System Image - what does it not include?

I just had another look at Windows System Image.

I tricked it into backing up only my Win 7 partition.

Speed was decent at 10 mins to back up 13.55gb used space.

Image size approx 10gb.

Examining the vhd revealed it does retain the pagefile and hibernation file - slightly odd as it is unnnecessary - but not a problem in itself - except without those, it would have been a little faster and smaller.

I need to reopen the discussion on this topic. I'm having MAJOR problems with my computer and I'm at a lost on how to fix it. Windows will not let me finish a backup.

Here's some background on how I got here. I have a Toshiba Sat L566 and last week, I was working on my website, and all of a sudden it froze. I could'nt do anything. I gave it 15 minutes, then I had to reboot the system. As windows was coming up, I got these messages.

the specified module could not be found. load library(pythondll) failed

I clicked the cancel button and then I got this message.

c:\program files (x86)\Uniblue\RegistryBooster\PYTHON26.DLL

Later that night my screen went black for a second and up pops this new error message. It said "windows has detected a problem with your hard drive, you need to back up your computer now". I didn't know which backup to run out of the 3 offered.....either a full backup, system image backup, or a system recovery backup.

I started with the full backup, and all was going well till I got to disk 7 (which I didn't think would take that many disk). That's when I got another error message. This one said that the backup could'nt go any futher.....something about something that was missing......so I just cancled it, after 3 hours of running the darn thing and it was on disk 7 and 50% done....

Then I tried the system image backup. I was told that it would take far less disk to do this one, but I was wrong. It only took me to disk 4 this time to get the "somethings missing" error. So that was stopped also.

I then decided to do the repair backup....since that was the only one left that I hadn't run.....so I tried it half way expecting to see the error message come up on the first disk, but suprise insert disk 2, disk 3 and disk 4. When I saw that maybe it was going to actually finish, I didn't realize it but I was holding my breath. It finished but now I don't know what I have. I'm not sure what all is on those four disk, and I need to also find out how I can get what I don't have on there....on there.

I don't know what is happening, and I don't know if there's a way to stop it from happening again. How do I know that the problem is my hard drive? What do I do to check to see if it is a malware problem.

Please folks I really need your help.

What in the world is Uniblue and Registry Booster? Apparently a program you deliberately installed on your PC?

Is your personal data backed up safely, probably to some other hard drive (external)?

Do you have a valid Windows 7 installation disc and a valid Product Key?

Malwarebytes is a good malware detector, from Malwarebytes.org. It's free. I'd download it and run it.

Are you currently able to boot and use the PC?

I have no idea what uniblue is or what it's for. It was on the computer when I bought it. The computer came with no disk of any kind. My daughter bought it for my husband last christmas. I've been using it and when I found out there were no disk, I knew that I needed to do a back up.

Is there anyway I can somehow backup windows 7, or do I even need to do since I have a good copy (hopefully) of the "repair disk"? What is included in the "repair disk" backup?

I'm using it right now. It seems to be working just fine. I haven't turned it off or anything. Can you tell me what is on the back up that I was able to get to finish and how I can get the files that I didn't get?

Thanks for replying. I hope that your able to help me figure this out.

Texas Gal:

You say the PC is now working well.

If that is so, what is the current problem?

What program did you attempt to use to make these so-called backups? It's hard to say what's on those disks without more info.

Do you have a recovery partition on the laptop or have you made a set of recovery disks? Most likely, you do have a recovery partition, but you should also make recovery disks.

The purpose of the recovery partition and the recovery disks is to restore the PC to the state it was in the day you bought it. They would NOT recover whatever you may have added to the PC AFTER you bought it. If the recovery partition works properly, you would not need the recovery disks, but you should make them and keep them nevertheless.

Do you have a 25 character Product Key, most likely found on a sticker on the bottom or in the battery compartment? If you do, you can download a legal Windows 7 ISO file, burn it to a disc, and install from that disk anytime you want.

Have you backed up your personal files? Not Windows---your personal files.

In the meantime, you can make a repair disk using this tutorial, but it is not a "fix-all":

System Repair Disc - Create

Further help pending answers to the above questions.

You say the PC is now working well. If that is so, what is the current problem?

Here's some info on the computer i'm using:
Windows 7 Home Premium
Service Pack 1
Manufacturer: TOSHIBA
Model: Satellite L655
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU P6200 @ 2.13GHz 2.13GHz
Installed Memory 4.00 GB (3.80 GB usable)
System Type: 64 bit Operating System
Pen and Touch No Pen or Touch is available for this display


Yesterday, I turned on my laptop and I noticed that it was a little slower loading than it usually is and after it finished booting up, I got these strange error
messages:

the specified module could not be found. load library(pythondll) failed

c:\program files (x86)\Uniblue\RegistryBooster\PYTHON26.DLL


I had no idea what those meant so I googled it and read several post that said I should not use registry boosters, but I didn't download anything to my computer so i'm assuming that it either came with the computer or it got there thru a virus of some sorts.

