NTI image backup restore fails

[MrBill]

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems started
when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with the
eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says if
changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior to
going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could not
do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the drive was
unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site and the
Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use, after
all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad. I try
to clone this disk and restore with the clone and it will not restore.
I contact NTI and they suggest I get the Backup Now 4 trial version and
restore from the boot CD. Multiple times I try and cannot get past the
2nd disk. I copy all 13 disks over to an image file on the hard disk
just so I have some form of archive of these image disks.
I contact NTI and they say there is nothing else they can do.

I have NERO and tried to restore using these disks but it wants a
different file type than NTI uses. NTI image backup writes to .NPF
file. NERO wants .NBI.
Is there anyway to do a selective restore from these image disks with
one of the disks bad?

Is there anything I can do with these cd's except use them for
coasters???????

I have battled with this for 2 months and cannot get anything restored.

I hope somebody can help.

MrBill

 

[MrBill]

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems started
when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with the
eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says if
changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior to
going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could not
do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the drive was
unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site and the
Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use, after
all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad. I try
to clone this disk and restore with the clone and it will not restore.
I contact NTI and they suggest I get the Backup Now 4 trial version and
restore from the boot CD. Multiple times I try and cannot get past the
2nd disk. I copy all 13 disks over to an image file on the hard disk
just so I have some form of archive of these image disks.
I contact NTI and they say there is nothing else they can do.

I have NERO and tried to restore using these disks but it wants a
different file type than NTI uses. NTI image backup writes to .NPF
file. NERO wants .NBI.
Is there anyway to do a selective restore from these image disks with
one of the disks bad?

Is there anything I can do with these cd's except use them for
coasters???????

I have battled with this for 2 months and cannot get anything restored.

I hope somebody can help.

MrBill

I am running Win2k sp4

 

[Rod Speed]

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems
started when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with
the eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says
if changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior
to going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could
not do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the
drive was unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site
and the Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use,
after all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Its never a good idea to have just one backup.

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad.

And that is why.

I try to clone this disk and restore with the clone and it will not restore.
I contact NTI and they suggest I get the Backup Now 4 trial version
and restore from the boot CD. Multiple times I try and cannot get
past the 2nd disk. I copy all 13 disks over to an image file on the
hard disk just so I have some form of archive of these image disks.
I contact NTI and they say there is nothing else they can do.

They're right, if one of the CDs isnt readable, you have a problem.

I have NERO and tried to restore using these disks but it wants a
different file type than NTI uses. NTI image backup writes to .NPF
file. NERO wants .NBI.

Is there anyway to do a selective restore
from these image disks with one of the disks bad?

A professional recovery operation may well be
able to do that, but they are very expensive.

Is there anything I can do with these cd's except use them for coasters???????

 

[smh]

.. --------------------------------------
Mike Richter, were you born with
"Scam Artist" emblazoned on your face?
--------------------------------------

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems started
when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with the
eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says if
changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior to
going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could not
do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the drive was
unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site and the
Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use, after
all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Did a Google search for "recover hard disk overlay". Took a look at
only the first two links and you may find them interesting:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-11184-0.html?forumID=48&threadID=183763&start=0
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=28961

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad. I try
to clone this disk and restore with the clone and it will not restore.

Could you clarify what you mean by "bad"? Is the disc/file readable but
the content is not a valid backup set?

If the problem is unreadable disc/file, check it out with IsoBuster:
http://www.isobuster.com
..

=============================================
Mike Richter - The Slimiest Friggin SOB (UDF)
=============================================

---------------------------------------------------
UDF is an unreliable format
UDF is a fragile format

The format is very fragile and unreliable.

There is an inherent problem in UDF,
particularly with fixed-length packets

The faults of fixed-length packets are in the format,
not in the specific software which implements UDF.
---------------------------------------------------

But then again:

======================
From: Mike Richter (The Slimiest Friggin Shit)
Date: 5/4/06
Subject: UDF Has just bit me in the bum

First, your problem is not with UDF
======================
..

 

[CWatters]

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems started
when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with the
eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says if
changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior to
going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could not
do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the drive was
unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site and the
Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use, after
all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad.

Your best hope might be to re build the system using a NEW hard drive.
Install Windows on the new drive (borrow or buy an OEM copy of WindowsXP?)
and get it all working. Then connect up the old drive as a slave. See what
can be recovered from it that way.

Also on the or a new system install NTI "Disk Image Backup Explorer" see if
you can explore the backup image on the CDs. You might be able to extract
some files (probably not from CD2) even if you cannot do a full restore.

 

[job]

Have you tried reading the bad cd on a different PC.Just a thought.

 

[Arno Wagner]

I have a backup of my 250gig hard disk on 13 CD's. My problems started
when my motherboard failed. I swapped the motherboard with the
eForce-a and AMD 3000+ processor. The maxtor drive website says if
changing the BIOS, the drive overlay needs to be backed out prior to
going to the upgraded BIOS. Since the motherboard failed, I could not
do that. When I installed the drive the new system said the drive was
unreadable. After multiple attempts from the Maxtor site and the
Maxtor software to recover the drive I figured it was no use, after
all, "I have a backup of the drive" I thought.

Problem number 2. I try to restore and the 2nd cd disk is bad. I try
to clone this disk and restore with the clone and it will not restore.
I contact NTI and they suggest I get the Backup Now 4 trial version and
restore from the boot CD. Multiple times I try and cannot get past the
2nd disk. I copy all 13 disks over to an image file on the hard disk
just so I have some form of archive of these image disks.
I contact NTI and they say there is nothing else they can do.

If I understand you correctly, the CD is actually readable (you could
make an image file), butthe NTI software cannot cope with what is
on the disk?

If so, did you verify your backup when you made it? I can see several
possibilities of what happened:

1. A bit error on writing the backups. Not on the CD but somewhere
in the data transfer chain before.
2. The NTI software is buggy and coannto read its own format
in all cases.

In addition the NTI software is clearly trash, since any decent
backup software would be prepared for reading errors and would
allow you to skip the defect area in order to at least get a
partial restore.

The way to prevent this type of desatser in the furutr is
to do a complete verify by data comparison (prevents 1. and
maybe 2.) and to occasionally do a complete data restoration onto
a clean disk or different PC. For long-term backkups or if you
have only one, do the restoration before you trust the backup.

And of course get a better backup software. I recently posted
some test results fron c't magazine that found 3 of 22 (if I
remember correctly) Windows backup softwares reasonably reliable
and usable. The rest got a "stay away" rating. The three were
"Backit Up", "Trueimage" and "Genie Backup".

I have NERO and tried to restore using these disks but it wants a
different file type than NTI uses. NTI image backup writes to .NPF
file. NERO wants .NBI.
Is there anyway to do a selective restore from these image disks with
one of the disks bad?

Is there anything I can do with these cd's except use them for
coasters???????

You may want to ask around with professional data recovery
outfits. Some may know the problem and have a way to work
around it.

BTW, CDs are not the most reliable media. Having at least two
copies of each CD may be a good idea in the future.

I have battled with this for 2 months and cannot get anything restored.

My sympathies. I think this needs professional help.

Arno