Maintenance :: Making Sure Laptop Is Clean Before Creating System Image
Sep 15, 2014
I couldn't repair/replace my laptop's corrupt files doing an sfc or dism scan and had to do a reset as I couldn't do a refresh. I thought my laptop was clean when I created my last system image, last month, but when it came to using the system image I realised there was corrupt files on there too so I had to do another reset. What checks should I do before creating a system image? so I know that as well as there being no viruses there are no corrupt files either. Check for errors in Event Viewer and do an sfc and dism scan?
Its my first time to create my first system image in my windows 8. Can I exclude a certain file if not how many blank cd's do I need I got 146GB used currently in my C drive and while creating a system image could it take the process an hour or more?
I need creating a recovery image of my system. I would like to create an image recovery drive with just the barebones needed for Windows 8 to run. I all ready have a recovery partition created. I just don't know how to create a recovery image for usage whenever something happens to the system.
I have a laptop that runs Windows 8 (64 bit), and the hard drive is apparently a dynamic (as opposed to basic) disk. My problem comes when I try to make a backup image of my active drive. I know a lot of backup software has troubles making an image of a dynamic disk. Now after researching, I know that Windows 8 comes with its own imaging tool, "Windows 7 File Recovery". I tried to create a basic partition, and used the file recovery tool to create an image file, but the file would not be saved, maybe because the partition itself is on the same dynamic hard-drive (the error said something about the partition not being large enough etc... even though I made it 40GB).
My question is, is the native system imaging tool of Windows 8 unable to copy a dynamic drive, or is it because I need to save the image file to some place other than the hard drive (maybe a whole bunch of DVDs, since it is an option). The last computer that I own is as old as a dinosaur, so I really did not keep up with all these advancement- I just feel that dynamic format is a beast to work with.
I started to use the "Create System Image" of the "Windows 7 File Recovery" on my Windows 8 laptop. But after the screen which flashes the total size that would be required, when I ask it to start the process expecting it to prompt me for the 1st DVD, it flashes the message, - "The back-up failed. The system is not ready. (0x80070015) " . I am trying this on an out-of-the-box laptop with pre-installed Windows 8. Also tried it by disabling the anti-virus, but to no avail.
Then I tried to start the process with a 4.7 GB blank DVD already in place. Then it flashed the message "Insert a blank media bigger than 1 GB". Since I expected it take anywhere between 3-8 DVDs, I kept about 9 DVDs ready. I also inserted a USB pen-drive of 16 GB and tried to create the system image. Again it flashed the same message of insert a blank media greater than 1 GB in F: (same drive as USB) -??????? I mean the USB is already in place and has been assigned the drive letter as F:. How can I insert a blank media there ??
I am using Windows 8 Single Language. I was able create a repair disc without issues, though.
I have a Win 8.1 laptop without a disk drive which also did not come with a cd of operating system. What software, preferably free, can I use to copy my operating system to USB in case I ever need to reinstall Win 8.1?
How do I just copy the operating system without all the software I have added since acquiring this laptop?
what it really means to "back up" your data. I got a Seagate drive for making backups. Before I install it I need clarification.
The more I read about backups, files, settings and disc images I get more confused. I see that if I don't do it right and my computer crashes, I may have not saved what I needed.
First should I use the software supplied with the Seagate drive? Or use Windows?
Do all my files need to be in the libraries folder to get saved? Like documents, music, pictures and videos?
Do I need to make a system disc also? This is just to boot up the PC if it fails?
I've been dual-booting Windows 8 Pro and Windows 7 Ultimate, but a while back my Windows 8 kind of went "South" and wouldn't boot at all (I got an error message that a device was "not attached"). I have a recent system image on an external USB hard drive, but when I boot to "system recovery" using my repair disk it can't seem to find my USB drive at all.
The tutorials here mention installing a SATA driver to access disks that are not recognized, but this doesn't seem to be the case.
When I bought my new Asus laptop, lady told me I should buy a 32 gb stick to back up o/s, as M/S no longer supply a recovery disk. I started the sequence.
control panel--recovery--create a recovery drive--then got a bit scared .....
I went through it with MS but after booting up, I inserted stick, r/c, properties, stick was empty???
I am trying to create a system image backup and I keep getting this error message
[COLOR=#FF0000]'Threre is not enough disk space to create the volum shadow copy on storage location. Make sure that for all volume to be backup up, the minimum disk space required for shadow copy creation is available. this applies to both the backup storage destination and volume included in the backup. Minimum requirement for Volumes less than 500 megabytes, the minimum is 50 megabyte of free space. for voulimes more than 500 megabytes, the minimum is 320 megabytes of free space. Recommended at least 1 gigabytes free of disk space on each volumes if volumes size is more than 1 gigabytes (0x80780119)"
I am backing it up to a external HDD with over a tb of free space but I understand its not letting me perform the backup because the hidden 100mb hidden system partition is full...if i create a larger partition how can I copy that system partition to it? if that is possible....
