Windows 8, Restore System Partition Problem

[jonnyz2]

I've seen a lot of threads with Google search on this general subject but they all seem to focus on using the built in Windows 8 function image/restore function. My situations is different than that.

I've not been able to find a thread that addresses my issue. So, sorry if this has been asked before.

Using a User Profile tool and experimenting with copying profile settings, I managed to corrupt my Windows 8.1 install. I thought, no, problem, I'd made images of the system partition and I would restore one of those.

Upon attempting to copy one of those image files back to the system partition, I found my machine unbootable.

I used Aomei Partition Assistant to create the image and to copy it back. Aomei though requires that the destination partition be deleted before it will copy and I think that's the root of the problem. I suspect that Aomei destroys the hidden UEFI partitions in the process which renders the machine unbootable. I did check with Diskpart and could see that I no longer had four partitions after the above which does indicate that Aomei did trash one of the other partitions.

I have now used my bootable install media to make a new windows 8 instal on the machine. I can see with Diskpart that the machine again has the four UEFI partitions.

So, now I'm ready to try again to copy my backup system partition to the new system partition. I had put in lots of work updating to 8.1, installing software, and customizing settings, etc. so I'd rather not reinstall everything again!

The question is how to do this without messing it up again. By the way, windows own "restore from image" function will not allow me to select my Aomei created drive image.

My thought right now is to find a different partition copy tool which will allow me to OVERWRITE the new system partition on the machine (as said Aomei Partition Assistant does not allow this). The old version of Norton Ghost would do that, but my only copy is floppy based and this new MOBO doesn't even have a floppy connector.

Two areas where I need advice:

1. I'd appreciate advice on the best next steps. I do want to maintain the setup as UEFI and I'm wondering whether there's anything else I need to know about UEFI installs that would suggest another approach.
2. If indeed I can solve this by overwriting the partition (instead of deleting and creating a new one), I'd appreciate a recommendation for a bootable tool (USB or CD) that will help with this.

Thanks!

 

[accguy9009]

I have been using clonezilla for Win 7 for a while to image a drive and restore from the image w/no probs, its a bootable cd/usb drive. After upgrading my win 8 laptop to 8.1 i captured an image and i hope it restores if i need it. may have to try on a spare hd some day to make sure. as far as question 2., i have used gparted in the past with success.

 

[jonnyz2]

OK, so my theory worked out.

By installing W8 from install media in UEFI mode I again had four partitions.

I then used a bootable clone tool to clone my backup copy of the system partition OVER the newly created system partition.

Upon restart though it didn't look good. The system immediately began a repair process which ran for some time. In the end, all was well.

After that repair process and a restart, things were restored as before.

 

[accguy9009]

Glad it worked for you. Mind sharing which cloning tool you used?

 

[jonnyz2]

Oddly the same vendor, Aomei, makes a backup tool (AOMEI Backupper) which will overwrite a partition even though their partition tool will not overwrite a partition and that caused problems to start with.