Windows 8 Trying to Backup my system

[nichosi]

That image file of my system (Paragon Win8 Backup 18Aug14arc_180814110421829.iso) is in my 500gb external HD.

Just managed, I think, to create a rescue USB stick.

Please note, I have:-
a. usb rescue stick
b. backup .ISO file in ext HD
c. spare empty 160gb HD

Can you please simply itemise the movements how to go about to install this backup, from the usb stick to my spare 160GB HD which has NO OS in it, it is empty but formatted.

Sorry but I can only understand "idiot's made ease" language. ...thanx ....nick

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Note that your backup folder should have a name like... arc_050614221311409
It will be a folder with many files in it with names like... img_2_050614_221348302.00a

Locate it and make sure you know exactly where it is at.
I put mine in a folder called Paragon backup No. 7 etc.

If you don't have these files, repeat the process and make sure you specify where to put them.

From now on the .ISO file doesn't have any thing to do with the restore process.
That's only used to create the recovery disk.

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If your computer won't boot, insert the USB Stick and start your computer, it should boot to Linux and after a while it should open the Paragon back up and restore program.

I prefer to make my boot disk on a disk, since once its been written it can't be changed or erased etc.
it can just sit around for years waiting to be used.

You should try booting your computer with it right now and make sure that it does work.
You don't want to find out when you need it that it doesn't work

Most computers come setup to boot to a DVD or CD, but you may have to make changes in the Bios to get it to boot to a USB Stick.

Take you time both in creating the backup and restoring it.

I once finished a restore and realized that I had restored my operating system to the wrong partition, overwriting material that was on that drive. It helps to give your drives names, like Windows, Graphics, Data, etc. looking at the numbers it's hard to tell which drive is which.

The drive letters may not appear the same as they do in Windows.

Fortunately the drive I overwrote was backed up too, but I had to do everything all over again and copy all the overwritten files back to my hard drive.

Once the Paragon program opens you will have to locate the backup file on your external hard drive.
Select it as the file you want to restore from, select the drive you want to restore, and tell it to go ahead.

It will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour or more depending on how big the backup is.

Right now you should try it to that point and stop, so that you are familiar with the process, if you have to do it at some point.

Many people run the restore to see if it works, I don't do that.
What would I do if it stopped half way through, I'd rather not take the chance.

I'm so paranoid that I have backup created with 2 different backup programs, Paragon and EaseUS TODO back up, just in case one of them doesn't work.

I have 2 backup files saved for each of them and I redo them ever 3 or 4 months.

My important data I just copy to my external hard drives when I've added something new.

Mike

 

[nichosi]

Thanx Mice very interesting.

Now I have three items:-
a. usb rescue stick
b. backup .ISO file in ext HD
c. spare empty 160gb HD

Briefly, what do I do to install my win8 on the spare empty 160gb HD. ........nick

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

I guess I'm exactly sure what you are doing.
Are you saying that you want to move your Windows installation from one hard drive to another?

The ISO file is only related to installing Paragon and making the boot disk.

The back up file should have a name starting with "arc" and is a folder full of files that start with "Img".
If you are trying to move Windows 8 to a different drive then restore the backup to the drive you want it on.

It should restore the whole partition with the boot sector and everything if you made the image that way.

Theoretically at least you should be able to put the empty hard drive in the computer and it would boot.
But if you already have a hard drive with Windows that it boots to, in the computer you may have problems.

Did you check the USB stick to see if it would boot your computer?

Mike

 

[nichosi]

Roger Mike, I think now I got the idea.

1. disconnect the cables from my good HD, connect the cables to the empty HD, plug in the usb rescue stick & boot it, point to
the backup file in the external HD & hopefully win8 will install in the empty spare HD or

2. Leave the good HD in position, pickyback (connect) the empty HD, boot with the rescue stick in, point to the backup file in the external HD & to the empty HD to hopefully install win8 in there.

Getting late now here in UK, will do it tomorrow Thu. & report back to you. ....thanx ....nick

 

[nichosi]

Hi Mice,
I booted the restore stick, Paragon came up but, when pointed to file
" Paragon Win8 Backup 18Aug14arc_180814 110421829" image, it says file not found.

And yet as you can see from the first attachment it is shown in win explorer, the highlighted file on the left, is the .rc with the 43 files in it.

Now somehow I created another similar file shown in win explorer in second attachment
" Win8 Backup 18Aug14arc_180814110421829 " & in it has this
" Paragon Win8 Backup 18Aug14arc_180814110421829.iso " file as shown in second attachment, which again Paragon says file not found.

