Many backups created by Engineering IT are saved in the Windows Imaging Format (.wim) which can’t be opened easily using the default Windows toolset. Follow the steps below to access the data stored in the backup file.
Pre-requisites
You will need to access these files using a Windows OS device.
Please make sure that 7-Zip is already installed on your machine. You can install a recent version of 7-zip using the Self Service Portal.
Open the archive
Locate the file that was provided to you. (The name of the file may vary, but it should typically include the Computer Name and Incident/Ticket number, it always should end in “.wim” for this process.)
Right-click on the file and choose “7-Zip” > “Open archive”
Depending on the size of the file, it may take a few moments or a few minutes to open.
Navigating the contents
Find the files you would like to recover using the new window. If a complete backup of your entire storage device was made, then it will look similar to the image below.
Right-click on the folder containing the files you would like (or select the file or multiple files you want) and choose “Copy To…”
Choose in the next window that appears where you would like to save the files, either on a network share or your local computer.
Tips
Most often the files you are looking for are located in your Users folder. This can be found under “C:\Users\YourUsername” (See the image below).
Once you are inside your username folder, check out the folders highlighted in the Navigating the Contents (above) section of this page for the most common places users store files.
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