It is also possible to directly create a bootable USB stick from the Runtime Live CD ISO, Download the ISO image of the Runtime Live CD**) Download the 3rd party tool Win32 Disk Imager; Using Win32 Disk Imager, write the ISO directly onto a USB stick with a capacity between 1 GB and 32 GB. DriveImage XML - Backup logical drives and partitions, create hot images, restore&browse drive images, copy or clone one drive to another, extract, view and recover files from a backup, explore and process XML image file. DriveImage XML Related Downloads. With Free ISO Creator, you can easily create ISO image from any files and folders.
I recently bought a new netbook from Malasia. It doesn't have a brand name, or officially supporting drivers.It came with a version of windows, and working drivers for all the hardware - but I want to install Ubuntu on here.
Being a netbook, it has no CD/DVD drive.
I want some free easy to use software to image the entire drive onto a thumb drive, which I could later use to boot up a recovery program to reinstall windows, should I fail to get all the hardware supported on Linux.
I have already done some research and found driver backup/restore software in this thread, and will probably use that failing a more all-encompasing solution.
6 Answers
Since your planning on switching to an linux variant anyway just build your usb stick for your install then boot from it and before installing linux dd your existing disk to an external device and then install your new os.
There are many solutions out there, this is just one of them. It is based around the free DriveImage XML software.
The backup is the easy part. As it uses shadow copy you can take the backup image from within Windows. Once completed, simply copy the image files onto a USB stick (or break them up with a file splitter and copy onto multiple sticks). Simply download the software from the link above and run it from within Windows.
The restore is a little more difficult. You need to create a bootable USB stick as you do not have a CD drive. Couple of good options I found:
Follow the guide here to create the bootable Windows install. It will contain a trial version of Windows and the DriveImage XML software required to be able to restore the image again.
Follow the alternative guide here to creating a WinPE bootable USB stick and then copy the DriveImage XML software into the folder specified by the guide.
Depending on the size of your USB stick, you might need more than one. If it's a big one then I guess there is nothing stopping you creating the live USB stick first and then copying the image files straight onto it somewhere that would be accessible from the live Windows install.
here is all you need (and it's all free):
and Novicorp's WinToFlash
prepare a USB Flash Drive or SD Card with BartPE + DIxml, boot your netbook into BartPE (make sure you have another USB device with sufficient storage space connected), now you may backup the entire drive or partitions with Drive Image XML and restore if ever necessary. good luck.
You could just get a CD/DVD drive that attaches via cable and then dual boot you current OS and the Linux you want to run. Then you could test the Linux to see if it works and if it does, you could later re-install it as the main operating system. If a CD/DVD drive is out of your price range, just download ISO file for the Linux you want to use, and use PowerISO to extract it.
The best way is to take an image of the hard drive on an external USB disk (I don't know if your thumb drive is large enough for this).
A free program that you might use is http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/download.html. You will need to create a rescue boot CD as .iso file on disk and then image it to the thumb drive. But first check if your BIOS can boot from the thumb drive and also try rebooting from it, before you wipe out the Windows partition. Also, don't resize the Windows partition if you wish to later use the image (has to be same size or larger).
I'd advice Acronis software. It's capable of making live images: you don't need to reboot
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windowsbootbackupdisk-image or ask your own question.
How-To Geek Forums / Windows Vista
SO over the summer, I backed up a copy of my Dell Vostro 1520 laptop (running Vista Home Premium) with DriveImage XML just to be on the safe side. After the past few months, I must have messed up some configurations with my laptop and I want that old copy back up and running. Didn't really think through the whole restore process, and when I try to restore the C drive, I get the error message that 'Target drive may not be the system drive.' which totally makes sense since you can't really expect the computer to run while formatting itself. After all my research - potentially running Windows 7 off an external HDD to restore my C drive, making a UBCD4Win disk only to realize that you cannot run an XP environment on a Vista laptop, and a few others - I read that I need to build up a VistaPE disk and put a DriveImage XML script into the mix, but as computer literate as I might be, this is just way beyond me. Can someone please direct me to a good thread or please give me a hand with building the disk?
I already have a copy of the DriveImage XML script, a ZIP file of the DriveImage XML install and the newest version of WinBuilder.
I have the backup files on my Seagate external HDD. At my disposal I have a 160GB HDD (just saying, for anyone who has a potential idea that could require it). I also have a copy of the Windows Vista SP1 ISO.
Thank you very much!
joefuf, hello. Have you actually tried booting your system from the UBCD4win disc? I have booted 'Vista' systems with it myself. Just because a system comes with Vista does not mean that is the only OS that it can run.
