Can't Backup

[gbadgley]

Widows 7 64 bit 1T HD

When I first installed all my software I did an system image backup. I tried to do another on the same HD and it tried, but eventually gave me a 'backup unsuccessful'. I tired again, same thing.

So, I ran Chkdisc in Windows (system errors and bad sectors) and defraged. Then I did basically the same thing using System Mechanic a third party utility. It got almost to the end (500G) but quit with just a few gigs to go.

Help!

 

[seavixen32]

Welcome to Windows Seven Forums.

Please post your full system specs and a screenshot of your fully-expanded disk management layout INCLUDING the drive you are using to store your backups.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[gbadgley]

Well, I can get the system specs easily enough but that will take me a day to post. But I swap external drives all the time, and how do I give you a screenshot?

 

[seavixen32]

To find your system specifications: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/180324-system-info-see-your-system-specs.html

I gave you the link that explains how to post a screenshot in my opening reply.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Okay, cool. Seems I can't read properly. Give me a few days.

 

[gbadgley]

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Okay, Seavixen, not sure if this is fully expanded or not. I'll work on the specs.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup



You can't just want this, so as there is so much there, what exactly do you want?

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Oh, I see you have given me a system info link too. Let me work on it.

 

[seavixen32]

View attachment 214839

This is what I mean as what you've posted doesn't give us the full picture.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup



This should do it. I'll work on the specs.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Okay, I ran the automatic version, as instructed in the systems info link, and the specifications are saved somewhere in the forum???

 

[gbadgley]

Is that satisfactory?

 

[mjf]

Are you saying chkdsk on disk 0 and disk 1 showed no errors? and did you do a full scan (yes it takes ages!)?

Your C: partition is using 460GB. If you are doing an image and file/folder backup then your backup will be much larger. Also you could have difference images on your backup drive stored in shadow storage. The bottom line is you may be running out of backup disk space.
I consider 460GB far too big to effectively image on a routine basis. I would partition C: and create a third partition for data. I would make the new C: ~200GB and contain OS all installed programs.
I would also make single images using the "Create a system image" button and NOT part of your backup schedule. You can rename images to say "WindowsImageBackup_6_3_12" and make a new one. You can shift delete them. If renamed back to "WindowsImageBackup" in the root of a partition Windows will allow you to restore it.
Then you can consider other excellent free software like Macrium Reflect.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Thanks for the help. In response, yes I did the full scan. But let me get this straight. You are saying I possibly don't have enough space, because there may be some in shadow storage? Isn't there a way to determine this, because geez it is showing 800 G's free? This is a new drive, and there was always almost a gig of free space. Yes I will follow your direction on backup, because 500 g's too backup on a regular basis for me is just too time consuming. I will be backing up just data, but I'm still scratching my head on a shadow storage that possibly can't be determined? I'll do some research here, as I really not all that experienced in handling large amounts of data like this Thanks again for the input.

 

[HammerHead]

Tutorial

Take a look at this tut on shadow copies.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/166102-shadow-copies-delete.html

 

[mjf]

If you are using the Windows default backup as opposed to "Let me choose" Windows will create an image and a file/folder backup which in your case could exceed the free HDD space.

 

[carwiz]

Windows Backup will also fail if you manually select folders and/or libraries for backup and then later delete a folder that was included in a library or a folder specified separately. Check your backup selections and verify manual entries and libraries. The backup is very picky.

Took me a while to figure out why my backups were failing. I had deleted an extraneous "Recorded TV" folder that just happened to be "included" in a library. All I did was un-include it from the library and the backups ran ok.

 

[gbadgley]

Can't backup

Okay, thanks for everybodies input. Let me digest all this, and go over the tut. Thanks for everyones help. Cheers.

 

[HammerHead]

Ownership

You can check this when you get time.
Once I had trouble with Win 7 backup. It would run fine and then at the very end fail. The only message was something like "Win could not complete the backup". In the end I found that the directory it was trying to back up to (the one configured) had changed access rights. I had to set the security settings till backup could access from my user account. I had made no changes to cause this. Gremlins at work.