Re-Installing Back Up

[Deacz9]

I've made a boot/recovery disc onto new 2Gb USB stick from the sp42226 prog. My notebook a mini 110 11100sa has been sent to HP for repair. They will have to replace motherboard and format my drive C/ so I did a backup of my whole PC using "back on Track" that came installed with my PC software (incidentaly I could not just back up individual files with this version I have)I put everything on an external HDD and used about 40GB space.

 

My question is, as I've never done this before is, when I get my PC back it will have windows restored again by HP, but to re-intstall my back up do I have to format my drive C/ or not before booting up from my stick containing the disaster recovery.? The official instructions do not make this clear.

[Deacz9]

Success Have loaded my files back onto my notebook. Nice to see them after so long.

I know I will have to make another backup of drive C soon, but is the backed up files that I've re-installed still on the ext hard drive and can they be re-installed again, as I see it as a good retore point where everything was working ok? Also the USB stick, do I have to load the sp 42226 disaster recovery again fresh or can it be used again if the worst happened to my hard drive?

[Deacz9]

Thanks for your help with this Tbrewst. I hope I get my notebook back soon with no electric shocks

I will have a go with this restore as soon as I get it.

Kind Regards.

[tbrewst]

Success Have loaded my files back onto my notebook. Nice to see them after so long.

I know I will have to make another backup of drive C soon, but is the backed up files that I've re-installed still on the ext hard drive and can they be re-installed again, as I see it as a good retore point where everything was working ok? Also the USB stick, do I have to load the sp 42226 disaster recovery again fresh or can it be used again if the worst happened to my hard drive?

 

First off,glad it worked ok for you.

 

As long as you haven't erased the stick you should be good to use it again if need be.

 

The thing to do is to occasionally backup your drive when it's still in good condition.

That way you always have a fairly recent backup to work with.

[tbrewst]

Took a look over at HP's site and it looks like what you have is a USB stick that boots you into the Recovery software.It also looks like what you may have is just the Disaster Recovery part of the full software.

That's not an uncommon thing for OEM software.The manufacturers just have companies make a version for them that has whatever parts the mfg's want.

 

Just a question.When you made the Recovery backup did the software ask if you wanted to make a recovery disc?

Only reason I ask is that the full version of the software does.

Looks like HP is substituting the USB stick for the boot disc for their equipment.

[tbrewst]

You're welcome.

 

If you have any more things pop up just come on back and we'll try and help again.

[tbrewst]

I haven't used it yet to do a Restore but I'm thinking that it's like every other app and it will erase the partition before it restores your backup.

The version you have,supplied by HP,is an OEM version and not fully enabled,as you've found out with only full backup abilities.

It should work as expected though for the parts you do have.

[Deacz9]

So I set my bios to boot from USB then have the stick with the recovery files open and it might offer to erase everything? I would like to know if anyone else has done a restore this way. I risk losing everything if it does not work, and with my luck

[Deacz9]

Tbrewst,

Are you saying that if I rely on this stick I've made then there is something missing and I can't do the reinstall this way? I don't recall being given the option of doing a recovery disc. Is this not the same as the disaster recovery? I have searched the forums and help and it just says boot from the disaster recovery disc/stick. I made this when I downloaded sp42226 file which I put into my pc and opened. I got the DOS instructions and chose to put everything on drive D/ , my new USB stick. I have not seen any more downloads for any more software. I'm none too happy that I have to upgrade BOT to just back up or reinstall individual files. Can you please give me a link to anything I might need to save another disaster.

[Deacz9]

I have searched again but can find nothing missing. I looked on this which describes my OEM software.

 

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01805426&tmp_task=useCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3987304#N259

 

And this one.

http://my10s.com/blog/?p=42

 

this part is for the recovery.

 

Steps to perform image restore on your hard disk:

1. Plug in the bootable pendrive (2GB) that and the (16GB) pendrive or the external hard disk which consist of your image backup previously.

