Windows Backup and Restore System Image

[mjf]

You've probably got nothing to loose. So assuming you have an active partition you can after a Windows image restore:
Boot the system repair CD and go into a command prompt and type:
>bootrec /fixmbr
>bootrec /fixboot
>bootrec /rebuildbcd
Then reboot.

 

[BJB]

The system image restored and booted fine before I installed Grub4DOS but doesn't now. Doesn't leave much doubt about the cause does it? Looks to me like the image restore leaves enough of Grub4DOS in track 0 to prevent normal MBR booting.

 

[Kaktussoft]

You've probably got nothing to loose. So assuming you have an active partition you can after a Windows image restore:
Boot the system repair CD and go into a command prompt and type:
>bootrec /fixmbr
>bootrec /fixboot
>bootrec /rebuildbcd
Then reboot.

The MBR boot code was already processed. The ACTIVE partition's boot sector was processed. Bootmgr file has been processed. bootmenu has been read. \Windows\system32\winload.exe has been loaded and run.... the first phase of win7 boot.

So why fix stuff that ain't broke????

 

[BJB]

You've probably got nothing to loose. So assuming you have an active partition you can after a Windows image restore:
Boot the system repair CD and go into a command prompt and type:
>bootrec /fixmbr
>bootrec /fixboot
>bootrec /rebuildbcd
Then reboot.

I assumed the system repair disk would have looked after all of that but, as you say, nothing to lose by trying it - tomorrow hopefully.

 

[Kaktussoft]

The system image restored and booted fine before I installed Grub4DOS but doesn't now. Doesn't leave much doubt about the cause does it? Looks to me like the image restore leaves enough of Grub4DOS in track 0 to prevent normal MBR booting.

If that's really the case do only: bootrec /fixmbr
Not bootrec/fixboot.

bootrec /fixmbr rewrites the boot sector.

 

[BJB]

I'll let you know if any progress. Thanks for all the info.

 

[mjf]

You've probably got nothing to loose. So assuming you have an active partition you can after a Windows image restore:
Boot the system repair CD and go into a command prompt and type:
>bootrec /fixmbr
>bootrec /fixboot
>bootrec /rebuildbcd
Then reboot.

I assumed the system repair disk would have looked after all of that but, as you say, nothing to lose by trying it - tomorrow hopefully.

I've had startup repair fail so I generally use bootrec when I think something in the boot chain is broken.

 

[BJB]

I've tried system repair a third time and bootrec too but no change. Seems clear that installing Grub4DOS has done something to the boot process that isn't removed during re-imaging.

 

[Kaktussoft]

I've tried system repair a third time and bootrec too but no change. Seems clear that installing Grub4DOS has done something to the boot process that isn't removed during re-imaging.

At what stage it's hanging/freezing? You do see the win7 logo on normal boot... correct?

Is linux partition still on system now?

 

[Kaktussoft]

Can't you fix it? startup repair does bootrec/fixmbr, fixboot etc automagically!
disk signature is fine. master boot code has been rewritten by bootrec/fixmbr. partition tabel has been rebuild by making/deleting partitions.

I can't understand what is still faulty/unoverwritten

How do you fix it?

 

[BJB]

Yes, I get the splash screen with the Windows logo and Starting Windows on each reboot, sometimes for about 30 seconds, other times for minutes. Then it just reboots, no BSD, no .dmp files. It's all taking forever so atm I've restored my pre-Grub Acronis image and all is well.

I don't have a Linux partition, just boot to a live Puppy CD when required. This was a truly clean install, wiping the disk completely beforehand, so I have both System Reserved 100MB and Win 7 partitions, plus three data partitions.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Yes, I get the splash screen with the Windows logo and Starting Windows on each reboot, sometimes for about 30 seconds, other times for minutes. Then it just reboots, no BSD, no .dmp files. It's all taking forever so atm I've restored my pre-Grub Acronis image and all is well.

I don't have a Linux partition, just boot to a live Puppy CD when required. This was a truly clean install, wiping the disk completely beforehand, so I have both System Reserved 100MB and Win 7 partitions, plus three data partitions.

It reboots because it crashed and "automatic restart on system crash" is on. In advanced boot options... http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/666-advanced-boot-options.html you can switch it off (for one reboot). Without a stopcode or dump we can't help you.

