[SOLVED] Attempting to Restore a Win10 Backup, Programs Aside from Windows Recovery?

[xRayne]

Hello Tom's folks.

I made a mistake and trusted Windows. I wanted to migrate my installation to a new drive. The most common suggestion was to use the Windows backup capability, then with an installation media restore the backup onto the new drive.

Unfortunately, I'm getting a persistent error. 0x80042412. I've ensured NTFS structure, both drives are MBR, and both are basic. The drive with the backup is smaller than the new drive. I've both formatted and reinstalled new windows in an effort to try and have the system acknowledge the worthiness of the new drive. But to no avail.

I still have the actual WindowsBackupImage folder. And I'll take any advice I can get for the windows functionality. But is there any program I can utilize outside of the OS recovery system that might work better? I've lost an entire day just trying things here, to the point of a migraine. At the very least can the backup be accessed to grab files? I've lost my documents and pretty much... Well, everything. Normally I backup, but I figured this WAS the backup.

 

[USAFRet]

Put the system back together as it was originally.

Does it work?

If so, there are MUCH better ways to migrate to a different drive.

 

[xRayne]

The original install ended up gone when trying to put the backup onto a smaller volume drive, in belief it may have been causing the error. Some of what I'd managed to look up suggested that the volume of the drive, instead of the volume of the backup, may have been causing issues. I now clearly see otherwise. My main issue was the OS drive was too small. The former OS drive is now where the backup has been housed. Yeah... I'm betting there's far better ways. I should've come here for advice before, not after.

 

[USAFRet]

With the proper software, migrating to a smaller drive/partition/volume is generally no problem.

Does the system still work with the original drive?

 

[xRayne]

To what extent do you mean? To get the system going right now will require another windows reinstall. The computer is running, yes. Just without an OS right now. Hardware has no issues. Ancillary drives are unplugged. Basically right now the computer has a SSD plugged in, and the smaller SSD with the backup and nothing else.

 

[USAFRet]

To what extent do you mean? To get the system going right now will require another windows reinstall. The computer is running, yes. Just without an OS right now. Hardware has no issues. Ancillary drives are unplugged. Basically right now the computer has a SSD plugged in, and the smaller SSD with the backup and nothing else.

I meant with the original C drive, without the new SSD.

 

[xRayne]

The original C drive is the drive the backup is currently on. I don't have the original windows install anymore. There is no active install, old or new, at the moment. That's my issue. Sorry, I should've been clearer. Right now the only existing picture of what my Windows was like, alongside My Documents and all my primary program installs, is in that backup.

 

[USAFRet]

The original C drive is the drive the backup is currently on. I don't have the original windows install anymore. There is no active install, old or new, at the moment. That's my issue. Sorry, I should've been clearer. Right now the only existing picture of what my Windows was like, alongside My Documents and all my primary program installs, is in that backup.

Given this, it looks like you're screwed.

Do a fresh OS install on a new blank drive. The SSD possibly.
With ONLY that drive connected.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

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Later, reconnect the old drive and see if you can recover anything out of your old My Documents folders.


There are multiple tools and ways to migrate to a new drive.
Windows Backup or Restore is not one of them.

 

[Alabalcho]

If you're ready to accept the fact that you start fresh (that is, reinstall all of your apps), you can still access the full backup on that backup drive. Look for folder named after your PC name, and epand that folder from the folder view (don't double-click on it). Keep goind down, look at folders, you will end up to one folder containing image of your system drive, and another one with bunch of ZIP files containing your data.