Disk Image Backup - Knowledge Base

Following are the prerequisites to restore disk image in a different computer

• A USB bootable flash drive to boot your computer. You can download the WinRE ISO files for X86 OS architecture and X64 OS architecture, mount it and copy the entire contents on to a USB bootable flash drive.
• Download the below IDrive Disk Image Utility (IDriveDiskImage.exe) and copy it to the USB drive (WinRE boot disk) that has the boot files.
  • For X86 OS architecture, download IDriveDiskImage.exe
  • For X64 OS architecture, download IDriveDiskImage.exe
• The Disk Image backup of your Operating System drive that you backed up using IDrive application.
• New hard disk to which you can perform the restore operation.
  
  

Steps to recover your operating system drive on dissimilar hardware:

1. Connect your USB drive (WinRE boot disk) and start the computer in the WindowsRE environment.
2. Choose your keyboard layout to US > Troubleshoot >Advance options > Command Prompt
   
   
   
   
3. A command prompt with ‘x:\windows\system32>’ window appears.
   
   
   
   
4. Open backup.ini from the IDriveDiskImage\<Computer Name>\C\Backup.ini folder to get the MBR/GPT/OS disk size to create the partition.
   
   
   
   
5. Locate your MBR.img/GPT.img from IDriveDiskImage folder and create the partition using disk part command, using steps to create MBR / GPT partition.
6. Locate the Operating system drive Disk Image file (E.g.: DiskImage[C].img) and create the partition with disk part command, using steps to create OS drive partition.
7. Restore the MBR /GPT drive image, using steps to restore MBR / GPT image.
8. Restore the OS drive image, using steps to restore OS drive image.
9. Execute the Booting commands, using steps to get the operating system to boot.

Steps to create MBR / GPT partition:

To create MBR partition,

1. Enter Diskpart in the command line window to create the MBR partition as said below.
2. Enter LIST DISK command and select the disk number of your hard disk

   DISKPART>LIST DISK	Display’s list of disks available on the PC.
   DISKPART> SELECT DISK 0	Where 0 is the hard disk where partition has to be created for restore operation.
   DISKPART> CLEAN	Performing clean command will wipe out entire hard disk.
   DISKPART> CONVERT MBR	Converts the disk to master boot record partition style.
   DISKPART>CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=500	Size in MB. [Get the MBR Size from the backup.ini, Provide extra size of 200 MB to create partition] Creates a partition of 500MB with partition as primary. Note: It is recommended to provide a size greater than the image size for MBR.img.
   DISKPART>FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK	Formats the partition to NTFS file system. Make sure partition type is NTFS.
   DISKPART>ASSIGN LETTER=M	Assign drive letter to M. Drive letter can be assigned randomly.
   DISKPART>ACTIVE	Makes the partition active for booting.

   
   


3. Overall Command for MBR partition:
   DISKPART> LIST DISK
   DISKPART> SELECT DISK 0
   DISKPART> CLEAN
   DISKPART> CONVERT MBR
   DISKPART> CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=500
   DISKPART> FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
   DISKPART> ASSIGN LETTER=M
   DISKPART>ACTIVE
   
   
   
   

To create GPT partition,

1. Enter Diskpart in the command line window to create the GPT partition as mentioned below.
2. Enter LIST DISK command and select the disk number of your hard disk.

   DISKPART>LIST DISK	Display’s list of disks available on the PC
   DISKPART> SELECT DISK 0	Where 0 is the hard disk where partition has to be created for restore operation
   DISKPART> CLEAN	Performing clean command will wipe out entire hard disk
   DISKPART> CONVERT GPT	Converts the disk to GUID partition table
   DISKPART> CREATE PARTITION EFI SIZE=500	Size in MB. [Get the GPT Size from the backup.ini, Provide extra size of 200 MB to create partition] Creates a partition of 500MB.
   DISKPART > FORMAT FS=FAT32 QUICK	Formats the partition. Make sure partition type is FAT32.
   DISKPART > ASSIGN LETTER=M	Assign drive letter to M. Drive letter can be assigned randomly.

