Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Windows Server 2008 R2 System Volume Recovery

Restoring a system volume cannot be performed using Windows Server Backup. System volumes can only be restored using the Windows recovery environment from the Windows installation media. System volumes should only be restored separately when the system volume is corrupted or failed but the system hardware has not changed and data disks remain intact. Any Windows disk that contains system volumes will be erased and restored as part of this process. If a single disk contains two volumes including the system volume and a separate data volume, the data volume will also be erased and restored by this process. To restore the system volume, perform the following steps:
1. Boot up your system using the Windows Server 2008 R2 installation media. If necessary, configure the BIOS to allow booting from the CD/DVD drive and, if prompted, press a key to boot from the DVD.

2. When the Install Windows interface opens, select the correct language, time, and keyboard settings, and click Next to continue.

3. On the next page, click the Repair Your Computer link located in the lower-left corner of the window.

4. On the System Recovery Options page, the operating system drive that will be recovered should be listed. If not, click the Load Drivers button, and install the necessary hard drive controller files. If the system is listed, select the Restore Your Computer
Using a System Image That You Created Earlier option button located at the bottom of the window, and click Next to continue.

5. On the Select a System Image Backup page, if a local disk was used for the backup, the most recent backup will be listed and the Use the Latest Available System Image check box will be automatically selected by default. Select the Select a System Image option button and click Next to continue.

6. The next page presents the list of backups stored on the local dedicated backup disk. Select the desired backup and click Next to continue.

7. The following page lists which volumes are contained within the known backups. Select the desired backup again and click Next to continue.

8. On the Choose Additional Restore Options page, check the Only Restore System Drives check box, and click Next to continue. This leaves any other disks intact, but any volumes that are hosted on the same disks that contain system volumes will be formatted, re-created, and restored as well.

9. The next page details the date and time of the backup that will be restored, the server that will be restored, and the volumes that are contained in this restore set. Review the information and click Finish to continue with the recovery of the system volumes.

10. A dialog box appears, stating that all drives selected will be restored with the data in the system image; click Yes to approve this and continue.

11. The recovery time frame will vary depending on the size of the system volume, the performance of the volume, and the restore disk or network share. After the recovery completes, the system will automatically reboot.

12. After the system reboots, log on and verify functionality. If everything is back up and running, run a full backup and log off.

Source of Information : Sams - Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed

No comments: