Windows 10: Backup and System Image failure - caused by .VHD conflict... solved?

I discovered that after the forced update to Windows 10 my Backups have been failing. Also cannot create a System Image. I get the error message that many others have asked about - that the system finds Virtual Hard Disk files that are compressed, encrypted, or sparse. But no info on which ones !


I FINALLY figured it out! I have tons of .VHD files... and none of them are virtual hard disk files! As a chip designer using VHDL for Xilinx and Altera FPGAs, the default file type for the design source code emerging from my IDE is .VHD ! That is also the default input type for the Xilinx compiler, etc. But Windows 10 only accepts that as implying a Virtual Hard Disk. And when attempting to do Backup or System Image, Windows thinks such a VHDL source file *.VHD is some kind of corrupted Virtual Hard Disk !


Now, I could write a script to rename all my chip source files as *.VHDL or something, but that's not convenient for the source code editor or chip compiler. Does Microsoft have a better solution? I'd still hope to generate a System Image.


Brad

:)

 

Conflicting messages with Win 10 system image backup

Hi,

I realize that you are getting conflicting messages with Windows 10 system image backup. I will try to help you with this issue.

Please answer these questions to get more clarity on this issue:

• 
  Did you make any changes to the PC prior to this issue?
  
• 
  What is the free space available on the external HDD?
  

Unplug the external HDD, restart the computer and then plug in the external HDD to check if that helps with the system image backup.

You may temporarily disable the security software and check if this helps.

Disclaimer: If you have to temporarily disable the antivirus to install other software; you should enable the antivirus as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software
is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to virus attacks.

Suggest you to boot the PC in a clean boot state to check if that helps. A clean boot step will help us determine if any 3rd party service or application is causing this issue.

How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow the steps under “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot” in the article to boot to normal startup.

Keep us informed to help you further.

 

System Image Backup

I don't think you will see the individual itunes files in your system image backup because everything is kept in one large file. but it should be there as an image backup contains everything on your hard drive.

if you are really curious, it is possible to mount a VHD file in Disk Management, then you can see the files that are in the backup. your iTunes music would be in the C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes folder

here is a link to a page that describes how to see what is contained in an image backup:

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/extract-specific-files-windows-7-8-system-image-backup

when I tried this on Windows 10, you did have to do one additional step and assign the mounted VHD volume a drive letter before you could see what was in it

be careful - this is advanced stuff so don't mess up your backup if you are unsure if how to do this

I did verify image backup works on Windows 10 - I backed up one to a large USB drive, then restored it and seems OK.

to restore it, you will need to boot recovery media or the install media and click repair, then advanced options poke around for restore image backup

hopefully your hardware repairs don't change things significantly enough that you loose your windows activation!

 

Creating a System Image backup - keeps looping

Hi,

Thank you for giving us an opportunity to assist you with the query.

I understand the inconvenience caused, now that you have me with you let me take care of this.

The system image is exactly like the mirrored copy of the Operating System which contains the configuration of the Operating System. When you create backup system image your windows 10 comes back to the same position at when the image was created earlier.

As an initial step, I suggest you to make sure that the services required for backup to run successfully is enabled. Refer to these steps:

• 
  Press Windows + R
  keys, type services.msc and press Enter.
  
• 
  In the services window, locate the services
  File history service and the Volume shadow copy service and check if they are running.
  
• 
  If they are not running, right-click and select
  Start to manually start the service.
  
• 
  Check if you are able to create a backup now.
  

Step 1: I suggest you to follow the steps from the below article created by

Andre Da Costa and check if it helps.

How to: Create a system image in Windows 10

How to: Create a system image in Windows 10

Step 2: If the issue still persists, I suggest you to boot the computer in a clean boot state and then check.

Booting the computer in a clean boot state can reduce software conflicts and help identify the root cause of the issue. You can refer to this article for more information:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Note: After troubleshooting, reset the computer to start as usual. Refer to the step
How to set the computer to start as usual after clean boot troubleshooting under more information.

Hope it helps.

Let us know the status, we are glad to assist you further.