Performing a System State Backup from the Command Line

Q: We want to include a server configuration backup of our Windows servers in our change management procedures. How can I start a Windows system state backup from the command line?

A: In Windows Server 2008 and later, you can use the Wbadmin.exe command-line utility to perform a system state backup. Wbadmin.exe is available only if you installed the Windows Server Backup feature on your Windows Server OS.

To perform a system state backup, you must use the following Wbadmin command syntax:

wbadmin start systemstatebackup  -backuptarget: -quiet

In this command, you need to replace with either the local volume identifier or the drive letter of the physical disk drive that will store the system state backup. The -quiet parameter is optional. If you don't want to be prompted to press the letter Y when the backup starts, include this parameter.

For example, to create a system state backup with no prompts and save it to volume D, you must run:

wbadmin start systemstatebackup -backupTarget:D: -quiet

If you want to specify a local volume identifier rather than a drive letter in the above Wbadmin command, you can use the following command to get a list of your local volume identifiers:

wbadmin get disks

To view the complete syntax of the Wbadmin command, run:

wbadmin start systemstatebackup /?

To perform a system state backup with Wbadmin.exe, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group or the Administrators group. Wbadmin.exe must also be run from an elevated command prompt. To open an elevated command prompt, click Start, right-click Command Prompt (which you can find in the Accessories folder), then click Run as administrator.