System Image Recovery

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  1. Posts : 26
    Windows 7/64pro(SSD)
       #110

    WINDOWS 7 RAID 1 / MIRROR OF SYSTEM DRIVE


    ... and how it affects system recovery.
    I apologize for posting (slight) misinformation, but it was just a minor mistake, and I can now spell things out a bit better. And I will make it short. If anyone is intested in fine detail, please PM me.

    Backing up a system image with Windows 7 native utility is straightforward, if slow.

    Removal of either of the two disks is fine, and one can boot off the other. The original system, pre-mirroring, remains the boot drive until it has failed/removed, at which point one boots off the 'secondary plex'.

    THUS THE FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT OF MIRRORING IS MET. However, continue...

    With secondary plex removed, one can do a restore of system image to the orignal disk.

    With original disk removed, one cannot do a restore to the secondary plex. Everything goes well until step 9 in Shawn's original 'how to' on this thread. At that point, the Step 9 screen appears for some moments and then a restore failed screen appears saying that the restore disk is unsuitable for backup, or some such words. A big error message comes up (if you want to know what it says, PM me) which is quite unhelpful, for example suggesting the disk it knows about might be offline.... Having tried everything which is suggested in the repertoire, including invoking a repair, and one or two ideas of my own, I stopped.

    My conclusions are more or less the same as before. The RAID1 / MIRROR works as it should and will do what is intended, continuing in the case that one disk fails. But it will not allow restore to the secondary disk. As failure of one disk may have implications for the integrity of the remaining disk, implying a restore of a recent backup, it will not do this without a fight. Not for naive users.

    I am not going to mirror my system disk. I belong to the school which expects things to work, and if they don't, I am prepared to do a certain amount of techy stuff, but I am not a Windows 7 development engineer!!

    Incidentally, after finishing my tests, I wanted to return my P4 platform back to its old XP state. Acronis could see the disk, but greyed it out as unusable

    I had to fire up to DISKPART with my Windows 7 installation disk and get rid of the whole Windows 7 setup and partitioning of the disk:-

    Fire up the Windows 7 repair or installation disk, get to STEP 2 in the original post of this thread. Select Command Prompt
    >DISKPART
    DISKPART> LIST DISK (find out the ID of your problem disk, 1 in my case)
    DISKPART> SELECT DISK 1 (make the disk having problems the focus)
    DISKPART> CREATE VOLUME SIMPLE (without this, you do not have a volume)
    DISKPART> LIST VOLUME (and thus identify the volume ID, in my case it was 3)
    DISKPART> SELECT VOLUME 3 (make this volume the focus)
    DISKPART> CLEAN (get rid of all the partitioning etc)
    DISKPART> FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK (does the format to the current volume)

    Now it appears in Acronis and I am back where I started.

    I have now satisfied myself as to the state of affairs, and I suggest that anyone who feels I did not go far enough -- do what I did, get an old system together with two drives. Put Windows 7 on the smallest and then make a mirror with the other and do your own experiments, but until you have, don't mirror your system drive on your 'real' working system.

    Geeks: if you find a way to sort out the restore to a surviving secondary plex - I'd love to know, please PM me. But suggestions as to how to do it from 'guessers' would not be welcome, try the suggestion before posting it.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 4
    windows 7 home
       #111

    hi. I tried to install image to my new 160gb ssd on my laptop. but an error message popped up.

    "no disk that can be used for recovering the system can be found"

    what seems to be the problem here? thanks in advance.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 72,012
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #112

    Hello Louj,

    This means that Windows 7 cannot find a hard disk to restore your system image to. If you have a RAID setup, then you may need to load your RAID drivers before it will see and recognize the RAID drives to restore the system image to. You should have a "Load drivers" button in the window with this error message in it.

    Hope this helps,
    Shawn
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 4
    windows 7 home
       #113

    thanks for the reply, but I just installed a 160gb SSD and it's a toshiba laptop so probably I would need a toshiba recovery disc for this as based on my past experiences with toshiba laptops from XP to Vista. Thanks again. will get back if I do get over this bump.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 112
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #114

    Hey Brink


    Here is my setup :
    1tb = 3 Partitions c(boot+system) / d(storage) / system recovery
    1tb = Storage
    250gig = external

    I made a system image of my C drive on the external 250gig drive, it's +-160gig

    My question is,will I be able to restore ONLY the C drive from the image I made??
    The D drive is full of files and I'm not keen on loosing it.

    Will this be safe to do, will my other partitions on the main TB be untouched??

    Tnx in advance
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 72,012
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #115

    Hello Stomper,

    A system image recovery will format everything on each hard drive that was included in a system image, and will only restore what is included in the system image back. Be sure to backup anything that you do not want to lose that is not included in the system image backup first.
    Last edited by Brink; 28 Jun 2010 at 08:37.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2
    windows 7
       #116

    I am a very novice user and do not have alot of knowledge about computers, just basis stuff. I am using windows 7 and i cannot figure what the difference is between a normal system backup where I would burn to a disk and a "System Image Backup", what is the difference? I have googled it and it kinda talks over my head. I want to make sure that I am doing what i need to when i do backups so I will be safe should i need to restore everything. Can you please explain this to me? Thank you very much:)
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 72,012
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #117

    Hello Kariok, and welcome to Seven Forums.

    A normal file backup (see blue NOTE box at this link for more details) is where you backup only files or type of files with or without being on a schedule, and the option to include a full system image backup as well if wanted.

    A system image backup is a complete clone (copy) of the selected hard drives that you select. See red WARNING box at the top of the first page for more details though.

    Hope this helps,
    Shawn
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 2
    windows 7
       #118

    Thank you so much Shawn!! this really clears things up for me and I really appreciate the quick response to my question. Kari
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 72,012
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #119

    You're most welcome Kariok. :)
      My Computer


 
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