Solved Using vssadmin command line to store Restore files on the DATA drive

[PapaStang]

In David Karp's book Windows 7 Annoyances he shows how to move your System Restore files to your DATA Volume or Drive - Command prompt in Administrator mode - My OS (W7 Home Premium x64) is on C: and my data is on drive D: - so the Command is as follows -

vssadmin add shadowstorage /for=C: /on=D:

I have tried this with both the C: and D: turned ON (in System Protection) - with just the D: drive turned on - used the installation disk and the repair disk with the Command Prompt to no avail - Maybe this only works with the Prof or Ultimate versions??? -

Any help appreciated as this would free up space on my system drive - John

 

[whs]

This is only working on server versions of Windows. Not on desktop versions.

 

[PapaStang]

Why I wanted to do this (besides saving space on my System partition)

Thanks WHS

Check out the following link:

Move the Users Directory in Windows 7

I used this routine and have had no trouble but "Roobs" does not explain how to recover if your System partition crashed - I tried to contact this website (it seems Roobs is no longer a member) - At the end of his post, reader "Steve" explains how to recover if you have a problem during the original setup - Notice you have to have access to your Restore points in order to fix your permissions or, when you try to boot you'll get the error like "can't find your user profile etc" - So, my thought was if you had your Restore points on the Data partition you MAY be able to recover - Note that this routine transfers the entire Users directory including AppData and the user registery files - The only way I've been able to recover is to restore the disk image which has the System and Data partitions together at the same point in time - But what if you have to do a clean install?
Any comments appreciated -
Papa

 

[whs]

Papa, that is far too many hoops to jump thru. Interesting but not practical. I use simple imaging (free Macrium) for the same purpose. That is a lot more straight foraward.

 

[Kari]

Awfully lot of work, simply to move the Users folder. I prefer the more complete solution, moving the existing and all new user profiles with a simply answer file: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...reate-move-during-windows-7-installation.html

 

[PapaStang]

Hey WHS and Kari - I too am an angry old,old man!!! -Thanks for all the help - GREAT !! - I'm trying to take in all the info you
guys pointed me to, so It'll take awhile - I still wonder if there's a way to recover the DATA partition I've created - For imaging I've used mostly Acronis ATIH Plus Pack and their Disk Director Home 11 to do the maintenance on the drive(s) -


Again, Thanks for you help - Papa

 

[whs]

If your Data Partition image is a VHD, you can somply attach it in disk Management > Action tab. Then you can open it in Computer.

 

[PapaStang]

Thanks for the reply WHS - I think I can convert an Acronis .tib file to .vhd but may have to have W7 Ultimate - I've been following Kari's threads on setting up the Users partition (72) - Very interesting!! I've probably learned more from you guys in the last few days than over a year of Google'ing various solutions - Great Forum!!!
By the way, you should try Phoenix in the winter; much better ( and cheaper) than Fl.
Again, much thks - Papa

 

[Kari]

Thanks for the reply WHS - I think I can convert an Acronis .tib file to .vhd but may have to have W7 Ultimate - I've been following Kari's threads on setting up the Users partition (72) - Very interesting!! I've probably learned more from you guys in the last few days than over a year of Google'ing various solutions - Great Forum!!!
By the way, you should try Phoenix in the winter; much better ( and cheaper) than Fl.
Again, much thks - Papa

Might be I misunderstand your reason to go for Ultimate, but for sysprepping and relocating main user profile folder you don't need it; any edition can be sysprepped.

 

[PapaStang]

Kari - I was replying to WHS who suggested that if my DATA partition was in VHS format, I could just attach it in disk Management > Action tab. Then you can open it in Computer. My comment about Ultimate was due to the following instruction from Acronis -

8.10.1.1 Converting Acronis backup -
Users of the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows 7 can convert a tib image of the system
partition into the vhd format if they want to use the converted vhd file for booting the operating
system. Or, they may want to get the ability to mount images without using Acronis True Image
Home 2012.

I would assume I could use W7 HP to convert my DATA backup .tib file to .vhd since it is not the system partition and use Windows Explorer to recover the data to the new DATA Partition created using your method (or something like that!!)

Thanks for the info - Papa

 

[whs]

BTW - if you want to make a quick backup of your data partition, you can do that with the command below from command prompt. That produces a VHD which you can attach via Disk Management > Action tab.

WBADMIN START BACKUP -backupTarget:L: -include:

D would be your data partition and L is the disk/partition to where you put the VHD - or whatever letters you have

 

[PapaStang]

WHS and Kari --

Thanks for all the info - Let me bump this situation off you guys - Lets say you have a SSD on Drive 0 and have your System on partition C: - You have a HDD on Drive 1 and have your DATA Partition on D: set up using Kari's method during the W7 system install and have used this setup for a year or so when something happens and you loose your SSD drive and (for whatever reason) you don't have a backup of your SSD drive and have to do a System install from scratch on a new SSD - However, your HDD is OK with all your data on D: intact -

How would you do your install (use Audit mode and move to E: on Drive 1 (new partition)?) and then recover all your data from D: to E:? Which folders could you recover? Interesting!!

