BMR: W7 can't find Image on INTERNAL HDD, can browse to it

[senselocke]

Restore can't find Backup Image on INTERNAL HDD. Can browse to drive.

My SSD died. No problem, have a backup from yesterday--full system backup was set up months ago and updated. Within Windows "Backup and Restore", I can see the Image and restore files from it, but not the whole OS. I can browse to the folder and see "D:\WindowsImageBackup\BLACKTOWER\". Inside that folder is:

• Backup 2015-08-27 135903\
• Catalog\
• SPPMetadataCache\
• MediaID.

Under "Backup 2015-08-27 135903" exists two .vhd files, one 51MB and one 76GB and four .XML files. It looks like everything's in order and a new install of Windows can find the Image and treat it as such, but can't restore everything (like programs, settings, tweaks, etc). So I need to use Windows Recovery.

...which can't find anything. I get the error:

Windows cannot find a system image on this computer.

Attach the backup hard disk or insert the final DVD from a backup set and click Retry. Alternately, close this dialog for more options.

That said, I can browse to the folder in Command Prompt. I can click to the folder when searching for drivers--so the D: drive is mounted and recognized and clearly doesn't need drivers. But Restore refuses to see it, though Windows itself can.

How can I do a Bare Metal Restore under these restraints? I just want my blasted PC back up and running, and this was supposed to be the "easy" option for restore =(. I can find all sorts of help for backups on remote or USB backups, but none for issues reading an image on another internal HDD.

EDIT: Under D:\ root, there are three items that pertain to this image. They are:

• BLACKTOWER (image file)
• WindowsImageBackup (folder)
• MediaID.bin

Attempting to move BLACKTOWER to a different drive also moves the other two, so they're all related. It also means they're all existent, and I'm just further confused as to why Windows 7 can see this image file but Windows Recovery cannot.

 

[senselocke]

I think I found a nearly identical thread. However, I can't follow what the "solution" is. In the thread, OP states:

Well, I think I got it. I pulled the drive out of the cage, and installed it via internal sata. This didn't help. Same problem. So, feeling annoyed, I was going to try and slide the backup over to my media center and see if it could get picked up over the network from there. But, lo and behold, when I allowed the network to "share" the new drive, the backup appeared in the restore window. It's currently running, so I can't check to make sure everything is perfect, but it appears as though it is going to work.

Edit: Great Success. Everything that should have come back, did.

tl;dr:
-Allow sharing on secondary HD
-Browse to backup location via pretend 'network'
-Curse Microsoft for making it this ridiculous, and self for assuming a windows utility would do what it's supposed to.

What does he mean by "allow sharing on secondary HD"? This is my issue on the nose--full backup on an internal drive that is not the primary (C:\) drive, that Windows simply won't see. However, I can't grok what he means in his solution. Can someone please clarify how to "allow sharing" on an internal drive (and maybe explain why/how it's not the default setting in the first place?). Thank you.