Retrospect Restore - Inaccessible Boot Device

[johnwmreed]

Background:

Windows 7 Pro

Free upgrade to Windows 10 Pro

Couple of months pass

Computer crashes and I can't reboot

I have a Retrospect Backup

 

When I try to restore my backup, all goes well but when I try to boot I get "Inaccessible Boot Device"

 

I can reinstall Windows 10 Pro and the computer boots just fine, but if I do a Retrospect restore I get: "Inaccessible Boot Device.  I have tried it directly from a rescue disk - same thing.

 

Note: I also have an image backup (Macrium Reflect).  Same thing I get:  "Inaccessible Boot Device"

 

I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

 

[narretros]

Probably, you have the same problem I did when attempting a full restore after a hard disk failure and replacement two weeks ago.

 

I had full, very recent backup of this Windows 10 laptop - with latest Retrospect 9.5.3. The machine had been free-updated from 8.1, then fresh installed for a cleanup, as MS allows, after first creating a recovery USB chip for it. As an added note, I laler made a recovery USB drive for the upgraded Windows 10 itself, and this worked fine in a later recovery, so no need to have the prior 8.1 proof present. I think it's all tracked and recorded at Microsoft, so they know what you're authorized, and I had the same no-problem reinstall of the Office suite from my outlook.com account. Thus, moving on...there's a working story following here.

 

Unfortunately, the boot arrangements for W10 are different from before, I think because of something called UEFI, and Retrospect prior to very late versions doesn't either back up or deal properly with this. I've now upgraded to the actual latest, 10.5.0.110, for $69 if I recall, and I can see it backing separately things like a UEFI partition - much else is different.

 

Retrospect were late in offering this, and gave fuzzy language for months, which is why I didn't purchase, but one may hope all is in place properly now. I would really appreciate to hear from someone who has actually done a full restore of a Windows 10 machine with applications successfully.

 

What can you do?  What I did is half what I think the recommended procedure is these days anyway. First, I created a fresh install of Windows 10 from my restore device USB chip. This went fine, and with a disk of the same size replacing the original, no complaints about the laptop being activation authorized by Microsoft. Thus, a win on Win, this time.

 

I then used the existing 9.5 Retrospect backup carefully to complete the restore.

 

I have a lot on a second disk partition, including besides project mass data a folder with all my software installers and one with all their registration keys and codes. I used the installers and codes to reinstall all my software, a considerable amount so this can be done in stages.

 

In the first stage I installed my protection software (Norton) first as sensible, then a more secure web browser than Microsoft offers - Chrome is I think the beest recommendation here, or Firefox if you add and use carefully the essential  NoScript extension, but  that's more trouble. Next, a convenience such as Acrobat Reader for pdfs. Since security software is on, you have a decent rowser, and have carefully ensured the machine rebooted after, you can safely download Acrobat Reader.

 

Again, with a same-size (also model and brand) replacement hard drive, actually an SSHD, none of the installers gave me trouble activating save one. In this case, this install exceeded their allowed count of installs, and a phone call got immediate restoration of rights.

 

I've had to do this before (1 terabyte 2.5 in drives are pretty evidently not  the most reliable thing in the world, hence the essential presence of Retrospect), and only once had a company baulk. In that case it was Corel, that Canadian company who buys software after it succeeds and charges, well, etc.., and they just refused to restore rights to Painter, saying they 'couldn't do this on outdated software', and that I needed to buy a $250 upgrade to latest version instead. As mine was only a year or two out, this was unreasonable. I instead contacted one of their European support centers, knowing how laws control such behavior much better there, and in a few minutes over email had my rights restored, and in a very friendly manner also. This restore held over the recent reinstall as well, which I  really appreciate.

 

Now, the rest. Here is where real care is needed. A fresh install of Windows 10 followed by fresh install of applications means the registry will also be fresh, and likely better than a backed up version. You don't want to overwrite it, especially by attempting a full disk restore from Retrospect after these installs, which will fail anyway with the unbootability you've experienced. Thus you need now to carefully replace those items you need still from the other, non-system-critical areas on the boot (C:) disk. Other partitions (D: for example) you can do full Retrospect restores on without problems. I just did the minimum of installers and codes first to speed things up, as the rest could be done at leisure.

 

On C:, surely you will want for example your Documents folder back, and likely similar ones like Pictures, Videos, and Downloads. The safest way to recover them is to set Retrospect to NOT use the wizard which first shows from Restore, but to click the 'Switch to Advanced Mode' link, and use that. Don't worry, it's not much if any more complicated. You will next choose Restore Files and Folders (_not_ Restore an Entire Volume), and proceed to choose backup set source, destination, and check the boxes to select which files and folders to restore.

