Win 7 tries to image reformatted drive

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

I first installed Win 7 Pro 32-bit on one SATA drive to see how I'd like it. After running good for some time, I installed Win 7 Pro 64-bit on another SATA drive in dual-boot mode. I ran in 64-bit mode for several months making sure all my games and applications would work and then re-formatted the old 32-bit drive to use as a page file.

All during this time, Win 7 backup would backup my user files on 64-bit and also system images of both the 64-bit and 32-bit OSs. Now that I've essentially got rid of the 32-bit OS, I reformatted and renamed the drive. However, backup still wants to do a system image of the 64-bit OS and, now, my storage drive.

How can I get 64-bit to recognize that there's only one OS to make a system image of?

I tried resetting the backup options, regedit, task scheduler, so that I would have to start from 'No Backup Configured'. However, when I choose to decide what to back up, the panel still shows that an image will be made of my 64-bit drive and my storage drive.

There must still be something in the registry that I'm missing. Any ideas?

gregrocker · Jun 17, 2010

Can you please post back a screenshot of your full DIsk Management drive map and listings. Use Snipping Tool in Start Menu, attach file using paper clip in Reply Box.

It's possible that backup imaging wants to save your storage drive because it still contains the System MBR which needs to be recovered into the 64 bit HD. But we need to see the screenshot to be sure.

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

You're right. The storage drive used to be the first Win 7 (32-bit) drive so it must still have the MBR on it (even though I reformatted the drive, when I try to set up a backup, the drive shows that 50G is still in use).

So how do I (re)create the MBR on my 64-bit drive and get rid of it on the old drive?

theog · Jun 17, 2010

Have looked at the tutorials in your first post.

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/91793-win-7-backing-up-old-drive.html

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

Looked at all three. Didn't seem that any addressed the issue I have. Do you think the MBR on my 64-bit drive still has the Win 7 32-bit information from the old drive even though that drive has been reformatted (something's still on that drive because backup shows 50g still allocated even though I can't see any files).

SIW2 · Jun 17, 2010

If your pagefile is on the other HD - that could be why it wants to back it up too.

Post a screenie of disk management http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-how-post-screenshot-seven-forums.html

gregrocker · Jun 17, 2010

We cannot advise you with certainty until we see the Disk Management screenshot requested earlier.

Use the Snipping Tool in Start Menu. Attach file using Paper Clip in Reply Box.

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

Is this what you're looking for? Drive G: is the one in question. I moved the pagefile off this drive but any display of the drive shows 1g still in use.

gregrocker · Jun 17, 2010

The page file is on E which is why Win7 backup imaging likely wants to include it in image.

There are performance benefits to having the page file on another HD. THese issues and how to move it if you want are discussed further here: http://www.sevenforums.com/performa...ve-paging-file-another-physical-hdd-win7.html

Two of the other data drives D & G are incorrectly marked active so you might want to mark them Inactive so they can't cause any problems down the road. This tutorial shows how to mark a Partition active using DISKPART from the Command Line - just modify the command to "Inactive" for partitions D & G: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/71432-partition-mark-active.html

theog · Jun 17, 2010

Hi gregrocker

As E: is Disk0, the boot files may be on that drive.

SIW2 · Jun 17, 2010

7 is booting thru Disk 1 .

Windows indicates pagefile on Disk 0.

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

Regarding the page files: I have a small page file on C: and a 50g page file on E: so that's what's appearing.

As far as inactivating D: and G: as in the previous reply, when I inactivated G: and rebooted, my system would not boot. When I reactivated G: my system booted. So it appears that a MBR is still on G: (maybe explaining why there is 1g allocated).

So how do I get the MBR off G: and onto C: (remembering that the now drive G: used to be the original drive C: with Win 7 32-bit which I 1st used)?

gregrocker · Jun 17, 2010

Your screenshot shows no evidence of (System Active) MBR being on any drive except DISK1 Windows 7. And it only shows a page file on Disk0. However if Win7 won't boot when G is marked inactive, then the labeling might be incorrect.

If you want to be absolutely sure the MBR is on DISK1 alone: mark Inactive all drives except Win7, then Boot Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots to repair or re-write the MBR to the sole active partition.

rzn6jw · Jun 17, 2010

I'll give that a try but it'll take me some time to get back to you.

By the way, after using the 64-bit install disk to do the diskpart inactivate and activate, when I booted back into Windows, I got the message that the copy running wasn't Genuine. Any problem here?

gregrocker · Jun 18, 2010

Did you activate 64 bit after you deleted 32 bit Win7? It may be detecting two installations since the hardware signature will be slightly different with another HD being used.

What does it say at activation link at Computer>Properties?

Where did you get WIn7?

rzn6jw · Jun 20, 2010

Everything points to C:. However, even after reformatting, backup still shows doing a system image from G:.

I ran an automated backup this weekend and I got the error message:

Backup encountered a problem while backing up file G:\Users\Bob\Music\Amazon MP3. Error

The system cannot find the path specified. (0x80070003))
Backup encountered a problem while backing up file G:\Users\Bob\Music\Rhapsody. Error

The system cannot find the path specified. (0x80070003))

so something still thinks that there are files still on G: even though it was a blank HDD (50g still allocated but not visible).

I've got a problem ticket ope at Western Digital, supplier of Acronis the image transfer program. I've asked them if Acronis would leave a MBR on a 'copied from' drive after formatting that drive.

rzn6jw · Jun 20, 2010

I just received this reply from Western Digital:

Dear Robert,

Thank you for contacting Western Digital Customer Service and Support. My name is Noe

I apologize for the inconvenience. Acronis performs a drive to drive copy, the MBR is left intact on the original drive, if reformatting did not remove it I suggest that you write zeros on the drive, also, many backup software make system images instead of copy only the data so this will depend of what kind of backup utility you are using.

If you have any further questions, please reply to this email and we will be happy to assist you further.

Sincerely,
Noe
Western Digital Service and Support

so it appears that the MBR is still on G: and the PC is booting from it and marking the drive inactive prevents the PC from booting.

Do I use FDISK /MBR on C: to recreate the MBR there or do I use some other program that's on the installation disk?

theog · Jun 20, 2010

Try a full clean & full format.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2668-partition-volume-delete.html?ltr=P
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2674-partition-volume-create-new.html?ltr=P
1) Boot DVD.
2) Press Shift+F10 (for command prompt)

Type in command line
DISKPART
LIST DISK OR List Volume (If you have partitions)
SELECT DISK # (win HD)
CLEAN ALL
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT=NTFS
ASSIGN
EXIT
EXIT

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/91339-ssd-optimize-windows-re-installation.html

rzn6jw · Jun 20, 2010

Here's some additional info. Apparently I've got two boot manager/loaders, one on C: and one on G: and apparently the PC is booting from G:. How do I make the boot manager/loader on C: the primary?

I actually don't want to zero out or completely clean G: until I can be assured that I can boot from C: and right now G: is the primary. There must be a way to make the boot pointer point to C: rather than G:.

gregrocker · Jun 20, 2010

As stated earlier, the way to make certain the MBR is on Win7 HD is to mark Win7 active, mark all other HD's inactive, then boot the Win7 DVD Repair Console or Repair CD, click through to Recovery Tools list to run Startup Repair up to 3 separate times with reboots until Win7 starts up on its own.

If you unplug G during this operation then it will be cut out completely. Make sure Win7 HD is set to boot first in BIOS setup, after DVD drive.

You can then plug G back in, boot into DVD or CD Command Line and zero out G drive using steps given in theog's post.

Win 7 tries to image reformatted drive

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