I have never made a Vista PE disc myself, but from what I have heard you can do this with the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). You mentioned running a DriveImage XML script, but from the FAQ it says there are no command line parameters for a restore. Do you have some idea how to make a script or run DriveImage XML from the command line?
Hi Joefuf,
I use the same and wrote about it a while back. You find it here.
And to make it easy for you, I've already made that bootCD - you find it here.
Success!
Edit: when I used it the first time I had some trouble, because the bootcd didn't recognize the external HDD, so I first had to copy the backup files to my second internal HDD. After that it worked like a breeze ;)
(btw I had another external HDD which díd show up when booting from the cd - unfortunately not the one where I kept the backup LOL - so you just have to try and see if it works from external or not).
Sarah, I had forgotten that your DriveImage XML discs was Vista-based. Good for you!
haha - Sarah I read your thread so many times over. It's funny to have you answer my call. I followed your steps as far as I could go, but got stuck when you made your boot cd and you had yet to find a place to upload your file. At that point I took it to the forums of the net, but thank you so much! I am downloading the ISO as I write this (in english class), but I will let you know if I am successful.
Like I said I have two external hdd's so hopefully at least one will work. If not, it might be time to make some friends at the computer help desk here haha.
This is the error I receive
I booted the ISO in VMWare and the menu comes up just fine, but when I choose VistaPE it goes straight to the error message..
Hi Joefuf,
I had some trouble with the upload before, but the place it is now seemed to work.
I don't know if this is related to the upload or that something else is wrong.
Let's see what the others say, because I have no clue as to your errormessage and if necesary I'll upload somewhere else yet again (but that may take some time - I'll have to find the disc first ánd a place where I can upload such a large file, so I hope it is something else and someone can help out pretty fast ;D).
i'm going to try to burn it to a DVD and see if maybe the way i was booting it in vmware was causing it to have the error. if anyone else has an idea as to what went wrong feel free to let us know.
yep, that was it. i guess VMWare couldn't handle it for some reason. I burned the ISO to a DVD and it booted perfectly. The only thing I need to figure out now is the external HDD issue. Like what happened to you Sarah, the external drive didnt show up - whether that was because it wasn't plugged in when I turned on the laptop or not I dont have time to figure out since I need to get to class, but since I don't have another internal HDD, assuming that the other external HDD I have doesn't work what suggestions do you have? In backing up my whole laptop the files came out to be like 70GB so I need some large form of storage for them where ever I do put them. So I guess just have a think and I will get back to you after classes.
Thank you so much again!
yeah.. i could use a bit of help here now..
i tried to go ahead with the restore because when i turned to computer on with the hdd plugged in it was was recognized (cool!)
when i did though, it said 'Unable to lock partition C' or something to that effect and by the time I hit cancel well.. I am writing this on my friend's laptop. Mine won't really boot at all. I could really use some help as soon as someone reads this. i am thankful that i backed up all my documents and stuff before i did this because i dont think i will be able to get back into my computer. it will boot to the disk fine, but i just need to know what to do so i can just restore my C drive.
HELP!!!!
I'm hoping this is going to be one of those easier than it looks things..
I am really worried about this so I am doing research while I wait for a reply, but I just came across this thread and about midway through the page the know it all says something that I'm interpreting as 'you need to format the C drive to FAT32 before you can restore the image to it because Vista and NTFS make it so you cannot use DriveImage XML and restore an image to it..'
once again.. HELP!!!
so here's another update - i am currently writing this one from my phone.. when i go into di xml now i see 4 hdd's - the two important ones are shown (the freeagent with the backup image and the main hdd which is now calling itself 'DISK0#FREE) in the catagory of logical drive is says it is 'n/a'and the type is 'Free (0)'. it does however have 283gb. it gets worse when it comes to trying to restore the drive again. the list of drives that i can restore the image to now shrinks to 3 and DISK#FREE is no longer shown.
i really dont know what to do. i have a copy of windows 7. i am kind of tempted to install that instead of trying to wait for someone to come to my rescue. the thing is (and i'm sure you realize this too) is that if i do upgrade to windows 7, i will not be able to write the image back to the hdd since it wont boot off a vista disk.. i hope someone gets back to me soon. i really have a lot of work to be doing and windows 7 doesnt sound all that bad.
i will try one last thing before waiting til the morning (if i havent heard from anyone before then i might just migrate to 7) i am going to see if i can format my hdd with ERD commander and see if driveimage xml recognizes the drive. if nothing else i know it can format a drive to ntfs so i can install 7.
help?
joefuf, this situation is 'fluid' and I'm having trouble keeping up with all of the changes. Here's what I think I'm hearing. You have an internal HDD of unknown manufacture, size (but at least 283 GB), and type (SATA or PATA?). You believe that the Vista install there was corrupted during an aborted attempt to run DriveImage XML from a VistaPE bootable DVD. (Question: why did you cancel?)