I must be doing something wrong.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

If you are trying to restore a Paragon backup image using Macrium it won't work.
You need to use the Paragon bootable backup disk or USB stick to boot the computer.

You should be looking for this folder, the number will be different but it should look just like this....

I created the Paragon Backup 7 folder and indicated that I wanted the backup image stored in it.

Paragon created the arc_050614221311409 folder, during the backup process.

Inside it should be a series of files that start with the img prefix as shown in the image above.
I'm not sure what you are showing but it's not the correct folder.

I'd suggest that you put everything back together.
Create folder on your external hard drive names Paragon Backup 01, and redo the backup creation process.

Use Paragon Backup and Recovery to create the backup.

Make sure that you place the backup in the Paragon Backup 01 folder.
And then when you finish check to see that it looks like the image above.

You can't mix these programs together, they don't speak the same language.

If you haven't already created a Paragon boot disk you should do that to start with.

Mike

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

If you continue to have issues you might want to look at EaseUS TODO Backup.

Since I posted above I have downloaded and installed the new version, 7.

http://www.todo-backup.com/products/home/free-backup-software.htm

Created a new, bootable recovery disk using the built in utility.

Cleaned up my hard drive, (run all my scanners, defragmented, and run disk check) and I'm about half way through creating a backup image.

It's very easy to use, you just open the program click on System Backup, and then click go ahead.

You will have already specified where the backup goes during the install process, (I made a folder named EaseUS Backups on my F:\ drive, the drive used only to store data) so that was it just 2 clicks and it's backing up.

It's been about 20 minutes and it says that there are 11 minutes to go.

Mike

 

[nichosi]

My apologies Mike messing you about,

Forgot that the stick had the Macrium rescue in it.

I 'll format it & replace Paragon in it now. will post soon I hope.
AMMEND>>>>AMEND

No luck,
The Macrium recovery media was easier, the Paragon one has win pex64 with dos or something else & same with linux??.
Also it does not give option of where to create it, cd or usb stick.
Tried various combinations, each time says media created but nothing went into the usb stick.
I searched with no luck, do you know where they go?

Using CD/dvd proved imposible resently to create the resceu disc, tried a dozen or more times.
......nick

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

To create the Paragon rescue disk you only have to write the ISO file to a disk using ImgBurn.
The ISO file should be in a Paragon Program sub folder, ISO.

http://www.imgburn.com/

As I said above you might want to look at EaseUS TODO Back Up.

I downloaded it, installed it, and created a backup and a bootable disk in less then an hour.
It's really easy to use.

If you create the folder you want to save the backups to before you install TODO, and specify it during the install process, you only have to click on 2 buttons to create a backup.

The options to create the bootable repair disk are in the Tools menu.
You can either run their utility to create the disk or download an ISO file that you write to disk using ImgBurn.
That's what I did since that's the way I'm used to doing it.

It also has a Clone Drive button, which may be what you want to use.

Mike

 

[nichosi]

Hi

To create the Paragon rescue disk you only have to write the ISO file to a disk using ImgBurn.
The ISO file should be in a Paragon Program sub folder, ISO.

http://www.imgburn.com/

As I said above you might want to look at EaseUS TODO Back Up.

I downloaded it, installed it, and created a backup and a bootable disk in less then an hour.
It's really easy to use.

If you create the folder you want to save the backups to before you install TODO, and specify it during the install process, you only have to click on 2 buttons to create a backup.

The options to create the bootable repair disk are in the Tools menu.
You can either run their utility to create the disk or download an ISO file that you write to disk using ImgBurn.
That's what I did since that's the way I'm used to doing it.

It also has a Clone Drive button, which may be what you want to use.

Mike

 

[nichosi]

Hi

To create the Paragon rescue disk you only have to write the ISO file to a disk using ImgBurn.
The ISO file should be in a Paragon Program sub folder, ISO.

http://www.imgburn.com/

As I said above you might want to look at EaseUS TODO Back Up.

I downloaded it, installed it, and created a backup and a bootable disk in less then an hour.
It's really easy to use.

If you create the folder you want to save the backups to before you install TODO, and specify it during the install process, you only have to click on 2 buttons to create a backup.

The options to create the bootable repair disk are in the Tools menu.
You can either run their utility to create the disk or download an ISO file that you write to disk using ImgBurn.
That's what I did since that's the way I'm used to doing it.

It also has a Clone Drive button, which may be what you want to use.

Mike