Solved Windows7/64 Pro recovery error

[maxxx]

During recovery - error message: "system image created using efi and this computer is using bios"

My efi bios lists:
windows boot manager with efi label
dvd ram without efi label
dvd ram with label in addition to above when win7 install dvd inserted
hdd without efi label (ntfs)

Thinking it's a boot sequence problem I tried all possible combinations as well as the probable. In some cases I get missing bootmgr of course from the HDD and the familiar "this version of windows is incompatible with the system......." The most successful attempt and the error msg "image created using efi and this uses bios" resulted from any combination which had the non efi dvd ram before the hdd

This follows a virgin install of Win7/64pro and a successful backup to an expansion drive. The original win7 drive was replaced with an identical but empty target drive.

Asus p8p67 rev 3.1 with efi bios
16 GB RAM @1600 mhz
Sandybridge 2500k
Zoltec 560ti

 

[marsmimar]

Hello maxxx and welcome to Seven Forums.

Don't know if this will be much help but which system imaging tool did you use? There have been reports that the native Windows 7 imaging tool can be kinda useless at times if that's the one you used. Other recommendations include Macrium free, Paragon Backup free, and EaseUS Todo Backup free.

 

[maxxx]

Yes, I used win7's own imaging. Will try the others if I can't get this working. Tnx for the suggestion.

 

[maxxx]

Solved my puzzle.

1/ The identical but empty replacement drive, NTFS drive IMAGE has to be "deleted" (unallocated) in Win7 recovery repair in the screen showing the source or target options, forget which. "DETAILS" was the name of the button I think, under which this little trick was carefully hidden on one of those screens. Diskpart does the same from the cmd prompt and was useful in getting my GPT "clone" back to a normal MBR data drive.

Win 7 backup and restore works, you just have to really read the Forum stuff.

2/ Arranged my efi win7 dvd first, then my non efi hdd. Just like the error message suggested. "...made on efi...this machine uses bios"

3/ Successfully restored to my replacement hdd with the original hdd disconnected.
============================================

Second part of story for those XP buffs used to having two cloned drives.

Can't do it. Cloned drive images have the same signatures and collide if allowed on the same system together. Thus the one you don't boot from gets put offline as shows up in win 7 admin tools/storage. Both still boot fine, they can never be allowed together. Not good for data retrieval.
Sooooo:

Best Solution for XP Cloners

Don't make your backups to a some slow and unreliable external HDD with it's unreliable connectors.

Maybe it's not quite as fast a recovery as rebooting to a clone, but an INTERNAL HDD instead of an EXTERNAL HDD gives you far better speed, reliability and convenience in both backing up and restoring.

 

[marsmimar]

Sounds like you did a lot of detective work on this. Glad to hear you got it solved. Thans for posting back. I'm sure it will help others.