Cant select storage drive for backup.

[symp]

Hi,
I have 3 drives in my system,
64gb boot Health System Active
640g Apps Health Primary 376gfree
500g storage Healthy Primary 496gfree

I'm trying to a backup with a system image,
It says for the storage drive when selected that it will not do a system image.
But when I select the 640, it doesnt say it wont, but will not let me choose any files from that drive.


Not sure what is going on,
thanks for any help.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Please clarify:

Are those 3 separate drives, each with one partition?

Or is this all one drive containing 3 partitions?

Are you trying to make an image of just the 64 g partition?

An image file cannot be stored on the source partition.

What application are you using to make the image?

 

[symp]

to Clarify,
Each drive is a seperate Sata Device.
I am trying to get an Entire System Image of the SSD (c and the 640g App Drive (e onto my storage drive (d using the built in Windows backup system.

 

[mjf]

If you are doing a "Backup now" with settings for both file/folder AND image selected then you probably don't have enough space.
If you are using "Create a system image" to your 500GB drive then it looks like you do have enough space.
BUT are you sure you want to make such a large image. Also note that windows imaging will not let you do a reimage which does not include the OS partition.
You may be better with the greater flexibility of other 3rd party imaging programs.

 

[symp]

I used Marcium and it worked fine,
the backup was only 100gigs...
which is about what I expected, I just wanted to have an image of my current system handy.

 

[mjf]

Your question was about Windows.
Estimates:
SSD = 30GB (guess; you don't say how full)
App HDD = 640-376 = 264GB
Total = 294GB

Assume Macrium compression to 40% you get 118GB in the ballpark of your figure.

Windows imaging has little or no compression but an image alone would fit the the free 496GB.
A Windows image + file/folder backup of 264GB would probably be rejected.

 

[symp]

I know what's going on now,
the volume for the 640g drive is listed as a system/active drive.
So windows wants to add it in the backup,
the drive is now empty files but I cant seem to, or know how to remove it as a system drive.
Formatting doesnt seem to help.
Help

 

[seavixen32]

Check this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/197157-partition-mark-inactive.html

 

[mjf]

I know what's going on now,
the volume for the 640g drive is listed as a system/active drive.
So windows wants to add it in the backup,
the drive is now empty files but I cant seem to, or know how to remove it as a system drive.
Formatting doesnt seem to help.
Help

The start of this post was over 2 months ago. I assume your issue is still ongoing. Initially you said that the 64GB (SSD) was system active? Now it's the 640GB?
The solution is probably quite straightforward but you should upload a screenshot from Disk Management so we are sure this time.
Use the Windows snipping tool and the little paperclip on the forum toolbar.

 

[symp]

Well,
It worked itself out..

The system problem eventually was that,
1st setup.
1x64gb SSD boot drive
1x640gig Apps drive.
I however moved some files like user apps and what not following a SSD guide to clean up space on the drive.
This inadverntly maked the drive (640g) as a system drive.

Having not realised that,
I installed my RAID-0 (2x64SSD),
It seems even tho the original 64gb was formatted into the raid, and a new o/s installed onto it.
When windows gathered it's information it included the 640g drive as being needed, since it was marked as system.

Long story short when I made the disk inactive it killed the raid,
when I re-installed the raid and made the drive active again, it was still a system drive.
Turning it off again, killed the raid.
That's when it struck me, so I used a boot cd to clear the partition/volume and everything about the damn drive (640g).
Re-installed everything, and things are fine now.

Well fine as in, I'm up and running and yet to start a backup... until all the updates are installed.
I'm sure the problem will be gone tho.