Frequently Asked Questions

What is entire machine backup?

Entire machine backup is the complete backup of a computer — including the operating system, system files, programs, and boot files — enabling entire machine restore during disasters. In case of an operating system crash, you simply need to run the bootable recovery and select the target hard disk for restore. This will create a partition similar to the partitions of the original computer and restore the OS to its earlier state.

Entire machine backup enables seamless OS restore by backing up both the system and the boot file. Backup to the cloud is direct and does not require any additional storage for a local copy.

How do I perform entire machine backup?

To perform entire machine backup,

1. Launch the IDrive desktop application.
2. Sign in with your IDrive username and password. If your account is configured with private encryption, provide the private key.
3. Click the 'Clone/Computer Backup' button on the LHS.

4. The 'Clone/Computer Backup' screen appears. Click 'Entire Machine Backup'.

5. Go to the 'Backup' tab. Based on the desired target location, select the 'Cloud Backup' or 'Encrypted Local Backup' radio button.
   
   a. Cloud backup is direct and does not create a local backup copy.
   b. In the case of encrypted local backup, choose a target drive for backup from the dropdown list.
   
   
   
   
6. Click 'Schedule Now'.
7. The 'Schedule Backup' screen appears. Create a schedule for performing regular entire machine backup and click 'Save Changes'.

How do I perform an entire machine backup to a local device?

To perform entire machine backup to a local device,

1. Go to the 'Entire Machine Backup' screen via the 'Clone/Computer' Backup section.
2. In the 'Backup' tab, select the 'Encrypted Local Backup' radio button.
3. Click and choose the desired local backup location. Click 'Schedule Now'.

4. The 'Schedule Backup' screen appears. Create a schedule for performing regular entire machine backup and click 'Save Changes'.

Note: Network map drives are not supported for entire machine backup.

What is the minimum space required for creating a shadow copy of a volume?

IDrive uses the VSS service to capture point-in-time data of the system. It requires a minimum space of 1 GB, per volume, for shadow copy creation.

How do I restore entire machine backup on a different computer (dissimilar or similar hardware)?

Restore your computer and OS using the entire machine backup folder created via IDrive desktop application. Entire machine restore uses the backed-up boot files to seamlessly recover the OS to its earlier state, with the same partitions as the original computer. The data can be restored to a different computer, either with similar or dissimilar hardware.

• Download the IDMachineBackup folder from the cloud to an external disk. In case you have performed local backup, where the entire machine backup on the local device is encrypted, you need to restore the encrypted IDMachineBackup folder to an external device to decrypt.
• Use WinRE bootable disk to restore to similar / dissimilar (different computer) hardware.
  

• A USB bootable flash drive to boot your computer. Download and double-click the WinRE ISO file to mount it. Copy the entire content to a USB bootable flash drive.
• The entire-machine-backup folder (IDMachineBackup), downloaded from your IDrive cloud account to an external drive using the IDrive application.
• In case you have performed local backup, restore the IDMachineBackup folder to an external drive.
• A target hard drive with sufficient storage space for performing the restore operation.
  

1. Connect your USB drive (WinRE boot disk) and start the computer from USB to boot to Windows Recovery Environment. The 'Entire Machine Restore' wizard opens.
2. Click . Navigate and select the entire-machine-backup folder (IDMachineBackup), pre-downloaded from your IDrive cloud backup account or local backup for restore.

3. Select the target hard disk for restoring the machine backup.
4. Click 'Restore Now'.

5. A popup message will request confirmation as restoring a machine backup will overwrite all existing content of the drive. Click 'Yes' to proceed.

You can view the progress of the restore on the 'Entire Machine Restore' window. Once restoration is completed, select your hard disk in BIOS and boot your computer to get the operating system.

How do I restore the entire machine backup folder from the local backup to an external drive?

To restore the entire machine backup folder to an external drive,

1. Launch the IDrive desktop application.
2. Sign in with your IDrive username and password.
3. Go to the 'Backup' tab, click and select the location where the backup was performed and click 'OK.
4. Go to the 'Restore' tab and select 'Restore files from Local, Wi-Fi or Express device' radio button.
5. Select the 'IDMachineBackup' folder.
6. Click and select the external drive.
7. Click 'Restore Now'.

How do I create a bootable USB flash drive to restore entire machine backup?

To create a bootable USB flash drive,

1. Plug a USB flash drive into a running computer.
2. Run the 'Command Prompt' window as an administrator.
3. Use the following command to view the list of disks :
   DISKPART > list disk
4. Use the command given below to select a drive:
   DISKPART > select disk X
   Here 'X' is the drive number or drive letter of the USB flash drive.
5. Use the command given below to delete all the data from the USB flash drive:
   DISKPART > clean
6. Enter the command given below to create the required partition.
   DISKPART > create partition primary
7. Use the command given below to select the required partition:
   DISKPART > select partition 1
8. Use the commands given below to restore MBR machine backup partition (legacy):
   DISKPART > format fs=ntfs quick
   DISKPART > active
9. Use the commands given below to restore GPT machine backup partition (UEFI):
   DISKPART > format fs=fat32 quick
   DISKPART > active

Is BitLocker drive and EFS backed up during entire machine backup?

No, entire machine backup does not backup BitLocker drive and EFS (Encrypted File System).

What files are excluded from entire machine backup?

Pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys, and symbolic link files to different volumes are not considered for entire machine backup.

Does entire machine backup support dynamic disks?

Yes, entire machine backup supports dynamic disks with simple volumes.