Windows 7: Backup and Restore

Hi Guys

I have used Windows 7 backup and restore to create a system image on a separate drive. Recently I have needed to restore my files however when I click on "backup and restore " this is all I get. any ideas anyone?

Looks like you have a serious issue with your working install there - You may want to pop the Windows 7 install dvd into the drive and boot directly from that - select the repair my computer option - you will hopefully be able to start the image restore from there

Thanks Barman58

I'll give that a whirl when I have more time .. weird thing is other than that and a file I lost my windows seems to be functioning perfectly???? I would not have even realised I had a problem if i was not trying to recover the file.

Is your backup drive connected to your computer?

Hi Bill2

Yes it is it is an internal drive .. why?

Can you browse the contents of that drive through windows explorer? Point is is your backup drive behaving normally in other respects?

Yes Bill the backup drive is behaving quite normally .. i just checked it out in explorer and it is fine.

As everything else is normal you may find that a system filecheck will be capable of correcting your issue with Backup & restore

In an admin command prompt type sfc /scannow and let the system correct any errors

this may save you the hassle of recovery

Hi, Barman:

Forum noob here.

Having similar (though not quite as severe issues here).
Seems that Windows 7 backup/restore retains some glitches from Vista.

Issue:
Incremental PC Image to USB ext HD froze out; had to do hard boot.

New system.
I had previously performed both my initial files/folders backup and an initial PC Image backup to a new Iomega USB external HD (1 TB, nearly empty), and had created my system repair disc (even though I have the install disks from Dell).

I have since then done several incremental files/folders backups without issues.
However, when I tried an incremental PC Image backup, the process hung during the "preparing to backup..." phase. Had to hard boot.

Troubleshooting thus far:
External hard drive works fine for file copy/paste and as a destination for Mozbackup and FEBE profile backups for FF and TB.

Hardware diagnostics on the entire system were AOK.

I always disable Carbonite and MBAM Pro 1.44 Active Protection before plugging in the external HD to avoid potential conflicts (MBAM knows there is a problem w/their active protection and Windows 7 backup, to be fixed in their next version release). Disabling my OEM McAfee FW has no impact (there's never been a conflict w/this).

I haven't yet re-confirmed that Windows 7 (32) backup from my LAPTOP works, but this was fine last time I used it (~2 weeks ago) for both files/folders and PC Image.

Am I doing something wrong, or is there an issue with the incremental PC Image backup utility?

Do I need to delete the old one and create a new one each time?


Much obliged!

Sorry to bump, but still having problems. Related threads just don't seem to apply to my system.

The problem:
Still cannot perform manual incremental PC Image backup to USB Ext HDD from my new Windows 7 Ultimate (64) desktop.

Original, initial Files/folders and PC Image backups to Iomega USB Ext HDD went fine, as did creation of a system repair disc shortly after setting up the system from Dell.
Subsequent Files/folders backups and copy/paste of files are also fine.

I do not leave my Ext HDD connected, so I run manual backups weekly.
I always shut down Carbonite and MBAM Pro 1.44 active protection module before I plug in the USB drive.
When I try to do the incremental PC Image backup, the backup utility either doesn't start or starts and runs most of the way, and then (in either case) hangs, and also freezes out Windows.
No BSOD, no error message, no stop code. Just hangs (backup and restore "not responding"; mouse moves cursor, but cannot execute anything to open task manager, shut down, etc.). Have to hard boot.

Troubleshooting:

System is fully patched and clean; periodic smart defrag and CCleaner removal of temp files, etc. It is stable, aside from this issue.

Neither KB 976972 or 977074 (mentioned in similar threads) applies to my system.
I also tried the workaround that used to work on my Vista Ult SP2 32-bit system, which was to to "schedule" the backup and then click "backup now".
No joy.

The destination Ext HDD itself is fine (it is new and has plenty of space and it takes the files/folders backup just fine).

I ran a complete, extended hardware diagnostics last week (20 hours worth!) and it was all fine, so another chkdsk wouldn't help. Moreover, the source C: drive is new, huge (1.5 TB) and mostly empty. IOW, there aren't that may sectors in use.

I don't have an internal hard drive to use for backups, unfortunately.

I KNOW from all the discussions that there is something really "off" with Windows 7 backup, esp 64-bit, but it is very frustrating and I don't know how to fix it.
(Never had these issues on previous XP 32 or Vista 32 or even Windows 7 32 systems.)

QUESTIONS:

Am I doing something wrong?

Is there some way to successfully create an incremental (or a new?) PC Image by configuring the settings for "manual" vs. "scheduled", and/or including the PC Image or "computer" backup with the files backup vs. doing it separately, etc???

I see several 3rd-party backup apps mentioned (Paragon, SyncBack, Acronis), but none seems entirely problem-free, either.

(I am afraid to delete the one PC Image backup I *do* have from the Ext HDD, in order to try again from scratch.)


PLEASE PLEASE advise as to how to proceed and Thanks very much in advance for your assistance, as you can see that I am completely over my old head with this,

MM