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#1
Windows requiring backup of 2 drives to create system image
Hi. I got a new 2TB drive which I would like to create a system image on as backup. My problem is that when I try to create a system image, Windows is checking two drives to backup. One drive is my C drive, and the other is my SSD which technically has an install of Windows on it but due to some error with the boot sector, I am unable to boot from the SSD.
So, a little background. I was running Windows from my SSD when after a Windows Update, the SSD's secondary boot sector got messed up and I could no longer boot from the drive. I then reinstalled Windows on my HDD, which is the drive I currently use to boot up. Note that the SSD still works-- I can access all the OS files that are on it; I just can't boot off the drive.
I recently found out that the S.M.A.R.T. status of the drive I'm currently booting off of is "Warning," which is why I bought a new 2TB drive to replace it. My goal is to create a system image on a partition I created on the 2TB drive, then use that system image to copy onto the SSD and start using the SSD as my boot up drive again (assuming a format will solve that boot sector issue).
Thus we're back to my current issue where I can't create a system image unless I backup both my C drive and the SSD because apparently the SSD is required for Windows to boot up. I tried marking the SSD as Inactive in hopes that Windows would stop requiring it to backup, but that just broke my PC because it would tell me that BOOTMGR is missing and then I'd be stuck in a restart loop. I was able to get my PC to boot up again after I used the Command Prompt via Repair your computer to mark the SSD as Active again.
I was thinking of just reinstalling Windows on the SSD, but then I would have to reinstall all my programs again which is a real drag, and I might run into the same problem where Windows will think that two drives are necessary to boot up.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to "unlink" my SSD from the boot up process so that Windows can start up without it? Any advice would be much appreciated.