﻿ Wbadmin start backup

Creates a backup using specified parameters. If no parameters are specified and you have created a scheduled daily backup, this subcommand creates the backup by using the settings for the scheduled backup. If parameters are specified, it creates a Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) copy backup and will not update the history of the files that are being backed up.


For examples of how to use this subcommand, see Examples.


wbadmin start backup
[-backupTarget:{<TargetVolume> | <TargetNetworkShare>}]


Parameter Description


Specifies the storage location for this backup. Requires a hard disk drive letter (f:), a volume GUID-based path in the format of the example \\?\Volume{92f3db12-69fb-11db-89db-806e6f6e6963}, or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a remote shared folder (\\<servername>\<sharename>\). By default, the backup will be saved at: \\<servername>\<sharename>\WindowsImageBackup\<ComputerBackedUp>\.


If you save a backup to a remote shared folder, that backup will be overwritten if you use the same folder to back up the same computer again. In addition, if the backup operation fails, you may end up with no backup because the older backup will be overwritten, but the newer backup will not be usable. You can avoid this by creating subfolders in the remote shared folder to organize your backups. If you do this, the subfolders will need twice the space as the parent folder.




Automatically includes all critical volumes (volumes that contain operating system's state). Can be used with the -include parameter. This parameter is useful if you are creating a backup for full system or system state recovery. It should be used only when -backupTarget is specified.


Specifies that backups saved to removable media (such as a DVD) are not verified for errors. If you do not use this parameter, backups saved to removable media are verified for errors.


If the backup is saved to a remote shared folder, specifies the user name with write access to the folder.


Specifies the password for the user name that is specified by the parameter -user.


Applies the access control list (ACL) permissions that correspond to the credentials specified by -user and -password to \\<servername>\<sharename>\WindowsImageBackup\<ComputerBackedUp>\ (the folder that contains the backup). To access the backup later, you must use these credentials or be a member of the Administrators group or the Backup Operators group on the computer with the shared folder. If -noInheritAcl is not used, the ACL permissions from the remote shared folder are applied to the <ComputerBackedUp> folder by default so that anyone with access to the remote shared folder can access the backup.


If specified, performs a full backup using the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Each file's history is updated to reflect that it was backed up.

If this parameter is not used, wbadmin start backup makes a copy backup, but the history of files being backed up is not updated.


Do not use this parameter if you are using a product other than Windows Server Backup to back up applications that are on the volumes included in the current backup. Doing so can potentially break the incremental, differential, or other types of backups that the other backup product is creating.


Runs the subcommand with no prompts to the user.


To create a backup of volumes e:, d:\mountpoint, and \\?\Volume{cc566d14-4410-11d9-9d93-806e6f6e6963} and save it to volume f, type:


Additional references