Unambiguously specifying the Windows boot drive to backup
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:55 pm
I run Image for Windows from a scheduled task in CMD file.
In the commandline, I have typically used the source drive designation style like /d:w3, because I want all partitions on the drive to be backed up.
I just discovered that the drives can be re-numbered. I added a very large drive for media in a UASP dock, and didn't notice the drive IDs had changed. /d:w3 was now the media drive in the dock.
The next time the automatic backup ran, it backed up the new drive, which filled my backup drive unexpectedly, causing other issues.
So I went back to the old style drive letter designation like /d:?C:.
However that caused IFW to only back up the one basic data partition used for C:, not all the partitions on the drive.
What is the recommended way to specify a specific source drive, but still cause the backup to contain all partitions found on a Windows system drive?
Use the GUID style: /d:{B3AD7CBE-D0B0-46C5-B498-EE9878D7BCBB}
In the ifw manual, it is not clear the difference between "d is the source hard drive number" and "w – Windows device"
In IFW GUI, the source selection page, where it shows a tree from Computer down to HD 0, HD 1, HD 2, etc, are the numbers 0, 1, and 2 the "Hard Drive Numbers" where the second one is corresponding to /d:1, or are they Windows Devices, corresponding to /d:w1?
In the commandline, I have typically used the source drive designation style like /d:w3, because I want all partitions on the drive to be backed up.
I just discovered that the drives can be re-numbered. I added a very large drive for media in a UASP dock, and didn't notice the drive IDs had changed. /d:w3 was now the media drive in the dock.
The next time the automatic backup ran, it backed up the new drive, which filled my backup drive unexpectedly, causing other issues.
So I went back to the old style drive letter designation like /d:?C:.
However that caused IFW to only back up the one basic data partition used for C:, not all the partitions on the drive.
What is the recommended way to specify a specific source drive, but still cause the backup to contain all partitions found on a Windows system drive?
Use the GUID style: /d:{B3AD7CBE-D0B0-46C5-B498-EE9878D7BCBB}
In the ifw manual, it is not clear the difference between "d is the source hard drive number" and "w – Windows device"
In IFW GUI, the source selection page, where it shows a tree from Computer down to HD 0, HD 1, HD 2, etc, are the numbers 0, 1, and 2 the "Hard Drive Numbers" where the second one is corresponding to /d:1, or are they Windows Devices, corresponding to /d:w1?