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I have been trying for days now to make a backup image of my internal Windows 10 hard drive, fully updated to current Windows 10 level May 2020. I have been using Acronis True Image 2016, as I always do. I have been backing up to an external, USB2 connected hard drive with 160 GB of free space on it (a 320 GB hard drive), the same drive I normally backup to. This is a Gateway laptop, NE56R from 2012, which shipped with Windows 8.
I have been trying to backup all partitions, including the C, and recovery partitions (including the Push Button one, which is about 15 GB) and whatever others are there. In total, they are about 109 GB. So I ought to have plenty enough free space.
I have checked all partitions to back up with True Image. It runs the whole backup, takes a good five hours. At the end, it throws up amessage saying ther eis not enough space for the image.
I have never had this problem before. The machine is booted from the True Image disk, so that should rule out some issue wiht my Widows 10 OS. I am doing a full disk backup, and I am even using Maximum Compression, which is what I always use, so I should need something lessthatn 109 GB of free space. and Ihave 160 GB of free space on the external drive.
I have a backup of Win 10 I made in April, shortly before the new OS level cam out on the drive -- I always keep two, just because. I deleted the older of the two on there, so now have only the one. I certainly don't want to delete the one on there, and still have this problem but no backup at all. But Ihave more free space than shudbe needed.
The external drive has been used only for backups since I started using it brand new, and I make a backup once or twice a year -- and I have been using it no more than four years. So, the external drive has very little, hardly any actual use on it, it is not far from brand new.
I read something this morning about a real problem found in the new Win 10 update, something to do with Storage Space, that is some sort of function in the OS now. I don't know what that is, or what it does. But the story said if your drive is not showing as RAW, then it should be OK, not affected. I checked Disk Management, and none of my volumes nor the external drive are marked as RAW. So, that should mean that issue is not the case here.
I have done enough backups in the past four years using the Acronis True Image 2016 software. It has always worked fine, and actually with less free space (I had another item on the drive too, but have deleted it. I also have deleterd about 32 GB of stuff from my C drive in an attempt to make this backup fit, but to no avail -- that is, my last two backups were actually larger than this one, and they fit fine.)
So, why do I keep getting the message about not enough space? I should have way more than enough.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
(1) A shutdown (& startup) is not the same as a reboot. I hope it will suffice. Shift+Shutdown is the same, but who knows in your case,
(2) " I already tried right click — it does not offer the option to Change Drive Letter. Don’t know why yours does and mine doesn’t. Maybe a difference between machine makers?"
It isn't machine makers, but I don't know what it is. Sure doesn't sound any good that you don't have that menu choice.
Success! I just started up the computer, checked This Computer, that partition is not visible there this time. Will watch over the day, hope that holds.
I did not expect that to work, not once we saw the R was not on it in BCD.
And right now will do a restart. But I am expecting this time it will hold.
EDIT: More good news, I did the restart, and part 5 still is not showng in This Computer. And in Disk Management, there is no R on part 5, and itis still named Recovery Tools.
Looking like this worked. I must be communicating with a genius. :)
EDIT2: I just went back into Advanced Startup/Cmd Prmpt. I changed the letter assigned to the main C volimet to C. (Had toruble, ti was being rejected, finally noticed C was already sued for another, soIdleted that and then it tookC ofr the C volume.)
So, C on the C vol, D is on the Push Button volumne (Ijsut left it), F ison the 826 MB Redcovery Tools voluime (I jsut left it. That was a second botoAdvanced Startup jsut to double checkitall hild. Id seware it had G on it the firs ttme.) Adn the other two had no letteron the, the 400 MB recoveyr part and the 300 MB recovery partion. Frommy ntied,itlooksliek the first time, Push Buitton was E. So, maybe the computer is assigning the randomly at every bot. But the assigned ones will hold, orthe ones were a letter was takin off will hold that.
Meanwhile a LOT or Restarts later for testing, and the Recovery Tools part remains invisible and the R off of it, so that appears to be fine and done.
And that means we have only Part 6 to address now. You were talking of some issue about linking the one file we want to keep on it to the Recovery Tools part. I think we do need that link, it's the point in keeping the file on there -- for that purpose. I odnt know that I could even run that file from the desktop. And I know, it is unlikely I would ever want to use that, use my DVD install disk instead (although I have found some things can't be done via that, such as restore from a restore point).
We can think about Part 6 (meaning you, because I don't know much about this stuff, but I sure don't want to sound like I'm assigning you work to do, no, I am appreciative of you volunteering here to help, and sticking with it this long. But hopefully the end is near.).
Possible one way to either do it or test it, we could add a part 7, and do testing on that. If we get the link working, we could just move the file to that and then delete part 6, or do whatever we did to get part 7 linked to instead link part 6. Just an idea from someone who doesn't really know what he's talking about but would like to at least try to help.
Oh, and I will try to peruse Gateway/Acer to see if I can find that Gateway stuff. If so, I suppose we don't really even need Part 6. First I have to figure out what it is called.
