Refreshing your PC to a state you define, including desktop apps We know that many of you like to first configure your PC just the way you like it, by installing favorite desktop apps or removing apps that came with the PC, and then create an image of the hard drive before you start using the PC. This way, when you need to start over, you can just restore the image and you won’t have to reinstall the apps from scratch. With this in mind, we’ve made it possible for you to establish your own baseline image via a command-line tool (
recimg.exe). So when you get a Windows 8 PC, you will be able to do the following:
Go through the Windows first-run experience to configure basic settings. Install your favorite desktop apps (or uninstall things you don’t want). Configure the machine exactly as you would like it. Use recimg.exe to capture and set your custom image of the system.
After you’ve created the custom image, whenever you refresh your PC, not only will you be able to keep your personal data, settings, and Metro style apps, but you can restore all the desktop apps in your custom image as well. And if you buy a PC that already comes with a recovery image on a hidden partition, you’ll be able to use the tool to switch from using the hidden partition to instead use the custom image you’ve created. If you’d like to try this out now, a preview version of this tool is included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview. You can try it out by typing the following in a command prompt window running as administrator:
mkdir C:\RefreshImage recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage
This creates the image under
C:\RefreshImage and will register it to be used when you refresh your PC. Again,
this is a very early version of the tool, so we know it’s not perfect yet. Rest assured that we’re working hard to get it ready for primetime. source :