Fixed: System Image Restore Failed, Windows Cannot Restore a System Image in Windows 10/8/7

If you encountered an error message during the restoration of a system image to a computer, don't worry. The message states: "Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer with different firmware. The system image was created on a device using EFI/BIOS, and this computer is using BIOS/EFI."

On this page, we will delve into the reasons why a system image restore fails and provide guidance on how to rectify this error to successfully restore the system image to a target computer. Follow along to learn how to resolve this issue on your own:

Applies to: Fix the "System image restore failed. Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer that has different firmware" error on Windows 10/8.1/8/7.

Overview of "System Image Restore Failed" Error

In this section, you will learn:

1. What is system image recovery? 2. Why does system image restore fail, and what are the causes of the "Windows cannot restore a system image" error? 3. How to proceed when a system image cannot be restored to a different computer?

System Image Recovery, in short, refers to the process of reverting a Windows computer to a previous stable state using a previously created system backup image (also referred to as restore points). Can you utilize a system image on a different PC, say, to restore a Windows 7 system image to another computer? Yes, it is possible.

But why did System Restore fail? Here are two fundamental reasons that can explain why this error occurred on your new PC:

1. #1. System Restore did not complete successfully.
2. #2. System Image Restore failed due to an EFI/BIOS error.

Essentially, the first issue pertains to the computer's system files and configurations. The second issue is more intricate and is primarily attributed to the mentioned problem:

• The system image was created on a computer using BIOS, and the target computer is using EFI.
• The system image was created on a computer using EFI, whereas the current PC is using BIOS.
• The source system disk is MBR, and the target disk is GPT, or conversely, the source disk is GPT, while the target disk is MBR.

Solve 'System Image Restore Failed. Windows Cannot Restore System Image' Error

If you search on Google, you might come across numerous users who have experienced a system image restore failure due to an EFI/BIOS error. If you're encountering this issue, try the following troubleshooting techniques to easily resolve the problem:

• #1. Use System Restore Alternative Tool - Easiest
• #2. Perform System Restore via Windows Installation Media
• #3. Configure Boot Mode in New PC
• #4. Convert Target Disk to the Same Partition Style as Source Disk: MBR - MBR; GPT - GPT

注意 ：如果您是Windows初学者，并希望有一种高效的方法来在另一台计算机上创建和还原系统映像，那么方法1是最好的选择。如果您熟悉Windows操作并需要免费的方法，那么方法2、3和4都值得您尝试。

Method 1: Utilize System Restore Alternative to Restore System Image to a Different Drive/PC

Best for: All levels of Windows users.

Difficulty Level: The simplest way to resolve system image restore failure due to an EFI/BIOS error.

Applies to: Easily fix the "System Restore failed" and "Windows cannot restore a system image to a different computer" error on Windows 10/8/7.

For most Windows novices, it's seemingly impossible to restore a system image to dissimilar hardware using the Windows Restore feature, regardless of the computer firmware. Thankfully, professional Windows backup software, such as this Windows backup solution, can easily resolve this issue.

Here, Todo Backup empowers users of all skill levels to effortlessly restore system images to dissimilar hard drives or computers with ease.

This allows you to restore a system image created on a BIOS-based computer (MBR disk) to a UEFI computer (GPT disk) and vice versa.

Tutorial: Restore a System Image to a Computer with Different Firmware

Step 1. Create an Emergency Disk on USB

1. Connect an empty USB flash drive or external hard drive (with over 100GB of free space) to your computer.

Note: Initialize the USB or external hard drive as MBR and create two partitions: set the first partition as FAT32 and the second partition as NTFS.

2. Run Todo Backup and click "Tools" > "Create Emergency Disk".

3. Select USB as the disk location to create the emergency drive, then click "Create."

可引导磁盘将帮助您启动计算机并将系统映像传输到新电脑。

Step 2. Create a System Backup Image on the Source Computer

1. Click "OS" on the main page, and Windows OS will be selected by default.

2. Select the second partition of the USB drive that contains the emergency disk to save the system image.

You can also save the system backup image to another empty external drive (which must be equal to or larger than the system C drive).

Create a system image to transfer the system to a new computer.

3. Click " Backup Now" to start creating a system backup image to the target device.

Step 3. Boot the target computer from the Todo Backup Emergency Disk

1. Remove the emergency disk and system backup image USB, and then connect it to the new computer.

2. Restart your PC and press "DEL/F2/F10/F12" to enter BIOS.

3. Go to the boot menu and set your computer to start from the Todo Backup emergency disk.

If you wish to restore the system image to a GPT disk, you need to modify the boot mode to UEFI in the BIOS settings. Upon doing this, your computer will access the main interface of Todo Backup工具.

Step 4. Migrate System to the New Computer

Note: Restoring a system image to a new computer will erase the data on the target disk. Remember to back up your files beforehand or use an empty disk for the system image restoration to prevent data loss.

1. On the main interface of Todo Backup, click "Tools" > "System Transfer".

2. Select the system image on your USB external drive and click "OK" to proceed.

3. Click "Proceed" to start transferring the system to a new computer.

Step 5. Restart PC with Transferred System

Once you've done all that, your new computer should be able to boot up with the transferred operating system.

