Recover a GPT Partition that became RAW in 3T Internal HDD

God bless!

I am happy to note that you already had a backup.

RFG said:

However, as a precaution, now i feel the need of making backups of the VBS/MBR of all my discs. I already have a system image created but i would like to perform the mentioned backups with bootice or any other program that is able to backups MBR/VBS.

Can you please help and guide me through those steps please?

My recommendation for "best practice" is to get yourself an external USB 3.0 drive of 2TB or larger (depending on your overall backup requirements), and start taking regular periodic "system image" backups using Macrium Relfect Free.

Or, you can buy the non-free Home version (very reasonably priced) and get the additional functionality to perform "data" backups (for folders/files, including selective recovery of folders/files rather than having to restore a complete partition from a "system image" backup).

Or, you could consider using a second backup product named NovaBACKUP PC (as I do) which I specifically use for "data" backups because I prefer its GUI to that of Macrium Reflect for this functionality. NovaBACKUP also provides its own "system image" backup functionality, but I prefer using Macrium Reflect for that purpose.

Hence why I have TWO backup programs, for the two types of "system image" and "data" backups with their own unique needs. The important thing is that if you have important data that you would cry if you lost, you need to protect yourself with regular backups... in whatever form is appropriate.

I used to take a Macrium Reflect "system image" backup of my Windows C-partition once a week, then twice a week, and now I do it nightly.

I take my NovaBACKUP "FULL" folder/file backups of all "data" on all partitions (including folders other than C:\Windows on C) once a month, on the first of every month. Then I also take nightly "incremental" backups (of whatever's been created or updated in the past 24 hours). NovaBACKUP has the ability to restore either selectively by folder/file name from a particular backup file, or using a clever "time-based" restore can selectively recover based on date (so that you can simply say "restore the latest copy of XXX", or "restore the most recent version as of January 8, after which I know the file was corrupted", etc.) and the program then examines all of your set of backup files and picks the one or more backup datasets that provide the recovery of whatever you're looking for. That's why I like NovaBACKUP for "data" backup/restore.

Most important, you're taking regular backups of either whole partitions (including the partition tables) and/or folders/files to an external backup media drive. And you will then be able to recover from ANY disaster, from just a lost or accidentally deleted or corrupted folder/file, to all of your music and pictures and videos collection, up to an entire partition. And it all happens nightly weekly, and monthly, automatically while you're sleeping.

And you can retain as many generations of backup dataset files (from both Macrium Reflect and NovaBACKUP) as you'd like to feel comfortable with, and that your external backup media can hold. I myself hold 3-4 months of NovaBACKUP "data" folder/file backups, and thus can recover any file I had on some drive on any specific day over the past 4 months. I retain 7 generations of Macrium Reflect "system image" backups (which is for Windows C-partition only, i.e. providing backups of operational Windows that had 100% integrity). So if a true Windows system disaster strikes that perhaps makes it impossible to boot, or that the system has somehow lost its operational integrity and is behaving totally strangely and I can't resolve it and am forced to revert to a "properly working backup", can typically just restore last night's "system image" in 10 minutes and be back in business. Worst case, I can go back 2 or more days but that really has almost never happened since you know instantly when Windows won't boot or is behaving badly.

Note that Macrium Reflect can produce "system image" backup dataset that include one or more partitions in a single backup file. Then you can restore any one or more of those partitions from that single file. So when taking a backup of your C-partition you also include a backup of (a) "system reserved" usually located on that same physical drive, as well as (b) GPT partition table partition for that drive, if its GPT partitioned, as well as (c) C-Windows partitions plus any additional partitions on that physical drive. Backups run at USB 3.0 output speed, and run especially fast when the source drive is SSD, so it's always "better safe than sorry". You're better off backing up more than you might need, rather than backing up too little and then not having a good backup for some unexpected emergency need.

dsperber said:

My recommendation for "best practice" is to get yourself an external USB 3.0 drive of 2TB or larger (depending on your overall backup requirements), and start taking regular periodic "system image" backups using Macrium Relfect Free.

Or, you can buy the non-free Home version (very reasonably priced) and get the additional functionality to perform "data" backups (for folders/files, including selective recovery of folders/files rather than having to restore a complete partition from a "system image" backup).

Or, you could consider using a second backup product named NovaBACKUP PC (as I do) which I specifically use for "data" backups because I prefer its GUI to that of Macrium Reflect for this functionality. NovaBACKUP also provides its own "system image" backup functionality, but I prefer using Macrium Reflect for that purpose.

Hence why I have TWO backup programs, for the two types of "system image" and "data" backups with their own unique needs. The important thing is that if you have important data that you would cry if you lost, you need to protect yourself with regular backups... in whatever form is appropriate.

I used to take a Macrium Reflect "system image" backup of my Windows C-partition once a week, then twice a week, and now I do it nightly.

I take my NovaBACKUP "FULL" folder/file backups of all "data" on all partitions (including folders other than C:\Windows on C) once a month, on the first of every month. Then I also take nightly "incremental" backups (of whatever's been created or updated in the past 24 hours). NovaBACKUP has the ability to restore either selectively by folder/file name from a particular backup file, or using a clever "time-based" restore can selectively recover based on date (so that you can simply say "restore the latest copy of XXX", or "restore the most recent version as of January 8, after which I know the file was corrupted", etc.) and the program then examines all of your set of backup files and picks the one or more backup datasets that provide the recovery of whatever you're looking for. That's why I like NovaBACKUP for "data" backup/restore.

Most important, you're taking regular backups of either whole partitions (including the partition tables) and/or folders/files to an external backup media drive. And you will then be able to recover from ANY disaster, from just a lost or accidentally deleted or corrupted folder/file, to all of your music and pictures and videos collection, up to an entire partition. And it all happens nightly weekly, and monthly, automatically while you're sleeping.

And you can retain as many generations of backup dataset files (from both Macrium Reflect and NovaBACKUP) as you'd like to feel comfortable with, and that your external backup media can hold. I myself hold 3-4 months of NovaBACKUP "data" folder/file backups, and thus can recover any file I had on some drive on any specific day over the past 4 months. I retain 7 generations of Macrium Reflect "system image" backups (which is for Windows C-partition only, i.e. providing backups of operational Windows that had 100% integrity). So if a true Windows system disaster strikes that perhaps makes it impossible to boot, or that the system has somehow lost its operational integrity and is behaving totally strangely and I can't resolve it and am forced to revert to a "properly working backup", can typically just restore last night's "system image" in 10 minutes and be back in business. Worst case, I can go back 2 or more days but that really has almost never happened since you know instantly when Windows won't boot or is behaving badly.

Note that Macrium Reflect can produce "system image" backup dataset that include one or more partitions in a single backup file. Then you can restore any one or more of those partitions from that single file. So when taking a backup of your C-partition you also include a backup of (a) "system reserved" usually located on that same physical drive, as well as (b) GPT partition table partition for that drive, if its GPT partitioned, as well as (c) C-Windows partitions plus any additional partitions on that physical drive. Backups run at USB 3.0 output speed, and run especially fast when the source drive is SSD, so it's always "better safe than sorry". You're better off backing up more than you might need, rather than backing up too little and then not having a good backup for some unexpected emergency need.

Thank you for the presented options. I didn't knew about those apps.

Atm i have system image created with windows backup. I have also another image created with Easeus Todo Backup. Both on external HDD. I've managed to create MBR & PBS backups with bootice too. I will take a look at those couple of softwares yer mentioning.
I dont need daily backups tbh, but a weekly or monthly incremental one's will be fine for me. I also need a new external HDD to backup everything i want without lack of space issues.



Cheers again guys