 

I would do this in stages, and also be sure to accept the default in Destination, which will say in the top third of that dialog, in two dissimilar  lines, 'Retrieve Files and Folders', and 'copying files and folders to a new folder on [your chosen destination disk, C: for example]'. This means the restore from backup will be in an identical location tree, but all within a new folder at top level of your disk, rather than immediately over-writing the desired location.

 

This is a safety factor, in case you  make a mistake. It also covers something essential on Windows 10, which is that your personal folder under C:/Users may not be named what you expect. W10 both shortens user names for this folder to help with long filepath restrictions,  and also creates odd name_nnnn variants if you have similar multiple logins. 

 

Once you see you have the right folders and files restored in a new folder at the top of the destination drive, , _then_ move them yourself to the proper locations actually. I would use cut/paste of the folders actually containing each set of desired files.

 

Your Documents, Pictures, etc. folders are all under your  C:/Users/yourlongnamebutlikelyshortened on the restored disk.Cut them from the restore folder individually, and go to your Users folder, then paste them in there. Windows will merge the restorations with whatever it's defaulted into these folders, possibly asking you  to confirm if  there are any collisions.

 

Now, what else might you need to restore this way on your system (C:) disk? Of course, anything you know of in top-level folders you've added. There may be other files or  folders, possibly with dot.names, under your  Users  folder, which you'll want. Software developers will often find tool configurations like these there, including secure certificates for example that you don't want to have to recreate even if you have to reconfigure  fresh application installs to use them.

 

Don't, however, replace anything that looks like it belongs to Windows, which will usually have the 'hidden' attribute, but may be visible, and will be so in the backup selection. In particular, never restore bootmgr, BOOTNXT, NTUSER.DAT etc., System Volume  Information, desktop.ini, or $RECYCLE.BIN. Also nothing to Program Files etc., or Program Data. Stick to folders you are clear about. When in doubt, use the application reinstalls and reconfigure yourself to avoid mistakes, rather than trying to recover setups.

 

What else? There is 'else', actually, because some things on your past installation are not under your own Users folder, but rather under the Users/Public folder. Some installers put things there, like Norton for example. Do avoid replacing anything that is already there from backup, as installers and upgraders may change these.

 

Is there a last?  Yes. You want to check for and run software upgrades on everything you have, as the installers will have become  out of date. I would begin with Windows 10 itself, and in fact update it immediately after installing security software so browser are safe, about step 2 at the beginning above. The others you can update according once enough of your work is restored. If you realize particular ones are security concerns, I'd do those very early of course, but all need to be done on the security cause.

 

The free Secunia PSI program is excellent for identifying installed program risks you may not be aware of, now and in the ongoing future. It looks like it was bought from its Danish creators by another one of those agglomeration merchants, but is offered still free from them at http://learn.flexerasoftware.com/SVM-EVAL-Personal-Software-Inspector . You run it, and it will give you a good report. I would avoid any of their offers to install fixes, automatically or manualy, however. This anyone would understand to be a fraught idea. Instead, to avoid problems, go to your application software's vendor and download latest version installers, if the program doesn't have an updates feature itself, which most do.

 

Ok, I hope that covers it (!).  I guess this process done a few times convinced me to hope Retrospect has its act together on Windows 10 now, and purchase the upgrade after displeasure that they hadn't done it right to be ready with Windows 10's release. Given it actually works next time I need it, all of the effort spent above can be avoided. However, the Secunia/updates portion is absolutely essential anyway on a regular basis, at least once a month after you think you've installed all of various vendors' patch second Tuesday updates. You may well get an actually welcome surprise, welcome because it truly is a war zone out there, without exaggeration I think.

 

Oh, and be sure to keep your original backup around a while, since as you see there could well be items you overlooked which you'll discover later you'd prefer to have back. Incremental backups via Retrospect will keep the old snapshots, provided you have media space for all. Be aware your first incremental after the reinstallation will be quite sizeable, as there will be so much fresh in file dates.

 

What I did  was purchase a second external drive, again also because of the unreliability these days allowing me to alternate drives per backup. This one is 2tb, so I am also moving the old backup into a separate save folder on this larger drive, and starting a fresh and newly named backup set on the original media so I won't overwrite its catalog files.

 

Best fortune, and experience says the above can work very well.

Clive

[Scillonian]

I would really appreciate to hear from someone who has actually done a full restore of a Windows 10 machine with applications successfully.

 

Shortly after Windows 10 was released (Build 10240) I did a trial Disaster Recovery restore of a test machine using what was the then current 10.x version of Retrospect.

 

The test machine was a Windows 7 Professional 64-bit that had gone through various Windows 10 Insider Preview builds on the way to the release build. I used this machine to evaluate applications so various applications were installed.

 

The test involved the backup of the machine, replacement of the hard disk then boot from the Retrospect created Disaster Recovery USB and restore. I will add that this was a BIOS based machine.

[narretros]

Thanks, Scillonian, and from other posts sounds you very much know what you are doing.

