Backup Complete Computer - Create an Image Backup

74me · 09 Jan 2010

In your guide you mention "If you move the saved backup from it's original location to another location, then it will no longer be usable to do a restore with."

I have been doing some testing and I am not sure that is entirely correct.

If you copy and paste the windows backup image folder to another location, the restore disc does not find the backup image.

However, if you cut and paste the windows backup image folder to another location, the restore disc does find the backup image.

If someone else could confirm this as well. I am not sure why it makes a difference to cut vs copy, unless copying changes something within the files (date and time stamp maybe) so that something doesn't match when restoring the files?

CL

Brink · 09 Jan 2010

Hello CL, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Makes sense, but I'll do some testing on that tonight to help confirm it, but cut may have the system change it to the new location in the registry so backup can find it while copy doesn't. If you delete it after copying, then it can't find it since it is still referencing the original location.

Night Hawk · 09 Jan 2010

Hello 74me Welcome to SF!

I ran into this problem with another program called Reflect by Macruim where a backup relocated is seen as invalid once you disturb the original location used. I think you will find the same with the MS backup tool as well which will create a record of where the image has been stored.

One example would simply be changing a second partition drive letter from D to E that will throw off the restoration once you go to use that option. With the Reflect program the drives involved were arranged between sata ports which made the backup seen at the time useless.

For safe keeping and to insure everything works choose a location that will remain constant like a second partition or drive even seeing the same drive letter reassigned to an external drive will help. If you move things around even on the same drive the image can also be seen as not found or invalid.

74me · 14 Jan 2010

Thanks for the welcome Brink and Night Hawk.

I have been testing some more. Apparently it doesn't matter if I copy or cut the backup folder when changing its location (must have been something else). The following is what I have tried and have been successful restoring from:

1) Backup to separate internal hard disk Partition 1, copy or cut to Partition 2.
2) Backup to separate internal hard disk, copy or cut to external hard disk.
3) Backup to external hard disk, copy or cut to second external hard disk.
4) Backup to network location, copy or cut to external hard disk from network loc.
5) Backup to internal HD, copy or cut to network location, copy or cut to external HD.

Brink · 14 Jan 2010

CL,

That's great news. Thank you for posting back with your results. :)

Night Hawk · 14 Jan 2010

Apparently the 7 backup/recovery tool is not anywhere near as fussy as the Macrium Reflect when that was tried out on the 7 RC as well as on a Vista install. Once the drive letter was changed after a few OS change and a clean install of Vista was seen the restoration from the same files were seen as invalid.

Softwares will have a record of one specific drive/partition logged while the backup and recovery in 7 simply has you point to the "present location and which backup" to restore instead! The results you saw there with the 7 restoration despite the location changes goes to confirm some good news for a change.

MS originally expected you would restoring from an old machine were location, drive letters, etc. were subject to any change at any time making this far more flexible!

This information will make the choice of what to use for backing up an entire system much easier at hearing this for sure. I think you just helped a lot of people that will be seeing this on what to use by passing that along here.

SIW2 · 14 Jan 2010

That never happened to me. Macrium will always use any image you select and restore it to wherever you point it.

Of course, if you move things around - it's own internal record of where the images are stored will no longer tally.

That's no problem - just browse to the new location of the image, obviously.

Night Hawk · 14 Jan 2010

That's what I ran into trying to restore Vista from a few location changes once the drive Vista had been on saw one of the RCs there instead. A clean install on the former XP drive failed to see the image restored at the time. That's when Vista was then installed on a vhd to solve that.

whs · 14 Jan 2010

That was a nice post - but in the wrong place. Sorry - LOL.

Night Hawk · 14 Jan 2010

And... That is seen with 7 preinstalled by an OEM manufacturer there. That was also seen for previous versions of Windows as well for the preinstalled OS with prepackaged spftwares added on top.

The guide here on the other hand is great for custom builders or on systems where the preinstall has now been replaced by 7 not a new one with 7 already preinstalled. You will also note that once the image is complete the prompting to burn a repair cd comes up as well. The cd will contain all of the repair tools found on the regular 7 installation disk.