Thank you all for those informative posts! I know my start sounded like a boring "White [research] paper", however, I am trying to build my writing to a wide variety of audience member skills. Some want info quick, some enjoy reading "papers". You all gave great ideas for backups that are restorable, thanks!
I see my first public attempt at a tiny white paper fell flat. In short, make routine backups so that in the future you can post: My backups restored my Data and/or my OS, I'm back in business!
[addendum: Superfly's next post caught my original closing.]
Last edited by RolandJS; 04 Apr 2017 at 01:40.
Superfly, it's all aok! I was trying to post a tiny "white paper" -- fall flat; basically, my thread pushes:
-- make routine backups onto reliable external media
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.
Last edited by RolandJS; 07 Apr 2017 at 09:23.
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
Last edited by RolandJS; 07 Apr 2017 at 11:09.
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".
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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.
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