If you clean the MBR totally, the image restores without issues? http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk-clean-clean-all-diskpart-command.html

 

[Kaktussoft]

After a diskpart clean (it zeros first 1MB of physical, so actually MBR and more) the partition table, master boot code is gone.

After diskpart clean all: All info on disk is gone.
-------------------------
Even after both actions and finally a system image restore (so restore to an empty disk) a system boots. So win7 built in restore DOES put master boot code on disk. Just what you experienced.... no signs of grub anymore.

 

[BJB]

I've checked for .dmp files and there are none and I can't use Clean without losing my data partitions and their files. I could probably recover them later but this whole episode is taking time I cannot afford just now, especially as I currently have a working system. However this thread contains a whole lot of valuable info and I hope to come back to it at a better time and try again to recover that image. Very many thanks for your input.

 

[mjf]

Clean all will clean your data partitions as well !
I advised you way back that windows inbuilt backs up and restores the MBR. I've totally lost count of the number of images and restores I've made with Windows inbuilt imaging to new and existing drives. But I repeat that some people come here with Windows inbuilt imaging problems that are hard to pin down.

Maybe posting a Disk management screenshot would help.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/274797-disk-management-post-screen-capture-image.html

Have you ever managed to restore an image using Windows inbuilt imaging?
It may be that you have faulty Windows images. If you are able to attach/mount the images you can copy data from them without interfering with the image.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html

 

[BJB]

I did say in an earlier post that the image restored and booted ok before I installed Grub4DOS, but doesn't now. It was the third of three images I created while setting up and when time permits I'm going to see what happens with the earlier ones. But I just cannot afford this huge time loss just at present, but I will come back to it.

I've done a lot of partitioning, multi-booting and imaging (mainly with Acronis) over the years and know that stuff quite well. Not sure how my disk layout is relevant as it's working perfectly normally, as it did prior to installing Grub4DOS. It's the low level boot process I'm not really familiar with, and where my current issue appears to be. It's going to have to wait though.

 

[BJB]

This morning I decided I needed to check whether the systemimagebackup file that won't boot had somehow been damaged, so I restored the previous image I had taken. The result was the same - splash screen for a while then a reboot, no BSoD. I let it attempt repairs but that failed too, just as previously. However the test results might be informative as the final test was logged as -

Diagnosis and repair details:

Root cause found:
Unspecified changes to system configuration might have caused this problem.

Repair action: System files integrity check and repair
Result: Failed. Error code = 0x490
Time taken = 475125ms

Finally I restored just the System Reserved and Windows partitions from my Acronis image taken before Grub4DOS was installed. I purposely did NOT restore the MBR and track 0 so as to leave the MBR in the state it was in in the Windows System Image. As the two partitions in the Acronis image were more or less identical to those in the systemimagebackup file (they were taken consecutively) I did not expect it to boot but much to my surprise it did, so it seems that subsequently installing Grub4DOS made changes other than those it made to the MBR and track 0. I'm completely confounded as to what those changes may be but whatever they are this test means that while I continue to use Grub4DOS I cannot use the built-in Backup and Restore. More importantly it also proves that systemimagebackup does not put absolutely everything back as it was at the time the image was taken.

 

[Kaktussoft]

The result was the same - splash screen for a while then a reboot, no BSoD

Goto "advanvaced boot options" http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/666-advanced-boot-options.html and select "Disable Automatic Restart on System Failure". This works for next boot only.
I want to see the BSOD!

Was Grub4DOS still in MBR after restore? Normally you see a logo or grub menu on boot.

 

[BJB]

I've said before that there are no .dmp files. When you get a BSoD with Restart on System Failure set you do briefly see the BSoD screen, That is not the case here, there is no BSoD, there are no dump files.

No, Grub4DOS was not in the MBR, The system images were all taken prior to installing it. It seems that subsequently installing it, and then restoring the system image is the cause of this behaviour, as I've been saying all along.

 

[Kaktussoft]

I've said before that there are no .dmp files. When you get a BSoD with Restart on System Failure set you do briefly see the BSoD screen, That is not the case here, there is no BDoD, there are no dump files.

No, Grub4DOS was not in the MBR, The system images were all taken prior to installing it. It seems that subsequently installing it, and then restoring the system image is the cause of this behaviour, as I've been saying all along.

I have never heard of or seen a machine automatically reboot without a BSOD. Only seen it in case of heat protection. If temperature is too high.... power off. That's not the case of course.