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

kengr,

Excellent review and summary.  Thanks for post and detailed info...

What's amusing is so many of us have put a significant effort into getting a System Image Backup; yet,  I wonder how many, if any, has actually used a "System Image Backup" to recover the source drive or restore image to another drive.  After all, isn't that why we're trying to create this image?  So we can restore to another drive or more risky, restore to the source ( original ) drive if needed.

Assuming you took a System Image Backup immediately before replacing your 600GB drive, you should have been able to do use that image to restore ( clone ) 750GB drive.

1. create system image backup, save to 1.5GB internal - which was working before drive swap
2. create recovery drive - on usb stick
3. replace 600GB with 750GB drive
4. boot off of usb recovery drive
5. use system image backup that was saved to 1.5GB internal drive
6. restore image to newly installed 750GB drive

We're having problems getting System Image Backup to work flawlessly 100%.

Problem is I not sure anyone has used the System Image Backup to restore to a new or worst ( source drive ) and confirm it works 100% of time.

I've got a couple of new desktops that are basically same.   When I get time ( unbox & configure ), I'll try following:

On 1st System:

1. Using Win 8.1 DVD
2. Install OS on 1st system
3. Create a recovery drive - save on USB stick
4. Create System Image Backup - save to external USB drive

On 2nd System:

5. Boot using Win 8.1 DVD

6. Using System Image that was saved to external USB drive
7. Try to write System Image to new disk which will be boot disk in this system

8. Confirm can boot, all info is same as was seen on system 1

Summary:

I had the same error after moving to a larger system hard drive.  I was able to get the problem to go away and to back up successfully after deleting the backup destination partition (which contained previous backups), reformatting that partition, changing the drive label, and changing the drive letter.  Once I did that on the destination drive, the backups worked again.

Detail:

I had a 600GB primary drive, with two 300GB partitions.  The system was set up to dual-boot between Vista Business (on the first partition) and Windows 8.1 Pro on the second partition.  Both OSs are 32-bit.  A second internal drive, containing the system image backups, was a 1.5TB drive. 

Using the Acronis cloning utility provide by Western Digital, I moved the primary drive contents from the 600GB drive to a new 750GB drive.  The new partitions were proportionally larger, and the dual boot still worked.  No changes were made to the 1.5TB drive containing existing backups.

I attempted a backup and got the error reported in this thread.  I performed a chkdsk /r on each of the three partitions (the two new ones on the 750GB drive and the old one on the 1.5TB drive).  No errors were reported on any of the drives.  But the same backup error persisted.  I then ran the Western Digital long diagnostic on both physical drives, and those tests passed.  But the same backup error still persisted.

Then I used Disk Manager to delete the partition on the 1.5TB (backup) drive, reformatted it, changed the drive label to something other than its previous name, and changed the drive letter to something different from its previously-assigned drive letter.  I attempted another backup and it worked perfectly without any errors.

I'm not sure which change did the trick (new partition, new format, label change, or drive letter change), but it worked in this case.

FYI Only,

I reported observing following earlier after reinstalling Win 8.1:

Start Screen Missing Power Button

!!! I know registry can be modified to fix this

!!! However, I wonder what else is misconfigured !!!

After performing several Windows Updates,  one of the updates was Windows 8.1 Update 1.  After Windows Update 1 was installed the power button on the start screen and many other features were restored.

UPSPILOT,

How can I reach you outside this thread.  I tried to find a way to send you a message via this forum, but was unsuccessful.

I've not used system as I'm paranoid and apprehensive about drive failing again and not have guaranteed method of recovery.

I'll start another thread asking what are some of the proven ways to backup and restore win 8.1 laptop.

Again focus is on actual success stories and methods that have been performed, not theories or suggestions that "should work ", but haven't

Examples:

System Image Backup & Recovery

Unix dd command to create image then restore

Unix ddrescue

Clonezilla

Redo Backup and Recovery

Acronis...?

I'm going to try and see if there are any hardware devices where one can plug in source and destination that will clone:

SSDs

mSATA to mSATA

mSATA to    SATA

SATA to mSATA

mSATA or SATA  (SSDs) to HDD

HDD to MSATA or SATA

With 512GB SSD installed.running 8.1

1. System Backup Image passed
2. There were six partitions on drive
3. Did several windows updates
4. Windows Defender ran several times
5. System Image Backup stop working
6. 512GB SSD died

With 1TB SSD replacement.

1. Used recovery drive to restore
2. Couldn't boot
3. Dell sent recovery image on USB
4. System booted with partitions created in #1
5. System image Backup still fails
6. Reformatted drive removed all partitions
7. Reinstalled OS Win 8.1
8. Only two partitions not six
9. System Image Backup works 100% all time.

Start Screen Missing Power Button

!!! I know registry can be modified to fix this

!!! However, I wonder what else is misconfigured !!!

Problem is we all want to get a good system image backup in case we later need to do a restore.  Based off my previous experiences even if I had a good system image backup, system restore never ( in my cases ) ever worked.

I was hoping Win 8.1 would be better; however, it seems it's basically same and possibly worst because although I had abandon using Microsoft system image backups and recovery long time ago, at least system image backs never failed then.

I'm curious how many people on this thread who got system image backups working again have successfully confirmed restores using those same images " always " work.

My point is what good is a backup if can't restore from it 100% of time.  Because if restores have any issues whatsoever,  then one never really knows was it issue with contents in backup or with restore.

This whole exercise of trying to get backup images to be taken successfully has eroded all confidence I have in Microsoft's System Image Backup, restores & windows defender.

I still like Win 8.1, I will just find something else to perform reliable clones of mSATA SSD.

The retailer did their job, sold me system.

Dell did their job, built an exceptional system.

Microsoft software is issue here...

Yet Microsoft is ostensibly absent.

So many systems from various manufacturers are afflicted with this issue.  Everything else works in OS satisfactory, except this issue which doesn't have clear workaround nor fix that's guarantee to work 100% of time for all issues.

As one person on thread already expressed, reformatting drive and reinstalling OS isn't a backup plan.  We're not trying to backup our personal data, which is fairly simple, we're trying to backup our environment ( system configurations, user interfaces, programs and apps, etc... )

It's truly been a pleasure working with everyone.  Appreciate all the good feedback and participation and I apologize for going astray couple of times.

Best of luck in getting system image backup to work, but an even greater task awaits afterwards; namely, do you feel confident enough to confirm a restore to the same system drive or less risky, replace your system drive with a new drive and then perform restore?  If not, then why pursue getting System Image Backup to work, other than challenge or intellectual curiosity, if you don't have confidence to use image and validate it's good via restoring?

Can you clarify that you were able to do a Systems Image using the same drive later and it failed? You can start  new thread and just include a link here so your history isn't lost but you have your own thread to do what you want