Windowsimagebackup not found - trying to restore

[famreeks]

HI,

Have made this system image via windows 7 backup and restore utility.

I have the image in several backup locations.

Unfortunately I have 2 drives -
the 1st is just C drive (Basic ; NTFS)
the 2nd is a separate HDD divided into partitions (Dynamic ;NTFS)

The system restore utility cannot locate the images which are on the dynamic drive.

I decided to create a second partition on the C drive and copy the windows System Image Backup on to this partition - the restore utility still cannot locate this image .

What is wrong?

I want to use these images to restore the system .

Please advise.

Why it does not see the image to restore?

Mike

 

[Brink]

Hello Mike, and welcome to Seven Forums.

As you found out the hard way, the drive needs to be Basic and NTFS for it to work with system image.

You might see if you may be able to restore the system image using the method in the tutorial below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/210195-system-image-recover-broken-windows-7-system-image.html
​

If that fails, then you would at least still be able to extract any files you may need from the system image.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24771-system-image-extract-files-using-disk-management.html
​

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[famreeks]

HI, I have followed this process that you provided. Perhaps I need to explain better.

I can see my images in the directory - the VHD file etc BUT i cannot get the process shown here:

Restore your computer from a system image backup

to actually see these images - for some reason the utiltity does not recognize them or see them???

I have 3 images (all made with Win 7 backup and restore utility) of different dates - 1 on a external HDD , 1 on the C drive separate partition and 1 on another internal HDD but is a dynamic disk and therefore apparently cannot be used. BUT they do not even show when trying to do a system restore.

Help!!!

 

[whs]

Windows images that get moved around cannot be recovered easily. And dynamic disks are a no, no. You should reconvert those asap to basic.

Your best option now is to mount the VHD and reimage that with Macrium as explained in the first link that Brink posted.

And for the furure, do yourself a favor and don't use Windows imaging - use free Macrium instead. It is faster, very reliable and easy to use.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I

 

[famreeks]

Thanks for the update and YES I will get away from windows back up and go to Macrium! I thought Dynamic Discs were good to use? I will move my files to a external drive then convert the Dynamic BACK to Basic if that's recommended. Chers

 

[whs]

Dynamic disks are for spanning physical volumes with a single partition. But else they are nothing but trouble.

 

[alan10]

$45 to buy the standard version of Macrium for MBR and GPT
$59 for the Professional version including Dynamic Support
Personal - Macrium Software

As of 2nd Sept 2012 :-
The Professional version had 18 capabilities including GPT and Dynamic
The Standard had only 16 by omitting GPT and Dynamic
The free version had only 7 capabilities.
Which version of Macrium Reflect should I get? - Wilders Security Forums

My experience in the past was that Partition Managers also cost more for GPT and especially Dynamic capability.

 

[Phone Man]

$45 to buy the standard version of Macrium for MBR and GPT
$59 for the Professional version including Dynamic Support
Personal - Macrium Software

As of 2nd Sept 2012 :-
The Professional version had 18 capabilities including GPT and Dynamic
The Standard had only 16 by omitting GPT and Dynamic
The free version had only 7 capabilities.
Which version of Macrium Reflect should I get? - Wilders Security Forums

My experience in the past was that Partition Managers also cost more for GPT and especially Dynamic capability.

Your links are outdated as GPT is supported in the Free version.

Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

Jim

 

[alan10]

Your links are outdated as GPT is supported in the Free version.

Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download

Jim

True, but so what :huh:
My point remains true - ESPECIALLY DYNAMIC CAPABILITY costs far more and is far more rare.

Over the course of 13 months only one tick is added to give the Free version GPT capability.
At that rate it will take another 12 years to add 11 more ticks and have Dynamic Support for Free.

There are other tools which are fine on MBR but less capable on GPT.
Professional Licensed Minitool Partition Wizard supported both MBR and GPT fo normal operations ten months ago, BUT the Partition Recovery Wizard that was incorporated was NOT rated for use on GPT, only for MBR disks,
and so far as I know the same could still be true.

The RELEVANT point is not what can be done with GPT disks,
but that fameeks is using Dynamic Disks which greatly reduces the choice of available utilities.

In my view the more complex the technology the more vulnerable you are.

Windows 7 Ultimate is untrustworthy with the SIMPLEST things.
Early this year it mistook my GPT Secondary HDD as my Primary HDD and then assigned the primary Disk ID to the Secondary, and then corrected its mistake of two identical ID's by putting my Primary OffLine.
Because my GPT disk was now seen as an MBR disk all my valued partitions vanished out of sight and the space became RAW DATA.

I have found a tool which has recovered my data - I doubt that it would work on a dynamic disks.