Can you restore a disk image to a new hard drive?

This thread has wandered a bit from its original subject: "Can you restore a disk image to a NEW HARD DRIVE?". It's become "...to a NEW COMPUTER". I'm testing my new copy of TI to prepare for a future disaster and have come across an issue just restoring to a new hard drive. I backed up to CDROM with Full Image and the 4gb drive with about 2.8gb of data fit on 2.5 CDROMs. Then I put in a new 80gb hard drive, deleted the partitions with Partition Magic (so it would appear to be like a brand new drive) and then booted from the TI emergency boot CD that I made earlier. The program started and I went to restore from the CDROM. TI only showed me the floppy as A: and the CDROM as C: in the computer.

After a bit of cursing, I finally figured out you need to put in the LAST CD of the set for TI to see the backup file. As I proceeded, it asked if I wanted to resize the destination partition to which I said NO. It appears that TI would restore my data to a new 80gb hard drive in a 4GB PARTITION if I did not elect to resize! When I went back to resize to 80gb, it ran for a long time, evidently locking up while configuring the new partition size. Shouldn't an image be able to resize its destination more quickly? Tools like Ghost and PartitionMagic can to it in seconds. Oddly enough, the same procedure using a hard drive instead of CDROM didn't even give the option to do the resize

 

I've also had some problems just trying to do a test restore from an original HD to a second absolutely identical HD bought for the purpose (in an OEM XP Home machine with SATA drives).

Basically all attempts so far at restoring an image of the original Disk 1 system partition to a primary active partition on Disk 2 and then disconnecting the old Disk 1 and booting from the new Disk 2 have brought me through the XP loading screen to the blue (classic) XP logo screen but with no user accounts to click on (although an operational mouse pointer).

I have in fact managed to do a clone from old HD to new HD, reversed the drive cables and booted from the new clone satisfactorily. However, this doesn't really meet my original objective of simulating a complete failure of (old) Disk 1, namely -
restoring the system onto Disk 2 from image files stored on a second "Data backup" partition of Disk 2 (having left a sufficiently large but normally unused "system partition" on Disk 2 ready and waiting).

I'm wondering whether this has anything to do with MBRs etc (since I notice the clone tool does this as a separate operation) - in my ignorance I assumed that to image the system partition would include absolutely everything required - at least in the special circumstances described above.

I've read with interest the knowledgeable and helpful comments by rbmorse in December and I'm hoping for more glimmers of light from any direction as I think my circumstances exactly match the thread title.

With thanks to all for reading this.

 

Hello daddave,

I'm afraid that, unless you create an image of the whole of your main system disk (all partitions) by ticking the top checkbox next to the disk number, the MBR will not be included in the image. The same needs to be done when you subsequently restore to a new, unpartitioned/unformatted, replacement drive.

With the new disk connected as the boot drive, the easiest thing now is to either boot into the Windows Recovery Console via a Windows XP Installation CD and issue the command fixmbr or download and run the special Acronis mbrautowrite file (self extracting zipped floppy version or CD ISO image) as detailed in the <Acronis Support Thread>.

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,

Thanks very much for for your reply

I'm wondering whether (to avoid having to copy all partitions) it would be feasible to use something like Acronis Disk Director to copy the MBR across from Disk 1? (Or if I did that, would it refuse to boot because I haven't copied every partition?)

Failing that, I'll certainly try out your suggestion about the mbrautowrite (I'm suffering from "only having OEM recovery disk" problems) - at least, I will do once I've upgraded my CD burning software to cope with ISO images!

Regards
DD

 

Hi again DD,

The partitions aren't the problem. It's the fact that a partial disk image doesn't include an MBR. This usually isn't a problem if restoring the partial disk image to the original source drive. On the otherhand, restore that image to a brand new, unpartitioned/unformatted drive and it will refuse to boot.

HOWEVER, having just reread your original post, the fact that you have managed to boot as far as the Windows Logo indicates to me that a lack of any MBR is not the problem. I'm more inclined to think that you have run into the dreaded Win2K/XP retained disk ID problem. Have a read of this <Dan Goodell article> and then, with drive 2 connected as the main system drive, carry out Method #3 (Kawecki's Trick) in order to get Windows to reassign the correct Disk ID. If you don't have access to a Windows 98 startup floppy, send me your e-mail address via a Private Message (PM) and I will forward an ISO image suitable for burning to CD. To send me a PM just click my User Name at the top of any of my posts and select "Send a private message to Menorcaman.

Regards

 

Thanks for your help Mencorman

I'm working on your suggestions - the "Win2K/XP retained disk ID problem" sounds pretty likely from all you say, and the article was very helpful.

Fingers crossed!