The DriveImage archive from 'over the summer' is stored on an external Seagate FreeAgent of unknown size (at least 70 GB) and connection (USB, Firewire, other?). When booted from the VistaPE DVD, you were able to see the Seagate external, run DriveImage XML, and access the archive on the Seagate external, right?
There is another 160 GB drive (external?) available (manufacturer, connection?). Is this one of the 4 drives that shows up in DriveImage XML? Are these drives physical drives or partitions?
I'm going to startup DriveImage XML to see if I can get any clues from the interface. Windows 7 works very well, if you should decide to go that route.
internal hdd is whatever usually comes with a dell when you buy it. it is 320gb. i didnt change it out. the seagate is 500gb and has the backup on it. the other external says ROCK mobile disk and is 160gb. both externals are connected with usb. the rock was not one of the 4 hdd's mentioned recently but does show up when i connect it.
yes when i connected the seagate and ran dix i could see the archive and access it.
and i also aborted it because it said it could not lock the c drive to restore to it.and then i hit cancel, rebooted, and i am where i am.
OK, I have DriveImage XML up and it is showing drives and partitions in the form 'DISKd#p', where d is the physical hard drive number and p is the partition number on that drive. So I have DISK0#1, DISK0#2, DISK1#1, DISK2#2, and so on. I don't have any unallocated space on these drives, but I'm guessing that 'FREE' means there is no partition and that is unallocated space.
From the DriveImage XML FAQ, it says that you can only restore to an existing partition, so that explains why the #FREE space is not a restore-to option. If that is where you wish to restore to, you will need to partition it. I would expect that with the VistaPE disc you should be able to run diskpart.exe from the command line and create a partition. I would make it a primary partition. That forum thread at boot-land casts a lot of confusion on the subject, but how can Vista interfere with a brand new, un-formatted partition? There is no Vista to interfere with the restore.
Of course, if that fails miserably, you can try the FAT32 option. Here again, the DriveImage XML FAQ says it does not need to be formatted so I also don't see why FAT32 or NTFS matters.
EDIT: I had said 'NTFS' when talking about an unformatted partition -- took that out.
ok. i think i get what you're saying. i need to go back into vistape and run a partitioning program so partition the c drive because it thinks it is free right now? i will try to do this. please bare with me also as i am typing responses on my phone and really dont wanna be stranded in the middle of doing this..
ok, i am in diskpart.exe
what is the command i need to type?
The command I'm referring to, diskpart.exe, can be run from the Windows Recover Environment (RE) and should behave exactly the same way in the PE. It is command line only, syntax here. The commands to run, would look something like this, but not exactly:
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
list partition
create partition primary size=289792
list disk shows the physical drives. Select disk 0 will choose the first drive found. For you it might not be '0', but should be. Check the size from the output of list disk. list partition shows the partitions on the selected drive and you should see the unallocated space. create partition primary will take the first chunk of free space and make it into a primary partition. size=289792 is 283 GB in MB because the size must be specified in MB. You could leave the size off, as well, which would mean make the largest partition possible from the first chunk of unallocated space.
it's doing it as i write this. it took me a minute because i wasnt sure if the cmd wanted me to refer to the disk in german like it responds in or english.. it was english.
stay with me here. i will update you when it's done something
UDS-fout:
Time-out van bewerking.
er wordt naar een object verwezen dat niet bijgewerkt is. vernieuw het object met de opdracht rescan. als het probleem zich blijft voordoen, dient u diskpart af te sluiten en opnieuw te starten, of de computer opnieuw op te starten.
i have no idea what language that it is in - i guess it wasn't german because the german translation i got didn't make sense. anyway that is the result that i got when i tried to do the partition.
just figured out that it was dutch.
there is referred to an object that is not updated. the object with the task renews rescan. if problem itself remains to occur, you must conclude diskpart and to start again, or start the computer again on.
that is the literal translation.. not sure if that does anything for you..
still at that same point.
sorry for updating so many times, but i just went through all the steps again and i typed 'list partition' again and there are now three partitions (or specifically there is a 'Partitie 3' with the size of 283GB).
i think that long ass dutch message meant that when i restart it will be there and good.
what now?
