UNSOLVED
DataSafe Local System Restore Problem
Dell Studio XPS 9100, Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. I keep my DataSafe local backup on a second internal hard drive. Attempting to use DataSafe Local to “Restore entire system to a previous date". I select the full system backup from which to restore. Click “Restart”. Get message from Windows Boot Manager:
“Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
- Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
- Choose your language settings, and then click “Next”.
- Click “Repair your computer”.
If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.
Status: 0xc0000225
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible."
I inserted the System Recovery Disc I made when I first got the system and booted. The system simply started Windows from C: drive as usual.
Next, I found Dell Article ID: 353564, “Restoring from a Backup Using DataSafe Local Backup 2.0”, which says:
“To recover a backup if Windows is unable to load:
1 Turn on the computer and press the key when the Dell Logo appears.
2 From the Advanced Boot Options highlight Repair Your Computer with the arrow keys and press . “
I did that and received the same error message as above from Windows Boot Manager.
Next, I used to boot from my System Recovery Disc. I chose the option to recover from the most recent Full System Backup using the recovery software on the hard drive (as recommended) and removed the recovery disc from its drive. System said, “The computer will now reboot from the recovery partition.” I clicked “Finish”.
Computer attempted to reboot but failed once again with the same message from Windows Boot Manager as before.
At this point, I’m very nervous about attempting the recovery by doing the restore totally from the System Recovery Disc. The system runs OK with the exception of a Media Center problem I can’t seem to solve any other way than with a restore back to when it worked properly. I do not want to lose everything.
Is my recovery partition damaged somehow? How can I tell? And, if it is, how do I repair it?
Thank you for your reply Osprey. Windows 7 still boots up OK the usual way from drive C:, so I'm not in any kind of a panic about that.
Incidentally, I finally did manage to cure the problem I was having with Windows 7 Media Center by restoring just the folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\eHome from the DataSafe Local backup. That bit worked OK.
What concerns me, though, is that the DataSafe Local "Restore entire system" function doesn't seem to work as it should. It is apparently supposed to boot from the recovery partition to run the restore function to the main windows partition, but is unable to do so. I can see the primary hard drive partition called "RECOVERY" in Disk Management, which says it is "Healthy", 10.88 GB NTFS, but I have no idea of its contents. I have a System Recovery Disc (2 discs, actually) that I made using Dell DataSafe Local just after I first started up the system. (I did not receive any OS discs with the system.) I can boot from that disc and can supposedly run the system restore from it, but was hesitant to do so.
The immediate need for doing a full restore has passed for now. But I am still concerned that the DataSafe Local "Restore entire system" function will not work someday when I really need it. I may have the data on the second drive, but it isn't very useful if I can't do a full system restore to the primary system drive. I'd still like to know what the problem is with the Recovery partition and how it can be fixed.
I booted to the Utility Partition, using F12, and ran the Confidence Test on the primary drive with no problems.
Perhaps Dell no longer puts any software in the Recovery partition since moving from PC Restore to DataSafe, and intends that you always run "Restore entire system" from the System Recovery Disc(s) that you make for yourself. In any case, it would be helpful to know exactly what's where and how the recovery functions are actually supposed to work. Dell's documentation, such as Article ID: 353564, should include that information.
Here's the solution to the solution for restoring entire operating system and data files to a Datasafe Local Premium Full System Backup:
You'll have to copy and paste this into your browser, because I don't know how to insert a proper link in this post.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19372276/19852623.aspx#19852623
osprey4
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Posted November 4th, 2010 16:00
Hi Jdxtr,
So what you're saying is that you are not able to start Windows at all? Have you tried safe mode? There may be a hardware problem with your system drive, so it would also be worth running the Dell diagnostics on your primary hard drive from your Dell resource disc.
As long as you have DataSafe backups on a second drive, then your data is secure.