Can't restore image of C drive. Can anyone please help?

[martinlest]

I made an image of my boot drive just a few weeks ago and now need to restore it. It's all on a local PC, no networks or USB drives involved.. I used Macrium 6 for the backup.

But as so often in the past when I have tried to restore an image (not just with Macrium), the process fails. Only once it has erased the partition in question of course. Macrium 6 takes 40 minutes or so to (apparently) reinstall the image, only to end up with 'Handle is Invalid'. Which to 99% of folks who use a PC means nothing helpful at all. Even after Googling till I am fed up of the whole subject I am no wiser. Lots of questions and answers relating to networks or USB drives or whatever. But I still don;'t know for what reasons this pointless message comes up. And my C drive is now just an unformatted space.

If anyone can explain it to me (and I am far from being a novice with stuff PC!), and why the restore might have failed, I'd be grateful. Even more grateful of course if anyone can help me get the image back a my C drive!

The PC is a multiboot Win7/XP (using EasyBDC). Possible the SSD on which the C drive is, (er, was!) installed could be on the way out, though before Macrium 6 deleted it, I could at least boot into it from cold start. I can boot into Windows XP OK, which is on a different drive.

Thanks for any help with this. Otherwise I'll just have to draw a deep breath and try reinstalling Windows form scratch. (Good job I made an image backup. haha!).

 

[samuria]

Your booting from Mr DVD when you try this yes? Run check disk on the drive first see if it finds errors you could try deleting the partition if all else fails

 

[RolandJS]

Have you already quick-read and tried a couple of things found in:
Macrium Reflect "Handle is Invalid" - Google Search

 

[martinlest]

Hi. I did a Google search before posting, yes, but didn't find anything that helped me. I suspect that the SDD is failing, so have ordered a new one.

I was using a Macrium rescue disc I had made before to restore the partition, but since Macrium wiped the C drive and I will have a brand new SSD, I guess I might as well install Windows from scratch, get a nice clean installation whilst I am about it.

 

[martinlest]

Ok, new SSD (Samsung Evo 850) and I made a clean installation of Windows 7 on it. Boots fine now (though I am going to have to tweak the boot menu with EasyBCD).

In the end I thought I would retry Macrium with my recent image. Rebooted to the Macrium Rescue disc and browsed to the image. When I select it, Macrium just tells me that it cannot load the image. No surprises there!

I am too fed up with all this now to start troubleshooting why it can't load an image the programme itself made just a couple of months ago, I've spent enough time going through threads on various forums already (trying to find out, in vain, about 'Handle Invalid'). I'll just reinstall everything afresh after all.

Thanks anyway

 

[Ranger4]

One of the most important things to do after you have made a back up image to an external medium & created a Macrium boot disc or USB stick is to be certain that it will work. So it must be tested & any problems sorted out before you actually really need it.

A back up system that doesn't work is probably worse than no back up at all, as you are lulled into a false sense of security, only to be totally frustrated when it doesn't work.

 

[RolandJS]

Ranger4 speaks words of gold on a silver platter; I also am more diligent to try both USB and DVD boots to make sure they will actually work when needed.

 

[martinlest]

Not sure what you mean. The DVD rescue disc works fine, boots up and lets me choose the image file to restore. That's not the problem. The first I know about a failed restore is when the process is 99% complete (according to the progress bar); it's only then that the failed window comes up. Bit late by then of course, it's all been wiped.

How far do you go to test the image file itself? I check the validity and that I can open and explore the image. I can't actually run the restore as a test of course; first thing that will happen is the partition is deleted. Is there a simulated mode I have forgotten about?

Not much chance of my being lulled into a false sense of security, BTW! Once bitten.. (let alone several times!). I always start a restore (not that I need to do it all that often, thankfully!) with a feeling of impending disaster anyway.

 

[mrjimphelps]

If you have two hard drives, you can test the image by backing up one and restoring to the other, then trying to boot from the other. You'll know right away if the image is good or bad. In addition to verifying that the image is good, you have a full backup on the other drive.

 

[TrustMe]

I suggest making a second backup with Amoei Backupper Free. The same thing happened to me. I made an image with Macrium Reflect and when it came time to restore, it failed. I then did a clean install and made a new image. I tested this image and that also failed. I installed Amoei Backupper Free and that worked great. Now I backup with both programs. I know it sounds redundant but whenever I work on someone’s computer, or my own, I backup with both programs.

 

[martinlest]

I used to make an image with the Win7 native tool as well as Macrium, but for some reason I didn't this time. When I get things re-installed to a certain level, I'll do that and also perhaps try Amoei too (never heard of it). Thanks.

 

[SIW2]

Best Windows Backup and Restore Software | AOMEI Backupper

 

[martinlest]

OK, downloaded. Will give it a go. Thanks.

 

[RolandJS]

I also make "dual backups", using Macrium Reflect and Image For Windows. I also have ATI2016 local [non-cloud] version sitting around, just in case.