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If the laptop is new it should have USB3. Depending on model it might or might not have USB2 ports. The USB3 ports have a blue plastic bit inside , USB2 have black or white.
If the laptop is new it should have USB3. Depending on model it might or might not have USB2 ports. The USB3 ports have a blue plastic bit inside , USB2 have black or white.
The Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E545 (specified in OP) has 3 USB3 ports and 1 USB2 port.
I plugged the 1000GB USB drive into the USB2 port, and the Win7 System Repair Disk is now able to find the image I created earlier. Thanks for the tip. Would it be so difficult for the Microsoft software to tell me that?
I am not going to "test" the restore operation on this machine, because it does not belong to me.
I would, however, like to get some sort of estimate of the likelihood that it would actually work successfully, were it to be needed. In this context, "successfully" means no surprises, no hassles, no hair-pulling weirdness, no late-night hours pleading for help on the internet. For example, does it matter if the partitions on the laptop are not aligned on 4K boundaries? Stuff like that. Stuff that I don't even know to ask about.
Are there any fellow Clonezilla users reading this? Please share you experience using Clonezilla to make and restore images of 512e drives.
What is this obsession with 512e?
I have used several imaging programs on mine without any issue. I haven't come across one yet that has a problem with it.
Quite probable. If you are using Windows any version post Vista will ensure correct formatting so this issue is unlikely to occur. If you format the disk using some linux flavor find a tutorial that explains how to correctly use fdisk (I'm not a linux user so I don't have any I can recommend)does it matter if the partitions on the laptop are not aligned on 4K boundaries?
Stuff I have learned the hard way:
-keep several backups. You have to move the one folder and two files inside a new folder named "Clean install" or "before SP install" or "6montly backup" or Windows backup will delete the old backups. Before you use the backup extract the files and folder for the one backup you want to use to the root of the drive.
-do not defragment a drive or partitions that contains backups, it's the most reliable method I know to corrupt a backup file. If you want them in one piece move them out and copy them back again
-if you only want to restore one partition have a recent, working backup of the rest of the disk. Deleting all partitions during the restore operation is a very common accident.
HERE is a pretty good tutorial on how to restore a backup, in particular make sure you are familiar with the comments in point 7 and below (keep a copy of the tutorial in printed format....)
OK, so... what other factors, that I don't yet know about, should I be aware of?
I have several Linux live CD's. I know how to examine and modify partitions in Linux. In fact, the next item on my to-do list for this machine is to boot Linux and confirm that the factory-installed partitions are indeed aligned on 4K boundaries. (If there's a way to see this info in Windows, I don't know how).If you format the disk using some linux flavor find a tutorial that explains how to correctly use fdisk
I use and recommend DebianDog, PuppyPrecise, and LucidPuppy live CDs.(I'm not a linux user so I don't have any I can recommend)
Yikes. Thanks for the heads-up. What are these "2 files" you have mentioned a couple of times now?Stuff I have learned the hard way:
-keep several backups. You have to move the one folder and two files inside a new folder named "Clean install" or "before SP install" or "6montly backup" or Windows backup will delete the old backups.
Did you mean to say "move them out and move them back again?If you want them in one piece move them out and copy them back again
Can you describe the specific user error/misunderstanding that leads to this accident?if you only want to restore one partition have a recent, working backup of the rest of the disk. Deleting all partitions during the restore operation is a very common accident
The Macrium fiasco I mentioned in an earlier post was like this: I had a disk with a system partition and a data partition. I had an image of the system partition. I wanted to restore the system image to the system partition and leave the data partition alone. I proceeded with great care, reading the fine print of every dialog screen. Macrium erased the data partition, without ever presenting a warning that it was going to do so. This was about 3 years ago, so they may have fixed it by now.
Last edited by bohr; 04 Aug 2014 at 08:08. Reason: corrected typo
The backup creates a Windows Image Backup folder, a second folder that has a different icon and has the name you gave the backup when you created it and a file called MediaID.bin. These three elements have to be kept together for each backup and have to be at the root of the drive from which you want to restore.Yikes. Thanks for the heads-up. What are these "2 files" you have mentioned a couple of times now?
Yeah, sorry, I am paranoid about my backups so I move them to an online storage and then copy them back again because I leave a copy online.Did you mean to say "move them out and move them back again?
Did you read the tutorial I linked to? Miss or misinterpret any of the tick boxes in step 7, 8 and /or 9 (depending on what you want to do) and you are in for a surprise at next rebootCan you describe the specific user error/misunderstanding that leads to this accident?
The Win7 image backup process created only one folder, at the root, named WindowsImageBackup. It never asked me for a name. Here is the complete dir/s listing:
Code:H:\>dir Volume in drive H is Seagate 1000G Directory of H:\ 07/31/2014 01:25 PM <DIR> Clonezilla 02/11/2009 03:06 PM 44,902 FreeAgentDesktopNext.ico 03/24/2009 01:42 AM <DIR> Seagate 01/16/2009 04:14 AM 156,312 Setup.exe 08/01/2014 02:03 AM <DIR> WindowsImageBackup H:\>cd WindowsImageBackup H:\WindowsImageBackup>dir/s Directory of H:\WindowsImageBackup 08/01/2014 02:03 AM <DIR> . 08/01/2014 02:03 AM <DIR> .. 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> Lenny Directory of H:\WindowsImageBackup\Lenny 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> . 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> .. 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> Backup 2014-08-01 060220 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> Catalog 08/01/2014 02:03 AM 16 MediaId 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> SPPMetadataCache 1 File(s) 16 bytes Directory of H:\WindowsImageBackup\Lenny\Backup 2014-08-01 060220 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> . 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> .. 08/01/2014 02:03 AM 367,096,832 6c6e2157-fabb-11e3-9aa5-806e6f6e6963.vhd 08/01/2014 02:19 AM 32,092,264,960 6c6e2158-fabb-11e3-9aa5-806e6f6e6963.vhd 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 14,073,267,712 6c6e2159-fabb-11e3-9aa5-806e6f6e6963.vhd 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 1,078 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_AdditionalFilesc3b9f3c7-5e52-4d5e-8b20-19adc95a34c7.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 14,842 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Components.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 6,542 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_RegistryExcludes.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 3,978 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writer4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 1,488 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writer542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 1,484 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writera6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 3,844 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writerafbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 6,430 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writerbe000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 7,110 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writercd3f2362-8bef-46c7-9181-d62844cdc0b2.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 4,106,116 854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d_Writere8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220.xml 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 1,620 BackupSpecs.xml 14 File(s) 46,536,784,036 bytes Directory of H:\WindowsImageBackup\Lenny\Catalog 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> . 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> .. 08/01/2014 02:03 AM 6,480 BackupGlobalCatalog 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 8,540 GlobalCatalog 2 File(s) 15,020 bytes Directory of H:\WindowsImageBackup\Lenny\SPPMetadataCache 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> . 08/01/2014 02:25 AM <DIR> .. 08/01/2014 02:25 AM 91,648 {854f1511-6769-40c5-ade8-76c395ae305d} 1 File(s) 91,648 bytes Total Files Listed: 18 File(s) 46,536,890,720 bytes 14 Dir(s) 265,100,197,888 bytes free H:\WindowsImageBackup>
Sorry, been a bit busy: A backup that contains a system image will create 3 things: a normal folder named Windows Backup, a special folder that has your computer name and a different icon that the usual folders and a Media.bin file
If you have not ticked the box to create a system image "All files in known system folders (folders that contain files that Windows needs to run), and known program files (files that define themselves as part of a program in the registry when the program is installed) will not be backed up even if they are in a selected folder."