SarahJames is in The Netherlands, so when you use her PE disk, you get her localization! :-)
The only thing that is peculiar now is why this new partition is '3'. What are partitions 1 and 2? Is there a partition 0?
there is no partition 0 but the stats for the others are as follows
Name-------Type----------Grootte(size)-------Offset
Partition 1--OEM----------39MB----------------32KB
Partition 2--Primary------15GB----------------40MB
Partition 3--Primary------283GB---------------15GB
Ohhhh! I forgot this was a Dell. They love to add extra partitions. Statistics for dummies pdf free download. The OEM is probably the Dell Utility partition and the 15 GB would be the Dell Restore partition. I think.
Anyway, partition 3 is a primary and that should be enough for DriveImage XML. Now you boot the disc, run DriveImage XML, and restore the image from the FreeAgent external to the partition you just created which I would expect to be called DISK0#3 (?). Anyway, check the size to be sure.
what do i need to do to lock the partition? that was the issue the first time around and i dont wanna have to do this again as easy as you made it.
seriously thank you though - i cant emphasize that enough. you may have saved me sooo much grief.
leave me the (very detailed) details on what i need to do from here - i need to get some sleep before my class in the morning. thank you again.
I have no idea what that 'lock the partition' nonsense is about. We are talking about a newly created, unformatted partition. There certainly aren't any open file handles on it, nor can I imagine anything keeping it from being 'locked', which I expect means that it will be used exclusively for DriveImage XML and no other app should write to it. What else can write to it when you are running in a PE?
My suggestion would be to start the restore operation. If you get a can't lock message, ignore it and see if the restore operation will complete. Good luck.
ok, now in the restore box and i see everything i want to
disk parition # logical drive type capacity
DISK0#3 - ? - FAT16-Huge(6) - 283GB
when i try to perform the restore selecting that drive it gives me the'target partition must be at least the size of the original source drive' error.
what now?
So, according to DriveImage XML, 70 > 283 ? That does not compute!
It is odd that it says the partition is FAT16. Try formatting it to NTFS or FAT32.
what would the command for that be? do i need to go back into diskpart? sorry, i would google this if i had a computer to google on..
It's format, like so:
format x: /fs:ntfs
format x: /fs:fat32
where x is the assigned volume letter. If there is no volume letter assigned, you will need to use diskpart, select the partition and use the command assign. Without parameters, assign will choose the next available volume letter.
sorry - im having a bit of trouble understanding the arguements w the dutch but i am in diskpart and have selected disk 0 (the c drive) and i have tried several types of commands to format it
format disk 0
format disk 0: /fs:ntfs
etc
am i typing it wrong?
this is the error i got in dix when i went ahead and tried to restore the drive
Error: xception
Error writng to compressed stream E:Jeff's laptopDrive_c.dat'
,address=0, length=512
Info: APPEXC
Address: 004FB3A6
my only option is to hit cancel..
help?
note: after this error - which i believe was the same one that caused me to have to abort the restore last time - i had to repeat the whole creation of a primary partition again like we did last night.
ps - if there is an easier way you want me to contact you let me know so we don't need to keep playing tag.
Sorry for the confusion. The format command is done *outside* of diskpart from the regular command prompt, not the DISKPART> prompt. The volume letter, x, in the example above is a letter, so format d: or format e: and so on.
BTW, anytime you are at a Command Prompt you can type help for a list of available commands and for any command run commandname /? to see the syntax.
I don't see anything in that DriveImage XML error message that is helpful in understanding what is going on. Only the developers could make sense of that.
yeah the outside of diskpart aspect i wasnt doing properly. also, my version is in dutch - i tried the help function but i am sadly only bilingual in spanish and english.
when i do type in the command in regular cmd i get the respone that 'het opegeven station bestaat niet' or a rough translation that the c drive doesnt exist. i tried c because of all the drives that are displayed on my desktop under volumes and freespace it is the only one that isnt my external, the cd drive or the b drive (which is listed in megabytes). c: has the comment unrecognized next to it. i will restart and see if that fixes it.
