Unable to see the network from Recovery Disk

[beselfdo]

After making a couple images to my NAS from my new Win7 notebook, I wanted to test recovery. Put in Recovery disk (made using defaults). I cannot select (or see) any network! (Which is where my images reside). I don't see how there is a settings issues since I'm booting off the CD, but also my router hasn't changed in years. I have access to everything on the network when I boot normally. I'm pretty familiar with networks, registries, and CLIs, but this has got me stumped, and I don't want to be in this situation when I *really* need to recover!

It seems as if my router is ignoring the machine if booted from CD, which makes no sense.

I obviously need recovery to work. Does it not work from Win7 64?

Any hints about what I can do to track this down, since I cannot recover?

*self*

Acer Aspire 5740-6378 4GM, win7 64
Linksys WRT54G w/DD-WRT

[Paragon_MattK]

beselfdo,

The problem is that when loaded from the recovery CD, the system may or may not have drivers for your network controller. Are you using the linux based recovery CD or the WinPE based CD?

If you are using the linux CD(this is created by the recovery media builder), you will need to download the WinPE based CD(this is a separate download from our site), as you cannot load additional drivers in the linux based CD. You also have the option of creating a BartPE based CD, to which you can add any drivers you like.

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=257771

Are you using wireless? Wireless can cause problems from the recovery CD, specifically with associating the network adapter with your wireless network, and can also cause problems during backup and restore, as the connection is not entirely stable.

If you are using wireless, if at all possible I would recommend connecting it via a cable, it is possible that the recovery disks already have drivers for the wired network adapter.

Otherwise, you will need to load the driver for your network adapter, you can download the driver from the manufacture, and use the WinPE recovery CD's "Add Driver" feature to load it into the environment once its booted up. The driver that you will need for the WinPE recovery CD provided would be for Windows Vista 32 bit, regardless of your installed OS, and for the BartPE CD, you would need the XP 32 bit drivers.

Hope this helps.

[beselfdo]

Thanks Paragon_Matt for your quick reply. After some more research prompted by the link you provided, several hours and several CDs later I finally got a boot CD working and was able to restore my partition.

* the default CD didn’t see my network. Either because of my Broadcom NIC, or because I was running win7 64bit. I had no idea why it didn’t work. I thought it was something I did wrong, so I kept trying and searching for answers. A simple “if you don’t have network access, try another boot disk method” would have saved me a few hours.

* the BartPE instructions will only work if one has windows XP boot media handy. I gave it a try even though I said I was on win7 64. Once I got to the step that it needed something from the XP install media, I was stuck. Another 45 minutes wasted.

I am impressed by your quick reply and will recommend Paragon software to my clients. However, I was frustrated with a lack of documentation for creating and using boot CDs, specifically if the default recovery CD doesn’t work. There is no way I would be able to create one if I were an average computer user. I think your knowledgebase article for creating a recovery CD needs the following information (edited for correctness) added:

1. If for any reason the default (linux) recovery CD doesn’t recognize the network and you need network access for your images, try one of the following options.
2. If you have Windows XP install disks, you can create a BartPE recovery disk.
3. Otherwise, you will need a WinPE disk. If you are using the free version of the program, your best bet would be to use the parPECreator program by SIW2. Either search the forums for “winpe” by author SIW2, or try the link http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showt...e+parpecreator.

Creating a WinPE disk is a multi-step, interactive process. My notes are below, if this will help someone else. This took me 3 ½! hours, including my trials and errors and creating 4 useless CDs. I’m slow, but persistent. (Did I just insult myself?) If I did it all over now, knowing what I know, I’m guessing it would take less than ½ hour.

Win7PE creation.
	1. download Win7 32 repair disk
		Yes, even if your system is 64bit
		From: http://neosmart.net/blog/2009/window...-repair-discs/
	2. burn onto CD
	3. copy to drive C:
		R-click on CD drive, copy, paste somewhere on C:
	4. download parpecreator7v5.exe, by SIW2 (Thanks SIW2!)
		See link to forum above.
		self extract
	5. Install Paragon Backup & Recovery Free and/or Disk Manager 2010 free
	6. (30m to find) found explauncher for B&R on sevenforums.  Also created by SIW2.
		didn't exist for B&R
		this allows the B&R program to run from the start menu.  Otherwise you have to navigate using FreeCommander to run the program.
		Found at: http://www.sevenforums.com/chillout-...-software.html
	7. (optional).  Add any portable apps you want on your CD
		parPEcreator7v5/bin/sourcefol/PORTABLES
		I added Notepad2
	8. find and download *32 bit* version of your NIC.
		(I missed this step the first several times I tried)
		Find driver brand Device Manager
		Google to find a download page.  Download the *32 bit* version.  (Yes, I tried the 64 bit version first – didn’t work)
		How was I to know my driver was named k57nd60a.inf or where that is on my machine???  Or that even when I found it, it wouldn’t work because it wasn’t 32 bit.
	9. run Parpecreator7v5 as Admin.  Will ask you to browse to different files on
		browse to windows image
		browse to launcher for DM2010 & B&R free
		add drivers.  Browse to .inf for your NIC driver
		it then creates c:\PARFILES.  Delete this first if you are re-rerunning
		Create ISO? Yes
		created ParPE.iso on C:\
	10. burn ParPE.iso onto CD
		Either by answering “Y” on the last question in above script “Burn to CD now?”, or use other ISO tool
	11. boot from CD (make sure BIOS is set to boot from CD first)
	12. Start Paragon Backup & Recovery (in the third item under Programs, if I remember right)
		Browse for archive – select “map network drive”
	13. This disk has many useful programs on it – most of which I know nothing about.  Explore.
		Hint:  There is an “explorer” credited on the background image.  Don’t navigate to that program and run it.  It will shut down your system.  (Some times curiosity isn’t good for some animals.)

	** errors I receive that told me my first few CDs didn’t work.
		I got the following useless message whenever I ran any program:
			“you can join to other workgroup by using *network options* page in settings”  (stars mine)
			title: Network Identification
			clicking on it makes it go away
			Not sure if it is coming from Paragon B&R – there is no *network options* in settings
			Because this message inferred I could make a change somewhere to attach to the network – I wasted some more time trying to figure *that* out.
		Browse to image in B&R: NO NETWORK and no way to add it. 
			What I didn’t know is that there was no access to the network card
		B&R doesn't run from menu
			It points to wrong program
				sources\PM\program\explauncher.exe
				I didn’t have one.  I only found launcher.exe
				I didn’t see any way to edit this *before* creating the CD, so I had to find a fix

[SIW2]

Thanks for the update.


There is now a new version where you can add either PM or BR , or both - with correct shortcuts, and several other improvements.

BSExplorer is already running as the shell - if you navigate to it on X: drive and try to run it again you might find you exit WinPe.

Any more input would be welcome.

Glad it helped.