Again, thks - Papa

 

[Kari]

Scenario:

• System partition C: on disk0, needs to be replaced. Main profile folder relocated (sysprep) to partition D: on disk1 is intact.

How to do it:

• Remove disk0 and disk1
• Attach new disk0
• Install Windows normally, boot to desktop
• Shut down Windows
• Attach old disk1
• Boot to Windows
• Backup the user data from D: (disk1). NOTE: Do not backup AppData, only personal data like docs, pics, media etc.
• Wipe disk1, format, attach desired drive letter(s)
• Boot to Audit Mode
• Run sysprep to relocate main user profile folder Users
• Exit Audit Mode (OOBE boot)
• Restore the user backed up user data

Some pointers and tips in following posts:

• Re-installing or upgrading a sysprepped Windows: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ng-windows-7-installation-73.html#post2644232
  • Although about going from 7 to 8 it includes some general information
• Moving sysprepped and relocated Users to another drive, read 10 posts (#742 to #752) starting from here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...ng-windows-7-installation-75.html#post2654675

Kari

 

[whs]

In this situation, your data on the HDD will not be touched. It will remain intact.

After you have reinstalled Windows, go to the data on the HDD and right click on each (higest level) folder - Documents, Pictures, Videos, etc. Then INCLUDE them into the appropriate library.

I suggest to give those folders on the HDD a slightly different name to distingguish then easily from the system folders. I always call them Whs Documents, Whs Pictures, etc. (see snip). They are on E which is a HDD.

 

[PapaStang]

Hey Kari and Whs - Thks for the prompt response - sorry I didn't get back quicker but we had our version of pro football semi-finals Sun so I was a little slow Mon - Haven't had a chance to test all this info but wondered if you can move 'Program Data' could you add a line to the script to move 'System Information' also - that way you could free up lots of GBs of System Restore files -

Also was wondering if you guys could suggest some reading material that talks about the stuff you guys know - I've bought books by Halsey, Northrup, etc, but only Karp's book goes into any real detail stuff but nothing like the stuff you guys know - I promise I won't tell -I'm 73, so well you know what happens next!!!

Anyway, Thx - Papa

 

[whs]

Any system files you should not move. If they don't have a Location tab in Properties, don't touch them. There are some exceptions, but I'd rather not go into that.

Btw: Welcome to the seniors club. From my vantage point you are young. Once you get to my age you will know more than me, LOL.

 

[PapaStang]

Whs and Kari -

Just 1 more question -- Is there a way for me to change my system from the way it's set up now to the correct way (Kari's) without doing a clean install? W7 HPx64 is on C:, DATA is on D:, and W8.1 Pro is on E: (haven't done much with it yet) - The AppData folder and NTUSER files are on D: so I think I would have to do a clean install to make the system work correctly -

Thank you guys for all your help (and patience) - Papa John

 

[Kari]

I have some difficulties to understand your question?

Relocating Users with sysprep can be done while installing or later for an existing installation. It should not be done if the Users main folder or parts of it (eq. individual user's Documents folder) are moved to another location with Properties > Location tab or by editing registry.

Kari

 

[PapaStang]

Kari - Thks for your prompt reply - This is the state of my W7 HP system now

I followed the info I sent you in one of my early posts as follows:
System and User data was on volume C: (me only)
Created a 96 GB volume D:
Did a System Restore
Booted using my W7 Repair CD
Chose 'Command Prompt'
Checked to make sure my Volumes were C: and D: (they were)
Then type: robocopy /copyall /mir /xj C:\Users D:\Users and Enter
Note: Make sure no failures to copy (FAILED column = 0)
Then, remove old users folder - rmdir /s/q C:\Users and Enter
Create NTFS Junction: mklink /j C:\Users D:\Users and Enter
You can check by going to C: and do the dir command and you'll see 'Users[D:\Users]'
Remove CD and Reboot - That's it - and that's how it is now -

However, the robocopy copies your all your ntuser.dat files so your user profile is on D: -
I don't know how to overcome this issue unless I do a clean install using your method -
Unless you know how to break the Junction and recover my profiles - All the stuff is there and it would be a lot easier not to have to re-install all my stuff but this setup is not good - Any help appreciated -

John

 

[Kari]

Personally I do not like to use junctions and links for system folders like Users. That setup cannot be sysprepped to relocate Users, so either you simply move the Users back to C: or do a clean install in case you want to use the more efficient and less pain-in-the-you-know-where sysprep method.