I cannot restore any system image which was created in Windows 10 v1709 using Backup and Restore.

I've been following this discussion with interest as I'm trying to decide what is a good strategy to try and mitigate the effects of a potential primary HDD failure. My HDD is > 5-years old, a 500-Gb Seagate Barracuda and to date three other Seagate's have failed. I have also been through the grief of having BSODs and having to have Win 10 repaired, which got my files back but then had to spend weeks recovering/getting it back to the way it was ("it" is a desktop PC with Asus MB, Intel i5 Win 10 Pro upgrade from Win 7 Pro 64-bit which was a clean OEM install in 2012). It also contains a lot of work going back many years.

I'm not in any way computer literate (C++ coder), but have so far been totally confused by cloning, mirrors, images etc. I do a file history type backup onto a NAS device routinely (that had two of the failed Seagate's until changed to WD Red).

My gut instinct was to go for a system image and recovery medium on a USB stick. But, there seem to be as many opinions on exactly how to do it as the number of Google searches done to date.

I have installed a second HDD (Western Digital Gold Enterprise SATA 1-Tb which is ready to go.

I have looked at Acronis TI Western Digital edition, but despite all the flack directed at MS, I thought by now, they should know how to safeguard their own operating system etc.

I always wondered why I was being directed to Win 7 for SIB and having seen "deprecated", "not supported", the doubts crept in.

However, having seen fg2001's items, I am more encouraged to use the Win 10 SIB.

From settings info on my PC

System type 64-bit OS, x64 processor

Edition Win 10 Pro

Version 1709

OS build 16299.309

I would be grateful for any advice on how to go, general strategy, third party methods. Re-boots scare me, but I just about know how to go through the BIOS settings, so the less stressful the better.

Thanks

The following is the complete procedure. If you really know what you are doing, you will realise you can miss out some of the steps.

1. Disconnect the machine from the network.
2. Install Windows10 from the media. Select 'I don't have a product key'. Select 'Custom: Install Windows Only'. This will create all the partitions (C: EFI Recovery) and give you a Windows 10 machine to work on.
3. Login in.
4. Create the folder C:\MountedVHDX
5. Create the folder C:\WindowsImage and copy the folder matching your machine from your backups WindowsImage folder.
6. Attach an external disk with at least as much free space as your SIB. *I assume that the external disk is E:*
7. Create the folder E:\CapturedWIM
8. Launch powershell and execute...

Mount-WindowsImage -ImagePath fullpathofvhdxindoublequotes -Path c:\MountedVHDX -Index 1

New-WindowsImage -CapturePath C:\MountedVHDX -Name Win10Backup -ImagePath E:\CapturedWIM\sib.wim -Description "Windows 10 Backup" -Verify

Dismount-WindowsImage -Path C:\MountedVHDX -Discard

9. Restart Windows.
10. At the login screen click on the power icon and click restart while holding the shift key. The machine will restart in recovery mode.
11. Select Troubleshoot->Advanced->Command Prompt
12. When the command window appears execute...

Format c:

*Dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:E:\CapturedWIM\sib.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:C:*

13. That's it. When you restart, your windows will still be activated.

Hello , Can you or anyone supply some followup input?   “I need my image drive to work or allot of days are lost...........

So" based on all comments, so many that are confusing to me …. I get the same message when attempting to reload as shown below:

The system image restore failed.

Error details: A Volume Shadow Copy Service component encountered an unexpected error. Check the Application event log for more information…..(0x80042302)

I just had my HP ENVY 360 laptop HP-Repair completed yesterday with a fresh Windows 10 home v1709 – OS 16299.15 .. a fresh new installation ON new drive - nothing else on system. Prior to repair, I using windows,  created a system image diskusing my Windows 10 home -v1709 - OS 16299 125. When complete,  it stated SIB was successful.  My prior repaired HP Envy system image backup resides on an external 2GB Seagate backup-plus portable USB hard drive. . I tried using the restore / repair usb disk to assist at transferring image backup to newly repaired laptop with new same size 1TB drive without any success.  The current drive has ( Drive C primaryand D HP recovery. Same as prior repair.

The image started for 2/10ths second and then error in red print above pops up… ANY WAY TO RECOVER/ TRANSFER MY IMAGE. ???

