Restore fails to find backup images

[Cagey]

Hi ,
I done bad.
I've been creating system image backups on a network drive and copying them to different directories to keep multiple backups. I copied the files and directories in the <Computer_Name> directory somewhere else and removed the original WindowsImageBackup and sub directories. I know now I should just rename the WindowsImageBackup directory!
When I copy the directory back, the date modified is wrong on the WindowsImageBackup, <Computer_Name> and Backup 2012-05-06 191946 directories. Recovery doesn't find any system images.

I have verified that I can connect to my network share and can access the directory (boot rdisk, net use from command prompt and cd to directory).
Recover asks for credentials which I supply but then shows a blank form (no images). My guess is the modify date is wrong on the directory but I can't find a way of modifying this to the original date.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello Cagey, and welcome to Seven Forums.

With moving the system image's WindowsImageBackup like that, it may not be able to be used to restore from anymore. Renaming would have been the way to go instead.

However, if the WindowsImageBackup folder is still fully intact, then you may be able manually extract any files that you need or want from the VHD file in it using the method in the tutorial below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Victor S]

You might try using a system recovery disc, and see if you can point at the image.
When I was testing Win 7 imaging I copied images around to different drives.
Didn't hack the names, just copied the image directory.
I only do cold imaging/restore. The sys recovery disc was always able to find my images and restore them, but only the latest version. No selecting prior incrementals.

 

[zuzullo]

You might try using a system recovery disc, and see if you can point at the image.
When I was testing Win 7 imaging I copied images around to different drives.
Didn't hack the names, just copied the image directory.
I only do cold imaging/restore. The sys recovery disc was always able to find my images and restore them, but only the latest version. No selecting prior incrementals.

I tried that but it does not work. It does not accept an image that is not in its original location.

Folder structure is intact. I can even place it back at its original location and it wont detect it.

How do people do this?

 

[Brink]

Hello Zuzullo,

If you move the WindowsImageBackup folder from the original location it was created at, then there's a very high chance that you'll never be able to use it to do a System Image Recovery afterwards.

 

[zuzullo]

Is there a way to make an IMAGE and be able to COPY it to our server?

So if the disk fails we have it safe else were. (which was the case)


Should I use another software for such purpose?

 

[F5ing]

Is there a way to make an IMAGE and be able to COPY it to our server?

So if the disk fails we have it safe else were. (which was the case)


Should I use another software for such purpose?

I think Macrium is more flexible on manually relocating the images that are made. Most of the 3rd party imaging apps I'm aware of don't care how you move them around.

 

[Golden]

I agree - Macrium Reflect is probably an option you want to look at. It doesn't have issues restoring from a server/other device.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html

Regards,
Golden

 

[Saltgrass]

After reading the thread, I decided to do some testing, as Victor S seems to have done.

I had good backup images on a NAS and on an internal hard drive. Making sure I altered the name (changed back later) of the Backup Folder, I copied the NAS version of the image to my internal hard drive. I also copied the version on the internal hard drive to the NAS and to another computer on my network. The result was image files moved from their original location but still using the WindowsImageBackup designation..

Using the Windows Recovery Environment to restore an image, I could find all the images. No problems with dates or whatever.

Things to keep in mind, if an image in on your system, it needs to be in the root directory of the drive. I do not think the image can be found if it is within another folder. On the network, putting it inside other folders is allowed, like public or whatever. You just have to make sure you know the designation and have credentials.

My system is a little different in that the Windows Recovery Environment will not load a driver for my Network adapter, so my network does not work. When this was the situation, I would get an Internal Error message about the network not being reachable. Loading a driver using the Advanced button, allowed me to get the network working. Using Shift+F10 to open a command prompt and typing ipconfig will tell you if your network has been assigned an IP address.

So, I will conclude the answer to your original question is, yes it should be an option to copy backup images to network locations. Backing up directly to a network location is also an option.

I only tested images, and not the full backup capability which also backs up files.

 

[zuzullo]

After reading the thread, I decided to do some testing, as Victor S seems to have done. "..."

