Solved Use windows back-up feature or Macrium, create partitions first?

[mjf]

@Vonda
A safe partial check of an image you made is to simply browse it.
You do this by going:
Restore>Browse image
Click on the partition box (eg. C )
then you get a new mounted drive that you can browse through with Windows Explorer. Just look and you are not going to affect the image. When you are done select "Detach a backup image".

You can copy files or folders from a mounted image using this procedure.

 

[whs]

ESC is used on HPs to get to the temporary boot order of the BIOS.

 

[Vonda]

@Vonda
A safe partial check of an image you made is to simply browse it.
You do this by going:
Restore>Browse image
Click on the partition box (eg. C )
then you get a new mounted drive that you can browse through with Windows Explorer. Just look and you are not going to affect the image. When you are done select "Detach a backup image".

You can copy files or folders from a mounted image using this procedure.

Thank you, I'll try that.

 

[Vonda]

ESC is used on HPs to get to the temporary boot order of the BIOS.

Do insert the rescue disk before shutting down the PC or after when the bios page is open?

 

[whs]

Before shutting down, else the BIOS will not regocnize it at power-on. And after power-on, keep tapping ESC. In the little window, highlight the CD/DVD drive - with the up/down keys.. Then Enter.

 

[Vonda]

Thank you.

 

[whs]

You are welcome. If you want to go the full cycle - image ==> recovery - I really urge you o make a small test partition with a bit of data and experiment with that. Much safer than risking your OS partition.

 

[Vonda]

I'll wait with a test recovery until I feel more comfortable with using Macrium. I got as far to the browsing part, but how do I get it to show in Windows Explorer from here: (picture)

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you poke OK button, you should see Windows Explorer open up for drive L, which is your image file.

This should appear to you as a replica of your actual drive C.

If you had made an image of your data drive instead of C, you could use this procedure to view pictures of your cat or whatever is on D.

Note that in your picture, Macrium has assigned L to the image file under the drive letter.

 

[Vonda]

Ah OK, I got that part. With data drive you mean "my Documents" I was trying to see if it would also copy the contents of my e-mail folder, but when I click on windows mail, it seems that only the program itself comes up.

 

[Vonda]

On an HP (I think that's what you have), the correct key is probably Escape or F9.

Don't be nervous about it. If it won't boot, much better that you find out now, when it's not critical and you aren't in a jam.

If it won't boot, you just make another rescue disk and test it.

If it does boot, you have a near certainty you can restore the Macrium image after a disaster.

I tested (twice) just now to boot from the rescue disc, but it went to the regular desk top. I did get the boot sequence and highlighted the dvd drive and clicked the F4 to boot.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Ah OK, I got that part. With data drive you mean "my Documents" I was trying to see if it would also copy the contents of my e-mail folder, but when I click on windows mail, it seems that only the program itself comes up.

All I meant was that whatever is on the partition that you imaged should also be within the image file. To include my Documents and the contents of your email folder if they are kept on the imaged partition. I have no idea of where Windows Mail keeps anything or anything at all about it.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I tested (twice) just now to boot from the rescue disc, but it went to the regular desk top. I did get the boot sequence and highlighted the dvd drive and clicked the F4 to boot.

Not sure I'm following that.

In my experience, if you boot from the rescue disk, you should arrive at the Macrium interface, looking just like it does if you open it from your desktop.

I assume you got the boot menu by using either Escape or F9 or some other key?

And used your arrow (up/down) keys to highlight the DVD drive?

But you then clicked F4???? I would think the proper choice would be to hit the enter key after selecting the DVD drive. Not sure what F4 is in that situation. Did you see a message at the bottom of the screen to choose F4 to boot or something like that? If you did, that would just force the PC to boot back to the desktop---which you would not want in this case.

Try it again, go to the menu, highlight the DVD drive, and hit enter key and tell us what happens.

 

[derekimo]

Ah OK, I got that part. With data drive you mean "my Documents" I was trying to see if it would also copy the contents of my e-mail folder, but when I click on windows mail, it seems that only the program itself comes up.

Your email folder is most likely in a hidden folder by default, you can unhide them to browse for the "AppData" folder,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/394-hidden-files-folders-show-hide.html

Did you enable Windows Mail in win 7?

From your other thread, I noticed you have Office and Windows live essentials installed.

If you are using Windows Live Mail,

C:\Users\(Your User Name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail

If you are using Outlook from Office,

C:\Users\(Your User Name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Don't forget to re-hide those folders when you're done.

 

[Vonda]

I tested (twice) just now to boot from the rescue disc, but it went to the regular desk top. I did get the boot sequence and highlighted the dvd drive and clicked the F4 to boot.

Not sure I'm following that.

In my experience, if you boot from the rescue disk, you should arrive at the Macrium interface, looking just like it does if you open it from your desktop.

I assume you got the boot menu by using either Escape or F9 or some other key?

And used your arrow (up/down) keys to highlight the DVD drive?

But you then clicked F4???? I would think the proper choice would be to hit the enter key after selecting the DVD drive. Not sure what F4 is in that situation. Did you see a message at the bottom of the screen to choose F4 to boot or something like that? If you did, that would just force the PC to boot back to the desktop---which you would not want in this case.

Try it again, go to the menu, highlight the DVD drive, and hit enter key and tell us what happens.

Yes, I did highlight the dvd drive and a statement at the bottom said to use F4.
I shall now try with clicking 'enter"

 

[Vonda]

No, it did not work this way either. I shall burn a new cd and come back with the result of the next try.

 

[Vonda]

Here is what I did, I burned a new rescue disc and went through the same procedure. This time it ask me to boot from cd/dvd which I did. Then the regular desktop came up. When I opened the E drive with the rescue disc, it showed the files in the attachment. Is this what I need to do a restore when it becomes necessary or did I make another mistake?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Apparently another mistake.

All that picture shows is what is on the burned disk. Not what you need. You want to see the Macrium interface. Just like you opened Macrium directly from your desktop.

It looks like your burned disk is either not bootable or you are making the wrong choice when you get to the menu where it asks you to choose your boot device--where you should choose the DVD drive.

Since I don't know what the actual choices seen on your menu are, it's hard for me to say if you are choosing the wrong item.

What are the choices you see??

It's also possible you are making the boot disk incorrectly--making some wrong choices or perhaps burning it incorrectly.

WHS would be the guy to make sure you are walking through the steps to make the disk correctly. Let him comment in this thread.

I think you made a "Win PE" disc. Is that correct? While you wait for WHS, you might try using the other method using Linux. It's just another choice from the menu in Macrium when you start to make a rescue disk. Linux-based disks are generally not as reliable, but you've got nothing to lose by trying it and seeing if it will boot your PC.

If you use the Linux method, booting from that disc will NOT lead you to the Macrium interface. Instead, you will boot slowly and see some text messages on your screen as Linux loads. Nothing with graphics. It will be all text and you will see some progress indicators and be asked to make certain choices.

In the meantime, spell out the actual choices shown on your boot menu when you choose F9 or Escape or whatever it is.

 

[whs]

When the CD is done booting, the desktop should look something like the picture. It may ask you a question first regarding drivers, just skip (continue) that.

 

[Vonda]

After pressing escape, this comes up:
Please select boot device
-----------------------------
ST31000528AS
--------------------------
HP DVD-RAM GH60L
--------------------
Realtek PXE 803 D00
------------------------------
Seagate Backup+
------------------------------
Move up or down to selection
Enter to select boot device
F4 to boot using defaults
--------------------------
This time a made sure I clicked "enter" then a window came up: press any key to boot from cd-rom.