   
   


3. Overall Command for EFI partition:
   
   DISKPART> LIST DISK
   DISKPART> SELECT DISK 0
   DISKPART> CLEAN
   DISKPART> CONVERT GPT
   DISKPART> CREATE PARTITION EFI SIZE=500
   DISKPART> FORMAT FS=FAT32 QUICK
   DISKPART>ASSIGN LETTER=M

Steps to create OS drive partition:

1. Enter Diskpart in the command line window to create the OS drive partition as mentioned below.

   DISKPART> CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=29649	Get the size of OS Drive (in MB) from the backup.ini. Size should be equal to or greater than the original OS size in MB.
   DISKPART> FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK	Formats the partition
   DISKPART> ASSIGN LETTER=H	Assign letter H. Letter can be assigned randomly.
   DISKPART> EXIT	Once all the disk part operations are completed, quit from disk part by command: EXIT

   
   
   
   
   
2. Overall command format:
   
   DISKPART> CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=29649
   DISKPART> FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
   DISKPART> ASSIGN LETTER=H
   DISKPART> EXIT
   
   
   
   

Steps to restore the MBR / GPT image:

1. Syntax
   $IDriveDiskImage.exe if=<mbr/gpt image path> iflag=coe of=<partition drive> bs=512 oflag=coe

   
   Example:

   • $IDriveDiskImage.exe if=d:\IDriveDiskImage\Win-IUP3S7CGAU\C\MBR.img iflag=coe of=m: bs=512 oflag=coe
   • $IDriveDiskImage.exe if=d:\IDriveDiskImage\Win-IUP3S7CGAU\C\GPT.img iflag=coe of=m: bs=512 oflag=coe
2. Parameter details:
   “if”: Disk image file path
   Example: if=J:\MBR. Img or if=J:\GPT.img
   "of": Drive letter of MBR/GPT partition to restore
   Example: of=m:
   "bs" : block size
   
   
   

   IDriveDiskImage.exe if=<gpt.img> iflag=coe of=<partition drive> bs=512 oflag=coe

   
   
   

   IDriveDiskImage.exe if=<mbr.img> iflag=coe of=<partition drive> bs=512 oflag=coe

   
   
   

Steps to restore OS drive image:

1. Syntax
   $IDriveDiskImage.exe if=<OS driveimage path> iflag=coe of=<partition drive> oflag=coe bs=4096 count=<Image Size in bytes>

   
   Example:

   $IDriveDiskImage.exe if="D:\IDriveDiskImage\WIN-IUP3S37CGAU\C\DiskImage[C].img" iflag=coe of=h: oflag=coe bs=4096 count=29355606052

2. Parameter details:
   "if" : Disk image file path
   Example: ="D:\IDriveDiskImage\WIN-IUP3S37CGAU\C\DiskImage[C].img"
   "of" : drive to restore OS disk image
   Example: of=h:
   "bs" : block sector
   "count": Image size of operating system disk image in bytes
   

   *Get the Image size of operating system disk image from the "backup.ini"

   
   
   

Steps to get operating system to boot

After the MBR/GPT and Operating system disk image is restored to the respective partitions, run the chkdsk command from the command line.

Enter the drive letter, which has Operating system, restored from the command line.

1. Run chkdsk /f to force the partition to check for any drive integrity issues.
   
   
   
   Wait for the check disk to complete the error checking if any in the file system.
2. Run the following bootrec command and reboot the system to get the Operating System working:
   
   • bootrec /fixmbr
   • bootrec /fixboot
   • bootrec /scanos
     • Displays total identified windows installation.
     • Choose the number from the list displayed to boot.
   • bootrec /rebuildbcd
     • Scan’s all the disk for Windows installations and adds the same to boot list
     • Add installation to boot list? Yes(Y)/No(N)/All(A) : is prompted
     • Enter Y and press enter to finish the operation.
       
       
       
       
       
   • Disconnect USB pen drive and any external drive attached.
   • Reboot the system to boot from operating system.
   • Recovery of the Operating System drive in complete.
     
     
     
     
   • Booting to operating system is now complete.