selective system image restore?

[jaypels]

good day! last week, my laptop was starting to get slow and lags from time to time so i decided to do restore my system image..

a little flashback while we're at it.. when i made a system image, i did not include my d and e drives (personal data and work files) since i make a regular backup of my files.

back to present after i was done restoring, i was shocked to see that my d and e files were also wiped out. i did not know that they also be wiped out and my problem was my last back.up was from 3 weeks before.. i had to purchase easeus data recovery wizard pro just to recover my files..

now, i'm contemplating on doing a system image restore on my desktop at home but i only want to restore the c drive.. not the other drives.. is there an option how to only restore the c drive?

thanks in advance!

 

[gregrocker]

Unfortunately Win7 imaging is in its infancy so lacks some options that are included in other free apps like Macrium Reflect and Paragon 10 backup.

If you have a WD or Seagate HD, you're can also download their excellent free Acronis cloning app which includes imaging.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello jaypels.



Will you please post a snip of Windows disk management so we can see if there's any surprises we should know about before any suggestions are made?

   Note

In the Windows start menu right click computer and click manage, in the left pane of the "Computer Management" window that opens click disk management and post a snip of that.

How to Upload and Post a Screenshot and File in Seven Forums

​

 

[jaypels]

thank you for the replies.. here is my snip.. as you can see, my c drive is quite small.. i intended it that way so that i would not be tempted to install games (light ones, maybe) this is my laptop's by the way.. my desktop have a similar layout (only difference is that the c drive has more space) so i figured i the laptop's disk management would suffice.. but if you sir would require it, it would not be a hassle uploading it

 

[mjf]

When restoring a Windows image I would recommend you untick the format option when you have other data partitions. When I do this my data partition never gets touched. The exception is when you are going to a new HDD .

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

You can include your data partition with Windows imaging. If you wish to "back" these data partitions up with imaging - Macrium Reflect will allow you to select and restore partitions individually.
One problem with Macrium Reflect is that a reimage to a partition which has a low percentage usage (eg 60GB used out of a 450GB partition) it's reimage can be substantially longer than Windows image restore.

 

[whs]

As Greg said, if you used windows7 imaging, you never know what you get. At the least, it will restore C and the 100MB active partition. And that is OK. Whether it would drag the other 2 partitions along you can only find out by looking into the image. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html

I suggest you use Macrium to Image the 2 partitions that you do not want to be reinstalled. Then you pull the Windows7 image in. Should it restore the 2 partitions too, you can restore them with the Macrium images. In Macrium you can image several partitions at one time, but you can only restore one at a time. But it works well. Here is my video tutorial that describes the Macrium process from the beginning all the way to the restore process. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I

 

[mjf]

Windows imaging allows you select other letter assigned partitions by ticking the optional boxes. A weakness with Windows imaging is that you can then just reimage c: (100MB system reserved and MBR are reimaged and restored respectively. This is not optional. You can include one or more additional partitions.
You cannot just reimage a data partition with Windows.

 

[jaypels]

When restoring a Windows image I would recommend you untick the format option when you have other data partitions. When I do this my data partition never gets touched. The exception is when you are going to a new HDD .

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/675-system-image-recovery.html

oh.. i think i chose the reformat drive option i was so hasty then and i forgot to read everthing.. all i did was next, next and next now i regret it.. i recovered most of my files anyway but some important ones were never recovered.. but that's life.. you live and you learn i would restore the system image on my desktop later this week and let's see what will happen if incheck the reformat drive option.. but i'll back up my data first just in case thank you so much everyone!

 

[mjf]

When reimaging you should have the other partitions backed up in case the whole reimaging process goes haywire anyway.

For future reference:
If I lost my data partition this way, the first thing I would try is to run a data recovery on the lost partitions. I would use the (partition) data recovery wizard with the free Partition Wizard software.
Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to boot computer directly to manage partition.

 

[jaypels]

sir mjf, from what i understand on your latest post, incase if my other partition gets reformatted again, this would replace Easeus data recovery wizard pro? the only difference is that it would recover my data while still in "boot" mode?

