Image Restore Failure


  1. BES76
    Posts : 5
    W7 64-bit, Professional
       New #1

    Image Restore Failure


    I have a Dell Inspiron 580, W7 64-bit Professional, where the HDD failed. The failed HD was a SATA II drive (ST31500341AS). I had previously setup a complete system image backup and repair disc. I purchased a new HD, a SATA III (ST1000DM003). The image restores fails because it can NOT find a drive to restore to. The BIOS recognizes the new HD and it is enabled (set to ATA). I have tried this with both the HD blank (no partition or formatting, just plug-n-play), and then with the same drive with W7 installed from a Dell factor CD. When I reach the restore point that requests if I wish to format the new drive and install the image, it fails as the option is 'greyed out'. It requests 'drivers' for the HD, but there are none from Seagate.

    This looks like a fundamental flaw where the restore setup is expecting a SATA II and sees the new SATA III which is not FULLY backward compatible. Anyone else seen this, or have any ides. Thanks.

    PS - the restore did see my GoFlex (USB connections) and restored to that external drive, but that's not what I need or want.
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  3. mjf
    Posts : 5,969
    Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
       New #2

    The ST31500341AS is a 1.5 TB drive - correct. Unfortunately you created a system image of a 1.5TB drive and your replacement is a smaller 1TB drive. Windows inbuilt imaging cannot perform a system restore to a HDD smaller than the one it was made from. It does not matter that the contents of the original drive was probably way less than 1TB. A more flexible program, (free) Macrium Reflect, doesn't have this problem.

    If you want to try to restore your system image to a smaller drive then you can try this approach. I tried it a long time ago and it worked but it is a bit messy.
    recovery to smaller hard drive
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  4. BES76
    Posts : 5
    W7 64-bit, Professional
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    Thanks. I ended up picking up the same drive online, reasonably cheap. I can use the 1TB as backup in my other PC which has the same 1TB drive (coincidence only). I am disappointed that Geek Squad was clueless on this... but then so was I. They looked at it, got nowhere, glad I passed up their service support. Frustrating but funny.
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