I used it all day without any problems at all. Then wednesday when i turned it on, there was another message that was added to the first two.....

Windows detected a hard disk problem....you need to backup you files


Well, I tried that. In fact I tried to backup using all three of the choices given in windows 7. I first tried the "full backup", and got to disk 7 where I got this error message saying "backup couldn't continue, remove disk and try again".

It had taken me 5 hours, 7 disk and it wasn't even half way finished yet. So, i went back to the forums and told them what happened, and they said to create a "systems image" backup. It wouldn't take as many disk and I would have everything that I needed if the hard drive failed. Well that didn't work either. I got to disk 4 on that one, and I guess i didn't get to the disk in time to change it, because it said "backup had been canceld".

So I tried the last one, the "recovery backup". Believe it or not it finished using 4 disk and only taking 45 minutes. I dont know if this is what I need. What all does this backup cover? The OS, my files, my pics, music, favorites, WINDOWS 7? If all that's on there, then i'm good. I just dont understand why it took so long using the other 2 backup systems.

Any help you can give me will be apreciated.

I need answers to the specific questions I asked in post 25 to point you in the right direction.

Your second post is largely a repeat of your first post and doesn't add much to my understanding.

ignatzatsonic said:

Texas Gal:

You say the PC is now working well.

If that is so, what is the current problem?

in last post is what's going on right now.

What program did you attempt to use to make these so-called backups? It's hard to say what's on those disks without more info.

I used the backup that was on my computer. The error message that said "hard disk failure" on it ask me to start backup now, remind me later, or exit. I used the backup now option the first time, then I had to go thru windows backup and restore.

Do you have a recovery partition on the laptop or have you made a set of recovery disks? Most likely, you do have a recovery partition, but you should also make recovery disks.

I dont understand what a recovery partition is. Like i said I was able to make a recovery disk because that was the only one that would work. I just dont know what all it backuped.

The purpose of the recovery partition and the recovery disks is to restore the PC to the state it was in the day you bought it. They would NOT recover whatever you may have added to the PC AFTER you bought it. If the recovery partition works properly, you would not need the recovery disks, but you should make them and keep them nevertheless.

Well at least I've got that one. Are you suppose to keep doing them over and over or do you only create it once? Where do i find if I have the recovery partition or not?. Will the recovery disk that I was able to create even be good if the hd is already messed up?

Do you have a 25 character Product Key, most likely found on a sticker on the bottom or in the battery compartment? If you do, you can download a legal Windows 7 ISO file, burn it to a disc, and install from that disk anytime you want.

I looked on the bottom of my laptop and the PK number is back there. Can you give me a link to where I can download a copy of this disk so that I can have it if I need it later on.

Have you backed up your personal files? Not Windows---your personal files.

I tried to do a full backup which i'm assuming that's where my personal files and stuff like that would have been, but like i mentioned....it didn't work and I was on disk 7 when it stopped and it wasn't even 1/2 way finished yet.

In the meantime, you can make a repair disk using this tutorial, but it is not a "fix-all":

System Repair Disc - Create

If there is a problem and the hd is about to go out, would that repair fix it? Is the link above different from the recovery disk that I was able to create from my computer, if so what does it do?

Further help pending answers to the above questions.

I hope this better explains my situation......I've got to figure out how to do a backup before something happens, and I loose my internet business and website files. I hope that you can help me out. Thanks in advance.

OK;

A few steps at a time, as follows:

Post a screen shot of Windows Disk Management.

Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums

You get to Disk Management by typing those two words into the start button search box and follow the prompts.

Second: download and run Speccy from here:

Speccy - System Information - Free Download

It will provide more basic info about your hardware. Use that info to further fill out your system specifications. We know little about it now. Toshiba has dozens of different Sat L655 models and you could have any of them.

Third: You need to find out if that hard drive message is accurate. You do that by downloading and running a hard drive utility from your hard drive manufacturer. Since I don't know your hard drive manufacturer, I can't point you to the right spot. So run that Speccy tool and maybe it will provide needed info.

Fourth: if you have any idea where your personal data is on that hard drive, you should immediately copy it to some other drive so it will not be lost if your hard drive drops dead. Typically, that would be an external drive, a USB thumb drive, or a burned CD/DVD.

Right now, you should be worrying about your personal files, before you worry about your hard drive or Windows.

Lastly: in the meantime, you can do this, preferably after you do the other steps:

Open a command prompt. Type chkdsk /r into that prompt and hit the enter key and let it finish. It might take hours. When it finishes, give us some idea of the results at the bottom of the screen.

Does that Product Key you said you found have this format: 25 characters in groups of 5, like this:

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

If it does, you can go to mydigitallife.info and download a Windows 7 ISO file and burn it to a disc and activate it with that product key.

Go here:

http://www.mydigitallife.info/offici...digital-river/

and download this file: X17-58997.iso


That is for Window 7 64-bit Home Premium. If you have something else, advise.