While you are in Diskpart, you can check or assign a volume letter to the newly created partition. After the create command, run:
select partition 3
detail partition
I'm assuming that this partition is number 3 from the 'DISK0#3' assignment by DriveImage, but maybe it's not. You can see the partitions with list partition. If there is no volume letter assigned, use assign in Diskpart on the selected partition. To see all the volume letter assignments, list volume in Diskpart.
ok i did this and selected the partition this is the result that i get:
*note i had to just tpe in the dutch since i didnt have a computer to get to a translator when i typed this
Partition 1
Type: 06
Verborgen: Nee
Actief: Nee
Volume #--------Letter------Label-------FS-----Type-------size-----status
volume 2-------C-----(this is blank)--RAW---partition--283GB--(also blank)
awaiting further orders.
btw - i could really use getting this fixed by tonight - english paper due tomorrow haha
ok i did this and selected the partition this is the result that i get:
*note i had to just tpe in the dutch since i didnt have a computer to get to a translator when i typed this
Partition 1
Type: 06
Verborgen: Nee
Actief: Nee
Volume #--------Letter------Label-------FS-----Type-------size-----status
volume 2-------C-----(this is blank)--RAW---partition--283GB--(also blank)
awaiting further orders.
btw - i could really use getting this fixed by tonight - english paper due tomorrow haha
So, that shows the volume letter is C. Next, run the format from outside of Diskpart:
format c: /fs:ntfs /q
The /q is a quick format since the data will be overwritten anyway. Then try the restore with DriveImage.
i got the error saying that
Target partition must be at least the size of the original source drive
it seemed like it worked - dix recognized it as C under logical drive and that it is ntfs with 283gb
Is there a way in DriveImage to see how large it thinks that the image is?
EDIT: I just made a backup image to test this out. In DriveImage, I selected 'Browse' and loaded the XML file from the backup image. It shows the 'Capacity', which lists the size of the original partition and the amount of used space. There is also a 'More info' link that shows more data about the image.
i do not see the link that you are talking about for more information
i click to browse for the XML file that is connected to the backup and hit next
now i am brought to the restore window which lists the following:
Drive---#--Partition--------------Logical Drive-----------------Type----------------Capacity
DISK0#1 --------------------------------C: (2)---------------------NTFS (7)---------------283GB
DISK1#1---------------------------------E: (FreeAgent Drive)---NTFS (7)--------------466GB
Then there is a part that describes the partition
Partition
Drive: DISK0
Size of Drive: 298GB
Name: ST9320421ASG
Partition#: 1
Partition Type: NTFS (7)
Size of Partition: 283GB
Start Sector: 2.048
Total Sectors: 593.494.016
And then inthe bottom right is a box for the Associated logical drive
Logical Drive
Label: C:
Serial no: 2
File System: 52BB26EF
Total sectors: NTFS
Used: 593.494.008
Free: 103.161.856 (98MB)
Total: 303.765.770.240 (283GB)
303.868.932.096 (283GB)
there is a statement above that says the following:
Select a partition you want to restore the image to. This must be an existing partition which will be overwritten by this operation. Use WINDOWS DISK MANAGEMENT to create or change partitions. MORE INFORMATION.
WINDOWS DISK MANAGEMENT and MORE INFORMATION are clickable and if I click More Information liek you were saying it only brings me to a window that tells me about 'Create the destination partition first'
hopefully it's as easy as this, but is the whole 'Target partition must be at least the size of the original source drive' error stemming from my SeaGate being 500GB and my internal HDD being 283GB?
I see that you've logged off so in what will hopefully be a facepalm of results, I am going to try to copy my laptop backup to the ROCK 160GB external and see if it can transfer to the computer.. I guess I can see where the wording would make that make sense.. I'll let you know if it works, but let me know if I should be doing something else if you see this before my response.
It's not the size of the drive that the image is stored on, but the size of the partition that was archived.
What I find *very* odd about the data you have is that the C: drive has almost no free space: 'Free: 103.161.856 (98MB)'. What is on this partition that was just created by Diskpart? If it's not any data that you put on there, maybe this is related to the problem that you saw in the other forum. Maybe you should format the partition as FAT32 and see if it calculates the numbers properly.
Here's a capture of what I see with the Browse option after loading the .xml file. You can see the Capacity and the 'More info' link. There is no Next button in the Browse option.
found the option on the main menu.
Bootable Iso Linux
IMAGE
capacity- 290.204MB (used: 110.711 mb)
phys disk: 3rd partition on DISK0 305.245 MB
Offset:total: 30.801.920:594.338.480
BOOT SECTOR
cluster size: 8 sectora
total sectors: 594.338.479 sectors
hidden sectors: 30.801.920 sectors
heads: 255 heads
sectors/ track: 63 sectors
1st MFT cluster: cluster 786.432
MFT mirror: cluster 4.863.999
BITMAP: 35464 fragments total
not sure if there was anything else worth noting
i have started the format to fat32. i tried doing it in a quick format but got the error that the volume is too large for fat32 but trying it without the /q yielded a result. it's taking a little while so but i assume it will be done in about 50 mins max. hopefully you will see my last post and get back to me by then.
