usb flash drive not a valid backup location for system image

Anonymous
2013-08-14T13:07:06+00:00

OK, Microsoft continuing to confuse me and others it would seem.

Tried to make system image to USB flash drive in Windows 8 and Yes it would not work. It States " the drive is not a valid backup location ".

Yes its formatted to NTFS. and I have read various sites where it gives instructions how and ive read sites and Microsoft who seem to have conflicting statements.

Please can someone HELP all I want to do is go to windows 7 file recovery in windows 8 - press make system image - select usb drive and sit back.

Windows for home | Other | Recovery and backup

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-07-15T22:04:38+00:00

    Hi Manasa--I tried the refresh image to create image on a USB drive it didn't work the message I received said system cannot find the file specified.

    Thanks for trying to help I will buy an external drive and create it on DVD'S.

    Thanks again,

    Dave.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-07-06T19:18:39+00:00

    I think ck1968 posted on january 26, 2014 had the right answer but I tired of trying to get the USB drive to share correctly. I went for a software solution called Macrium Reflect (free). You can download it here:

    http://download.cnet.com/Macrium-Reflect-Free/3000-2242\_4-10845728.html 

    or here:

    http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

    It worked like a charm and saved a 39.86 GB image copy (included 9MB dell backup utility, 5.11GB recovery partition and 34.74 GB image copy of hard drive) onto a 32GB sandisk cruzer glide (compression) leaving approx. 9 GB free on the cruzer glide.

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-04-27T12:37:32+00:00

    Reply to MarkChudleigh 

    Mark,

    Why is there no oversight of this Microsoft forum by a Microsoft official?

    My thought exactly!  When is Microsoft going to give us a definitive answer to this issue!  USB is rapidly placing the need for DVD drives on PCs (already has on laptops) so why is this function not being designed to keep up with that?

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