Question image recovery; how to select which disk becomes boot disk

[EthanDaniels]

On a windows 10 PC, I am trying to restore a system image. The PC itself is the same unit except that I've replaced the physical hard drives. The previous setup had a 256GB SSD as the boot drive, and a 1TB HDD as the data drive. The new setup has a 1TB SSD intended to be the boot drive, and a 2TB HDD intended to be the data drive. I have my system image on an external HDD, and I have a thumb drive set up as Windows 10 installation media.

Here's the problem: I restored the system image to the updated PC setup yesterday, and the new setup functions... however, the restoration set up the 2TB HDD as the boot drive, and the 1TB SDD as the data drive. I want it to be the other way around. I also understand I'll need to use third party tools in order to merge the 'extra' space on each drive with the image that expects both the boot and data drives to be smaller capacity, but that's a problem for later (although if you have any recommendations for tools to do that, ideally for free or with a short term trial, I'd be glad to hear).

What can I do to force the system image restoration tool to use the 1TB SSD as the boot drive and the 2TB HDD as the data drive? Within the image restore tool, I see an option to format and repartition disks, but I don't see any option to specify what drive letters I'd like to assign to each disk.

 

[USAFRet]

What can I do to force the system image restoration tool to use the 1TB SSD as the boot drive and the 2TB HDD as the data drive? Within the image restore tool, I see an option to format and repartition disks, but I don't see any option to specify what drive letters I'd like to assign to each disk.

Have only the desired drive connected for this, the 1TB SSD.
Later, reconnect the 2TB HDD.

 

[EthanDaniels]

Have only the desired drive connected for this, the 1TB SSD.
Later, reconnect the 2TB HDD.

How does this work out? I understand that there's an option in the restore panel to only restore the files/drives necessary for boot. If I did that, with only the SSD installed, then the system install would end up on the SSD, but I'm unsure how I'd restore the data drive (which is backed up in the single image file).

 

[USAFRet]

How does this work out? I understand that there's an option in the restore panel to only restore the files/drives necessary for boot. If I did that, with only the SSD installed, then the system install would end up on the SSD, but I'm unsure how I'd restore the data drive (which is backed up in the single image file).

How were these images created?

 

[EthanDaniels]

How were these images created?

Through the default windows 10 system image creator, I made the system image right before the old drives failed. Full image, system files and personal files included from two drives across a single image.

So, I'm looking into it now, and I believe I've found a solution. I'll do what you say and restore the boot disk with only the new SSD attached, and after doing that, I'm able to mount the system image (on external drive) as a virtual disk and move over the files that were stored on the previous data HDD, onto the new data HDD.

That should work and leaves the remaining question of how best to extend the restored C: partition (capped at the size of the original boot SSD) so that it covers the full storage space of the new 1TB boot SSD. Minitool partition wizard should be able to accomplish that task, yes?

 

[USAFRet]

Hopefully this works for you.

This complexity is one of the main reasons I don't use the built in imaging thing.

"two drives across a single image" leads to major problems like this.

 

[EthanDaniels]

Hopefully this works for you.

This complexity is one of the main reasons I don't use the built in imaging thing.

"two drives across a single image" leads to major problems like this.

thanks, I'll have time to check it out tomorrow and will report back.

yeah makes sense. I didn't realize it was so complicated. I already mounted the old data HDD portion as a virtual disk and it seemed to have everything on it separate from the former boot SSD. Should be simple to copy over. Then it's just a question of how much transfers over to the new SSD when I ask it to only transfer boot files. Might end up easier to do a complete reinstall, virtual mount the backup, and transfer the files where they need to go within the refreshed filesystem.

complexity is right lol thanks again!

 

[USAFRet]

thanks, I'll have time to check it out tomorrow and will report back.

yeah makes sense. I didn't realize it was so complicated. I already mounted the old data HDD portion as a virtual disk and it seemed to have everything on it separate from the former boot SSD. Should be simple to copy over. Then it's just a question of how much transfers over to the new SSD when I ask it to only transfer boot files. Might end up easier to do a complete reinstall, virtual mount the backup, and transfer the files where they need to go within the refreshed filesystem.

complexity is right lol thanks again!

I use Macrium Reflect for this.
Each physical drive, its own Image.

The 'free' version is no longer available, but it is one of those things where I would pay for it on my next system(s). It just works.
And I do have the paid version on my main system already.

 

[TerryLaze]

however, the restoration set up the 2TB HDD as the boot drive, and the 1TB SDD as the data drive. I want it to be the other way around.

Are these all normal sata ports?? You probably swapped ports putting the smaller disk where the larger disk should have been.
I would try swapping the sata ports between the two disks and recovering again and see if that results in what you want.

 

[EthanDaniels]

Have only the desired drive connected for this, the 1TB SSD.
Later, reconnect the 2TB HDD.

Appreciate the idea, but it's a nogo on this one. The Windows image restore process won't start with just the 1TB drive connected, even with the option selected to 'only restore boot drive'.

Are these all normal sata ports?? You probably swapped ports putting the smaller disk where the larger disk should have been.
I would try swapping the sata ports between the two disks and recovering again and see if that results in what you want.

This one was definitely a possibility. I switched both sata connectors between drives, did the restore, but the restore ended up the same as before, with the 2TB HDD restored as the C: drive and the 1TB SSD restored as the D: drive. During the previous sata orientation, the SSD showed up in the restore panel as Drive 0, and the HDD as Drive 1.. which is weird because if the SSD was already considered as Drive 0 by the system, you'd think that's where it would restore the C: drive image.. but apparently not. When I switched sata ports between the two, the drive numbered switched places in the restore panel, but, outcome the same.

TBH maybe I'll need to track down a third internal drive, put Windows on it, use Macrium to take separate images of the current two drives, then while still using the third drive, restore the new Macrium images to the correct drives, then reset the third drive and just, use it as extra storage.

Yeesh. Complicated.