Regards
DD

 

Hi again DD,

Did you receive my reply to your PM, including its attachment (hotmail can be a bit picky as to the size of attachments)?

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,

Yes I did, thanks very much!

Attempted to reply via Hotmail, but reply disappeared (unsure now whether it really did get sent) - as forgot to ask it to save message!

Waiting for Nero to send me a serial number, then can try it out! Never expected it was going to be this complicated!

Best regards

 

Reply from Acronis also follows for information....
************
Hello David,

Thank you for using Acronis Products.
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/

There are several ways to transfer the operating system from the original hard
disk to a new one:

1)You use Acronis True Image 9.0 to clone the whole original disk to a new one.
2)You use Acronis True Image 9.0 to create fool entire image of the original
hard drive and then to recover it to a new one.
3)You use Acronis Disk Director 10.0 to copy the system partition of the
original hard drive and then use "copy MBR" option to copy MBR to a new Hard
Drive.

If a you experience difficulties with fixing the MBR with a Windows XP
Installation CD you can create a floppy with the EXE file:

http://www.acronis.com/files/support/mbrautowrite_en.exe

or a CD with the ISO image:

http://www.acronis.com/files/support/mbrautowrite_en.iso

The MBR will be rewritten once the user boots the computer from the created
media and confirms that he/she wants to fix the MBR.

If you have any questions concerning our software, please feel free to contact
us.

Thank you.

--
Best regards,
Vladimir Zakharov
************************
So far, as well as still working on the helpful suggestions made by Menorcaman, I have dabbled with the above -
1) This seems to work fine, but not quite what I had in mind for my backup strategy
2)I think this sort of worked, but I got myself in a few problems rebooting with both drives connected back again and the boot problem reappeared with Disk 2 - no doubt related to previous advice from Menorcaman which hasn't quite sunk in yet, and probably this wasn't what Acronis support originally envisaged I was trying to do, plus I havent yet been able to try the mbrautowrite or win98 mbrfix until my iso burning software is sorted out!
3) I tried this but don't think it quite worked, but then I've been going round in so many circles, it's hard to remember exactly what the problem was!
Mental note - write it all down religiously in future!

Anyway, now waiting to try the mbrfixes!
Thanks for all advice!
Regards
DD

 

Hi DD,

If, as we suspect, it is a retained DiskID problem then none of the standard Windows XP MBR fixes will work because they do not overwrite the extra 4 bytes needed to clear out the DiskID. Hence the need to use a Windows 98 startup disk and carry out a fdisk /mbr on the new master drive. It's fortunate for us that Kawecki discovered the old fdisk /mbr command does indeed overwrite the extra bytes in the MBR .

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,

Weyhey! Definitely on the right track here (thanks to you, Dan Goodell and Kawecki et al)!

Win98 fdisk/mbr did the trick all right to get past the hanging logo screen - and for good measure I followed up by clearing out the Mounted Devices registry databases as suggested in trick #2 by DG - not quite sure if really necessary). Had to reboot each drive separately a couple of times due to outpost firewall and windows itself (will come back with details soon hopefully, if I don't screw up!)

I have yet to hook both drives up together, so here goes!

Thanks again (and also to Acronis support for their information - all adds to the picture!)

Regards
DD

 

Hi DD,

Received your email - thanks very much. Hopefully you now have enough info to hand to sort out the last few remaining wrinkles.

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,

Yes indeed - I can report success, and you were dead right!

The "dreaded Win2K/XP retained disk ID problem" was spot on as was the article you pointed me to - all hail Dan Goodell and Kawecki

The MBR transfer itself does not appear to be the main problem - restoring the system image of Disk1 to the C_Drive of the companion drive Disk 2 is not a problem provided the Disk ID issue is understood and sorted out - clearing out the Mounted Devices from the registry works very well on its own, as did your Win98 fdisk/MBR when I couldn't boot from Disk 2 through not having addressed this issue! Both methods' success in isolation prove the point conclusively, I feel.

The methods suggested by Acronis will I imagine work fine if you are transferring to a drive which never sees the original Disk again (as they no doubt envisaged) but for swapping around restoring system partitions etc and booting one and then the other with both connected, the Disk ID issue appears to reign supreme as the crucial element for success. Clearing out the Mounted devices in these circumstances or applying the Kawecki Win98 "#3 card trick" leads (I think) to windows finding new hardware (and a temporary glitch with outpost firewall - which thankfully rights itself on reboot without needing to install/u etc as suggested by an outpost warning dialogue).

I "think" I've got it sussed now with all your help - many thanks again

Regards
DD

 

Excellent news DD . Glad I was able to help.

Happy TI imaging from now on and (hopefully!) not too many occasions that require restoring .

Regards