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Windows 8 - backing up and restoring a single partition to a new installation

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I've had some problems with a Seagate hard disk therefore I wasn't able to use True Image to make an image or clone of it to other media because True Image simply froze or claimed that it would take days to make the image or clone.

I decided to try to fix the hard disk using SeaTools for DOS. It went through a long scan and eventually gave me the option to fix the reported bad sectors. I chose to do this. After rebooting from the hard disk Windows 8 would no longer load. Instead I saw MBR 1 and MBR 2 errors.

I tried booting from a Windows 8 x64 DVD and repairing the MBR using various commands I found online but ultimately to no avail. I still get the same messages. I have now decided to make an image of the main Windows 8 partition (113Gb used) using a True Image boot CD, onto an external USB HDD, and that process has just completed. I have also made an image of the Windows 8 boot partition (238Mb used) into a seperate .tib.

Given I am getting MBR errors I am considering installing a fresh copy of Windows 8 to a new HDD and then trying to restore the first partition I have backed up over the partition that will have been created during the fresh Windows 8 installation. By doing this I am hoping that I will be able to boot my old Windows 8 installation again. Will this work?

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I'm pleased to report that what I hoped would work DID work (or it appears to have so far!). :)

I managed to install a fresh copy of Windows 8 to a new HDD and then once the Windows 8 installation arrived at the part where I was asked to begin configuring it I removed the Windows 8 DVD, rebooted and placed a True Image boot CD into the optical drive. I then used True Image to copy the main Windows 8 partition from the old Windows 8 installation, which I had backed up to an external USB HDD, over the newly created main Windows 8 partition. Once that had completed I removed the True Image boot CD and rebooted again. The old Windows 8 installation seems to be working fine because it booted up and I logged in without any problems. I intend to monitor it but hopefully all will be well.