Currently I have win 7 Vaio. I'm buying the x carbon Lenovo touchscreen which had win 8. I love the set up I have on my Vaio system image. Can I use it on my win 8 x carbon Lenovo when it arrives?
I want to know if it's possible to create a clean install DVD.
with pre-installed Windows 8without product key (when I buyed the notebook Windows 8 was already installed - the personal product key is "inside" the notebook).
By the way, can I include the Windows Updates in the install DVD somehow - (and programs which should be pre-installed)?
I had a windows 7 laptop which finally died but before it did a made a system image backup to my external hard drive so I have all the files. How do I load that onto my new windows 8.1 laptop so I have all my files there?
I am trying to get a handle on how these 2 functions are related. I assume the Recovery disk would be needed if you can't boot to the computer (assume the OS needs to be present) and does the Recovery disk replace the boot files that may be damaged and then after you get booted up I assume the System Image (is that is referred to as a "backup")?? would be ran to get the computer back to the working order when the Image was taken. Assume that the Recovery disk would take place of the OS installation disk if it were not available and you couldn't just reinstall the OS and so you could load the Image.
Trying to create a System Image Backup on a Windows 8.1 ACER laptop. My latest attempt is to a external hard drive with 3.63 TB free but the backup fails due to not enough disk .
I have attached the full error message.
New to the ways of Windows 8 and this is my first time trying to create a System Image Backup.
I'm attempting to follow the instructions here, to do a system image of my Dell Windows 8 machine:
Using Windows 8′s “hidden” backup to clone and recover your whole PC | Ars Technica
As I go through the wizard, I arrive at this screen:
I don't have the option to deselect any of these "drives". I proceed with the backup - it chugs along, and then consistently fails here:
"One of the critical volumes is not having enough free space." It doesn't tell me which - but, it's certainly not the OS drive, this is a virgin system.
So I was just about to create a full system image of one of my HDD's, and I noticed that I have 2 different "system" drives.
My main system drive is the C: Drive, which is the 111.79gig HDD. Im not really sure why the 1TB drive is listed as a system drive, as well as being drive 0. Is there any easy way to fix this so everything to do with the system is back on the 111.79gig C: drive where it belongs?
My system crashed yesterday. I am trying to recover my image. I boot from the recovery CD that I created when created the system image. The system image is stored on an external hard drive. When I try to recover the image it comes up with an error "Network path not found error 0x80070035". I have shared the folder, I have tried everything that I can think of to fix this.
To ask what is probably well known amongst IT pro's; does a system image backup solution (and consequently a restore from that image if needs be) work on OEM PC's, like a desktop from Acer, actually work without problems, and would I get a proper bootable and working machine after restoration.
Brief scenario - I have used Acronis TI 2014 (Or even the Windows 8.1 system image utility) to create an image of my C: Drive/EFI Partition/Recovery Partition - and backed it up to an external USB HDD.
My OS crashes for whatever reason and I can't boot.
I then either use my Acronis bootable media CD (which I've tested and boots despite all the secure boot/UEFI/GPT mania going about users like myself) to reinstall the Acronis disk image.
OR I use a Widnows 8.1 bootable disk with the ISO (which I've tested to boot) to reinstall the Windows created system image. (I could also use the recovery drive I created in Win 8.1, which just to add, however irrelvanat it might be, includes my OEM factory default partition which was copied as part of the recovery flash drive creation)
Would either of those restore solutions give me a reasonably likely working PC again - taking into account all the stuff I don't understand like the Windows 8.1 OEM key being on the motherboard (which I would understand in terms of Windows activation and authentication could have a negative impact on restoring images over an OEM installed OS and it's partitions)....
I have read a lot about windows 8 (and 8.1) and how to make a system image for it.
Well the most people used the 7 file recovery tool in windows 8 to make full system images. But in windows 8.1 it's gone.
Like in this thread: System Image - Create in Windows 8
Now I hear and see everyone making system images with a powershell command.. How to Create and Restore System Image Backups on Windows 8.1
But why doesn't anybody just use the windows 8 (and 8.1) backup function wich also includes a feature called:
include a system image of drives:
It seems to me that if you do this at an clean install it's a lot easier then powershell? (and maybe you can uncheck the backup of files and only include a sytem image?)
I know that at this moment I can still make a 7 file recovery tool image and restore it with windows 8(.1) repair/recovery disc.
But I wan't to know this for the future when I have a system with 8.1 from factory.. (some manufacturers like asus don't provide repair/system restore discs or utils anymore....)
I made a system image from Windows 8.1 using Windows' own system image feature. I seem to be unable to restore it. I booted with the Windows 8 disc, and told it to restore from a system image. It found the image, ran a few minutes, then failed because of version mismatch (?). Not before hosing the entire system, by the way. Luckily, I was well backed up.
