Windows 10 Home, version 1903. I normally backup to an external usb hard drive using Macrium without any problem. Now I cannot anymore and get an error telling me 'partition 1' is invalid. I have no idea what partition 1 is or how it came to be created. I get the same error even if I do not include 'partition 1' in the backup. I am including relevant screenshots. Can I delete 'partition 1'? What should I do? Thank you.
Assuming macrium follows windows disk numbering, The usb3tbytes is disk 1 partition 1
To complement support here is a Microsoft Support page on that issue
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/927392
Researching the error message
XML Validation: Error - '<disk>' '1' '<partition>' 1' is not valid
which I copied using screen OCR
offers e.g. this dicussion:
Macrium Support Forum - XML Validation: Error disk 1 partition 3 not valid
This may be relevant and suggests a way forward:The error indicates that you attempting to image a disk that is not attached to your system. This can be that the disk is not physically attached or that the disk ID and/or partition layout has changed since the backup definition was created.
This situation should be a rare occurrence and prompting to edit the xml during a backup is not the correct action. The cause of the problem should be investigated and the xml file edited if necessary.
XML Validation - Error ' ' '2' '1' is not valid
Thank you all for helping. This is most confusing. Here's some more information. I have 2 ext usb hdds which I alternate for backups. I get the same error with either hdds attached. The laptop has 2 usb sockets, Same problem no matter which one I use to attach the hdds. In all cases, the usb external hdds are visible and can be explored in "This PC". So I think they are properly attached. I have 2 backup software (Macrium and EaseUS). Any hw combination or software combination gives the same error. This is new behavior and may be related to the Windows 10 update (anniversary edition ?) since I last backed up. Now I'm stuck and cannot backup with either software and to either ext hdd. Really stuck. The disk I am trying to image is the sole hdd in the laptop. It is a 1 tb fast solid state drive and works great. It passed the chkdsk which I tried before asking here. EDIT: Device manager shows no yellow errors.
Pleae read thru the last link I posted. Note this:
If you read what precedes it, I then suggest you follow that advice.Ah, thanks!
I started off creating again a new image and notice indeed that:
a. the latest xml definition file is being used, whilst
b. the 'XML Validation' error referred to the very first (old) one.
Anyway, I deleted all XML files and again created a disk image. Now there are no problems.
Thank you for your patience. I deleted all the the xml files. Restarted Macrium. Unfortunately I still cannot backup.
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Maybe solution! I decided to check for Macrium updates and there was one and it said something about Windows 10 ver 1903. So I installed it. Now the backup is going past where it stopped previously, So it does seem to be connected to the new W10 version. Hopefully the backup will comlete. I'l let you know Thanks for helping. It made all the difference.
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Solved. That was the problem. Backup finished uneventfully. For others facing the same ptoblem: Windows 10 ver 1903 introduced some changes that made several backup software that I've used for years with Windows 10 now fail to achieve a backup with "error 9". The backup software developers are obviously aware of this and produced fixes. So the solution is to download and install the latest backup software updates. I hope this helps somewhere else.
Glad you solved it. Normally when you launch MR, it will let you know if there's an available update...
It did. But I ignored it because I had no time for it and did not think I needed it for this quick backup. 😉 I had never previously encountered a software update that was that critical and instead looked for some file corruption being the problem with chkdsk, etc.
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