Method 2: Perform System Restore on New Computer using Windows Installation Media (As per Microsoft Forum)

Best for: Experienced Windows users, Windows 7 users recommended.

Difficulty Level: Medium, complex for Windows beginners.

Applies to: Resolve the "Windows cannot restore a system image to a different computer" error using Windows installation media.

Important: As the process may result in file loss on the new PC, ensure that you create a backup of important data on the target disk beforehand.

If you're using Windows 10 or Windows 8, the process to restore a system image to a new computer using Windows installation media might be slightly different. This method has been highly recommended by many Windows 7 users on the Microsoft forum. Follow these steps to give it a try:

Remember to insert the external hard drive or USB drive containing your system backup image into the target PC.

Step 1. Restart the target PC and press F2/F11/Del to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Go to the boot menu and enable UEFI as the Boot mode.

Step 3. Insert the Windows installation media into the target PC and set it to restart from the media.

Step 4. Proceed to the "Install Now" window, choose "I don't have a product key", select the operating system, and click "Next".

Step 5. Check "I accept the license terms" and click "Next".

Step 6. Choose "Custom", then select the original disk and click "Delete".

Step 7. Select the target disk again and click "New" and "Apply".

Step 8. Then click "X" to close the window.

Step 9. Re-enter the Install Windows window, click "Repair your computer", select "Troubleshoot" and click "System Image Recovery".

Step 10. Check "Select a system image" and click "Next".

Step 11. Check "Format and repartition disks", click "Next" and "Finish", then click "Yes".

Wait for Windows to finish restoring a system image to a computer with different firmware. Once that's done, simply restart your computer, and you'll be able to use your operating system on the new computer.

注意: 如果该过程在您的计算机上无法正常工作，可能是由于 BIOS 引导模式或目标磁盘分区样式存在问题。请检查并遵循接下来的两种方法以获取帮助。

Method 3: Configure Boot Mode in a New PC

Best for: Advanced Windows users.

Difficulty Level: Hard, not easily configured by ordinary Windows users in terms of computer boot mode.

Applies to: Fix the "System Restore failed due to EIF/BIOS" error on Windows 10/8/7.

When the source and destination computers are using different boot modes in BIOS, Windows will not allow you to restore the system from a UEFI-based computer to a BIOS Legacy computer, or vice versa.

Therefore, to resolve this issue, you'll need to ensure that both the source and destination computers are using the same transfer mode:

• If the backup was created on a computer using BIOS, switch the boot mode to Legacy.
• If the backup was created on a computer with UEFI, enable UEFI boot mode.

To set up the firmware boot mode, follow these steps as a guide:

Step 1. Check the boot mode on the source computer:

Restart the source computer > Press F2/F11/F12/Del to enter BIOS > Go to Boot Mode and check which mode is enabled: Legacy or UEFI.

Step 2. On the target computer, restart it and enter BIOS using the instructions from Step 1.

Step 3. Go to the Boot Menu and select the Boot Mode to be the same as the source PC: Legacy - Legacy, UEFI - UEFI.

Step 4. Save the changes and restart your PC.

After that, you can proceed with system image recovery and restore a system image created on your old PC to the new one.

Method 4: Convert Target Disk to the Same Partition Style as Source Disk

Best for: Advanced Windows users.

Difficulty Level: Hard - Ordinary Windows users should be very cautious when following this tutorial, or seek assistance from the manufacturer.

Applies to: Fix "Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer with different firmware" on Windows 10/8/7.

If Windows System Restore still doesn't function after adjusting the boot mode on your target PC, you should also examine the disk partition styles on both computers.

通常，BIOS传统模式要求系统安装在主引导记录(MBR)磁盘上，而UEFI模式则需要GUID分区表(GPT)磁盘。因此，为了解决系统映像恢复失败的错误，确保源磁盘分区和目标磁盘分区是相同类型：

• MBR - MBR
• GPT - GPT

To save your time, we recommend trying a dependable partition manager software - tools Partition Master, to convert GPT to MBR or MBR to GPT. Please follow these steps:

Step 1. Download and launch tools Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2. Proceed to Disk Converter, choose "Convert MBR to GPT," then click "Next" to proceed.

Step 3. Select the target MBR disk that you want to convert to GPT and click "Convert" to start the process.

If the source disk is GPT and the target disk is MBR, follow the same steps demonstrated, right-click on the target disk, and select "Convert to GPT" to accomplish the conversion task.

After this, you can restart your PC and resume restoring the system image to your new disk or new computer.

底线

On this page, we delved into the reasons behind failed system restores on your new computer, identified the factors causing the failure, and provided solutions to effectively overcome the 'Windows cannot restore a system image to a computer with different firmware' issue.

It's crucial to back up important files on the target disk of your new PC. This ensures protection against data loss that might occur due to system image restoration.

For most Windows novices and average users, we recommend attempting the System Image Backup and Restore feature offered by tools like Todo Backup, as demonstrated in Method 1. It is an easy and efficient way to restore a system image to a different hard drive or computer.