Restore drive backup image to new drive - question

[maryeleek]

If I understand correctly, you can create backup images of your OS drive and use a boot recovery disk to boot your computer and restore these images to the OS drive.

What happens if the computer OS hard drive or SSD becomes damaged and a new drive installation is required. How would you prepare the new drive to accept the restored files? It would require formatting, wouldn't it? How is that accomplished if your computer is inoperable?

Does the boot recovery disc that most backup programs create have the ability to recognize the need to format a fresh drive or are there tools added during the creation of this recovery disc that allows one to format a new drive prior to restoring from the backup image?

Thank you

 

[Ranger4]

Yes, you can use the boot recovery disc to boot the computer & installed a saved image that would be located on an external medium such as a USB external drive. Of course if the image has been backed up on the main OS drive it will also be lost if the OS disc fails.

Formatting the new drive should not be required. Installing the saved image should restore the OS drive to the same as it was when the image was created. If the OS system was previously partitioned & this was saved in the image, then the reinstalled image should be the same.

 

[samuria]

If the drive is damaged the image you made may contain bad block or corrupt data which will transfer to a new drive so it best to keep a few iamgesover time to combat that

 

[TechnoMage2016]

If I understand correctly, you can create backup images of your OS drive and use a boot recovery disk to boot your computer and restore these images to the OS drive.

You understand correctly, sort of. It depends on how well you have prepared your backup and which program you're using to do the backup and restore. And hopefully, your backup is not two years old.

What happens if the computer OS hard drive or SSD becomes damaged and a new drive installation is required. How would you prepare the new drive to accept the restored files? It would require formatting, wouldn't it? How is that accomplished if your computer is inoperable?

Again, it depends on what Backup/Restore program you're using, and how you made the backup.
I have used nothing but "Ghost 11.5" since it first came out back around 2005. It makes a compressed
copy of the entire C: drive, (similar to a CLONE) with the boot sector, master directory, etc. Nothing is left out, so when I have to do a restore of my Backup Image File to a new drive, which I've had to do many times over the years, the Restore comes off without a hitch and the new C: drive is exactly like the
old one was when I did the backup. For safety, I do a C: drive, compressed backup, with Ghost, at least
once a week, and I store the Backup Image File on a 1TB External drive.

Does the boot recovery disc that most backup programs create have the ability to recognize the need to format a fresh drive or are there tools added during the creation of this recovery disc that allows one to format a new drive prior to restoring from the backup image?

Some programs might require this, but, Ghost does not. Why would it?....when you're restoring the format and root directory as well as all the data. So pre-formatting the receiving drive would just be a total waste of time.

Symantec no longer sells or supports Ghost 11.5, but it's still out there.....

Thank you

I hope this was somewhat helpful.
Good Luck,
TechnoMage

 

[Barman58]

The current recommendation for system image backup software is the free Macrium Reflect software

The following two Tutorials can provide an overview of the capabilities and step by step instruction

Imaging with free Macrium - Windows 7 Help Forums


MACRIUM REFLECT - Create Bootable Rescue USB Drive - Windows 7 Help Forums