Dell Backup & Recovery create Rescue Disk: ERROR: "An Error occurred while creating the rescue disk"

WRAUJR,

a) Yes, you should be able to select this checkbox on the Premium version to put a full system backup on the rescue disk you just created.  The 500M partition is is the 'boot' partition, and E: is the main volume.  Was there anything in E: after you created the rescue disk?  Did you try checking "create new chain"?

b) The original formating should not be a problem.

Are you receiving any error messages at all or just not able to select full system backup?  Have you tried the "Check Rescue Disk" function under "Manage Rescue Disk"?

Finally, please go the the "Help/About" (?) section at the top of the home screen and confirm that it says you are using the Premium version.  Want to make sure your settings were kept after update.

Thanks,

(1) Yes Premium version.

(2) Removed DBR_BOOT from Passport and returned exHDD to initial state and made second attempt. But, this time I went straight to System Backup.  It first prompted me that I needed to create Rescue Disk on exHDD, I responded YES and it created Rescue Disk.  While doing this there was a progress list that now included System Backup.. After Rescue Disk completed, it stopped with failure about "Disconnected Drive"..  This is same thing as before. Under notifications there is  "Backup Failed" .. "An error occurred while creating your System Backup. Your backup target is either full or not attached......"

(3) Check Rescue Disk cmd runs fine.  Manage Rescue Disk reports that my PC is on the exHDD and can be managed  (i.e. deleted)...It appears that Rescue Disk was successful and valid.

(4) There are files on the E: partition.  Actually about 7.2G which is about what the size of the Factory Reinstall create on the USB Drive (Factory Install options all worked fine).  Does the Rescue Disk contain the Factory Install image on the E:? The C: drive contains 48G used so I doubt its the system backup.

(5) Did try multiple times with Create New Chain prompt, each time it immediately stopped and went back to C: Drive as the selection, but if I browse the E; comes back up.  Generally would say existing image, would I like to save and create new.  Then other times it would say Create New Chain.

Is DBR 1.7.1.2 tested to run on Windows 7, 64-bit?

Is there a way (maybe modify one of the XML files) to force me to re-enter the Premium activation code I received in the email??  If so, will this be affected by the fact that orig. activation was done on 1.6.0.3 and code in my email receipt won't work on 1.7.1.2?

Any way to "repair" or check that v1.7.1.2 is installed correctly?

E: drive contains:

   PRELOAD (directory)

   ST_Backup_Folder (directory)

   also 3 dll files, the icon, an autorun ant the STMasterDiskLauncher executable

Then under ST_Backup_Folder, there is another sub-directory with the {long funky name}.. under that are two directories of interest:

System Recovery and System Recovery-1  (I had tried twice to create a System Backup)

BUT, both of these are empty and contain just an IMAGES.XML file.

This is also a 7.4G RecoveryEnv directory which I'm betting is the Factory Image...

Yes, that's correct. Uninstalling the main program uninstalls the support SW as well.  No repair option available.  Still working on a response to your previous post.  Thanks for the effort and detail.

Thanks.  Based on info from another thread where user had conflict with Western Digital backup software, there a is a Western Digital utility called Quick View (process name = WDDMStatus.exe) that monitors WD drives (both network and USB attached).  I will be investigating if there could be a conflict with this utility.  Its not backup software, but is is part of their backup software (Smartware) package.  I use it as a tray icon to monitor my network drives and I use it's disconnect capability for the USB Passport as it does a nice clean shutdown. Will let you know....

UPDATE: Stopped the WD processes WDDMStatus and WDDriveService.  Still didn't work on existing exHDD drive (previously ran DBR).  Restored exHDD (WD Passport) to original state and tried from scratch with the WD process stopped.  Same results: Rescue Disk great, System Backup fails with a "target disconnected" message and System Recovery directories created on the Passport but empty except for IMAGES.XML file....

I removed DBR using Add/REMOVE programs in Control Panel and it removed cleanly.

Downloaded v1.7.1.2 and performed fresh install.

When I ran it, it had my Premium license key (using "?") so it must have still been in registry and wasn't removed by uninstall. It matched what was in my email receipt.

As before, Rescue Disk ran and installed new partition (DBR_BOOT) on WD Passport.

But, System Backup immediately stopped with target location disconnected, missing or full. Tried multiple times.....

Also tried stopping Microsoft Security Essentials, Realtime Protection... No help.

