Vista's Backup Utility Failed to Restore Backup

[Jens]

I backed up onto an external hard drive using Vista's Backup and Restore
Center and it worked flawlessly. I then did a systems recovery as directed
by an HP service tech (that is another story) which hopefully would resolve a
non-functioning DVD problem, which it didn't do. Then I attempted (numerous
times) to restore the backed up files have only to meet with failure each
time. I can see the files on the external drive so I know they are there.
When attempting to restore the backed up files I'm only given the option of
restoring from another computer. I can select the drive the backup was done
on, but then receive a message which states "Backup Location Not Available".

My question: What must I do to restore the files to the computer???

 

[AJR]

Jens - Probably HP was referring to a system restore via HPs recovery
partition or disks - if so Vista's backup was "messed" up.

You do not state if the backup was a "Complete PC backup" or "Files" backup.
File backups are zipped files which can be unzipped by any of the popular
programs such as Winzip.

Complete PC backup is a "vhd" (virtual HD) file. this file can be accessed
by a utilitiy (Windows server/2000 Resouce Kit) available from Microsoft
support site

The utility "mounts" the VHD as a drive (Sorry I do not recall the name of
the utility).

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Please take a look at this tutorial on Complete PC Backup:
http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!E8E5CC039D51E3DB!16507.entry

 

[Cathie Olson]

I'm also having this problem. I was having a BSOD error on my computer, and
HP said to try repair, and if that didn't work, then to do a Recovery, which
I did, but I did back up all my information before I did it.

I did both the back up of my information, and also, before I did Recovery,
it suggested doing a backup, and I thought why not, I have plenty of room on
my external drive, and it turned out it did pretty much a total backup.

However, after the computer was recovered to the original state, and I
started reinstalling my programs, when I went to restore the backups of my
information (for example, my Outlook files), if I click on 'restore files',
and pick 'files from an older backup' (I did another backup after the
Recovery, thinking it would just add any new info to the backup I'd made
before-it didn't-made a whole new backup), all it shows is the latest backup,
made after the Recovery.

So then I decided to try clicking on 'Advance Restore'. That brings up the
backup done before the Recovery, but under backup location, it says: 'backup
location is not available'. Yet I can see the back up, and all the files on
my external drive! It's so frustrating!! I'm thinking of trying to see if I
can copy/move folders individually, to restore them... but even if that
works, what a PITA...

And what's really weird... is I just realized that the backup done after the
Recovery, that shows when I just click 'restore files' (5/26/08)... it says
it's on my external drive, yet when I view the folders/files on the external,
I see both of the backups from before the Recovery (5/23/08 & 5/24/08), but
not the one after the Recovery (5/26/08)...

Any suggestions?

 

[Cathie Olson]

I think I figured my problem out... It says the backup location isn't
available, but if I just go ahead and ignore that, and click 'next', I get to
a place where I can choose to restore files or folders, or even to search for
a file (which didn't work to well in my opinion...). When I click either
files or folders, it opens up another window that shows storage areas. What
got me confused, was I thought I was looking at my computer NOW... but it was
the backup, and it was making it easier to find things, by showing them where
they were on my computer BEFORE the Recovery!

So all I had to do was open the 'C Drive', then choose what I wanted to
restore. This process hasn't been easy with this revelation, but at least I
know I can GET to the files... I'm starting with restoring my 'user' file,
and we'll see what else I need as I reinstall my programs...