IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

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paul_6
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:06 pm

IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by paul_6 »

Hi,
My image of C: (= Win, active) is on an external drive.
I would like to restore this image with IFW (which is inside Windows which is inside C:).

Possible?
Thanks,
P.
TeraByte Support(PP)
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:51 am

Re: IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by TeraByte Support(PP) »

Not automatically, but it can be done manually using several methods. For example, if you are using Windows 7 or later you can use the /bootwim option of TBWinPE/RE Builder and specify a run file with the desired restore commands for IFW. Usage and examples are in Appendix 4 of the tutorial (last section): http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/howto/ ... torial.htm

You could also just boot to the TBWinRE WIM without specifying any run file and do the restore manually using IFW.

Boot media is not required for either of these methods (you would boot directly to TBWinRE from Windows and then back into Windows).
paul_6
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:06 pm

Re: IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by paul_6 »

ok..
I have W10 family and I am a reg owner. But I am not a programmer...
So if you could give me the easiest way to get this result (without boot media) it would be fine. Thks.
TeraByte Support
Posts: 3598
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:37 pm

Re: IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by TeraByte Support »

make sure you have a boot disk because when your HD is dead or hd corrupted, you're not going to be able to boot from it to restore it.
TeraByte Support(PP)
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:51 am

Re: IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by TeraByte Support(PP) »

The basic steps to creating a TBWinRE build and then booting the WIM are as follows. More detailed instructions for each step are provided below.

1. Create a normal TBWinRE build using TBWinPE/RE Builder. This build is the same as you would create for boot media.

2. Determine the IFW command line needed to restore your backup image.

3. Create a run file with the IFW parameters (this is just a plain text file).

4. Run TBWinPE/RE Builder using the /bootwim parameter and specify the run file.

After you have done these steps it’s not necessary to repeat them all when you want to restore again. For example, if no changes that would require a rebuild or IFW parameter changes, you could just do Step 4 to run the restore again. Additionally, if you just want to boot to TBWinRE you can do Step 4 without specifying a run file.


Step 1 – Create a normal TBWinRE build using TBWinPE/RE Builder
======================================================

The TBWinRE build files are installed with IFW. You can run TBWinPE/RE Builder (TBWinPE.exe) from that installed folder or you can copy it to another location. If creating a custom build it’s recommended to use a normal user folder instead of the installed location to avoid permission issues in the installation folder. For example, you could use D:\TBWinRE for your build folder. (Note that since you will be restoring the C: partition it’s recommended to use a different drive, if possible, so it’s not lost in the restore.)

Either copy the installed “tbwinre” folder to a new location (e.g. D:\TBWinRE) or download the tbwinre.zip file from the TeraByte website (http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downlo ... bwinre.zip) and unzip it in the folder. On a 64-bit Windows installation the default IFW “tbwinre” folder would be “C:\Program Files (x86)\TeraByte Drive Image Backup and Restore Suite\tbwinre”.

Run the TBWinPE.exe program in the build folder. This is just a default build so there’s no need to change any settings. Following the wizard steps, select “TBWinRE” as project type, build requirements will be checked, then select “Create a TBWinRE CD, USB Flash Drive (UFD), or ISO file” as the build type. Proceed to create the build. After the build has finished you can close Builder by clicking Cancel (no need to run MakeDisk since not creating boot media).

The WIM file you will be booting is located in the “ISO\sources” folder of your build folder. For example: D:\TBWinRE\ISO\sources\boot.wim


Step 2 – Determine the IFW command line needed to restore your backup image
==================================================================

The IFW command line needed can be saved or copied directly from IFW. Run IFW and click the Settings button. On the General tab, make sure the “Output Disk ID to Command Line” option is enabled. This is required since drive letter assignments usually differ in WinPE/RE. By using the Disk ID values IFW can reference the correct disks regardless of any assigned drive letters. Click OK to close settings.

Go through the steps to perform the restore operation until you reach the “Restore Options” step. Configure any options as required. When ready, click the “Show Command” button. IFW will display the command line needed for the restore. To copy out the command, check the “Save to file” box and click OK. Next, right-click the selected text and select Copy from the menu (the text is selected by default). Cancel out of the command line windows and then cancel IFW to close it.