2. Press F9 multiple times right after you saw the HP splash screen.

3. You will able to see this screen. Select the right bootable pen drive to trigger the Roxio BackOnTrack.

4. Choose the Disaster Recovery and click Next.

5. Click Browse button and located where you store your image previously. The file extension should be something like *.SIB_DR.

6. Choose and select accordingly.

7. Once you confirm the setting, just simply click “next”.

8. It will start to reimage whole hard drive to factory setting.

9. After it finish loading, restart your computer and your computer now is back to fresh installation.[/b]

 

I'm not sure in No 8 what it means by factory setting as I thought my backup contained windows and all my alterations of factory settings but I hope I can get the same results as in No 5 from my boot USB stick with the disaster recovery files.

[tbrewst]

If you saved the Recovery disc to the USB drive the when your computer boots it will go into the Recovery version of BOT.

It will ask you for the location of your backup.

After you give it the location you should be able to start the Restore.

Before it actually starts is when you may get the warning that this action will erase whatever is presently on the partition.

 

It really shouldn't matter.When you do a restore it should be because something is wrong with the present installation.If that's the case then you don't want things overwritten so that some of the problems could remain.

You want your backup restored to a clean partition.BOT will do that.

 

 

I'm making a backup now and should know in about 15 minutes what really goes on.I'll initiate a restore and see what happens.

[tbrewst]

What you have lined out should work just fine.

 

All I meant is that with the OEM software that HP has supplied you you have a trimmed down version of the whole product.That is normal with OEM software.This explains why you can't do file backups,just disaster recovery.

 

As far as everything else if you follow those directions you should end up with your computer in the state that it was when you saved the image.

Even though step 8 says "Factory setting" that would only apply if you did the image before you added anything else or did any work that you saved.

 

Go ahead and do what the directions say and all should be ok.

 

Be patient because it will take a little while to complete.Just follow the directions and you should be just fine.

[tbrewst]

Ok and my final answer is....

 

You do not need to format your drive.

 

Here's what happens during a restore.

 

You boot from your stick.This brings up Roxio's Disaster Recovery program.

 

At the first screen you choose Disaster Recovery (whole drive) or Partition recovery if you only backed up 1 partition of a multiple partition drive.

 

Next screen you choose the location for the backup file you made and the destination where you want the restore placed (your hard drive)

 

Next screen is a confirmation screen,it shows once again where you're going to restore to.

This is the screen where you get this-Warning:Existing data will be overwritten if you continue.

 

This is where I stopped as I didn't want to go through the restore.

 

Data that's there will be erased and your backup will be written to the partition.The restore will not leave old data there,hence the warning.whatever HP put back on it your backup will replace.You should get back to the point your computer was at when you made the backup.

 

Hope this answers your question.

[Deacz9]

Many thanks for the replies. I have a bit more confidence now, I just hope my usb stick has the correct stuff on from the sp42226 file. I say this because I bought a new usb stick that turned out to be faulty. I presumed it was something I'd done wrong or problem with the SP file. Unknowing that the stick was duff I contacted HP who were very helpfull but sent me Cd with HP windows settings. This would not help me get my restored files back. I did explain I wanted the recovery files only. Eventually I bought another stick and making the bootable files seemed to go ok. I had my notebook repaired in Thailand in July (not seen my orig files since then on the backup) who tried to cure the electric shock (I kid you not) from the EXT monitor and USB ports. Using PC on bare floor with bare feet allowed me to receive tingly shocks when plugged into mains. (I wonder if anyone has tested this on their PC? It was so hot in Thailand barefoot and floor tiles in rooms is the norm and wareing footware in someone else's house is frowned upon. Anyway the HP service center changed my motherboard and formatted C/. Luckily I had backed up already. But they put in Windows even after I tried to explain I needed to reinstall my back up and did not have the SP42226 on stick. Neither did they, in fact they were very incompetant and did not cure the shock problem, hence me giving it to HP UK now I'm back home