System-Backup

Karl-Heinz wrote:

Is it possible to back up the system partition (C) in such a way that individual files can be restored and the system can be restored in a bootable manner. So far I have only found the way via a recovery disc, but the entire partition is always restored and all data on D or other HDs then have to be played back from further backups. Data that can be backed up (e.g. license key) is also on C.

Simply put: What do I have to do to repair a system crash?

Recovery of the Windows system partition C: is best done from rescue media and as a Disks & Partitions recovery.

If you have a working Windows system, then you could try restoring individual files by exploring the backup archive in Explorer and using Copy & Paste controls, but this will only succeed if the target file(s) being replaced are not in use or locked by the OS.

You cannot recover individual files and folders to a non working Windows OS partition and expect this to work due to the additional dependencies that are likely to be in place in the System Registry etc.

The approach that I try to use for my own PC's is to keep only Windows OS and installed programs / applications on my C: drive / partition.  I store all my user data and other files such as music, documents etc on a different drive or partitions.  By doing this, I can recover only the OS drive / partition without having to recover the user data drive / partition, and can have separate schedules for backing up the data according to how often it changes.

Steve:

I have previously used your recommended strategy (segregating system and data files) on older Windows systems, but posts I've come across on this forum and elsewhere suggest that this approach may lead to complication in Windows 10 especially with a GPT-partitioned drive.  I have a very rudimentary understanding of the issues, and based on reading through various posts I have the impression that imaging/recovery of Win 10 installations must comprise not only the C: partition but also 2-3 additional system partitions (EFI, MSR, etc.), and that complications may arise if additional user-created partitions are placed on the same physical drive as the OS.

If what I've described above makes any sense, I would appreciate some reassurance that it is in fact no problem to split the OS partition (C:) to make space for a user data partition (e.g., D:), if one intends to image the OS and data separately.  

J K, any Windows disk backup does need to include the hidden / system partitions if it is to be recoverable, so the EFI System partition on UEFI systems is vital to be included, which it will be by default, along with the Windows Recovery partition.  The MSR partition is important on Legacy systems and may be present as an empty partition otherwise.

Steve,

Thank you for your response.  I was under the (perhaps mistaken) impression that backup and restore of Windows 10 system partitions had to be done at the disk level (not by individual partitions).  For example, Pat L wrote "make sure you select the box at the disk level" in another thread. I believe that I read other posts with similar opinions yesterday, but I cannot find them right now.

So my question is simple:  If I create a D: partition with my user data on the same physical drive as the Windows 10 OS (by shrinking the C: partition), can I use ATI to create partition-level images of the system partitions in such a manner that these can be restored in the future to create a fully functional, bootable disk (e.g., if my harddrive dies and needs to be replaced, or if my Windows installation becomes corrupted)?  I will use a different backup solution for my data on the D: partition, which does not involve using ATI, so want to exclude the D: partition from my ATI images.

J K, yes, you can create Disk type backup with only selected partitions included (for purposes of separation of user data from OS & applications).

You can also make multiple different backups of the same disk & partitions assuming that you have sufficient storage to hold these, so that you could have one backup with the whole disk captured (including all partitions) and another backup with selected key partitions, to give the greatest flexibility of options if a recovery is needed.

Currently, ATI finds two partitions on my HDD: "EFI System Partition" (FAT32) and "Windows (C:)" (NTFS).  There is no MSR, Track 0, or Recovery partition shown.  Once I create my data partition (D:) on this disk, I assume it will show up as the third partition. So if I create an image by selecting only the "EFI System Partition"  and "Windows (C:)" partition (omitting D:), will I then be able to restore these to the current harddrive (in case the OS becomes corrupted) or to a new harddrive (in case the current harddrive fails or requires upgrading) in my laptop? 

Do I need anything else to recover my OS, other than an external bootable copy of ATI?  I think this was also the gist of OP's question (and if not, I apologize for high-jacking Karl-Heinz's thread).

So if I create an image by selecting only the "EFI System Partition"  and "Windows (C:)" partition (omitting D:), will I then be able to restore these to the current harddrive (in case the OS becomes corrupted) or to a new harddrive (in case the current harddrive fails or requires upgrading) in my laptop? 

Yes, that is fine.  The EFI partition contains the BCD data for launching the OS, and the C: the OS and applications etc.  So to recover this you need to boot from the Acronis rescue media in UEFI boot mode.

See KB 65508: Acronis True Image 2021: how to create bootable media and KB 59877: Acronis True Image: how to distinguish between UEFI and Legacy BIOS boot modes of Acronis Bootable Media

KB 65539: Acronis True Image 2021: How to restore your computer with WinPE-based or WinRE-based media