "bare metal" option so not sure which one should I use.- It sounded like it from your initial description but I recommend first testing the entire process including both backup and restore on a machine that is not 'critical' as you describe the two laptops so that you become familiar with the process and understand the outcomes of the method you use.