Step 3 – Create a run file with the IFW parameters (this is just a plain text file)
===============================================================

Create a new text file to paste the commands into. In this example I’m using D:\TBWinRE\c_restore.txt and using Notepad to open it. Paste the copied command line. Note that IFW includes the full path to IFW, which isn’t needed here. Delete the IFW path and leave just the IFW parameters. (IFW also includes the “/wait” parameter. This isn’t needed here and was also removed.) The command line should be all on one line.

For example:
/r /d:#0x527EE67@0x2 /f:{BD317F88-EABB-4C32-9AE2-C1812DAAE275}@0x2:"\Backups\Win10_2018-02-07" /sp:0x2

With the command as shown here, IFW will not automatically proceed with the restore. Instead, you will be prompted to confirm the affected partition(s) will be overwritten. It is recommended to make sure any type of restore works properly prior to making it automatic – you don’t want to accidentally restore over the wrong partition while configuring your auto-restore setup. A fully automatic restore would not prompt to overwrite and would boot back into Windows after the restore completes.

For example (“/uy” and “/rb:4” parameters added):
/r /uy /d:#0x527EE67@0x2 /f:{BD317F88-EABB-4C32-9AE2-C1812DAAE275}@0x2:"\Backups\Win10_2018-02-07" /sp:0x2 /rb:4


Step 4 – Run TBWinPE/RE builder using the /bootwim parameter and specify the run file
========================================================================

You can boot the WIM file by running TBWinPE/RE Builder (TBWinPE.exe) from a Command Prompt or from a CMD script file. Both methods are shown below.

To run from a Command Prompt, open the Command Prompt window and change to the build folder. Then run TBWinPE.exe with the desired parameters. For example:

cd /d D:\TBWinRE
tbwinpe.exe /bootwim iso\sources\boot.wim /run c_restore.txt

If you have used spaces in the paths or filenames make sure to surround them with quotes:
tbwinpe.exe /bootwim “my wims\tbwinre 316.wim” /run “restore c drive.txt”

To run from a CMD script file, create a new .CMD file and put the commands in it. For example, you could create “Restore C.cmd” in your build folder and put the following text in it:

@echo off
tbwinpe.exe /bootwim iso\sources\boot.wim /run c_restore.txt

If you want to be able to run the CMD file from an different location (such as the desktop) you could use the complete paths (as an alternative to using the ‘cd’ command). For example:

@echo off
d:\tbwinre\tbwinpe.exe /bootwim d:\tbwinre\iso\sources\boot.wim /run d:\tbwinre\c_restore.txt

You can create additional run files to perform other IFW tasks (e.g. backing up C). This would require Steps 2 - 4 again (you don’t need to recreate the TBWinRE build).

Note: If you install a newer version of IFW you would probably want to update the TBWinRE WIM to use it. In this case, just recreate the TBWinRE build by running TBWinPE/RE Builder in your build folder (Step 1).


==============

As already stated by TeraByte Support, it’s always recommended to have current boot media available to use in cases where booting from Windows isn’t possible (corrupt Windows install, booting issues, failing drive, etc.).

If you have created the TBWinRE build as in Step 1 you can create the boot media at any time by running the MakeDisk utility (makedisk.exe). It’s not necessary to recreate the TBWinRE build unless it needs updated for some reason (e.g. new version of IFW installed).
paul_6
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:06 pm

IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by paul_6 »

Thanks, more clear now. I hope you'll admit that some explanations were necessary...
In IFW: Am I wrong if I say that to see the 'show command' button, the restore type must be "normal" ?
Good, I'll give a try.
One suggestion for a small feature in IFW. When an image is done I always go to the image and open it. Could you add a button with +/-: "Open containing folder" ?
Thks,
Paul Brussels Belgium
TeraByte Support(PP)
Posts: 1644
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:51 am

Re: IFW:Restoring Windows while running Windows

Post by TeraByte Support(PP) »

Yes, it would need to be a "Normal" type restore in IFW.
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