I booted with the Windows 7 disc, and it didn't even see the system image (on my external HD). It saw my Windows 7 system image and restored it just fine, and here I am.
Anyway, is there some trick to restoring a Windows 8.1 system image? I am not running Windows 8.1, so I can't generate a repair disk that way. Is there one available online somewhere for download?
I have been trying to a system image (Windows 8) and keeps telling me to insert a blank disk and mark it, Computer Name, Date and Disk #. It keeps telling me to install one and mark it #1 every time the current disk (DVD) is full, also the status bar does not show any advancement in the process. The other 2 machines I have and did a system image on asks you to insert a disk with the numbers going in sequence, 1, 2, 3 etc.
I recently got myself into a quandary. I installed 4 additional drives with the intent of creating a RAID volume that's supported by the BIOS. In order to do that I must change the BIOS setting for the controller which includes all volumes including my boot drive (which I don't intend to RAID.) The problem I have is that when I switch the controller from UEFI to RAID, Windows Recovery will not use the System Image that I made. It says the volume was created under a different setting (Bios vs. EFI).
What are my options? Is there a different backup setting that will preserve all my installed software? I'm not concerned about data which I can copy to an external volume but it would take several days to get all my software reinstalled. I'd like to avoid that. I assume I will have to reinstall Windows 8.1 Pro and then use a backup program to restore everything else. If that's the case, then I need to know which backup program will work. If there's a better way, I'd love to know. I see my options as either, get another backup program, get a separate controller card for either the boot drive or the RAID volume, or reinstall everything.
I have spent most of the past 12 hours trying to restore my win8pro system from a system image. the image was saved to a usb hard drive. win8pro system image recovery won't see the usb hard drive. I tried copying the backup to a drive on my network, but recovery won't see that either, even when entering the exact path to the backup using the network option. I then tried to copy the backup to a second hard drive, installing that hard drive directly into the machine. no go, wouldn't even recognize the drive.
I'm having a problem with Windows System Image Backup just when I try to do a image backup it will say that it has failed and suggest to do a disk check. I've searched and some users say to use third party backup programs should I run the disk check first or just go with a different backup tool.
I bought a new laptop with a Windows 8 Pro x64 pre-installed on it.
Then I upgraded my OS to Windows 8.1 Pro from Windows Store.
After that I thought I'd create a backup of my system so I don't have to re-download the Windows 8.1 upgrade and at the same time having the option to reset my laptop to it's old operating system in case I want to, so that being said, I created a system image backup using Windows' Imaging Utility and pointed it my external drive. It took a couple of minutes and the image was successfully created.
I double checked the image file and I can see it on my external drive saved in a folder called 'WindowsImageBackup'. The backup files is approximately around 35 GB.
I also tried using the System Image Recovery option from BIOS to check whether the backup file I created really works, and it did because it was recognized by the system through the dialog box "Re-image your computer".
My mind was set that if anything bad happens to may laptop, whether if it got infected with a virus or the operating system crashed or even if the hard disk gets broken I could simply put it back to it's previous state using the backup image I created. So I played with the partitioning of my laptop, I even installed other operating systems for educational purposes, but when I finally wanted to bring my laptop to its previous state I failed...
The System Image Recovery from BIOS that once recognized my backup image throw an error at me saying the 'Windows cannot find a system image on this computer'. How can I fix this error? Is there still a way to recover my laptops previous installed OS or is it gone for good?...
1. Download bootable USB 3.0 drivers and tried to load the drivers on the during System Image Recovery. I think I got that tutorial here in this forum also but not sure, anyways it says that my external hard disk might not properly load because windows does not support usb 3.0.
2. I tried installing macrium free to re-image the vhd files from my backup image and tried to use the new image created by macrium to backup from. Re-imaging and backing up from the macrium image is successful but when I restart my laptop to check whether the backup works, I got an error saying 'Your PC needs to be repaired... Error code: 0x0000225'. I boot from my rescue disk and open up the command prompt to run a command like 'bootrec /scanos' but the result says detected windows installation is zero (0)...
After upgrading to the Win 8.1 upgrade I can no longer find the full backup selection and clicking on the change backup settings only shows a little clock. Has the backup function been removed from win 8.1?
I'm running Windows 8.0 Pro 64bit in UEFI mode & I have successfully taken a Windows System Image of my PC in preparation for upgrading to Windows 8.1.
So now I'm testing that I can actually restore my system, so I go to:
PC Settings -> General -> Advanced Startup -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> System Image Recovery
On the next screen I select my PC Account name (the only account listed) and then enter my password. However, I always get "Password Incorrect. Please try again".
I am 100% certain that I am entering the correct password.
I can restart the PC and login to windows using the same Account & password without any problems. In User Accounts there is only 1 User Account listed which has administrator rights. Nor have I tried to change the password since the System Image was taken.
