How do i view a windows image backup on a different computer

[Gregs1234]

I had a Sony laptop that originally had Vista and was upgraded to Windows 7. I recently got a new Lenovo laptop and purchased brand new application software so I could get a clean installation. After 1 month of running both systems and gradually moving material over to the Lenovo, I cleaned the Sony and did a recovery to the original, store bought condition. Now I realize that I failed to move over some pictures. I have a Windows Image of the Sony on an external hard drive. Is there a way I can get the pics from the Windows Image onto the new Lenovo? I am an experienced user, not an IT professional. Thank you for your help.

 

[Shinseina]

I believe theres a program called "ghost" that can take windows images.

And then by using ghost explorer you can view the contents of that ghost image from another computer.

It might require that you take another image of your computer though, just depends on the extension of the current image you have.

Still worth a shot though, here's a link to the program: http://us.norton.com/ghost/

Good luck,

Shinseina

 

[WR2]

How to explore image file without recovery
Recover single or several files to original location or specified location without recovering the whole image file.
http://www.todo-backup.com/products/features/explore-backup-image.htm

 

[RetiredChief]

What program did you use to create the image?
From reading your post, I'm guessing that you used Windows 7 backup function to create your image.
If true, neither of the above options will work. They ONLY work if the specified program was used to create the image.

ADDED, Looks Like I'm wrong: BUT requires Windows 7, can not be done from Visa. But on your New system, using windows 7 this should work. Wrong = what I deleted from this post.
Quote:
You can restore backed-up versions of files that are lost, damaged, or changed accidentally. You also restore individual files, groups of files, or all of the files that you've backed up.

1.Open Backup and Restore by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Backup and Restore.
2.Do one of the following:
.. •To restore your files, click Restore my files.
.. •To restore the files of all users, click Restore all users' files. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3.Do one of the following:
.. •To browse the contents of the backup, click Browse for files or Browse for folders.

When you're browsing for folders, you won't be able to see the individual files in a folder. To view individual files, use the Browse for files option.
.. •To search the contents of the backup, click Search, type all or part of a file name, and then click Search.

Tips
•If you're searching for files or folders associated with a specific user account, you can improve search results by typing the location of the file or folder in the Search for box. For example, to search for all JPG files that were backed up, type JPG in the Search for box. To only search for JPG files associated with the user Bill, type C:\Users\Bill\JPG in the Search for box.
.. •You can use wildcard characters such as *.jpg to search for all JPG files that were backed up.
End quote

If that does not work then (what I deleted):
I do Not know of any method of extracting individual files from a image created by window 7 imaging program.
Most likely to get the needed files, you will need to restore the image.
To restore, just insert your windows installation disk, select repair, then restore from image.

I KNOW, pain in the gazoo as you have alredy done a restore.

 

[Alabalcho]

One does not have to use "Restore" function.

If the backup is in the Windows image (.vhd file), this file can be mounted as a regular drive, and browsed using Windows Explorer. These .VHD files are located in "WindowsImagebackup" folder on the backup drive.

Other backups are spread over 100-mb .ZIP archives, and they can be browsed s well. They are located in a folder with computer name, then "Backup set <date-time>.

 

[Gregs1234]

Chief and Alabalcho, thank you for your answers. I appreciate the help. I suspected that the first two responses would not work almost immediately. I did make the image using Windows 7, not a third party vendor. The image is a .vhd file. I will try your methods tomorrow.

 

[Gregs1234]

Alabalcho, My son was able to mount the vhd file onto the external drive and I can now browse the drive. Took him about 90 seconds. Of course, he didn;t have to think about it because he used your logic. I appreciate your insight.

 

[Gregs1234]

Best answer selected by Gregs1234.