Solved Error creating backup image

[Hopachi]

Since a week is it impossible to make a Win7 Backup Image (Control Panel).

This is the feature that got removed in 8.1 but now (on 8) I'm still using it in case I need to restore the OS.

The message shows this:



"Not enough disk space" but I have 360GB free on one disk and 150GB on another. The image is calculated at 67GB and it worked each time until now.

All OS updates installed.

Does anyone have any hints or ideas how to fix this?


Thanks

Hopachi

 

[SIW2]

Sys reserved partition might be too small, or filling up.

 

[Hopachi]

Yes, I've heard about the system reserved partition. But here it's just about 300mb after I clean-installed.

As I said, there were no issues so far with the same partitions/sizes, backup worked each week.

EDIT:
Just checked, no partition is "system reserved":

- 300 MB: recovery
- 100 MB: efi system
- the rest of the disk: windows

Backup is done on an external drive or the second internal hdd. In this case, the sys reserved partition importance is not logical to me especially if it worked so far.

 

[Hopachi]

Now I see...

I've installed HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Support Environment and it was meant to be put on a partition labeled HP_TOOLS in fat32 but this wasn't available.

In case of unavailable partition, it will be created in default size (2GB) or the user can make a custom (smaller) one.

I created the partition as required by the installer: it didn't used it; this kind of partition was used on my older HP non-uefi laptop but not on the newer uefi one.

If you let it (create one) do it's own thing, no additional partition will be created and it has to do with the efi partition(s) already available.

I presume all files were written to the EFI System partition or the recovery one but those are not accessible to check their sizes and if they are really fat32...

The installed tools use less than 50mb and a 2GB partition seems a waste anyway.
If those were written to one of the 300mb or just 100mb partitions than it will explain the backup error quite well.

If I'm right, I can conclude that this extra support tool is not needed on the HP UEFI laptops (adds mouse interface) since pressing F2 works by default.

Now trying to remove it from the system but no installer entries were added.

 

[Hopachi]

The installed tools use less than 50mb

They use 11mb.

Still not sure what to add but the tools are useful: ability to recover the BIOS or rollback.

The fact that I get the error after installing those is suspicious.

I've checked with Gparted from within a Ubuntu USB to see how the partitions look:



Recovery is 72% full. It seems this might be the cause of the error. I don't know what the default values are, I don't know if it was filled in time or if it can be emptied.

Normally, HP UEFI Diagnostics cannot install on Recovery because it's a NTFS partition.

The EFI System partition is 39.5% full and it has a safe value even it was filled with extra files (good HP diagnostics candidate).

However I'm unable / don't know how to see which partition contains the HP diagnostics but more important: How do you see what's on the recovery partition or reduce its size if possible?

My self proposed solution is to try and increase the recovery's partition's size but it will require a chain-reaction resize to the rest of the disk because Recovery is the first partition.

Still thinking but I'll give this a break till tomorrow.

 

[Hopachi]

I'm unable / don't know how to see which partition contains the HP diagnostics but more important: How do you see what's on the recovery partition or reduce its size if possible?

This has been taken care of by using Easeus Partition Master. I see that the recovery partition is intact (winre.wim + a few small logs) and that the hp tools were installed to EFI System (fat32).

My self proposed solution is to try and increase the recovery's partition's size but it will require a chain-reaction resize to the rest of the disk because Recovery is the first partition.

It's risky and I doubt the recovery partition to be the cause, now I've seen what's on it.

 

[Saltgrass]

I agree it doesn't look like the Recovery partition is the problem, it looks like mine. I did notice your EFI partition contained the additional 10-11 MB of data you indicate are the HP files. So not really sure how that might effect the backups, because you do still appear to have the necessary space to create the Shadow copies needed.

I have already increased my Recovery Partition to 500 MB because the Windows 8.1 WinRE.wim file is larger than 8.0's and does not leave enough room for the Shadow Copies. Not sure yet if the final version of 8.1 will place the Recovery files in the Recovery partition, or in the C: partition as it is doing in the pre-release. Since I will be using wbadmin.exe to make my images, I will continue to need a system configured correctly.

 

[Hopachi]

Thanks for posting Saltgrass,

Good points. It's weird to me that it gives the error but somehow it is related to some of those files. The size of the recovery can pose problems as you said in 8.1 in case we upgrade the OS through Store for instance (partitions will remain the same I guess).

I still don't know how exactly to fix this but it's a sign: move away from the classic backup because it gets removed in W 8.1 so as a replacement I'll probably go with Macrium Reflect.

I see, wbadmin is not bad at all but then this kind of issue I have here needs to be fixed first to be able to use that.

 

[Saltgrass]

If you need to alter the EFI partition, you can put a drive letter on it and access it in the command prompt. A dir /a command will show the folders. Since I do not know what the HP stuff is or what it does, I cannot comment on what you might do in the partition. If you try this, make sure and remove the letter when finished.

I was reading about one of the third party imaging software packages and it appeared to use Shadow Copies also. But since I have not used any of them recently, I do not know if that is correct. Let us know if the one you choose works. If Windows 8.1 does leave the Recovery folder in the C: partition, the software will probably work, but not include the old Recovery partition in the image. So I will wait for the final version, which should be soon, to check the operation.

 

[Hopachi]

If you need to alter the EFI partition, you can put a drive letter on it and access it in the command prompt. A dir /a command will show the folders. Since I do not know what the HP stuff is or what it does, I cannot comment on what you might do in the partition. If you try this, make sure and remove the letter when finished.

Thanks for the idea,
I'm not allowed to add a drive letter to Recovery or EFI partition.



I can browse it with Easeus Partition Master, as said in previous posts, see here:



It does contain the HP stuff in it but that is indispensable for the system.

Funny how the Recovery is labeled as "unused partition" with 217MB used space.

What is the unknown 'reserved' 128MB there (previously seen in Gparted as well) that Disk Management doesn't show?
-> it's entirely full but I guess that has something to do with the OS, SecureBoot or the filesystem; and it doesn't get included in the backup so it shouldn't affect anything: but I never checked its size before.

 

[Saltgrass]

Sorry, I forgot to mention you need to use Diskpart to add the letter.

 

[Hopachi]

OK.
And how should I alter that partition?
I've already seen what's on it.

 

[Saltgrass]

I was just giving you an option, not suggesting you alter anything.

I still do not know what is causing the space error... maybe you will find something. You might as well go ahead and start using the third party imaging software you want. Perhaps it will work without problems.

 

[Hopachi]

Alright.
I'm gonna give it a try anyway for the sake of 8.1.

I'll also try wbadmin.

Thanks for all the help this far. Really appreciated.

 

[Hopachi]

Solved by using Macrium Reflect.

No errors s during backup.

A bootable ISO/USB has also been created.