When I bought a new HDD I first copy the "WindowsImageBackup" folder to the root of the disk and then run the "WindowsRecoverBoot" and point it the folder but nothing. I can browse it but nothing else! Is does not work that way.
How dont understand how can we use this Wtool if it is so unreliable!

 

[Saltgrass]

I feel we must be having some basic misunderstanding of the process. Could we go through and see if we agree on what has to be done?

First, you have made a backup image using Windows Backup and Restore, and put it on a local drive that is not the one to be re-imaged. You would never put an image on the drive to be restored.

Next you boot into the Install DVD and select "Repair Your Computer". You could also use a CD made with the Backup and Restore utility, or the F8 key during boot. But you end up in the restore options which allow for a system image recovery.

Your local drives will be scanned to find a system image. If it does not find one, it will give you the ability to look for one at another location. This is where, of course, you would look for a network location, or turn on an external drive if you forgot earlier.

For me, the system is very reliable. I used it several times just yesterday during testing and it never failed to find the image in the WindowsImageBackup folder.

You might try, as Brink suggests, looking at the image to see if it is intact. You can do that by using Disk Management. Open it and select the partition which contains the image. Use the Action menu and Attach Virtual Hard Disk. If the option is greyed out, you need to select a partition first.

From there you should be able to locate the .vhd file in the Backup folder and mount it. If you cannot, perhaps the image is corrupted.

Something else to consider is your system, and does it have special procedures to restore it. I have not used an OEM system, but I think I have seen situations where the built in recovery procedures would conflict with the Windows Backup and Restore procedures. There may be something on the Manufacture's site about how to accomplish a Windows image restore as opposed to a system image recovery.

 

[Brink]

Saltgrass,

I also find that Windows Image backup/recovery has always been very reliable for me as well. It's just that usually when the "WindowsImageBackup" folder is moved to another location, that is when the reliability drops. This is mostly due to it not being in the root directory, user error, or corruption. I find that it's always best to leave the image where it was originally created/saved at to help prevent introducing such possible issues.

 

[Victor S]

Saltgrass,

I also find that Windows Image backup/recovery has always been very reliable for me as well. It's just that usually when the "WindowsImageBackup" folder is moved to another location, that is when the reliability drops. This is mostly due to it not being in the root directory, user error, or corruption. I find that it's always best to leave the image where it was originally created/saved at to help prevent introducing such possible issues.

This is really the gist of the problem with the Win 7 imager. "Gotchas." When I tested it I didn't document what I did, so I can't claim any reproducabilty of my results. But I did spend some hours with it, because I wanted to use it.
I normally make a separate image to 2 internal HD's, and less frequently a 3rd image to an external HD. But sometime I copy images to another HD, and that's a common practice for everybody. I made all images from within Win 7, but restored using the recovery disk only, as that ability is a primary concern.
This is what I recall of what ended my testing: I copied my E:\WindowsImageBackup to my F: drive - different HD. I don't remember about directory structure, but checked directory size, and have no doubt the copy was good. In any case, the recovery disk easily found the WindowsImageBackup directory on both hard drives. Problem was, the E: directory showed all differential images I had made - 5-6 - but for the F: directory only showed the last image. All my recollection, and undocumented. Maybe I screwed up.
That's when I decided to stay with Ghost 15. I recall a bit of fruitless investigation of the media.bin file out of curiousity, but the bottom line was I didn't care about differentials, and didn't want any "gotchas." Simple KISS rules with me.
I've since learned on this forum some "useful" info about how important the directory name is with the Win 7 imager, keeping it in the root, how to rename to do full backups, etc.
But it doesn't matter to me. I don't like "gotchas.'
With a number of imaging tools out there - some free - that will make a fully transportable, single user-named file, of a full image that the user can always point to, it's not worth it to me to use the Win 7 imager.
I don't want to be hard on the Win 7 tool, and some may find it very useful.
But it is what it is. I'm a "space" freak too, and wish I could remove it to reduce footprint. That's what I did with Ghost 15, which takes up about 250mb installed. I just use the recovery disk.
I made 4 of them.