Windows 7: W7 Backup invalid MediaId.bin

Near the completion of a full image Windows 7 backup I receive a message stating Windows Backup encountered invalid MediaID.bin file.

I go to my WindowsImageBackup folder in my target USB external hard drive and there is sub folder under that of Owner-PC with several subfolders. The first is the Backup Folder with Backup Specs, several xml documents and two VHD files. Second is a Catalog folder with catalog entries in it and the third is the SPP Metadata Cache subfolder with four cache files in it. The only file under the Owner-PC folder is a MediaId file that is 16 bytes. I have deleted it twice but every time I rerun the backup I end up with the message above.

Any suggestions?

The only suggestion that I would have is to not use Windows Backup. If you don't mind paying for it, use Acronis True Image 2010. If you prefer free, use Macrium Reflect or Paragon.

Thanks for the tip but was hoping Windows 7 backup facility would operate as advertised.

Vain hope. I suppose that it does work for some people, depending on whether everything goes just right. But I do not want a back system that won't work properly doing things my way. Of course, every program, backup or not, requires a person to adapt to it's own quirks, but I don't have the patience for that when there are better programs available.

UBob,

Try disabling UAC, disabling your antivirus and then run backup. Also make sure that you are logged on as an admin user.

Right click on the external drive, choose properties, click on the tools tab, then check for errors.

Your problem is not, I repeat, not with Windows 7 Backup & Restore.

I am a heavy user of Win 7 Backup & Restore and have used all features thereof.

Win 7 Backup & Restore, works, and works and works, and.....

For certain, you should run CHKDISK over your backup drive.

Always be sure to to Choose Eject when you are ready to stop using the drive.

Never simply disconnect the USB connector.

There may be a cleverer way of recovering from your present situation, but what I would do is first run chkdisk and then format the external drive. Of course, this way you lose everything on the external drive.

I think for whatever reason you're getting this error, maybe corrupted file, maybe a result of improperly deleting a system image, maybe a result of trying to manually delete the
MediaID.bin file, whatever.

I suspect that users not knowing about (and using) the backup utility's "manage space" feature (seen in the utility's main window, once any backups are created) probably is causing issues with backup and restore, especially since users report difficulty in trying to use explorer to manually delete Windows 7 backup files.

I suggest that at this point, it's pretty likely that opening manage space and deleting the system image, might clear the backup-restore utility's issue with the MediID.bin file.

I wish MS afforded reasonably readable and useful instruction for this utility (as well as most other's as well), but I suspect if the MediaID.bin needs or should ever be explorer (manually) deleted, I suspect it shouldn't and likely Windows will make every effort to prevent it (so long as it's a valid file).

So as the MediaID.bin file is miniscule, I'd say leave it alone because it probably has an integral relationship with the backup-restore utility's proper functioning.

The most I'd do (after say, properly deleting a system image file) is to maybe delete the explorer listed WindowsImageBackup file (which I think at that point is merely a 'remnant of the "system image" file).

FYIO -

I see some users reasonably question explorer's indications that their backup files are zero bytes. In that it's otherwise obviously that Windows 7 backup files aren't fully explorer supported, so towards properly managing backup files (even just to set your mind to rest that the backup files are NOT zero bytes), simply use the manage space feature to check on their sizes.