 

[mjf]

sir mjf, from what i understand on your latest post, incase if my other partition gets reformatted again, this would replace Easeus data recovery wizard pro? the only difference is that it would recover my data while still in "boot" mode?

I have no experience with the Easeus product so I can't comment. It may work just as well.
Not sure what you mean by the last question but Partition Wizard is generally best run from it's boot CD.

There's no guarantee with these or other tools but they are certainly worth trying.

 

[jaypels]

i see.. i'll give it a try hopefully not soon thank you once again!

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Partition Wizard is free too.


Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD

 

[Frank1]

I make a system image about every other day. On my system, it has all of my drives checked by default. I can un-check any of them if I want to. I have restored my image a few times and have never run into any problem. I know there are some who don't like the way in works; and I'm sure they have their reasons. But I haven't read why it's not liked by some. I'm not saying that no one have ever posted their reason, I'm only saying that I haven't seen it. I am curious as to know why if a member doesn't mind posting. If there is a problem with it, I would like to know as I would then try something different. Maybe I've just been lucky with it.

 

[gregrocker]

My own experience with Win7 Backup Imaging is that if you have four partitions the last two of which are data, and select to only image first (SysReserved) and second (C Win7), that when reimaging it will overwrite your #3 and #4 data partitions anyway no matter what choices you are able to make.

At least this is what happened when I went to reimage without my data partition, having the choices greyed out for some reason.

Can someone explain if this is doable at all with Win7: leaving unchecked partitions intact on HD while reimaging only the originally checked SysReserved and Win7 partitions? I have given up and only use Acronis or Paragon to do this now.

 

[Frank1]

My own experience with Win7 Backup Imaging is that if you have four partitions the last two of which are data, and select to only image first (SysReserved) and second (C Win7), that when reimaging it will overwrite your #3 and #4 data partitions anyway no matter what choices you are able to make.

At least this is what happened when I went to reimage without my data partition, having the choices greyed out for some reason.

Can someone explain if this is doable at all with Win7: leaving unchecked partitions intact on HD while reimaging only the originally checked SysReserved and Win7 partitions? I have given up and only use Acronis or Paragon to do this now.

Well, that's a good reason for not liking it. That's probably the reason I'm not having a problem since I haven't made anymore partitions.

 

[whs]

Greg, all Windows backup/recovery functions in Vista and Win7 seem to be flawed. How often could you not restore the system although there were half a dozen restore points. How often have people backed up data and could not recover it (plus it always defaults to D - as if they did not know that the OEMs use that for the recovery partition). And now we have the mess with imaging.

I suspect that all those functions come out of the same development house at MS and that place seems to be populated with a bunch of morons. There seems to be no progress.

 

[gregrocker]

Would appreciate any help developing the brief on this so I can take it to the MVP Global Summit in Seattle next month.

It's pretty much the only reason not to be proud of Win7.

 

[whs]

What do you need in addition. The flaws are pretty much known.

 

[mjf]

My own experience with Win7 Backup Imaging is that if you have four partitions the last two of which are data, and select to only image first (SysReserved) and second (C Win7), that when reimaging it will overwrite your #3 and #4 data partitions anyway no matter what choices you are able to make.

You are incorrect.
You either didn't read what I said earlier or chose to ignore it.

I routinely image c: my boot/operating system partition (+ system reserved - you don't have an option). I have reimaged over 6 times (I've lost count how many) and never lost my data partition (D: 456GB with 250GB of data).
Unless you have changed the partitioning structure of your HDD OR you are reimaging to a new HDD don't select the reformat option.

Windows imaging works flawlessly for me and I'm sure for many millions.
gregrocker if you want to raise issue at your upcoming meeting try these:

1) Windows imaging may have too many points of failure making it less robust for some than it otherwise could be.
2) System restore is unreliable for some. I never use it and rely on images.
3) Windows 7 Search is a disaster for the average user for two reasons:
- It is unreliable more many
- For the typical user in today's world the user interface is just a joke.

If you want to see a barrage of complaints re: (3) go to the Windows 7 - Microsoft answers forum. The day customers don't like a product they stop buying it. Being highly technical trained, the problem has nothing to do with windows search being "beyond me".

Frank1,
Keep using Windows imaging.