well i just wasted an hour of my life.. at the end of the format i got the same error saying it was too big for fat32. i have since turned it back to ntfs.
get back to me as soon as you can scott.
well i just wasted an hour of my life.. at the end of the format i got the same error saying it was too big for fat32. i have since turned it back to ntfs.
get back to me as soon as you can scott.
here is more of what i see in the image info box
i know some of it might be ambiguous but i'd rather give you everything from my end
IMAGE-----Drive_C.xml
Created on: 14-7-2009 0:13:14
Created by: DriveImage XML (Private Edition), Version 2.02
ID: 971519064
Drive: C: (OS)
File System: NTFS
Capacity: 290.204MB (used: 110.711 MB)
Phys disk: 3rd partition on DISK0 (305.245 MB)
Offset: total: 30.801.920:594.338.480
Original name: Drive_C
Original path: F:Jeff's Laptop
Driveimage Xml Bootable Iso Download Free
Options: COMP SPLIT LOCK-V
Overhead: sector 0, 0 sectors
BOOT SECTOR
Serial no: F8265681
Cluster size: 8 sectors
Total sectors: 594.338.479 sectors
Hidden sectors: 30.801.920 sectors
Heads: 255
Sectors/Track: 63 sectors
1st MFT cluster: Cluster 786.432
MFT Mirror: Cluster 4.863.999
BITMAP----------- 35464 fragments total
then it goes on to detail the first 101 first fragments
I think that the key statistic is this one: 'capacity- 290.204 MB'
That's the size of the original partition that was imaged and that's probably what DriveImage XML is demanding for the place to restore to. This is extremely close to 283 GB, assuming they are using the same kind of binary math.
EDIT: Here's what I'm coming up with. Your new, empty partition DISK0#3 has a size of 283.00 GB and the image was made from a partition of 283.40 GB. Just a tiny bit shy!
You need to increase the size of the partition. Is there any more free space on this hard drive?
yeah there should be. can you just reitterate the commands i will need to enter in diskpart and tell me if i will need to reformat it in ntfs? thank you.
Original romeo and juliet movie. 37 MAKE IT STOP 50 Cent and Chris Brown link up on 'No Romeo No Juliet'.
OK, they are back on page 1, but we need to calculate a new size.
diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
list partition
create partition primary size=290816
This size works out to 284 GB and also notice that 290816 > 290204. Of course, you can make it larger if you want more breathing room. If the old partition is there and you need to delete it the commands are:
select partition 3
delete partition
Maybe with the size right you don't need to format? I can't remember which time DriveImage gave which error.
EDIT: I just checked back in the thread and the size error was the one you got before the partition was formatted. I expect that a format will not be needed.
ERROR:
Could not lock destination drive DISK0#1 (C:)
hitting retry a million times doesnt do anything.
at least the size issue is fixed..
now what?
Why is it DISK0#1, when before it was DISK0#3 ?
I don't know why it would say 'could not lock destination'. That should only happen if some other running process has the partition locked. You are booted from the VistaPE disc, right?
yes i am booted from vistape. i booted directly to the cd-r drive.
I'm beginning to think that DriveImage XML hates you. :-(
Why did the new partition move from #3 to #1 ?
A couple things that you might try. In Tools -> Options you can enable logging to a file. Maybe that log file will have more information on what is going wrong. Second, in the Browse function, there is an 'Extract' button that you could use to extract the files that are important to you from the archive. You will need a formatted partition to write them to.
is there a way i can lock the drive? the program doesn't offer disk locking for restore, only drive-to-drive. i checked google, and no one has solved it or continued to have that issue. i will call them tomorrow, but i would love to solve this tonight.
An error occurred while trying to download game of thrones. got any ideas?
it changed from 3 to 1 because in your absense i tried to follow the instructions from a site to figure out how to format the disk and i probably deleted the other partitions. give me a minute to write the log
---Error handler entered at 10-9-2009 23:27:17---
Error: AccessViolation
Message: Access violation at address 74C5A8F9 in module 'PROPSYS.dll'. Read of address 48787902
Info: APPEXC:
Address: 74C5A8F9
Action: Cancel
---
Creating restore job for backup file E:Jeff's LaptopDrive_C.xml..
Target drive: HD128:
Restore job running..
Retrieving drive layout..
Target mappings: DISK0#1 => C:
Cancel after lock error
Operation cancelled
propsys.dll is apparently 'Microsoft Property System'. I have no idea what that means. I also don't understand why there would be a lock error on a partition that was just created and is all alone on the hard drive.