 

My question in this case was whether R 10.5 would successfully do a full restore on a Windows 10 installation. I think the case I am most interested in would be where a USB key fresh install  of Windows was done first, then Retrospect in full restore-but-don't-overwrite-newer would be used to fill in all the rest.

 

Getting back activated application installs (and their DRM, like Adobe's, in functioning order, and that problematic UEFI boot business properly also) is I think the real question. This is with identical hardware, as far as the activations.

 

Wonder if you have had the experience, or otherwise know? And thanks,

Clive

 

Just reread your post, and think I am correct that this experience was reinstalling Windows 7 basis, so hope I'm not asking what you answered...

[Lennart_T]

The only way you can be sure YOUR setup can be fully restored is to actually test it. Buy a new hard drive and test.

 

Remove the old drive and pretend it's broken.

Install the new drive, install Windows and restore. Or try the disaster recovery.

[narretros]

Well, yes, Lennart. Thank you. I think I've bought enough hard drives for the present, and the only way to use one to prove this case would be to swap out in the laptop again.

 

There is not time for this, plus you may not have considered the problem of activations, using a different drive. It's exactly those activations I am concerned about -- I've made the rest work several times without Retrospect properly bare-metal restoring. This takes days, thus the motivation.

 

But again, even if I were willing to bring the heavily contracts-engaged laptop down again, I could well prove that Retrospect at latest 10.5 still doesn't quite do such a restore, and in the process lose activations possibility on crucial software worth hundreds, up to thousands of dollars, depending on which refused.

 

I might even be blocked on an original untouched hard drive if I did the procedure on an extra drive, the only half-sensible way to try it; half because of this sure danger. Companies are very nervous about DRM defeats, you may be assured, and some act like frighted children, all out of proportion to the actual case, business being what it too often these days is.

 

My procedures are sound, proven by past recoveries even in the face of past Retrospect issues, and doubled (two time-interleaved backup drives).

 

So I think it reasonable to gain confidence that someone has actually had the full bare-metal recovery work on Windows 10, and will look for that news when it can come. Including that the activations were maintained, for Windows 10, for applications including Adobe suites or hard cases like Corel product buyins (Painter), and so forth.

 

This might encourage me to try the still-lengthy full metal option from Retrospect 10.5 in the case of another breakdown, even under time pressure, while this time it cost me an half a day extra to do that, unsuccessfully, from 9.5.3.

 

And so for other persons, which is perhaps my more substantial goal  here.

 

Regards,

Clive

[Lennart_T]

"someone has actually had the full bare-metal recovery work on Windows 10".

 

I'm sorry I can't help you with that. I have tried to steer clear of Windows 10 (and Windows 8). So far with 100% success.

[Scillonian]

Windows 10 Activation, if it is a retail or OEM edition, shouldn't be a problem as it primarily activates against the machine's motherboard so a change of hard disk should not cause problems. If you are trying to do a bare metal restore where the motherboard has changed, then, with a few exceptions, activation will fail.

 

Adobe activations depend on whether Retrospect does backup the area between the MBR and the first partitionas part of the System State where Adobe stores the activation information. I don't know the answer to this question. (This only applies to MBR partitioned disks, I don't know what Adobe does on GPT partitioned disks.)

 

As for other activations, it depends on how and where they are stored. Only you can determine that.

 

Adobe's are the only activation sensitive applications I have and I have measures in place independent of Retrospect to take care of them.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Scillonian

[narretros]

Very interesting, Scillonian, appreciated.

 

I don't know if I want to guess about your 'other measures', but  given Adobe fooforaws esp. surrounding their subscription manager even if you stay on non-subscription software as I do, no doubt a positive idea.

 

I have to say they've been very good over the years at allowing me to regain activation via a phone call, when a disk crash has again left a laptop hors de combat. I've lost a handful, and I don't mistreat them.

 

I think the 'contact European support office for their government-required better attitude' strategy may be useful for other vendors if they become recalcitrant, but I've only had to use it with our friend Corel so far.

 

I had an episode this weekend not with backup,  but with Windows itself, where the usual Microsoft solution method was offered: Try this, try that. Well, if it doesn't work, _just_ reinstall Windows cold.. And of course, all your applications...

 

I finally arrived at a fix involving another chestnut (creating a new user and operating from there), which again is usually something to give a miss. This time the use of the extra user was only temporary, so ok, not that Microsoft themselves thought to offer it....

 

Anyway, Retrospect wouldn't probably have helped me with this one, as it would have recorded the invisible, undocumented part of the particular variety of updates configuration, somehow separate from the knowable part. Which seems to have come from MS problems in this area, as the install _was_ nearly fresh.  Again, your probably bit-copy (and investigation that uncovered the need) on Adobe seems appropriate, and too bad we couldn't make it into a more general method   

 

Take care,

Clive