windows could not find a backup for this computer

Hi jalea148.

Windows can and does have issue occasional find Images it created. I don't have a good answer but lets just clarify....

Just so I'm clear when you did the backup this is the process where you used Windows tools to create an "Image", correct?

Did you created the Image on an external drive or an alternate drive in system?

Could you tell us how you create Image?


Ken

Okay. Two different things, at least I treat them that way.

Restore points are copies of the registry files and necessary files as I understand it. These are used by a function called "System Restore" to take you back to a point in time when you created the restore point. I've seen in Windows 10 where "Restore Points" are not enabled and the user, you, have to enable. You also determine how much space you want to use so you can keep multiple "Restore Points". So technically they are a backup but not how I think of Backup.

Backup and Restore Windows 7 is the real "Backup" app. It allows you to create an Image of your system and or just data files. The Image includes all files from Windows, Programs and Data. It is stored in what I will call a container, a big blob of a file. It also allows you to copy out data files and these appear in File explorer as traditional files.

The Backup and Restore Win 7 also creates a boot disk to allow you to boot the system and then restore the Image file you previously created. You also see this in the Advance Startup menu as System Image Recovery.

So if you are using Restore Points, Windows Key + R, type in sysdm.cpl, enter. Click on System Protection tab.

You want to see, in the lower box, that system protection is "On" for the C: drive. Under configure you can determine amount of space to use. If enable for C: you should see above it "System Restore". Again this is just the registry and files it copies. If you click System Restore it walks you through. If it can't find restore points that is unusual or System Protection is not enable. If Restore Points are enable and you just went through a major upgrade, v1607 to V1703, your old restore points are not available.

If you want to use a very good tool for Images please check out Macrium Reflect. Free, very reliable and recommended by members. We have a tutorial in our library. I would recommend it over the built in tool. The built in tool can be used for data files effectively. I also always recommend that if you are doing data backups or Images that they be done to media that can be removed, made offline. Its okay to keep an Image online but my thinking is you don't want all your eggs in one basket.

Ken

Cool. You click (or double click) on one and follow the prompts. System restore doesn't always work but it is pretty reliable. It issues a warning, you decide and accept.

The further you go back in the time machine the more "System" changes you lose. Say yesterday you installed chrome. Going back two days and Chrome won't appear. Same for Updates, they will have to be redone. The nice thing is data files, your personally created stuff is unchanged, so the letter you wrote yesterday in Open Office remains.

Again some members on the forum use Macrium Reflect to achieve this although they keep there data on separate partitions or backed up. When you restore an Image to a partition it "restores" the partition to the way it was, not only the system. It is very reliable.


Ken