Try a chkdsk on the drive, which should also need to lock it:
chkdsk /F c:
Oh yeah, a format would need to lock the drive, too, so if it works, that's more proof that locking the drive is possible and DiX must be the problem somehow. Maybe it doesn't like the VistaPE environment. What happens again when you use a UBCD4win disc?
check out the last one there
/l Try locking first, e.g. /l, do not use with /v
do you understand how they are saying this? it looks like you can lock the drive somehow
so are you saying that i should start a chkdsk or format and then try to restore it in the middle of it?
Those command line parameters are only for backups, not restores. Those same options are present in the GUI. Basically, it's just a matter of whether you want to try locking the drive or using the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) first. If one doesn't work, it will try the other. When you are booted from the VistaPE disc, I'm pretty sure that VSS is not running and locking will be used anyway. Also, VSS allows a backup to copy files that are in use while the OS is running, but there is no analogous operation when doing a restore.
No, I'm not saying that you should run a chkdsk or format and jump in the middle of it. What I'm saying is that to run either of these operation, the drive will first be locked, then tested or formatted, and finally unlocked. A format or chkdsk that completes tells me that the drive can be locked and unlocked.
I don't know what to do now. Did you try running DiX from a UBCD4win disc? That's how I'm running it, by the way.
it doesnt work running it from UBCD4Win because it can only be built from XP and I was under the impression that you cannot run an XP environemt on a Vista machine.
If this is not true, can you direct me to a download with an ISO for the exact CD i need to build? I tried to make one before, but I couldn't do it - that's why I needed SarahJames to send me hers.
Microsoft Windows [versie 6.0.6000]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. Alle rechten voorbehouden.
X:windowssystem32>chkdsk /F c:
Het type bestandssysteem is NTFS.
Volumenaam is 2.
Bestanden controleren (stap 1 van 3)..
64 bestandsrecords verwerkt.
De bestandscontrole is voltooid.
0 records met grote bestanden verwerkt.
0 records met beschadigde bestanden verwerkt.
0 EA-records verwerkt.
0 reparserecords verwerkt.
Indices controleren (stap 2 van 3)..
161 indexvermeldingen verwerkt.
De indexcontrole voltooid.
5 niet-geïndexeerde bestanden verwerkt.
CHKDSK controleert de security descriptors (stap 3 van 3)..
64 security descriptors verwerkt.
De controle van security descriptors is voltooid.
9 gegevensbestanden verwerkt.
Het bestandssysteem is gecontroleerd. Er zijn geen problemen vastgesteld.
297795583 kB totale schijfruimte.
21568 kB in 5 bestanden.
8 kB in 11 indexen.
0 kB in beschadigde sectoren.
75107 kB in gebruik door het systeem.
Het logboekbestand neemt 65536 kB in beslag.
297698900 kB beschikbaar op schijf.
4096 bytes per cluster
74448895 clusters in totaal op schijf
74424725 clusters beschikbaar op schijf
Kan berichten in logboek niet overbrengen naar gebeurtenislogboek. Status 50.
X:windowssystem32>
or should i just start the upgrade to windows 7 at this point? all my programs in vista will work with 7 right? (there's no compatibility issue right?) and i have my documents all backed up on the seagate..
i would really prefer to get my vista back but it's your call unless you think you can get this figured out.
It's not true -- and there is no such thing as a 'Vista machine' in the sense of hardware that can *only* run Vista. The system I'm using now came with Vista, runs UBCD4win, Linux, DOS, and now Windows 7.
However, it's not easy to make a UCBD4win disc unless you have all the pieces -- a running system and a full XP install CD.
The chkdsk output looks good. No problems found and enough space to hold the image.
can you upload your ubcd4win in an iso like sarahjames did? is there anything else you want me to try?
i have an incomplete copy of an xp install disk - when i tried to make a ubcd4win disk last time it said it was missing stuff
this is a link to the issues i was having before even after i found the numerous dll files i was missing
Sadly, no, I can't upload a UBCD4win ISO because it requires a Windows license to create one. The resulting disc is also under Windows license and can't be distributed by anyone but (maybe) Microsoft.
Actually, that UBCD4win build output looks good:
Building ISO image done
Building done..
