Windows 8.1: System Image Backup of C: drive fails, Error 0x8078012D and 0x8007045D

Good Morning,

Just woke up.  Us senior citizens still need our beauty rests :-)

Answers to your questions on System Image Disks:

System Image Disk (as I have used the term in my posts) is synonymous with "System Image 

Backup"  the option on the File History page that is accessed via 

Control Panel-System and Security.  

System Image Backup is the option you would select to create a System Image Disk.  I just use 

the term "Disk" because of old habits from past Windows versions although it is somewhat still 

currently valid.

When creating a System Image Backup in Windows 8.1 you will have 3 destination options.  An 

external drive (including USB drives), CDs/DVDs, or a network location.  The first 2 being disks 

and the 3rd being folders.

The end result after restoring your system from a System Image Backup should contain all 

partitions that were present at the time the backup was created but I am not 100% sure of this. 

Some of the recovery partitions may change slightly.   However, when viewing your System 

Image Backup files on the disk or network location, it will not even closely resemble the file/folder structure view of your hard drive.  It will look more like a program installation application file 

structure.

To restore your machine using your System Image Backup/Disk; you would do it through the 

Windows RE Options Menu I discussed previously.  From this menu you would select 

"Troubleshoot" then Advanced Options"  The Advanced Options menu will have the "System 

Image Recovery" option which will take you through a menu driven process of restoration.

Your statement regarding when you would use external media is correct except for the case of a disabled drive.  Nothing short of replacing the drive will cure a physically bad drive. 

The partitions you described that are currently on your system appear typical.  I don't see 

anything unusual.

Here's the part you will not want to hear.  Considering all of your most recent posts, I'd say you 

have a defective SSD.  If you were not returning the PC, I would attempt to restore it a few times just to see what happens but would fully expect to have to replace the hard drive in the end.  It may come back for awhile as I've seen before because bad hard drives can be very intermittent.   The symptoms are very elusive and insidious.  They can work fine for months passing all known 

tests with flying colors.

Another member of this forum mentioned a laundry list of diagnostic tests that should reveal a 

bad drive but this is not always the case.  Troubleshooting any sort of problem on a bad hard 

drive is unpredictable at best.   

Hope this helps!

UPSPilot,

Thanks...

Concur that this drive is dead.  Reset only gets to 2% now.

I'll contact Dell and see how long it'll take to send out replacement.

I may just buy drive and use system to experiment with at this time then return it...

Spent so much time, learned a lot on one hand, but should never have to go through this with new system.  Curse of curiosity...

All in all, it's been good...

Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions...

Have good weekend...

Hello -

I've responded to the problem creating a System Image several times before and had indicated that I no longer had the problem in my posts.  However, as of a couple of days ago the problem reappeared. 

I stumbled across a solution for my PC which will likely work with a SSD as well.

Ironically I found information left by Saltgrass on July 4, 2013 under "Windows 8 Help and Support".

I've used a slightly different approach, other than what Saltgrass has indicated, but the end result is the same.  I was able to do a System Image Backup using the Control Panel-File History route as well as using the "webadmin startbackup ..." command that I discussed previously.

As Saltgrass points out there is a Hidden System Directory labelled System Volume Information which contains a hidden directory labelled WindowsImageBackup.  Deleting the WindowsImageBackup directory is all it took to get my system to perform a System Image Backup.

Here are the steps I took to remove this directory -

• Hold down the Windows Logo Key and X to obtain a selectable menu
• Select Command Prompt (Admin)
• Type "cd"   to get to C: drive which is generally the drive containing System Volume Information
• Type "dir /a" to display the directories.  System Volume Information should be visible.
• Type "cd System Volume Information" to change to the System Volume Directory.
• Type "dir /a" to make sure the directory WindowsImageBackup is present
• Type "rmdir WindowsImageBackup /s" to remove the directory
• That's It!  Now going to Control Panel, selecting File History, and System Image Backup worked, at least for me.

JVDEV,

Once you deleted the WindowsImageBackup directory, then created a new system image backup, did the system volume information directory contain a new directory named WindowsImageBackup?

How do you create post without using reply as you did above?

JVDEV,

Once you deleted the WindowsImageBackup directory, then created a new system image backup, did the system volume information directory contain a new directory named WindowsImageBackup?

How do you create post without using reply as you did above?

Yes - A new WindowsImageBackup directory is created under the System Volume Information Directory.

I'm not sure how to create a post without replying, other than to start a new question.  In this case I responded directly to the 1st post from feline1.