Backing up Windows 10 pro with storage space array 4 drives

gary1237 · 26 Aug 2019

I have Windows 10 pro computer with a 4 drive storage space array. I need backup software to back up the storage space. I would like to have both bare metal recovery capability and file and folder backup capability.

Would the internal windows image program (Backup and Restore Windows 7) be able to back up the storage space for bare metal recovery? Are you aware of any commercial, preferably free, software that would provide the functionality per the first paragraph?

Caledon Ken · 28 Aug 2019

Hi gary1237 Welcome the TenForums @gary1237

Have a look at macrium reflect.

Free and very good.

Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect

Ken

jimbo45 · 10 Sep 2019

Hi there
@gary1237

Storage spaces are basically the nearest thing Windows has to Software RAID -- depending on how its set up --level of striping etc etc it's probable that just taking an Image of the storage spaces won't work -- what you need is to be able to save the DATA from these storage space(s) to a backup device.

I've found Windows Storage spaces extremly un reliable in the past but it's up to you whether to use them or not.

You'll probably need tools like xcopy / robocopy on windows but my personal way for backing up data from these storage spaces --especially if you have a Linux based type of NAS is to use the built in rsync or it's GUI version grsync -- this utility has loads of features, handles directories/subdirectories, skips copying newer files if required --loads and loads of options.

Macrium is first class for system imaging or disk cloning for single disks but when dealing with complex things like RAID structures your best bet is to save DATA so if you need to re-build the arrays again you can simply restore the data.

Other people might have more experience with things like restoring Broken RAID / Storage devices -- I think Windows can't actually boot from a storage space but it can boot from hardware raid provided the Raid driver is injected into your windows boot program or your macrium software --you can load custom drivers into macrium.

I had a PC which did have an internal RAID card - the only way though that I could boot from the SSD (4 HDD's configured as RAID and 1 SSD) was to define the SSD as a single RAID 0 device (this stupid machine meant that either RAID was on ALL the ports or none of them if you used AHCI which rather mitigated against the Raid system). Fortunately at boot there was a built in chip which loaded the driver via BIOS before Windows boot started.

Bonkers of course to have a 1 Disk RAID 0 array but it worked and this was "Imageable" via Macrium. The other 4 Disks were configured as proper RAID arrays - but still backed these up via DATA rather than Disk imaging.

Cheers
jimbo