Windows Forum·65,807 discussions

Copying C drive image from WD My Passport back into my C drive

Tags: Windows

I successfully copied into C drive folder the contents of the folder in my external drive WD My Passport.

But I cannot at all figure out what to do after that to see in the C drive in UNCOMPRESSED (“unzipped”) form the actual contents which were copied from the external drive WD My Passport.

—————–

(Incidentally, I had posted a few hours ago my above problem in some different words. I am posting this note because I cannot find in this forum my previously posted note.)

Thank you.

Topic

Big problem. An IMAGE is NOT “contents of the folder”

In reply to Copying C drive image from WD My Passport back into my C drive

Since I can’t tell what you did, I can’t write much yet.

Write what you did to copy or make this C drive image so we can begin.

My Explanatory Reply

In reply to Big problem. An IMAGE is NOT “contents of the folder”

Bob,

A few minutes ago, I had written a reply in great details, and then clicked on the “Submit Post” button. Just as it had once happened yesterday, the submitted post just vanished from this forum.

So I am going to resubmit my reply. Naturally, if in fact you were somehow able to see the previous “vanished” note, you will be finding some wording of this (shorter) note to be a little different from that note though the substance is going to be the same.

—————–

On 7/1/21, I had successfully copied the contents of my C drive into my WD My Passport external drive. (The copy comprised about 50 files named Drive_C.001, etc. (each with 672,000KB size). All of them must surely be in compressed/”zipped” form.)

Yesterday, through my great misfortune, while I was using the System Restore operation for restoring my computer to its 7/9/21 state, my computer malfunctioned and did not do the System Restore operation properly. (In the past, I have done a System Restore operation a few times without any problem.)

After that, I struggled yesterday for many hours to get my computer working by using several available options provided by Microsoft. Frustratingly, no options worked except the option of putting my computer at its Factory System Installation state.

Then I easily copied from WD My Passport all 50 or so (compressed/zipped) files named Drive_C.001, etc. into my C drive. But now I cannot at all figure out what to do next to get those copied files “uncompressed”/”unzipped” in C drive so that I can access the 7/1/21 contents of my C drive.

Many thanks, Bob, for your help.

I went to the moderator view and can’t find any other replies.

In reply to My Explanatory Reply

1. But I still can’t tell what app or method you used to create these 50 files so if I guess I will likely guess badly.

So let’s hear exactly what app or method you used when you wrote “On 7/1/21, I had successfully copied the contents of my C drive into my WD My Passport external drive.”

Now I could guess you used some WD app or maybe some Windows Backup method but again, my guess is just that. Help me understand what you used.

2. Yes, one can copy those 50 or so files but I remain unsure of what good that will do here since you want to either restore the PC or browse what’s in these files. It’s imperative we know what app or system created these files or backup or copy (many people use these words interchangeably.)

My further explanation

In reply to I went to the moderator view and can’t find any other replies.

Bob,

First, my immense appreciation of the extremely worthy and prompt help you always provide to problem presenters like me.

——————–

I have been using the driveimage-xml software to periodically store backup copies of the contents of my C drive into my WD MY Passport external drive.

http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm

Only after reading your above response, I recognized that the above information is crucial for you to be able to provide guidance.

I am hoping that now you will be able to help me and that I will have been lucky enough to have the 7/1/21 backup copy of my C drive in WD My passport adequate for putting it back into my C drive in a usable manner.

Thanks again in advance for your next follow up.

DriveImage XML notes.

In reply to Copying C drive image from WD My Passport back into my C drive

Now that we know what created this backup let’s look at two areas I think you are asking about. First about restoring the image then let’s see if they allow you to browse what’s in the backup image. For this discussion we’ll call the set of files DriveImage XML created the “image.”

1. https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/restore-driveimage-xml-backup-image-ubcd4win-boot-cd/ notes that one can almost without issue backup and clone drives. But restoration fails. This article notes how to deal with that limitation.

2. https://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm writes:
“Easily browse images.” and sure enough that appears to be in this apps main screen.

So while I see that we are stuck using DriveImage XML for both restore and browsing I’m left with one area that the answer is no. This app does not unzip files from those set of files. So far only DriveImage XML understands how to work with the files it created.

Addendum

In reply to DriveImage XML notes.

Bob,

For a while after posting my previous note, I had thought that I had recognized the solution to my problem as follows:

In the opening page of DriveImage-XML software saying “Welcome to Runtime’s DriveImage XML,” there is a button for “Restore.” The next page then instructs: “Select the drive image XML file you want to restore.”

So I had thought that when I very carefully EXACTLY enter (in the window below the above instruction) the name which I had given to the file containing the 7/1/21 backup contents of my C drive, I will next be asked the name of the drive (namely C) where the backup contents are to be restored.

But I ran into a very frustrating roadblock as follows:

The name I had given to the backup folder is:

—————–
C Drive Image 07-01-21
—————-

The WD My Passport external drive’s name selected by the computer is F.

I entered in the window the above file name EXACTLY. The response I received was:

—————–
‘C Drive Image 07-01-21’ does not exist.
—————-

Then I tried different variations, wherein I added F: , F:\ , F:/ before the above name (without any gaps anywhere (except within the name itself as I have written above). Every time I got an analogous response.

I am not able to figure out how to attain what I am trying to attain.

My many thanks for your follow ups.

What you want to attain.

In reply to Addendum

It appears you want to restore from the DriveImageXML backup.

So let’s go over a basic issue with restoration.

[b] DriveImage will not restore to a drive that you are running Windows on.[/b]

This is true for almost all apps that backup and restore. Since you are running Windows on C (most likely) then you can’t restore to C. This is why there are articles about how to restore from backups to said C drive.

Copying the image (that set of files) to drive C is a dead end since when the restore would happen, C would be overwritten, these files would vanish and the restore would fail. Again, we are left with that article on how to restore.

Re: file

In reply to Addendum

Typing a folder name is not the same as selecting a file. A file is not a folder.

But, once you have Windows up and running again after a clean install, you might be able to use this methoud to copy your documents/pictures/music/etc back to where they were.

After that, it’s time to reconsider your backup method.

As well as the restore method/procedure.

In reply to Re: file

This one appears to have limitations but hey, [b]free[/b].

Thank you, Kees

In reply to Re: file

Thank you, Kees, for your follow up along with Bob. Both of you always provide superb guidance to those seeking solutions to their diverse computer problems.

…………..

In my above post, I had been careless in using the words “file” and “folder” as though they meant the same thing. In my previous post wherever I wrote “file,” I did mean to say “folder.”

Very importantly, you raised my hope by writing that I might be able to use this method to copy my documents/pictures/music/etc. back to where they were. But I could not figure out WHICH method you had referred to. If you had meant to refer to the method which I had described in my previous post, as I had written, that method had not worked.

I shall much appreciate your follow up.

Thanks again.

Re: files

In reply to Thank you, Kees

What I meant: first select file 1 and see if it contains files you like to copy back.
Then file 2 and so on until you reach 50.
Usually, there is a “browse”-button to select a file. Anyway, if the program tells you to do it, there must be a way.
You’ll have to install driveimage-xml first to be able to run it. It isn’t included in the clean install of Windows.

However, on their FAQ I read “It is a good idea to perform a “Restore” from our Runtime Live CD or a WinPE Boot Medium.”. That’s the way to restore your hard disk. So it’s possible, but not in the way you tried it. That definitely was the wrong way.

[Author]

Replies