AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free

Creating a system backup is a preventive measure that can save you the trouble of having to reinstall Windows and all the applications you need to carry out your daily tasks in case disaster strikes. Whether it is a virus that bypassed your security layers or a data corruption problem that affected the PC, it's never a bad idea to have a Windows image file that can be restored rather easily. One solution to generating such a system image is provided by AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free.

With a tool such as AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free, you can create a factory recovery partition for your computer. Using the image file that this application creates, you can restore the system to a previously working state, with all your files and data safe.

As complicated as that might sound, it actually isn't due to the wizard-based approach of AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free. Its main window only comprises two options, one for creating a backup image file, and the other for performing system recovery.

AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free displays two backup options: to a special partition or to a location of your choice. However, the free edition only allows you to experiment with the first, as the latter is only available in the demo edition of AOMEI OneKey Recovery (and, obviously, in the purchased full edition).

By default, AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free uses a balanced compression, but you can also opt for no compression at all or maximum data compression. As expected, the amount of time it takes to create the backup depends on the chosen compression level. A system reboot might be required to finish the process.

Even with the recommended moderate compression, the image file usually takes a lot of storage space so make sure you place it on a partition that has plenty. For security reasons, the resulting image file can be password-protected.

System recovery is just as easy, as it only requires you to select the previously created backup. You can enter the so-called recovery environment by pressing F11 or the 'A' key while the PC is starting.

AOMEI OneKey Recovery Free is designed to help you build a system backup in a few simple steps, without requiring complicated settings. As such, it can be used by inexperienced users as well.

However, while the backup itself does not take too long, the storage space it occupies is quite significant. Even so, keeping a large system backup is better than no system backup.