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Problem restoring system C: backed up by Backupper

edited January 2016 in AOMEI Products Support

I am a Windows 10 user and recently started evaluating Backupper. I wanted to backup my whole system drive C: to enable me to restore in the future if Ihad a problem. I was a little confused by the 3 possible backup methods, viz "System backup" "Disk backup" and "Partition backup". The documentation did not prove very helpful in making my choice and
telling me about the possible consequences in respect of a future restore. Eventually settled on the first, "System backup". All went well and I carefully preserved the backup file.

Today I had a problem with the system and I decided I needed to restore this backup. I successfully booted in a CD and located my backup file on disk and requested a full restore. I was taken aback when it told me it was unable to restore my system and I would need to change my C: (system partition) into a logical partition. I found this extremely confusing as C: is my system partition and I was worried I might totally corrupt my system by doing this. I now notice that my hard disk drive has two hidden partitions. At the time of doing the backup I ignored these as it was only my System (C:) that I felt needed backing up and the documentation was not specific about this. I am wondering whether, instead of doing a system backup, I should have taken one of the alternative two backup options "Disk backup" and "Partition backup".

I am now totally stuck. Can anyone please help and suggest a way out of this problem?

 


Comments

  • Probabaly connected to the 4 partition maximum on mbr disks.


    Can you post a screenshot of your partition layout?

  • Hi cloggs,
     First of all  a MBR disk can have either up to four primary volumes, or up to three primary partitions plus one extended partition which contains unlimited number of logical partitions.
    Please assure that if there are more than 3 primary partition on your disk.

  • " I wanted to backup my whole system drive C"

    Is that "C" partition or disk?If you want to protect the whole disk, please choose the disk backup.

    "Today I had a problem with the system"

    Can you boot your system now?

    " located my backup file on disk"

    The backup image is in the disk which contains "C" partition? Or in other disk?

    " I would need to change my C: (system partition) into a logical partition"

    Would you give us the screeshot of the disk layout in Aomei Backupper?

    You can try to do the disk clone, then there is the disk layout you can see.

    Also hope you can give us the picture of the disk in disk manager page.

    Waiting for your reply.


  • As explained in my OP, my hard disk appears to have 3 partitions, two of them are small, hidden, have no drive letters and I personally have no access to them.  I believe they are something to do with recovering back to its original manufactured state but I am only a user and not a disk expert. All I know is that I personally never use  these hidden partitions and I do NOT want to restore to its manufactured state as that would take me back several years and be no good at all. I simply want to get my system back as I was using it on the day I took the backup. I assumed that was what "System Backup" means and the accompanying description says it takes an image of the System Partition. Surely to get my system back to its state I just need to restore the "System Partition" and I presume that is what the "System backup" generated image is supposed to be for?


    What really mystifies me is that "Restore" insists on my changing my System Partition to a Logical Partition. That makes no sense at all to me as an end user. In any case I have no idea how to make that partition change and am worried it will further corrupt my PC..


    While I can boot my system at present I am not happy with it and I urgently want to restore to its state when I took the backup. Just to make matters worse, my external disk which held the Backuoper file has had the backup file erased with no warning given to me. Fortunately, I've taken a copy of it and now am in the process of copying it back. It's becoming a nightmare just wanting to restore my system to the date I took the backup. I am an end user and not a disk or operating system expert. What do I need to do?

  • As we replied you. You need to create the bootable media to delete the system partition in your computer. Then restore it .

  • edited January 2016

    as admin explained you, it would be helpful to see the layout of your disk from the computer. As admin explained you, you could start a Clone, from the live OS that still works, and it shows the disk layout, and take a screen shot (use snipping tool). Do not continue, but cancel instead.

    In addition, it would be helpful to see what is in the system backup image. For this, you could, in the live OS that still works, run Backupper,  go to Utilities and Explore image. There it proposes the partitions from the image. Do a screen shot there and do not continue, but cancel instead.

    It is surely an error that it requests conversion to logical, and you did right not to proceed. And as admin explained you, it would be necessary to erase the partitions that are on the disk because the product hesits to overwrite them. To advise you on erasing the partitions the screenshots are helpful. I have seen on GPT that partitions are not properly overwritten, but not yet on MBR systems.

    After seeing the screen shots, as yours is a MBR system, we could also advise to just restore C: and not the other, system, partitions.


    As I understand, you did the system backup from your Windows 10 computer, and did no  major update like the 1511 rollout after?


    As a side note, do not think that C: is the system. The word system is reserved in many ways and rarely applies to C:  C: contains Windows and Programs.


    Thanks in advance for creating screenshots with snipping tool and posting here. Congratulations on yours replicating the backup image in advance.


    PS did you try the Windows built-in system restore? The one showing system restore points?

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