Creating a factory backup on removable storage

LkNolan

Can it be done? I have a 32gb Acer Iconia Tab 8 W, with Windows 8.1 on it, it leaves me with not enough space for backup. But I've put in a memory card, and getting a prompt to create a backup. I don't know how the program works or what it does to create one.

 

Edit: Does it just backup from a partition already on the hard drive if I were to use a USB as described here? Because I'm pretty sure my tablet doesn't come with a recovery partition... if this is true, then my problem is solved. I would need to order recovery media from Acer. If the nagging thing can actually download the factory default to my Micro SD card that can be placed on a USB stick I would be surprised but thrilled.

billsey

You actually have both options. The Acer Recovery software will create a 'restore to factory' image for you. The Windows backp (IIRC it's Windows 7 Backup & Restore) will create a backup that restores to what you have currently. They will both work with USB drives, and I believe with SD cards as well. The Windows one will require a second drive to create the recovery boot image. I'd suggest using an 16GB drive for the Acer backup images, a 4GB drive for the recovery disk and a 32GB for the Windows backup. If it were me, I'd get a USB adapter cable and do them all on thumb drives, since the adapter is so useful for pretty mjuch everything else that uses USB.

billsey

You actually have both options. The Acer Recovery software will create a 'restore to factory' image for you. The Windows backp (IIRC it's Windows 7 Backup & Restore) will create a backup that restores to what you have currently. They will both work with USB drives, and I believe with SD cards as well. The Windows one will require a second drive to create the recovery boot image. I'd suggest using an 16GB drive for the Acer backup images, a 4GB drive for the recovery disk and a 32GB for the Windows backup. If it were me, I'd get a USB adapter cable and do them all on thumb drives, since the adapter is so useful for pretty mjuch everything else that uses USB.

LkNolan

This is excellent news, and I thank you for your help billsey. I actually just got an adapter delivered to me a couple days ago along with the Micro SD card. One thing I am still unsure of, the language in the Acer Customer Help link I posted talks about a partition. I know that this would be the ideal situation for Acer, for me to create a recovery drive from a partition already on my device. You may have answered my question and perhaps I am just not getting the message. I asked too many questions at once I guess. So I'll ask again: Is the Acer Recovery software capable of creating this partition on my Micro SD card given that my device did not come with the partition already on it? I'm wondering especially, though, whether the software would download the factory image, and not create it from a partition (that I don't have).

 

Thanks again, billsey, you have provided useful information to me here.

billsey

Machines that have large enough storage ship with a recovery partition. The Acer Recovery software will take the contents of that partition and create the recovery disks, then give you the option to remove the partition to free up disk space. The machines with smaller drives come with a set of recovery disks instead of the partition. To tell which machine setup you have you can run Disk Management (right click on Computer, select Manage, find Disk Management in the list at left). Windows normally has three partitions, a 100MB EFI, a 400MB 'Recovery' (note that this partition doesn't actually have a reocvery image, instead it holds recovery software) and the C: drive. If you also have a partition that's 8-10GB in size it is the recovery partition. If you don't have the recovery partition then to get back to factory defaults from when the tablet was new you will need to purchase a set of the recovery disks from Acer.

 

You can run the Windows Backup to backup your current configuration without needing the Acer Recovery stuff though, so only buy the disks if you think you are going to want to go fully back to stock.

LkNolan

I feel indebted to you for your patience.

 

OK, so I'm thinking I probably do have a recovery partition here. It says Recovery Partition, and it's 6.90GB. I have the 100MB EFI. The 400MB partition isn't showing - maybe it's just on my C: drive? Either way, that doesn't really matter practically because I've seen the software prompting me so I know it's there.

 

I'll look around the forums for extra help using the software, and I'll go ahead try it for myself.

 

Edit: Great to know I can I select multiple posts as solutions.

billsey

Yes, the 6.9GB one should be the restore image. That should make things fairly simple.

padgett

It is always best to have backup on a removable drive. If the main drive becomes corrupted it can be difficult to recover from the local drive.

 

Back in the day few consumers had computers and component failures were common. The original 5 and 10 MB drives rarely lasted more than a year or two and were expensive to replace,

 

Today computers are consumer items and consumers are not taught how to backup or recover or even to save their keys (Used to be on a label on the computer. Now it is all internal.)

 

It is really good to see someone being proactive.