Backup And Restore

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lab
personal

Part the third of the great return-from-break catch-up galloping-blogger-mess.

Oh, what a mess.

Happy Holidays, getting some work on Frontier done, cleaning, those were the good parts. Needing a break from clearning because of back pain, that was … well, really, I guess after cleaning for four solid weeks I guess my back should have been sore now shouldn’t it have? Needing to review and revisit my backup plan was... unpleasant.

I turn off my computer one night, I turn it on the next evening and... it won’t even boot.

Oh, well, Windows 7 has this nice self annealing feature where if it fails once it falls back to the last good boot and... no, it won’t even boot far enough to detect that it is failing. Um.

Oh, well, I’d turned on the automatic backup feature and it has been working pretty spiffily in the background, I’ve even checked it, I should be able to restore from an image there. This is beginning to get worrisome but, really, that’s what backups are for, this is taking a while but a one terrabyte image is actually pretty large, almost done and... oh. It failed. Let’s try again and, um... [do something else to distract the worry demons]... Same. Error.

Most aggravating, OK, let’s google it:

Windows:: Error details: post recovery operation to set registry keys for automated system recovery (ASR) in the offline operating system failed (0x80700B6).

Type:: automated system recovery ASR set registry keys failed 0x80700B6

That should be specific enough to weed out any extras.

Google:: *crickets*

Well, OK, too specific.

Type:: ASR “set registry keys” failed

Google:: *crickets*

Type:: “automated system recovery” failed

Google:: lots of stuff about ASR failing early, nothing about ASR failing at the end

Type:: “set registry keys” failed

Google:: *crickets*

Type:: 0x80700B6

Google:: You posted a question about this on G+ three hours ago. Crickets otherwise. Would you like to ask your friends about “0x80700B6” on G+?

Very helpful, Googs.

Let’s go to the source?

Type:: 0x80700B6

MSDN:: *crickets*

Technet:: *crickets*

Microsoft Support:: *crickets*

Microsoft Social Support:: *crickets*

What we have here is a novel problem.

Normally, I like novel problems, they’re so interesting.

Nnnormally...

Hhhhhh...Okay.

Maybe if I reinstall the OS and let it try a nondestructive image restore over that. Let’s try that overnight.

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, good morning! 0x80700B6

Is that repeatable? Try again while I’m at work?

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, welcome back! 0x80700B6

Fifth try was not the charm, was it?

Let’s try reinstalling and restoring from that clean new OS, shall we?

Workstation:: there are no backup sets stored on this computer

What the...? Look again.

Workstation:: there are no...

Bloody hell, stupid, there sure as heck is, you just used it, almost, five times now. See, there’s the folder. I’ll double click on it for you.

Workstation:: This is a Windows Backup image, to manage the size of the backup restore files from it or browse the contents of the backup you should use Windows Backup. Would you like to do that now?

Yes! Thank you...

Workstation:: there are no backup sets stored on this computer

Look, would you just...!!! Hhhhrrrrg!

Googs, can you tell me if someone has had to cope with this before?

Google:: there are thousands of mostly irrelevant articles but the third one I’ll mention will show you someone once managed to get it to work by relocating the backup off of the drive, telling Windows Backup to start backing up to that drive, and then pulling the old switcheroo and slamming the original set of files over the top of the newly created backup set

Thanks, Googs. Workstation, move all the backup image files to the main drive.

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, chirp!

Now, let’s talk about making a backup on that empty drive, OK?

Workstation:: we recommend an external drive

No, that drive.

Workstation:: it doesn’t exist

The one over here, I can see it in another window.

Workstation:: yes, that’s a hard drive

Back up to it.

Workstation:: there is no such drive

This doesn’t make any sense. OK, maybe we can... What’s this folder called “boot” on my 2TB slow drive?

Workstation:: pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

You... Oh, hell’s bells, why would the [deleted]... why would … [deleted]

[deleted]
[deleted]
[deleted]

Workstation:: yes, the Windows 7 Install disc saw the backup partition and made it into a two terrabyte boot partition that Windows Backup is not allowed to see, hear, or acknowledge

Oh, just shut up already.

Workstation:: [deleted]

Don’t get cute with me, you.

Alright, I give up, this is too much trouble, at this rate I’ll be chasing that backup for the next week just moving files around. I’ve got an off site backup and a nice bright bit of bandwidth. Let’s... just rebuild, OK? Reinstall that OS again.

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, good morning! license key?

Here.

Workstation:: that key is not real

You just accepted it five times earlier this past week alone! Here, take it!!!

Workstation:: that key is not real

Bonkers. Right then. This is a paid for upgrade, I don’t have to go through the manufacturer, I can call Microsoft up myself.

Microsoft:: that seems a legit problem, here’s a case number, can you wait one to two minutes while I transfer you to a tech?

Sure.

Microsoft:: forty minutes of bad and lo fi hold music

That’s... longer than one to two minutes. Sure, I’ll be cool, I’m not letting go of this one.

Microsoft:: that’s a valid case number, I WILL HELP YOU, let’s reset the authentication service on your machine [type, type, type] here’s a magic number I created for you to type into the MDT, the Microsoft Diagnostic Tool

Sure, good. Yes that worked.

Microsoft: YOU ARE WELCOME!

Thanks.

Email:: Do you remember us helping you? Would you like to take a survey?

Sure. Good. Good. Good. Lousy hold music. Good. Let me know next time when it’ll be forty minutes instead of one to two. Oh, by the way, if the problem was just that it couldn’t see the original product key off of which the upgrade was based, I’d kept the original key off of which the upgrade was based. Other software I’ve owned has made that something I could input as well. Could you make that work? Thanks.

Workstation:: I’m alive! I’m also almost useless! And I really need patching something awful.

Do the patches first, and start downloading these programs as well.

Workstation:: Can I reset now? I’m patched!

Finish downloading first.

Workstation:: Can I reset now? I’m patched!

No, and stop asking for a really, really long time.

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin

Now, NOW you can reset.

Workstation: And I really need patching something awful.

What, already? You just? You’re like a leaky toddler you are! OK, just go in there and do your business, OK?

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, Can I reset now? I’m patched?

Go ahead already.

OK, now install these.

Workstation:: spin, spin, spin, Can I reset now? I’m patched?

What? You’re not supposed to be able to do that with the installer running. Could you just... Hold it until you’re done with that install I just asked for? I really, really will need my software synths again.