usb flash drive not a valid backup location for system image

Hi,

I have the same problem, (the drive is not a valid back-up location) It's not that i don't want to try all of these "solutions" (or not) , spending a whole evening. But why?

It always seems that when something doesn't work properly, microsoft is twisting and turning, to make you believe that you have to try this and that and if it does not work you can also try another solution and another, etc.

This is what i understand, i also  have macrium reflect. Even when you mess everything up, this programm still gives you a working image! on cd, dvd, usb, harddisk or even on a floppy disk!

I don't understand it, do i reallly have to use my old back-up programm, is microsoft really so negligent, do you really care? About YOUR name?

I'm very sorry, i'm saying this while i (still) have a positive attitude about microsoft, and that is becoming rare!

Honestly, i think you have a leading position and maybe then, you also earned it.

Why throw this away?

The internet and the world is full of crappy software, so i know that what MS offers, is not so bad at all!

Everytime i visit microsoft they will ask for feedback, everytime ill give it.

My opinion: Update the software so it works properly, Update it so even an elderly person , who does not know about computers, can use it. 

Simular problem, when i use IE11 the button for going back to previous page doesn't work properly,  i'll have to push it twice.

I already noticed that i'm not the only one having this problem. The solutions given to another poor soul, di'd not work! I also tried them!

So now it seems that they  say, it's because of specifik sites that block this button!

(Trying to blame someone/thing else)

I tried using IE11, i gave it a chance. I know that this problem didn't occur while i was using Google's browser, So it's really your problem!

I'm not looking for response, niether am i looking for all kinds of solutions, i'm just giving microsoft my feedback. Everytime they ask and everytime i visit one of your sites!

(because i'm having troubles with your software!)

Maybe this is not the right place to write this, but it seems that it's never the right place. so it doesn't matter.  I will hope!    ---- a small change wil ripple and change the world! ---

Do with it as you like, throw it in the bin or let it float between callcenters and other nice people who just try to help me, and don't have the power to really do something about it!

have a lovely day,

best regards

Merijn

The solution that worked for VNJNJ also worked for me...after many hours of searching for a solution. I agree with Merijn that Microsoft should have (and probably could have) fixed the problem of "the drive is not a valid back-up location" as soon as they became aware of it. I cannot comprehend why Windows 8 doesn't allow flash drives for backup. It's not like flash drives were just invented. There is no rationale that I can conceive of for this lack of response.

Hi,

Thank you for getting back to us.

Please answer these questions:

**1.**Does the issue occur for a particular USB drive?

**2.**Do you receive any errors regarding the USB drive?

Here’s what you can try:

Method 1: Make sure that the drivers for the USB device is up-to-date and that there is no excessive activity on it.

Method 2: You can refer to this link to learn how to create a System Image in a flash drive:

How to create a system image to refresh your Windows 8 PChttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/2748351/en-us

If you have any further questions regarding Windows operating systems, reach out to us on this forum.

Try this:

• create a directory on your USB drive
• right-click the directory and choose "Share with", "Specific people"
• choose yourself from the list of users and click Share and Done
• in the "Create System Image" menu choose "On a network location"
• now enter the URL for your share (\your-computer\sharename)
• enter your username and password and click OK

Good luck.

/Claus

This is a great workaround for backing up to a flash drive. I used it, but then I could not use it to restore the image. As a matter of fact, even when I copied it to a regular drive on the network I still got error code 0x80070520.

Why everything has to be so complicated? Why not just make the backup to flash work? People who carry laptops, would like to have backup/restore abilities available to them on the road. Flash memory is the most logical solution. Why is it not supported?

While most of what you write is correct, the comments on the exact copy, the RAW, and the copying of empty space are all incorrect.   System Image creation does not copy the empty space.   (If you need proof of that, simply realize that when copying a 128Gb, 256Gb, 320Gb brand new disk-drive system, even with your new S/W installed,  you only have in the neighborhood of 22Gb to 48Gb of actual space consumed on your 320Gb HDD (in a laptop).  If you create a system image on an optical disk (say, a Blue Ray), you can do it on 1 or 2 disks.  (Blue Ray's, hold 25Gb, so that 25Gb in one disk, or 50Gb  in two, for a 320Gb volume. ...)   System Image does NOT copy the blank empty space, if it was copying the blank space, you would need 320Gb of space, and you do not on optical or HDD (non-flash) media.

The arbitrary limit from Microsoft on the usage of "flash" drives is just stupidity in a limit, for no reason.  When Win7 came out (2008), and leading up to that with Release candidates, 1Gb,2Gb, and 4Gb drives were the typical sizes.   Now 128Gbyte flash sticks are common and cheap enough, and laptops are now common without optical drives, and people are still using Win 7 (or grudgingly 8.1).

When Windows 8.1 came out, the fact that Microsoft didn't fix this issue is unforgivable.  Just arrogant, lazy, and stupid as a company, focusing on unimportant things.   (Or perhaps trying to fix the disaster that even Win8.1 is in terms of the Metro GUI- junk, and UGLY.   That they didn't fix Win7 with an update on the trivial stupid limit removal is also unforgivable.  Just typical lazy-**** Microsoft.

You would think that basic built-in image backup is something that Microsoft would make work, especially given how often Microsoft Update fouls up in some catastrophic manner and renders a system completely non-bootable.  (Add to that how often boot-failures can happen because of 3rd party drivers, and Microsoft should understand how critical System Image creation is.)   And how image creation on a flash drive is a basic no-brainer. 

But clearly, the company is just broken.

$100 says it is still as crappy in Windows 10 as it was in 7 and 8.1.

Tried and this is response from command prompt :-

The recovery image cannot be written

Error code 0x8007010b