Windows 7 has a built-in Backup and Restore that can help you create system images and backup files for data protection. But sometimes, you may encounter Windows 7 backup hangs at 97% or 57%, or occasionally 8% error during the backup process, which can be really frustrating.
Don't worry! This post will show you some possible reasons for this issue and give effective methods to solve it. Just keep reading and find the answers you need.
Several reasons might cause Windows 7 backup hangs at 97%. The most common ones include:
All the above factors may cause your Windows 7 Backup freezes at 97%, 57%, or 8%.
If you're unsure which of these is causing your problem, you can try each solution below and see if it fixes the issue.
Step 1. In the Windows Defender Firewall window, click on "Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off" on the left window pane.
Step 2. In the Private network settings and public network settings options, choose "Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended)".
Step 3. Click on "OK" to confirm your changes.
Checking Disk Space:
Step 1. Go to "This PC" > Right-click on the system partition (generally is C drive) > Choose "Properties".
Step 2. In the Properties window, under the General tab, you can see how much free space and used space for this partition. If there is not enough free space, you need to delete some unimportant files to free up some disk space.
If corrupted system files are on your hard drive, it may also cause the windows 7 backup to be hangs at 97%. In this case, you need to run an SFC scan to fix the issue.
Step 1. Type "cmd" in the search box, then right-click on Command Prompt and choose "Run as administrator".
Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type "sfc /scannow", and press Enter.
This will scan all protected system files and replace corrupted ones with a cached copy located in a compressed folder at WinDir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. After completing the scanning process, restart your computer to check if the windows 7 backup hangs at 97% problem is solved.
You may also be interested: SFC is not working to repair corrupted files on Windows 10
If any third-party programs or services interrupt the backup process, you may also encounter a windows 7 backup stuck problem. In this case, you can try to perform a clean boot to fix the issue.
Step 1. Go to Start > Type "msconfig" in the search box and press Enter.
Step 2. In the System Configuration windows, under the General tab, choose "Selective startup".
Step 3. Uncheck the Load startup items checkbox.
Step 4. Under the Service tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox, and then click on the "Disable all" button.
If the backup process is interrupted, it may also cause windows 7 backup stuck at 97%. To fix this, you can try restarting the backup process.
Step 1. Go to Start > Type "Backup and Restore" in the search box and press Enter.
Step 2. In the Backup and Restore windows, click on "set up backup" to open Backup Wizard.
Step 3. Select a storage place where you want to save the backup file and then click on "Next".
Step 4. Choose what you want to backup and then click on "Next".
Step 5. Click on "Change schedule" to set up a schedule for the backup.
Step 6. Click on "Save settings and run backup" to start the backup process.
You may also be interested: Windows 7 Backup and Restore Blank Screen(Not Working)
Suppose you are not sure what causes the problem exactly; trying the above methods one by one is really time-consuming and energy-consuming. In that case, you can try Windows Backup and Restore alternative - Qiling Backup. It is a free backup software that can help you easily and quickly backup data, system, and partition with simple clicks. Using it, you will no longer encounter the problem of backup freezing or being stuck at 97%.
Besides full backup, it supports differential backup and incremental backup. Backup and Restore only backup files and systems to local and external drives, while you can use Qiling Backup to save backups to NAS, Qiling Cloud, and local drives.
Here is a step-by-step guide to using Qiling Backup to back up files:
Step 1. Click the "File backup" button to start backup.
Step 2. Both local and network files will be listed on the left. You can expand the directory to select the files to be backed up.
Step 3. Follow the on-screen guide, select the destination where you want to save the backup.
Step 4. Click "Options" to encrypt the backup with password in "Backup Options". There are also many other options you can explore, customize the backup task according to your need.
Set the backup schedule and choose to start back up at certain event in "Backup Scheme".
Step 5. You can store the backup to local drive, Qiling's cloud service, and NAS.
Step 6. Qiling Backup enables users to back up data to both third-party cloud drive and its own cloud drive.
If you want to back up data to third-party cloud drive, choose Local Drive, scroll down to add Cloud Device, add and login your account.
Step 7. Click "Proceed" to start backup. After the backup task is completed, it will be displayed in the form of a card on the left side of the panel. Click "Advanced" button in the backup task to further manage it.
The problem of the Windows 7 backup hangs at 97% or 57% can be caused by various reasons, such as not enough disk space for backup, corrupted system files, and third-party programs or services interrupting the backup process. To fix the issue, you can try the solutions in this article one by one. If you are not sure which solution is workable for you or if you don't want to try each solution one by one, you can try windows backup and restore alternative - Qiling Backup. It will back up your files with simple clicks without any hassles.
Several reasons may cause backup stuck at 97%, or 57%, or 8%, etc. Possible reasons are your backup files are locked by other programs, or your storage space is full, or there are some bad sectors in your system disk.
The backup time to create a system image for Windows 7 relies on the size of your system. Usually, it will take 1 to 2 hours, or even more.
Many issues may cause the problem. Maybe it is because your backup files are corrupted, or the Backup and Restore is affected by malware or virus. Sometimes, it may be because of an incompatible drive.
Windows 7 Backup and Restore feature is available on Windows 10 and Windows 11. To find it on your Windows 10/11, follow the path: Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7)