which drives data will be erased when installed with system image

[dare2winn]

hi my frenz....i am trying to re install the window 7 with the system image disc. but i have a confusion that when i reinstall then only c drive data will be erased or my D and E drive data will also be erased?so please suggest me......

regards thank you

 

[Night Hawk]

When going to restore a full system image backup of the main drive if that was the only drive included in the image you select the drive it will be restored to. The drive selected will be wiped clean in order to unpack the image there and not touch anything on any other drive.

There are two ways to see C restored. 1) Simply go into the Control Panel>Backup & Restore section and select the "Recover system settings on your computer" option just as if you were going to use the System Restore feature but instead select the "Advanced recovery methods" option found on the next screen.(refer to image attached)

Once there you will see the two options for restoring a system image or the need for the 7 installation dvd. Once you select the System image option you may have to browse to the WindowsImageBackup folder depending on where it was originally saved to especially any drive letters were changed inbetween.

2) The second option is seen when booting live from the 7 dvd or USB Install Key many use and right as you reach the Install Now screen look below that button for the repair tools. One of the repair options will be the one for restoring an image backup.

 

[Brds7t7]

Hello dare2winn,

How did you create the System Image? Did you click "Create a System Image" or did you go through the backup and restore control panel to backup files and include a system image with that?

If you selected "Create a System Image" and only included the system drive then it shouldn't wipe your data partition. I have my data on a separate partition and it's never deleted it.

Always have a backup though just in case.

 

[Night Hawk]

When going to create an image with a drive split up one idea would be seeing all partitions rolled up into one image. That would offer a complete in the event the main drive fails or the drive ends up being wiped due to a malware or accidental mishap.

 

[karlsnooks]

hi my frenz....i am trying to re install the window 7 with the system image disc. but i have a confusion that when i reinstall then only c drive data will be erased or my D and E drive data will also be erased?so please suggest me......

regards thank you

When restoring a System Image, then:
If you only included C in the System Image then only C will be restored.

If you included C, D and E in the System Image then C, D, and E will be restored.

 

[Night Hawk]

By default the 100mb System Reserved boot partition will be included along with C if present if checked off when selecting the drive(s), partition(s) to include. That's one item you want to make sure is included in any image backup from the main OS drive.

When going to restore any image made without the 100mb if that was created at the time of the 7 install the drive would become unbootable since the 100mb included in the image would be used to replace the 100mb partition on the main drive. Even with any 3rd party imaging program you will want to see that included.

 

[karlsnooks]

NightHawk,

I do not ever have the 100MB partition on any of my equipment.

You do not need the partition even when using BitLocker (prior to some updates, you did need the 100 mb partition).

I regularly make system image backups and restores when needed.

 

[karlsnooks]

Oh yes, you will find the Win 7 RE (Recovery Environment) in a hidden, system folder on your system drive. Win 7 uses this when needed for recovery.

I've unhidden mine and then emptied same since I use System Recovery Disc for all recovery purposes.

 

[Night Hawk]

If 7 was preinstalled OEM or the drive was simply partitioned and formatted prior to the 7 install you won't even see the 100mb partition to start with. But if you ran the 7 installer on a new drive (raw) the Windows installer will then see that created on it's own and should automatically be checked off when going to create a full system image.

Whether it's the Windows backup featute or a 3rd party app like Acronis being used I wouldn't advise anyone not familiar with restoring images let alone rebuilding the boot sector on the main OS drive not see that checked off to begin with. As for learning how to configure the Recovery Environment refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744388(v=WS.10).aspx

 

[karlsnooks]

i recommend it all of the time. That partition is not needed.

 

[Night Hawk]

I have it and then I don't have it! It was on and now it's not having just finished up another clean install of 7 here.

 

[karlsnooks]

I'm a little confused between and have not.

A post of diskmangement display of present system would answer whether you do or do not have a 100 MB System Partition.

 

[Night Hawk]

I did have before nuking the first drive and creating as well as formatting a new primaty using GParted not the drive tools on the 7 dvd. This mainly to eliminate the additional drive letter since the 100mb had been initialized for viewing some time back to show just what files and folders were placed there.

The total was some 34.7mb out of the 100mb of drive space taken up. The second OS drive is where the 100mb is presently seen from restoring a recent system image in order to pick and choose which programs as well as files would be going to the fresh install. "Trimming the Fat" so to speak!

 

[karlsnooks]

Actually, between your win 7 dvd or Win 7 System Repair Disc and the DISKPART command you could have carried out everything, although the end result is what counts. Some prefer to use Partition Wizard which does make some partition operations much, much easier. Thank god, for Partition Wizard because I'd hate to need to explain to someone how to shrink and merge partitions which disk management doesn't think can be shrunk, merged or moved.

 

[Night Hawk]

You could use DiskPart to expand or shrink partitions as well. But trying to get those numbers correct can be a little "awkward" at times! Want to split a raw drive up into multiple partitions?

I think we both most will automatically prefer the gui method for any of that. The whole point of the 100mb was to show just how the drive tools during a normal 7 install not the command line option found in the repair tools would automatically create the 100mb on a raw drive. The advanced user on the other hand would simply choose to have or not to have this present following a clean install.

The idea of the separate partition idea of course was a security measure to prevent rootkit type malwares from getting in the way. Being generally hidden from view and inaccessible it wasn't prone to any virus or malware was the apparent MS thinking there.

 

[Brds7t7]

I've taken a slightly different approach with the System Reserved partition. I've expanded mine and copied the contents of the hidden "Recovery" Folder into that partition and changed the BCD entries. I've restored a couple of System Images and tried the other recovery tools and all works fine. Expanding it also stops the system image backup errors that can sometimes happen when the System Reserved partition doesn't have enough empty space.

 

[Night Hawk]

I've never had any problem restoring a system image created by the backup feature in 7 or when using Acronis TI with or without the 100mb being there. Having just restored an image to the second drive here I noticed the 100mb was 101mb. Apparently Acronis used for that made room on it's own.