@Brian K: this was my answer not to you but for Bill Bright: this morning I was in a hurry so I forgot to quote him.
I believed that the tech setted EFI. All my AOMEI images are System Image. The partition 481 MB and 500 MB NT that you see in my screenshot depends, I believe, by an AOMEI system image that I did and then restored at the end of August. I can't delete them, because if I do it I can't boot my system. Synthesizing: - 1 August: the tech give to me my formatted and reinstalled SSD: three partitions: one primary and two logical. - all system images done subsequently if restored work, but one produced the new 481 MB and 500 MB NT ( ? ). - I would want, as said, to restore an AOMEI system partition done on July, before the SSD formatting.
Hey Brian, but I have to step in. With AOMEI you have to do a SYSTEM image if you want a bootable system. My Win 7 systems have just one partition, they don't have the 100mb system partition. If I take a DISK image and tell it c: drive, and then the drive is wiped and a restore done, I won't get a bootable system. But if I take a SYSTEM image and do the same thing I do. I've tested that with AOEMI. Confusion comes is how the imaging company define things. When I first tested Veeam, I assumed(my bad) it was the same. I specified a System image, and it balked and said invalild. Finally figured out I had to use a Volume image. Veeam defines a System image as every disk on the system so I couldn't do that and specify an internal target drive. Every imager is different.
Hmm ... and I just changed my multi-partition Win 10 AOMEI System Backup to Disk Backup based on a comment by Brian (not sure if it was this or another thread). Never tried a restore. So now I am confused . Are you sure a restore of a disk backup would be unbootable?
Yep, I tried it. Paul do this. Make a "disk" image, and then a "system" image. Then try the restores, disk first, then system.
From the AOEMI Help page, https://www.backup-utility.com/help/disk-backup.html: "Disk backup will back up all your files on the disk into a compressed image file, including all partitions or volumes on this disk, as well as system files. That means if you back up a system disk, after restoring it, the restored disk can also be booted directly. Yet, disk backup is different from system backup; system backup only backup items related to system, such as boot files and system files."
Pete, The technician who couldn't fix the former OS mentioned EFI. So there is an unlikely possibility the former system could have been UEFI. Blacknight should be able to tell by examining the image taken of the former system. In a UEFI system an AOMEI System image doesn't backup all partitions. The Microsoft Reserved partition and the Recovery Environment partition aren't backed up. A restore to a new empty HD "works" and although Windows loads, the situation isn't acceptable as two partitions are missing. You no longer have a Recovery Environment. https://www.wilderssecurity.com/thr...rtition-assistant.361543/page-14#post-2701798
Pete, I'm confused. If you select Disk Image and then select C: drive you are no longer creating a Disk image. It's a partition backup. I just created an AOMEI Disk image of a Win7 (single partition on HD0) MBR system, wiped HD0 and restored the image. Win7 booted and loaded to the desktop. No issues.
Well that confuses me likewise. Maybe that is why my primary imager is Macrium and my secondary is IFW. Fact of that matter I've stopped using AOEMI, and this part of the reason.. Pete
The drive/disk/partition/volume backup and recovery confusion reigns supreme under almost any brand name. Macrium Reflect also allows for selecting only individual partitions under its option to "Image selected disks on this computer." Until recently, its option to "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore Windows" also excluded the WinRE partition until, like you, I pointed out that several of Windows current "built-in" system menu features rely on its presence.
I'm very keen on Entire Drive backups in UEFI systems. Every partition on HD0 as well as the First Track. Some time ago I tested every imaging app I could get my hands on. I restored the backup to a new empty HD. Only a few imaging apps failed the test. Failed... AOMEI Backupper Pro 2.2 (more recent versions work) Drive Snapshot 1.43.0.17607 (more recent versions work) Keriver Image 521 AX64 RealCopy Workstation Passed... Image for Windows Image for DOS Image for Linux Acronis True Image 2015 Macrium Reflect 6 EaseUS Todo 8 Workstation & Free Paragon Backup and Restore 14 Free O&O DiskImage 9 Pro Symantec SSR 2013 R2 Windows Imaging Active@ Disk Image ShadowProtect 5 Lazesoft Recovery Suite Drive Snapshot 1.43.0.17634 Ghost Solution Suite 3.0 AOMEI Backupper Standard 2.5 DAYU Disk Master Free 2.8 Drive Cloner Rx 5.1 Drive Cloner Rx 6.0 Retrospect for Windows 10.0.0.123 Clonezilla 2.4.2-10 and clonezilla-live-20150608-vivid-amd64 Farstone One Pro 1.3 Veeam Endpoint Backup Free 1001954
All recent (and not-so-recent) computers are "UEFI systems". More precisely, the problems arise in GPT disks. And in these disks, the "last track" is also important, since it contains a copy of the partition table.
Robin, true. If you delete the "last track" (Secondary GPT) and restart, the secondary GPT will again be present.
blacknight, Open AOMEI, Utilities, Explore Image, Path, browse to your image, select the image, Open, select the Backup Point, Next. Stop now. Can you post a screenshot of the Explore Image window?
blacknight, Thanks. That image is from a Legacy/MBR system too. There is no EFI partition. So you are OK to restore that image, if that is still your plan.
Brian K, thanks so much for your kind and very useful help ! Only a last question: since, as you saw, my SSD now has too much partition, and I' m not able to reduce and merge it with Acronis, what if I format my SSD: then can I safely restore that image, without boot problem ?
blacknight, Good idea. Delete all partitions on the SSD (after you backup your data and create a Disk Image in case of error). You don't need to format any partition. So, after deleting all partitions you will have a blank SSD. Restore your System Image to the blank SSD.
That's correct. 100% unallocated Free Space. No partitions at all. When you restore the image, AOMEI will automatically recreate the partitions.
What do you mean by "formatted the SSD"? It's a terminology issue. You format a partition, not a drive. This puts a File System on the partition.
With an HD, to do a clean installation, for example, i formatted all the drive. Can I do the same with a SSD and then restore an image ? And using what ? An uuual program as Acronis Disk ( I have an old version, I don't now if it works wityh SSD ). Thank you !
