System Image Recovery - Can't find System Image

Anonymous

I am trying to restore a backup system image to my repaired PC. It is wiped clean. I have the "Repair Disc Windows 7 64 Bit" that I created in Windows 7. Using Windows 7 Backup I have a system image backup on an external WD Essentiasl 1TB USB Hard Drive.

I insert the Repair Disc and start the system. Get to System Recoevery Options. I have the external Hard Disk with the system backup image connected. Select System Image Recovery option. Says "Windows cannot find a system image on this computer. Attach the backup hard disk or insert the final DVD from a bckup set and click retry. Alternatively, close this dialog for more options. Retry gives me the same message. Tried starting with drive attached, not attached, same result. Click cancel.

Next option selected is "Select a system image." No system image listed. Hit refresh, still nothing. Top of screen says "Click Advanced to add a network location or install a driver for a backup device if it does not show up in the list below." I click on the Advanced tab. Option to "Search for a system image on the network" or "Install a driver." I select install a driver. Find the right driver for the WD Essential hard drive (disk.sys and partmgr.sys) and when I click on them I get "The specified location does not contain information about your hardware." Click OK. Can't find how to load these drivers I am being asked for.

Funny thing is that on the screen where I search for driver I can see the WD Essential Hard Drive connected to the system. I can also see the system image files but when I click on them I get the same error message, "The specified location does not contain information about your hardware."

Please HELP. This is very frustrating!!!

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

While in Repair Mode, you have an option to open a Command Prompt. From there try the following commands:

Mountvol

(This command will show you all available drives, including your external disk)

dir Q:

(Replace Q: with one drive letter at a time from the letters that the mountvol command showed you, e.g.

dir D:

dir E:

etc.

until you see a folder "WindowsImageBackup" on the screen. Let's assume it is F:\WindowsImageBackup.

dir F:\WindowsImageBackup /s

(This command should show you the contents of the image folder, with files totalling more than 10 GBytes)

Now perhaps this image folder is missing, incomplete or inaccessible.

I have to add that I am disappointed with the native imaging facility under Windows 7. It is temperamental and its functionality is extremely limited. I recently bought myself a copy of Acronis TrueImage 10 and its is to the Windows imaging tool like a fully functional motor cycle is to a child's tricycle. Other brand imaging tools are just as functional - just make sure that they are certified for Windows 7.

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95 additional answers

Anonymous

2018-01-25T01:18:59+00:00

Hi Patricia, You make no mention of changing the boot order in the computer bios. Do you know how to do this? Looking at the disk will not help.

Depends on the manufacturer. At the start of a boot pressing F12 will commonly allow you to set the DVD drive as the first boot device. Alternatively enter the bios to change the boot order there, however the key to press at boot start can be ENTER, F1, F2 or F10 depending on the product you have. Once in the bios you need to find and change the boot order. Check all the tab options and the items list under each. When found, select the first boot item, hit ENTER, select the DVD drive in the list presented and hit ENTER. That will do it.

You do not need to change the boot order back to what it was. As long as there is no boot DVD in the drive a skip will cause a normal boot.
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Anonymous

2018-01-24T18:11:01+00:00

I made a 7 rescue disk before I upgraded to 10, and I also made a 10 later on. My laptop won't boot from either one. I was thinking there's something wrong with them. I've tried booting from cd and I've tried booting from usb; no can do. Maybe there's something I'm leaving out? I can get to the blue screen where it has Troubleshooting and Turn Off My PC. But troubleshooting can't find the 'setup information' on the disk.

Now I'm letting it take information off my removable backup drive. Everything I need is on that drive. If it screws up, it will be very, very bad for me.
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Anonymous

2018-01-24T11:51:51+00:00

@Patricia Marie

I'm pretty sure that a Windows 10 rescure disc from any Windows 10 that has the same edition (Home or Pro) and same bitness (32 or 64) as yours will work. Your laptop is probably 64-bit Home edition so find a friend who has that configuration.

Open Control Panel ==> System and Security ==> Backup & Restore (Windows 7)==> Create a system repair disk.

Don't be concerned with the Windows 7 notation. It will make the correct disc for Windows 10.
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Anonymous

2018-01-23T23:42:29+00:00

I never had a Windows install cd. I bought my laptop already loaded with windows 7 from Toshiba. Then Microsoft offered me the windows 10 download as a preview experiment thing.

Now it looks like I have to wait for my daughter to come back to have her download the software I need. I have a flash drive, I just need her laptop, which is the same as mine, since I bought two.

Waiting! grrrrrrr!
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