(1) I am trebly overjoyed that pesky letter R is gone & still gone many reboots later. I felt a tad responsible for it, though you never blamed me. But I'm not much more than 86% a genius because some educated guesswork was involved. You did well, too, entering some dangerous & obscure commands that neither of us fully understood (despite I tested them first). You've always gotten them right even when I was a bit unclear. Good going.
(2) "So, C on the C vol, D is on the Push Button volumne"
Let us be happy, if C: will stick. That's the most convenient one. Now I'm getting spotty results with that, but C: still holds...
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19041.1]
(c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
X:\windows\system32>diskpart
Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.19041.1
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MININT-GJIS8KS
DISKPART> list vol
Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
Volume 0 G DVD-ROM 0 B No Media
Volume 1 C PCR Hard NTFS Partition 930 GB Healthy
Volume 2 D WinRE 2004 NTFS Partition 847 MB Healthy
Volume 3 ESP FAT32 Partition 99 MB Healthy Hidden
Volume 4 E ULTRA 1 NTFS Removable 57 GB Healthy
Volume 5 F ULTRA 2 FAT32 Removable 57 GB Healthy
DISKPART> exit
Leaving DiskPart...
The more drives you plug in, the more the letters will scramble. I set "D", "C", & "R", & came back after plugging in two Removable's, & found the above. At least C: is C:, & ESP got no letter. Let's just hope the dog goes back to sleep before making it worse.
(3) "Oh, and I will try to peruse Gateway/Acer to see if I can find that Gateway stuff. If so, I suppose we don't really even need Part 6. First I have to figure out what it is called."
Yes, go to that site I posted, & type in your serial number or SNID. If you see the Gateway addons that you think you'll miss, definitely we should just delete Partition 6. Put a new regular partition in its place, & see whether Acronis will approve. If so, either keep the new partition, or delete it & put the space into C:partition.
(4) "And that means we have only Part 6 to address now"
Your "ReagentC /Info" mentions Partition 6 (like it mentions Partition 5)...
C:\WINDOWS\system32>ReagentC /Info
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset configuration
Information:
Windows RE status: Enabled
Windows RE location: \?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0\partition5\Recovery\WindowsRE
Boot Configuration Data (BCD) identifier: 06a7379d-d1bb-11ea-8997-b888e3b1b2f5
Recovery image location: \?\GLOBALROOT\device\harddisk0*partition6*\RecoveryImage
Recovery image index: 2
Custom image location:
Custom image index: 0
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.
I expected to see a mention of Partition 6 in your BCD (like it mentions Partition 5). If it were there, we could back it up to restore had it disappeared after we deleted the partition. But it isn't there. So, I don't know where ReagentC is getting its information from regarding Partition 6.
We didn't worry about Partition 5, because ReagentC had a way to restore the connection which was "SetREImage"...
C:\WINDOWS\system32>ReagentC /?
Configures the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) and system reset.
REAGENTC.EXE <command> <arguments>
The following commands can be specified:
/info - Displays Windows RE and system reset configuration information.
/setreimage - Sets the location of the custom Windows RE image.
/enable - Enables Windows RE.
/disable - Disables Windows RE.
/boottore - Configures the system to start Windows RE next time the system starts up.
/setbootshelllink - Adds an entry to the Reset and Restore page in the boot menu.
For more information about these commands and their arguments, type
REAGENTC.EXE <command> /?.
Examples:
REAGENTC.EXE /setreimage /?
REAGENTC.EXE /disable /?
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful
Notice it doesn't mention SETOSImage up there (which is Install.wim in Partition 6). However, if we specifically ask it about SetOSImage, it does say...
C:\WINDOWS\system32>ReagentC /SetOSImage /?
Sets the location of the recovery image used by system reset.
Note: Permissions on the recovery image file must be set so that only users
in the Administrators group can write to and modify it.
REAGENTC.EXE /setosimage /path <dir_name> /index <image_index> [/target <dir_name>]
/path <dir_name> - Specifies the directory that contains the recovery image.
/index <image_index> - Index of the recovery image Windows imaging (WIM)
file to be used by system reset.
/target <dir_name> - Specifies the Windows installation. If this argument
is not specified, the running operating system is used.
Example:
REAGENTC.EXE /setosimage /path r:\Recovery\WindowsRE /index 1
REAGENTC.EXE /setosimage /path r:\Recovery\WindowsRE /index 1 /target C:\Windows
REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.
I read, ReagentC used to be able to do that, but it can't any longer. But that's what we'll have to try, if you lose the connection. So...
(a) What do you want to do?
(b) Let's see Install.wim...
Put a letter, say, X, on Partition 6, &, at a Command Prompt, enter...
DISM /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:X:\RecoveryImage\Install.wim /Index:1
Just lost everything I wrote back to you. I can't do that again, not now. Tomorrow. Meanwhile, look at /setimage. That's what we need to do. Can we use that?
You mean /SetOSImage? It's what we'd have to try (only if the connection is lost). But it may or may not be functional.
