Windows 7 - anyone succeed in burn a system image disc?

wguru · 03-02-2010

What file(s) must 'we' point ImgBurn to (in the system image) folder(s) in order to get a set of DVD to burn the system image files needed to 'recover' (wipe and reinstall) the OS if and when needed?

Have tried just about everything and can't figure a way to burn a system image disk onto a DVD-R, and yes I've tried different disks, DVD-RW too, but those efforts failed at the part where the Backup and Restore utility is 'supposed to' format the DVD disks.

I've even relented to going into services and re-setting the Windows Shadow Copy and Windows Backup Copy to auto start (as sort of oddly their default starts ups were 'manual").

After setting them that way, now the Windows 7 backup utility doesn't even offer to burn to disk when I've first selected to create a system image (onto hard disk). So far I've only succeeded in creating a backup system image onto my external hard drive (where hopefully I can burn the DVD disks from).

Aside from 'why the snafu' on a clean install Windows 7 Pro OEM Systems Builder Pack's install onto a year old HP Pavilion DV4-1030ee (all updated drivers, installed all HP's crud except for QuickPlay and HP's Connection Manager), even having wiped all HP's partitions, ie; trashing HP's recovery partition as it was buggy, prone to virus and even refused access when needed (even after "one time" supposedly restoring to factory condition), so that leaves me having to ask one or two hopefully answerable questions. How to burn and is it possible we're prevented from buring a system image until validatating?

Again, I succeeded only in getting Windows 7's backup utility to create the system image (onto my external hard drive) and there's now a folder named "WindowsImageBackup", containing another folder named as 'my computer's name', then inside that folder there's a set of folders where I in one () I find the 55+ GB '*.vhd' file, so what the heck do I point ImgBurn to for burning the darned thing to a set of DVD's and hopefully expect the process to begin burning the DVD's?

Before I set Shadow Copy and Backup to auto, I was only able to get the Windows 7 backup utility to begin to burn DVD's, the first time I tried it burnt one DVD-R, prompted for another, again prompted if I wanted to format the DVD (clicked yes as I did for the first DVD disk), then that formatting of fresh (spotless) DVD-R's all stall.

This went on repeatedly, despite the difficulty in 'canceling' each failed backup process (canceling the DVD disk formatting seemed to fail as well), I tried this so many times and in so many ways, I eventually was forced to start using task mgr to shut the 'darned' pc down.

I mean I've spent days trying to burn the DVD disks, but nothing but wasted countless hours 'creating' useless coasters (each time the DVD disk failed at formatting).

I must mention that the very first time I tried this process, the disk did seem to format, even burning one disk, but nothing I do now can get me a set of disks to use towards re-installing in the event of the eventual crash, corrupt/missing BOOTMGR or partition which either the OS inexplicably incurs such and/or it's a result of trojan-virus-malicious malware.

Of note again, before changing the two services settings to auto, every time but for one disk, each time I clicked 'format the DVD disk', either the utility prompted formatting failed or it simply went on mindlessly doing nothing but making the optical drive click away like it was shaving an epileptic fit).

And yes, I even waited for hours at a time to see if the DVD5's would eventually format (they didn't seem to), so here I am thinking MS and/or HP has done something to the OS so it simply prevents users from making a set of DVD disks from a system image.

At least kindly tell me if anyone's ever succeeded using a Pavilion and Windows 7 Pro's OEM System Builders pack.

Please don't tell me that this could all be due to my so far only having activated Windows 7 and registering the Office software, that this all's not due to my yet to agreeing to blindly submit to MS's 'pat down' and their installing whatever else they want to do to 'my' system.

Not only am I insulted by MS's now requiring install of their undisclosed 'pat down' software and forcing me to do so only AFTER I purchased, but they expect users to blindly install their ActiveX 'rootkitting' software).

Assumedly MS's ActiveX (the one you see when 'we' go to activate and validated our software) 'immediately installs' their pat down software (which is unremovable, why's that I just wonder, one pat down's not enough?), ref. "Windows 'Activation' Technologies".

It seems MS doesn't even think it owes the users the courtesy of disclosing what all it really does, as they seem to 'neglect' to disclose that software's "terms and conditions" and if you ask their support, they refuse to disclose any terms and conditions, refuse to openn a support case for that issue, and simply tell 'you' to call MS's corporate offices if you want to discuss it any further.

So waiting for Monday to do so, if as I suspect MS is simply not going to disclose what their black software does, I'm left to considering a hacking the machine, rather than allowing MS to install "whatever" they want onto 'my' machine. I mean, I've no objections to being patted down, but I do object to be rendered "unconscious and without any witnesses around" when it's done

It's starting to look like MS thinks they can get away with the covertness of Homeland Security and TSA. What's next, software that that burns out our motherboard because MS doesn't like us burning DVD's for our own use?

Happ-e-trails to all,

wguru

seekermeister · 03-02-2010

Possible solutions...Acronis True Image 2010, Paragon Free 2010, Macrium Reflect, etc.

wguru · 03-04-2010

Thanks, but after several days of re-trying to access one of this forum's webpages*, the forum it seems, finally fixed that page's inability to display.

There, quite a few users report working around what (as I suspected) is clearly a bug in the Windows 7 backup utility (it simply doesn't format DVD's, maybe CD's as well).

The trick seems to be manually formatting disks "before" attempting to use the Windows 7 backup utility for burning to disks.

Ref. Problems creating system image onto DVD-RW

Windows 7 - anyone succeed in burn a system image disc?

anyone succeed in burn a system image disc? problems?