Help in marking a partition 'not active' for system backup

rzn6jw · Apr 29, 2013

I set my Win 7 64-bit Pro to backup my files and do a system image once a week on a 1TB SATA disk. As of last week, I had only used 450 GB of that disk for the backup process that included a couple of system images of my C: drive (I let Windows decide on how many images to keep).

Today, I get an error message that the backup had failed because the backup disk did not have enough space. I looked at the disk and there was 550GB of space still available, so I was confused.

I looked at the parameters of the system backup and found that this time the backup would make a system image of my C: drive and my E: drive (the 2TB drive that keeps all my games). This was not there for the last backup run.

I looked at the parameters for the E: drive and found that its partition was marked 'active' (the only other active partition was my C: drive and I have two other drives installed too but not 'active').

How do I mark the E: drive partition 'not' active so it gets removed from being imaged?

Brink · Apr 29, 2013

Hello rzn6jw,

The tutorial below can help show you how to mark the E: drive as inactive.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/197157-partition-mark-inactive.html

If Windows fails to boot afterwards, then run a startup repair.

Hope this helps,

Shawn

rzn6jw · Apr 29, 2013

I successfully marked the E: drive partition as inactive per your instructions, check the status of the drive in Disk Management, and re-booted the PC. Thanks.

However, when I enter 'change settings' in system backup and select the 'Let me choose' parameter, the 'include a system image of drives C: and E:' still appears (even after a re-boot). If I select 'Let Windows choose' I don't know if it'll choose both drives now or just the C: drive.

Is there another way to have Backup make a system image of only the C: drive?

Thanks again for your help!

Brink · Apr 29, 2013

Are you able to unselect the E: drive?

If not, then did you move the location of anything like the page file or user folders to the E: drive?

rzn6jw · Apr 29, 2013

Nothing's been moved except some savegames from my Documents/My Games folder to a folder on the E: drive.

Now it seems the same problem is happening on my wife's Win 7 Home Prem PC. I checked her backup parms and found that a data storage only drive had been added to her backup in the same menu choice as 'Let me decide....'. Backup was doing a system image of that drive along with her C: drive. However, when I unchecked her storage drive and rebooted, backup still thought it would do a system image of that drive.

Is there anywhere I can go in the registry to correct this?

Brink · Apr 29, 2013

Go ahead and post a screenshot showing the full layout of the Disk Management window to see if it may help reveal what the issue may be.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/274797-disk-management-post-screen-capture-image.html

Unless the E: drive is showing as a "system" drive, you should be able to uncheck it in the system image settings to no longer have it included in newly created system images.

rzn6jw · Apr 29, 2013

I've attached two screen captures. One shows the backup parameter with C: and E: and the other is the disk management screen.

Let me know what you think.

Brink · Apr 30, 2013

As a test, see if you are able to create a separate system image with only C: selected (checked) and not E: using the method in the tutorial below instead of through Windows Backup.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

If so, then use the tutorial below to reset Window Backup. Afterwards, setup Windows Backup again to see if it will then let you only have C: when including a system image with the scheduled backup.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/632-backup-user-system-files-reset-default-configuration.html

mjf · Apr 30, 2013

I have had a backup drive marked active (Seagate I think it was) it shouldn't really matter even though there is no reason for it to be active. Active is only the first stage of telling the BIOS the HDD could be bootable. Just being active shouldn't stop images being stored there. Inadvertently adding system files to the backup drive will cause problems.
You say
"(I let Windows decide on how many images to keep)"
I think this is not good practice. I recommend "Let me choose" and untick the image box in the schedule and make independent images using the "Create system image" box on the left. see
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html
Multiple images will consume shadow storage were difference images are stored. In other words take manual control and make one image at a time. Rename WindowsImageBackup to store multiple images as long as it is renamed back to WindowsImageBackup for restore see
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

You will need to eventually delete some images and just keep those over the period of time that suits you.

File/folder backup in the backup schedule is fine.

rzn6jw · Apr 30, 2013

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try these and get back to you this afternoon.

rzn6jw · Apr 30, 2013

OK, I did an experiment. I removed power from the PC and physically removed the E: drive. Then I applied power and rebooted.

After reboot, I went into the Backup parameters and selected 'Let me choose..'. The following screenshot was presented:

rzn6jw · Apr 30, 2013

OK, I tried an experiment. I shutdown the PC and removed power. I then physically removed the E: drive, applied power and rebooted. After reboot I went into Backup and selected 'Let me choose..' and got the first screenshot.

I then did a backup, shutdown the PC, removed power, inserted the E: drive, rebooted, and went into Back again. Upon selecting 'Let me choose...' this time, I got the second screenshot.

At this point it seems that there is something on the E: drive that makes the OS think that it's a system drive (the drive is still inactive by the way). This wasn't apparent in the backup of Sunday 4/21, and there's been windows updates since then, so I'm wondering if something in those updates changed something.

Any thoughts?

Brink · Apr 30, 2013

Ok, but do you get the option to unselect E: when you try creating a system image with both drives connected doing what I previously posted below instead?

http://www.sevenforums.com/backup-r...ion-not-active-system-backup.html#post2382300

rzn6jw · Apr 30, 2013

No, both drives are checked and greyed out.

Brink · Apr 30, 2013

It shows E: as a "system" drive. That would be why it's included in a system image.

Odd that it doesn't show E: as a "system" drive in your Disk Management screenshot. :huh:

If you have anything being saved to the E drive like your games, then change it to save into the library on your C: drive again to see if it will let you uncheck E: in System Image.

rzn6jw · Apr 30, 2013

I save all my games to the E: drive. There are no MS program installs on the drive. I think the only executables are Steam, Origin, and UPlay. Everything else installs in the programs folders on the C: drive.

Brink · Apr 30, 2013

If you run your games from the E: drive, then that is why the E: drive is being included in the system image.

E: has to be included for the game to be able to run properly.

The only way around this would be to uninstall all games from E: , and install them on C: instead.

rzn6jw · May 2, 2013

I've had my games on the E: drive for years and this has not happened. It only began after my successful C: drive backup of 4/21. Went downhill after that.

Brink · May 2, 2013

Not sure then other than something is on the E: drive making it appear as a system drive to system image.

If you like, you could try using the Macrium Reflect Free to see how it works for youf or system images and backups instead.

rzn6jw · May 2, 2013

I just downloaded the program. I'll let you know how it works.

Help in marking a partition 'not active' for system backup

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