HELP.............. :(

I wish I knew of this windows OS inability prior.. I would had backed up differently....

Any Windows Image Backup that was taken before build 16299.214 will fail the restore, (latest build is 16299.309).

The procedure suggested by rwb1012 is a workaround to the Microsoft backup/restore bug.

The procedure to restore the C drive image works if you follow it correctly.  

If you have any question about the procedure please be specific about which step you are having problems with. 

If you just want to recover specific files and folders you can mount the .vhdx file for the C volume  from the backup using disk management (action, attach vhd) and then copy the stuff you need on your newly installed system. 

Once you recover the files you need, make sure you update your windows system to the latest level otherwise you will still have the same image backup/restore bug when you create the next image.

The following is the complete procedure. If you really know what you are doing, you will realise you can miss out some of the steps.

1. Disconnect the machine from the network.
2. Install Windows10 from the media. Select 'I don't have a product key'. Select 'Custom: Install Windows Only'. This will create all the partitions (C: EFI Recovery) and give you a Windows 10 machine to work on.
3. Login in.
4. Create the folder C:\MountedVHDX
5. Create the folder C:\WindowsImage and copy the folder matching your machine from your backups WindowsImage folder.
6. Attach an external disk with at least as much free space as your SIB. *I assume that the external disk is E:*
7. Create the folder E:\CapturedWIM
8. Launch powershell and execute...

Mount-WindowsImage -ImagePath fullpathofvhdxindoublequotes -Path c:\MountedVHDX -Index 1

New-WindowsImage -CapturePath C:\MountedVHDX -Name Win10Backup -ImagePath E:\CapturedWIM\sib.wim -Description "Windows 10 Backup" -Verify

Dismount-WindowsImage -Path C:\MountedVHDX -Discard

9. Restart Windows.
10. At the login screen click on the power icon and click restart while holding the shift key. The machine will restart in recovery mode.
11. Select Troubleshoot->Advanced->Command Prompt
12. When the command window appears execute...

Format c:

*Dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:E:\CapturedWIM\sib.wim /Index:1 /ApplyDir:C:*

13. That's it. When you restart, your windows will still be activated.

Hello , Can you or anyone supply some followup input?   “I need my image drive to work or allot of days are lost...........

So" based on all comments, so many that are confusing to me …. I get the same message when attempting to reload as shown below:

The system image restore failed.

Error details: A Volume Shadow Copy Service component encountered an unexpected error. Check the Application event log for more information…..(0x80042302)

I just had my HP ENVY 360 laptop HP-Repair completed yesterday with a fresh Windows 10 home v1709 – OS 16299.15 .. a fresh new installation ON new drive - nothing else on system. Prior to repair, I using windows,  created a system image diskusing my Windows 10 home -v1709 - OS 16299 125. When complete,  it stated SIB was successful.  My prior repaired HP Envy system image backup resides on an external 2GB Seagate backup-plus portable USB hard drive. . I tried using the restore / repair usb disk to assist at transferring image backup to newly repaired laptop with new same size 1TB drive without any success.  The current drive has ( Drive C primaryand D HP recovery. Same as prior repair.

The image started for 2/10ths second and then error in red print above pops up… ANY WAY TO RECOVER/ TRANSFER MY IMAGE. ???

HELP.............. :(

I wish I knew of this windows OS inability prior.. I would had backed up differently....

I'm not sure if it has been reported on this thread yet, but Windows/System Image Backup/Restore appears to be working for UEFI/GPT systems again.

I just successfully restored my system running 16299.248.

On my PC, it did sit on "Preparing to restore your disk..." for a good 5 minutes or so, but then it did successfully restore after that pause.

Glad it's working, and I also hope it stays working.

Yes, it has been reported,  it was fixed on build 16299.214 and 16299.248.

I just hope they don't break it again.

The problem is that if you only have an image created with 16299.192 and earlier it cannot be restored without using some workaround method.

I'm not sure if it has been reported on this thread yet, but Windows/System Image Backup/Restore appears to be working for UEFI/GPT systems again.

I just successfully restored my system running 16299.248.

On my PC, it did sit on "Preparing to restore your disk..." for a good 5 minutes or so, but then it did successfully restore after that pause.

Glad it's working, and I also hope it stays working.