There where 0 errors and 1 warnings
One warning is not uncommon with this process. :-) (Say, do you still have that ISO file?)
i doubt it - it was probably on my hdd which has now been formatted multiple times. if i did burn it to a disk then it didnt work for some reason when i put it in my computer
I said back on page 1 of this thread, that Windows 7 is working great for me. I have been running it for months now, first the RC and now the RTM. There are some compatibility issues, but most everything that runs in Vista will run in 7. Unfortunately, since you don't have a working install on that system, you can't run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor which will examine your installed apps for compatibility.
and if you cannot give me your copy, can you dirct me as to where i can download one or the components needed to make one? should i assume that the disk sarahjames gave me cannot be used any further?
You can download the UBCD4win builder at their website. But you have to provide a licensed copy of a Windows XP install CD, either OEM or Retail. You cannot (legally) download this or a substitute for it.
Did you try the 'Extract' option in the Browse function of DiX?
what, do i extract the whole thing and where to? just to the c drive? will that do the same thing as a restore?
since it appears that you have logged off for the night i have given up a bit of hope. i will go to the school store tomorrow (or technically this morning) and pick up a copy of windows 7. i think this is probably my best bet and i will hopefully not be disappointed with microsoft's improvements on the new OS. if you do think of anything though let me know and i would gladly wipe it off to get my old vista image running..
alright, well now that i finally have a good working computer again ($12 for 7 - can't beat that) what should I use to make an image or copy of my HDD that in the event I want to completely restore to a version of my computer I know works? Is there a certain software that you would recommend?
Jeff, there has been a LOT of discussion on this site about backup software. You can read some of it in this thread. I own Norton Ghost, and have used some of these others -- Macrium Reflect and Paragon Drive Backup Pro. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.
One new software that I find quite promising is Easeus Todo Backup which is freeware. It has a plugin that allows you to create a bootable BartPE disc which you can use to restore and *backup* with from outside of the operating system. That makes it independent of the OS and able to restore an image to a blank hard drive. In a sense, it is like DriveImage XML but newer. Of course, it can also be installed in a running copy of Windows, but the standout feature is that bootable disc with backup. Most programs come with a *restore* disc, but very few allow you to run a backup from boot media.
We have also just recently been asked for beta testers of another new backup product in this thread. I think that it's safe to suggest that you never use DiX again, right? :-)
Arright, I will look into Easeus once I get this machine up to a good point. One WIndows 7 question though, every time I place my mouse over an item on the taskbar for a few seconds explorer.exe crashes and has to restart..
any ideas?
PS: I only intend to use DriveImage XML when telling people not to use a piece of software to backup their hard drive.
Windows 7 has not shipped yet from Microsoft, so I'm curious about which version you have and why you had to pay $12 for it. What is this 'school store'?
The Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) was available directly from Microsoft for free, up until just recently (8/20). You can still get keys for the RC. The Release To Manufacturing (RTM) build, and license keys, are now available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers, but not to the general public. Windows 7 ships on 10/22. Maybe your school has a academic subscription, but I would still think they shouldn't charge you for it.
To find out which version you have, go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information and look at the Version under System Summary. It should look like 6.1.xxxx build xxxx. Of course, if you have the official RC, it has the build number on the desktop, lower right.
Regarding your postscript, good idea. :-)
Good! 7600 is the RTM build.
When you hover the mouse pointer over a taskbar item that represents a running application, you get the 'Aero Peek' thumbnail view of the open window(s). If that is what crashes explorer, then there is some kind of problem with Aero Peek. You can disable this in the Taskbar properties -- uncheck 'Use Aero Peek..'. Since Aero Peek is a graphics intensive operation, the problem could be cause by a bad or downlevel graphics driver. Check for the latest version, and a Win7 compatible one if at all possible.
Driveimage Xml V
Also, try running the Performance Assessment to find the Windows Experience Index. This runs several tests, including an assessment of Aero capability, and might provide a clue to the problem. It might also crash explorer during the test, which will also suggest that the issue is graphics related. In Control Panel -> System, click on 'Windows Experience Index', which might still say 'System is not rated' (or something) if you have never run it.
unchecking Aero Peek did not solve the issue. The Performace Information can be seen there. I don't really know what any of it means, but the explorer.exe did not crash during the test.
Well, the problem does not appear to be related to Aero at all, then. The numbers in the WEI are not very meaningful, what was important was to see that it passed the test.
I don't know what's going on, why your explorer.exe is crashing. Since it is a new install, I would try a clean install again. Then if it still happens, you can start looking in the Event Viewer to see what kind of errors get logged when it crashes.
BTW, at some point you should start a new thread for Windows 7 questions in the Windows 7 forum. This thread is about VistaPE and DiX.
no need for the new thread. i reinstalled windows and it seems to be working ok now.
thank you for all your help during my crisis scott. i truly appreciate every step of the way that you led me.
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