Using Dump/Restore for Win7 NTFS C:

BostonDriver

BostonDriver

Is it possible to use dump and restore to backup and restore a Windows 7 C: drive (NTFS)?

The ultimate goal is to backup Win7 on a MBR and restore to a GPT partition and use GRUB2 to boot it. The Windows based tool I've looked at so far want to destroy the GPT partition. I'd rather not.

Win7 is 64bit Pro, which can boot from GPT. GRUB2 is already booting FreeBSD 9 and Fedora 16 off the disk.

Thanks
 
dump would not do it, as it is file system specific.
I have heard of positive results when using tar for this job.
 
In theory (untested), you should be able to boot off a Unix LiveCD of some kind, and use dd(1) to backup the partitions (not the entire disk). Then re-partition the disk using GPT. And then use dd(1) to restore the partitions.

You may want to test it with a separate harddrive, just to make sure. :) Or, do a dd(1) of the entire drive and keep it as the "fail-safe" recovery. :)
 
You cannot use tar(1), it breaks Win7 hardlinks and many system files could not even be read; neither dd(1), as physicaldrive/volumes recorded as absolute bytes position, thus they are not moveable from the Win's viewpoint.
 
aa said:
You cannot use tar(1), it breaks Win7 hardlinks and many system files could not even be read; neither dd(1), as physicaldrive/volumes recorded as absolute bytes position, thus they are not moveable from the Win's viewpoint.
Click to expand...

That information was from XP, where it worked. But you are very likely right with the hardlinks of Win7 - but that the partitions are not movable? That would be a design disaster IMHO.
 
Crivens said:
dump would not do it, as it is file system specific.
Click to expand...

Just curious. Is it due to quality of ntfs support in FreeBSD? e.g. could this work on Linux, AIX etc. or is there something inherent in dump itself?
 
phoenix said:
In theory (untested), you should be able to boot off a Unix LiveCD of some kind, and use dd(1) to backup the partitions (not the entire disk). Then re-partition the disk using GPT. And then use dd(1) to restore the partitions.

You may want to test it with a separate harddrive, just to make sure. :) Or, do a dd(1) of the entire drive and keep it as the "fail-safe" recovery. :)
Click to expand...

Whatever I try, the original disk is going to be removed from the system and kept in a safe place. If time (and free backup space) permit, I might try dd(1) just to see what happens.
 
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