Windows 10: Backup/Restore/Recovery programs & routines [open topic]

Acer Aspire 7741G-6426's S03(YT0)C and S03(YT0)D recovered and restored.


Normally, this laptop's "c drive" is OS partition S03YT0C, "d drive" is Data partition S03YT0D,
with a tiny 1GB partition labeled NTFS or whatever between the above two partitions.
Thankfully, have been making routine backups of OS and Data onto external media
(in this case, two dedicated platter-driven, usb, 1TB hard-drives, TCSIIkat & TCSIIkit).
From Day One, those two partitions were given unique names that indicated:
-- which computer, in this one of two laptops, S03
-- which internal hard-drive, part of the serial number is YT0
-- which partition, C for OS partition, D for Data partition


One day, I interrupted what seemed to be a stalled partition merger between
an un-allocated partition and S03YT0C; which led to a post, no-boot, no-Windows load.
My first correct response concerning disk management was using Acronis Disk Director 12.
ADD12 showed un-allocated partitions, and S03YT0D -- which was promptly backed up
onto TSCIIkat. Made sure that partition was intact by using the disk explore function.
My first correct response concerning partition recovery was using MiniTool Partition Wizard
9.1, which actually is part of my MiniTool Power Data Recovery package; ran it, it found my
S03YT0C (disk explore showed all the directories); and my S03YT0D became un-allocated.
S03YT0C was promptly backed up -- Macrium Reflect Pro version being used through-out.
Backups took a long time, so at the end of both backups, called it a day and went home.

The next day, used Acronis Disk Director 12 to re-create S03YT0C and S03YT0D partitions,
with a tiny 1GB partition labeled NTFS or whatever between the above two partitions.
Using Macrium Reflect and TSCIIkat, restored S03YT0C and S03YT0D into their respective locations.
Because I had TSCIIkat connected during a Windows Startup Repair attempt Thursday, I re-ran
Windows Startup Repair after restoring the partitions - finally, post, boot, and Windows load.


Because of the above experience, and previous restoration experiences, wanted to try my hand at
typing a tiny "white paper" about backup, restore, recovery operations coming from a "first response"
angle, pictured an analogy -- an ambulance, a first responder.
Setting up the OS and Data early on with making routine backups in mind, with sooner or later,
eventual, restores in mind, seemed to me similar to setting up the ambulance,
setting up better first responses, in any crisis.
Things that could be done by an end-user in the midst of an OS and/or Data crisis
depend largely upon things done by the end-user long before any such crisis.

 

Jared, Data Medics and Data Medics forum admin, gives DR advice:
http://collegecafe.fr.yuku.com/sreply/5665/Response-Restore-Recovery-ideas-beliefs-practices-exper

Luke, specialist, RecoveryForce, RecoveryForce forum, gives DR advice.
First Response Restore and Recovery ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences in Computer Technologies Forum

 

I have to say I still have no idea what OP is talking about. I've tried to understand what he is saying but I lost the plot completely.

It rather reminds me of the first sentence in a book I read years ago about chaos theory for beginners that started

"Consider an n dimensional object in Hilbert Space."

Book closed and returned to library immediately!

 

Here are some snippits from contributors, DR specialists, posting in hddguru forums:
First Response Restore and Recovery ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences in Computer Technologies Forum
Go several posts downward, you will see quote snippits from hddguru forums.
Those comments indicate that imminent hardware failure cannot be repaired by software "fixes".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Response Restore and Recovery ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences in Computer Technologies Forum
This snippit from sevenforums.com by a long-time contributor drives home the point that a good restorable backup trumps any data recovery attempt.

 

Isn't that patently obvious?

What is far more important to understand is that making image backups of a disk that is failing is likely to fail as well.

In any case, a disk can appear to be fine in terms of read/write errors picked up by disk health software like crystaldiskinfo but the interface electronics can fail with no warning so users should make regular image backups from day one!

 

I just use Uranium-Backup to automatically back up regularly to my NAS. I don't have to think about it.

 

Those comments indicate that imminent hardware failure cannot be repaired by software "fixes". --
Isn't that patently obvious? -- cereberus

Well, when it's your data that for whatever reason is lost, one can forget the obvious; or, for many computer users, it is not obvious -- for them it's a race with software after software after software trying to recover what wasn't previously backed up, they want their stuff back NOW, they earlier did not recognize the subtle signs of an imminent HD failure. There are many wonderful new computers users out there who have not yet encountered: backup/restore, data recovery, imminent HD failure signs. [I'm in classes of 7-grade dudes, watching them like a hawk, so I might be a little disconnected today.]

 

Making the backup is only half of the solution. Being able to recover the system from the backup is the other half. There are plenty of threads on this forum with the general situation of "My system crashed, but I have this backup. Now what do I do?"

It is nearly as important to have the means available to recover the system from the backup prepared and tested before the need arises to use it.

 

Because of the wealth of information provided by data recovery folks in numerous forums on The 'Net, I have these two threads [along with a few others elsewhere] for the purpose of passing on your wisdom and experience, passing on your advice and ideas.

http://collegecafe.fr.yuku.com/topic...ractices-exper
college cafe's Computer Technologies;
Thread title: First Response Restore and Recovery ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences

https://www.dost-tech.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=730
Dost-Tech's Microsoft Windows Support; subGroup: Backup, Restore, Recovery; Ext/Int FD&HD MGT
Thread title: First Response restore and recovery ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences

Anyone, everyone, is very much welcomed to add content, add comments, ask questions, etc. Those threads hopefully will awaken end-users who are in any sort of data loss crisis, to consider
-- data recovery concepts and practices
-- restoration and copy-back concepts and practices
as a Unified Whole rather than linear parts and parcels.

Also, rather than over and over printing a post in numerous threads across The 'Net, I'm going to print the vast majority of "rollerstoller"-generated stuff in two threads in those two forums. You all can from time to time visit the above two and see additional stuff.

 

Backups, Restoring, Cloning ideas, beliefs, practices, experiences in Computer Technologies Forum
latest rjs post *Smile