Restore a Device to a CVD Snapshot

You can use a CVD snapshot to restore a specific file or a complete endpoint on an existing device.

About this task

Mirage automatically creates CVD snapshots at regular intervals, preserves them based on a retention policy, and makes them available for restoration as needed. See CVD Snapshot Generation and Retention.

You can use a selected CVD snapshot to restore a specific file or a complete endpoint on an existing device. Restoring a specific file is the same process as restoring a previous file version. To restore a specific file from a CVD snapshot, see Restore a Previous File Version.

You can restore a complete device from a CVD snapshot between the same operating system, for example, Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1, or cross-operating systems, for example, Windows 7 to Windows XP or Windows Vista. However, you cannot revert a Windows XP CVD snapshot to a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 device.

Procedure

In the Mirage Management console tree, expand the Inventory node and select the All CVDs node.
Right-click the CVD that you want to restore to an earlier snapshot and click Revert to Snapshot.

Select the revert options.

Select the snapshot date to which you want to revert.

Select whether you want to only restore the system and click Next.

The Restore System Only check box is selected by default. Select This restores system files only, including the base layer, user-installed applications and user machine settings. The user area content is not affected and any new files in the user area are not erased.

User data in this option pertains to files and directories listed in the upload policies User area.

The option behavior depends if the reversion you are performing is to the same OS or cross-OS.

Option	Action
If to the same OS, for example, Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1:	Clear this check box if you want to restore the entire CVD, including the User area, from the CVD snapshot. If the checkbox is cleared, any application, setting, or document in the current CVD that does not exist in the snapshot is erased from the endpoint.
If to a different OS, for example, Windows 8.1 to Windows 7:	This checkbox is not selected so the entire CVD, including the User area, is always restored from the CVD snapshot.

Option

Action

If to the same OS, for example, Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1:

Clear this check box if you want to restore the entire CVD, including the User area, from the CVD snapshot.

If the checkbox is cleared, any application, setting, or document in the current CVD that does not exist in the snapshot is erased from the endpoint.

If to a different OS, for example, Windows 8.1 to Windows 7:

This checkbox is not selected so the entire CVD, including the User area, is always restored from the CVD snapshot.

Verify the snapshot details and click Finish.