Skip to main content

OS Backup question

Thread needs solution

Hi--I have created my .tib backup and my bootable media for my computer. Do I also need to create an OS backup in addition to the above? Due to a malfunction in my computer (possibly software) I may have to clean out the computer and do a complete recovery. Thanks for the help, in advance!!

0 Users found this helpful

If you make a Disk Mode backup of the entire disk, then you can due a restore of the entire disk, inlcuding all partiosn, Track0/mbr and disk signature and the restored drive will be jsut like the original as of the time that the origianl was backed up-- that includes the active partition, windows system fiels, all programs etc--whatever was on the original hdisk.

Thanks Scott--I understand that I do not have to do anything more, since I have already created a full disk backup.

I do recommend storngly that you go through the steps fo doing a resore up to but not including the last Proceed. This will ensure that the bootCD can see all of your drives and backup files. Better to determine this now than when you hard disk is crashed.

Seems that everything is visible from the backup file. What do I need the bootable media file for? that is in another folder on my backup disk. I was originally planning to put the entire disk onto a new computer, but elected not to try that as the copying of the drivers looked quite confusing to me!

You can't resotre windows while windows is running, you have to boot into another OS (or a diff instance of win). Wtih ati you reboot into linux. IF you start the restore form within windows, you invovle the boot manager to reboot into linux. It's simpler and less liekly to presnet boot issues if you just boot form the CD. So, you'll want the bootCD when you want to restore your disk. You won't be able to make it after your harddisk crashes because you won't have access to ati on that hdisk.

PaulK,

One other thing. Make sure your disk and partition backup includes all partitions on the system disk, and the active partition that is sometimes on another disk. To ascertain this, check out Windows disk management. Don't rely on the "backup my system" thingy that ATI offers.

Under W7 and Vista, windows often uses a "reserved" partiton as the active partiton. This funcitons as the bootmanager, a task performed by ntldr in XP. There are ways ti install W7 and Vista so that the boot manager is not in s separte partition but in most instances it is. This partition (usually around a 100mb) needs to be marked as the active/system partition so that the compuyter knows to go to this partiton to boot up an OS. If you don't have this parttion or if you don't have it marked as Active, your hdisk won't boot.