Windows 7 Windows 7 - Backup and Restore

[parham93]

I am currently having an issue with a Dell Latitude E6500. I recently had the hard drive in my laptop die. I replaced the hard drive with a new drive and re-installed Win7 Pro (64bit). I fully updated the OS thru windows update. The prior install was also fully updated thru windows update.

Prior to the hard drive failure I had been running the Windows Backup and Restore weekly to keep a backup of the laptop on my Server. Most recent backup was ran on 2/17 about 3 days prior to the hard drive failure.

I attempted to restore my prior settings and files using the Backup and Restore utility on the newly installed hard drive and am getting errors stating that 'Windows was not able to find any backup sets on (network location). Please select a different location." I know the files are there because I can navigate to the backups manually and see that they are physically there. Also of note is that the Backup and Restore Utility can 'see' the backup files when i go into "Manage Space" because it will let me delete the existing files.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated... I know im doing something wrong but after 2 days of fighting this thing I am so aggrevated that .....

 

[patcooke]

I have always been a very strong advocate of Acronis True Image. I have always held that backup strategies are too critical to implement anything but the most powerful, reliable and flexible solutions and for me this is Acronis True Image. I have had little experience of Windows backup except that insofar as it goes it does a reliable job (insofar as it goes) but it has serious limitations. You can in fact employ Acronis to manage your Windows backup files - have a look at this link and see if it help with your problem. It is also an opportunity to try out ATI with a full working trial download.

Link Removed

 

[Pauli]

The problem is, a new installation has a new identity. Normal saves, and game saves, will be easily transferred / pasted to the new system. But Windows as a whole won't do it - the reason why you can't automatically go on with it BUT you must activate it again.

All I can really say is, save any personal and important files in a different place, preferably a separate disk. Like I have a USB disk for backups. "Do not have all eggs in one basket".