Create system image does not work with WD Mybook Essential USB 3.0

tilsonpa said:

On my disk C: I have a 39MB (Healthy OEM Partition), a 10.39GB (RECOVERY), AND A 1386.83GB NTFS system. This is a Dell XPS 9000 computer.

I forgot to mention, I have a 750GB Western Digital MyBook USB 2.0 and have been creating images with Windows 7 Backup for 2 or 3 years, with no problem. I have also restored my system from one of the images and it worked beautifully. So I don't think it is my disk partition configuration. I think I am going to give up on Window 7 Backup and use something else. Can you recommend a backup program that is reliable, every time?

When you go to "Disk Management" (not explorer) you don't see a small 100-200MB system reserved partition? I'm assuming you are saying NO.

I use Windows Imaging and Macrium Reflect (MR for security and a bit more flexibility).
Windows has always been my main imaging program. It has NEVER let me down. I have made over 20 images restored 5-10, one to a brand new HDD.
It appears you have had a good run with it as well. This is not justification for giving up on it but by all means consider another for insurance.

I'd like to see the spotlight put on your 3TB HDD at this stage. This is a BIG HDD and relatively new on the scene.

You should be able to partition using an MBR partition table provided each partition is 2TB or less. What are WD talking about???
Maybe we are seeing some mother board/BIOS issues with these big HDDs.
I'd partition the drive into 3 1TB partition format NTFS and do some integrity testing (assuming there is no WD warning).
If it fails and unless WD have some clear warning not to partition (other than the verbal) I'd return it.

essenbe said:

mjf, I have a Dell also. This is another case where OEM's are putting 3 primary partitions on the drive before you receive it. If I am not mistaken, the MBR resides in the recovery Partition. That could be verified if the OP will look in disk management and see which one of the partitions are active.

essenbe,
The MBR is a small critical 512 bytes up the front of the disk
PC Boot sequence post #24
It was specified 25 years ago when the concept of a 3TB drive on a PC was unthinkable. They only allowed space for a maximum of 2TB partitions.
The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is the attempt to overcome this old limitation.

If you don't use GPT and using the still common BIOS/MBR then as far as I can see you have to partition a 3TB drive. So the WD comment referred to earlier puzzles me.
In principle I can't see why the OP can't partition his 3TB drive and everything work fine.

Well there are 2 things
(1) On disk 0. Your Recovery partition is system active meaning it has the boot files (boot manager, BCD). C: is your OS. This looks wrong - is this the way Dell ship them? Have you run a system repair on the disk?
(2) The 3 TB is unallocated. The first 2 TB chunk/partition is probable the MBR partition size limitation I mentioned above.

Can you clear these 2 points up?

That is the way Dell shipped it to me. I have run Dell's surface check on drive C and the new WD external drive, and both showed no problems. It must do a pretty good job, it takes 6 or 8 hours to run, on a fast XPS PC. The second drive is not set up now. After trying several configurations, see above, I just cleaned it and it is sitting there unallocated. I have tried (MBR, 1TB, MBR 2TB), and (GPT 3TB, GPT 2TB) and nothing works.

Do you think that if I image the C drive with "Acronis" or "Macrium Reflect", or whatever you recommend, and then repartition my C drive into 1 partition and reformat it, I could re-image it with one of the above? I have a free copy of "Macrium Reflect" and did an image with it onto the WD formatted GPT 3TB. It ran successful and shows the 3 partitions, seperately. It looks like I might be able to just select the C drive partition, and not the Recovery or Dell utility partitions. If all fails, I have the original DVD and could reload, but that would be a mess. I can never remember what all I have installed, and all of the tweeks that I have made.

My goal, and the reason I bought this WD disk, was to keep 4 or 5 images, about 2 weeks apart. This would allow me to go back past any virus's that I might have picked up in the last month, or so.

tilsonpa said:

That is the way Dell shipped it to me.

and then repartition my C drive into 1 partition and reformat it, I could re-image it with one of the above? I have a free copy of "Macrium Reflect" and did an image with it onto the WD formatted GPT 3TB. It ran successful and shows the 3 partitions, seperately. It looks like I might be able to just select the C drive partition, and not the Recovery or Dell utility partitions.

My goal, and the reason I bought this WD disk, was to keep 4 or 5 images, about 2 weeks apart. This would allow me to go back past any virus's that I might have picked up in the last month, or so.

Someone familiar with Dell may come along but that Recovery partition looks really odd.

You did not mean "repartition my C (OS) drive did you??? Don't do that.

I use Macrium as well (I just restored today with it). If it works then definitely use it. With Macrium you select the partitions you want to make up your set in one hit. When you restore you do it partition by partition. So even if you had say 3 partitions imaged in one set you can still select just say C: for restoring.

So try imaging just c: with Macrium, run the macrium verify. Then double clicking on the image will mount it and you can browse it with windows explorer.