Tried some more things.

  Disabled Windows Indexing on WD Passport.

  Changed drive policy from Quick Removal to Write Cacheing.

  Different USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports on front and rear.

No success.

Ran the Data Backup command selecting Video/Music/Photos and it backed up to WD Passport just fine.

So Create/Check Rescue Disk and Data Backup work fine.

For notifications, failed System Backup says: "An error occurred while creating your System Backup. Your backup target is either full or not attached..." Expanding the log file entry says: Target is missing. Note that upon failure it returns to the System Backup menu and the target location block is red bordered and inside says "Location is missing"

I have the EXACT same problem. Was a solution ever found for this?

Tried some more things.   Disabled Windows Indexing on WD Passport.   Changed drive policy from Quick Removal to Write Cacheing.   Different USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports on front and rear. No success. Ran the Data Backup command selecting Video/Music/Photos and it backed up to WD Passport just fine. So Create/Check Rescue Disk and Data Backup work fine. For notifications, failed System Backup says: "An error occurred while creating your System Backup. Your backup target is either full or not attached..." Expanding the log file entry says: Target is missing. Note that upon failure it returns to the System Backup menu and the target location block is red bordered and inside says "Location is missing"

No, I never could get it to work.

I waited for another version update and it still failed.

Decided couldn't trust the Dell Backup and Recovery software.

Requested and received refund for the Premium Upgrade.

Used the basic DBR to create the Rescue CD and a Rescue USB in case I have hard disk failure.

Wiped WD external clean and now I am using the Microsoft Backup and Restore because it appears to work.  Of course you never know until you have that catastrophic failure....  Its not great software either, but Microsoft is in the software business and it is their OS... 

Just bought another OptiPlex 9020 to upgrade old XP machines and I am definitely skipping any attempt at using DBR Premium.

FWIW, I only really wanted a piece of simple, reliable software that would allow me to periodically "ghost" image my hard drive in case of hard drive failure or if I wanted to swap in a SSD.  The whole individual file backup recovery, etc. was not on my wish list.

Yeah. I too wanted to just make periodic images of my hard disk in case of a total failure from a dead drive etc. Doesnt work. When creating the bootable backup, only reinstall disk is available, the system backup option is greyed out . Interesting that I am also using an external WD hard disk as target drive..

Anyways how do you ask for refund? I cant find that option or any support/sales email. During purchase it offered a 30 day money back guarantee but I cant find how to do that.

The next update is supposedly scheduled for March 2015 where they are probably going to overhaul the entire interface and the whole set of reinstall vs rescue vs factory vs system backup confusion..

I purchased upgrade using credit card after I received my Dell and was routed through Cleverbridge and received email receipts/invoices.  Do not know how it works if purchased with initial Dell machine...

I called and spoke to a person who took info from order/invoice and submitted request,  Received credit a few days later.

Cleverbridge (Chicago, IL)
Email: cs@cleverbridge.com
Phone: +1-866-522-6855
Service hours:
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM (CST)
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (CST)
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (CST)

till when this problem will solve

i have same problem i insert blank dvd of 4.7 gb and start factory backup

after 40 or 45 minutes it ejects dvd and says to put it in again

after closing tray  it takes 2 minutes and    says  "an error occured"

it had wasted my alot of dvds

i have dell inspiron 15 3542 with windows 8.1 single language

core i5  1.7ghz  4gb ram   500 hdd   

Do not use the DVD backup it will not work due to burning errors (usually due to poor brands of DVDs) and will not boot with a UEFI BIOS with SecureBoot and UEFI.

Make a Rescue Disk (Bootable External Hard Drive) or Factory Backup (Bootable External USB Flash Drive):

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/dell-backup-and-recovery/

So why make DVD an option ? and of course it has to be the quality of something other than the anything to do with poor dell support software. Come Monday my Dell is going back for a refund.

Sometimes these backup functions do not work because there is something wrong with the recovery image. You can try the following:

To test to see if the recovery image software is OK: Run dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth under an administrative command prompt to check the integrity of the Component Store. To repair, replace scanhealth with restorehealth. Both commands should take 15 minutes. Also can use analyzecomponentstore in place of scanhealth. Gives more info.

I have not used this to solve a backup issue per se, but did fix up the Component Store to allow SFC to do it's job, leaving no unfixed system files.