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Restore files after replacing a Windows drive

File History gets your files back after a drive failure. It does not reinstall Windows or your apps.

Restore your files

1. Fit the replacement drive and reinstall Windows.
2. Install MomentBackup. You do not need a license to restore.
3. Plug in the backup drive, or reconnect the NAS or cloud destination.
4. On first run, choose Restore from an existing backup.
5. Unlock the backup with its password or recovery key if asked.
6. Pick a recovery point, preview the files, and restore them.

This restores files and folders. It does not rebuild Windows or reinstall apps.

About full system-image recovery

Whole-computer image capture and recovery media are experimental. Do not make them your only recovery plan. The desktop app does not write a raw image over the Windows disk it is running from.

If you chose to evaluate this path before the failure, you also needed a completed system image and separately prepared recovery media. A built ISO, or one that merely boots, does not prove a replacement-drive restore. The offline recovery flow must show the exact source image and target disk before any write; the target disk will be erased.

Keep the old drive untouched until the restored PC starts and your important files open normally.

Creating recovery media requires the recommended signed per-machine Windows installer plus Microsoft’s Windows ADK and WinPE add-on. Booting a newly built ISO is a useful check, but it still does not prove a replacement-drive restore. Read Whole computer backup on Windows before relying on this experimental path.

Need a hand? Email [email protected]. Ready to start? Download MomentBackup.