Bare-Metal Restoration from Windows Server Backup

The Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is a set of tools available in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and can be used to restore backups made using Windows Server backup.  WinRE can be used to perform a bare-metal restore to recover the server operating system or to recover the entire server itself.

Please note that when restoring an operating system, only critical drive volumes containing system components will be recovered. As such, if all volumes need to be restored, a full server recovery needs to be conducted.

In order to perform an operating system or a full server restoration, the following items are required:

• Windows 2008 or Windows Vista installation CD.
• Hard disk size of the recovery destination must be at least as big as the hard disk size of the backup source volumes, regardless of the size of these volumes.
• When recovering the operating system, ensure that a backup of the critical volumes of the server is available. If recovering the full server, ensure that a backup containing all the volumes of the server is available.

Please follow these steps to perform a bare metal recovery from a Windows Server 2008 backup:

1. Run the Windows Server 2008 or Vista installation CD, select the required settings for Language to install, Time and currency format and Keyboard or input format.
2. In the next window, select the option to Repair your Computer.
3. You will now see the System Recovery Options window. You may load any drives required by your hard disk by clicking on the Load Drivers button. Once you’ve loaded the required drivers, click Next.
   
4. Under Choose a recovery tool, select the Windows Complete PC Restore option.
5. Ensure that your backup media is connected to the machine as Windows will now scan your machine for available backups.
6. When the backup media has been detected, you may choose the backup you wish to restore from.  Select the appropriate backup and click Next.
   
7. Under the Choose how to restore your backup window, you may perform the following actions:
1. Install any drivers for the disk you are restoring to by clicking on the Install Drivers button.
2. Exclude any disk that you do not wish to have formatted by clicking on the Exclude Disks button.
3. Choose to restart the computer and automatically check and update error information after the restore process by clicking on the Advanced button.
   
   
   Once you’ve configured the extra options, click Next.
8. Select the location of your backup file and click Next.

   

9. Once you’re happy with the restore settings, click on the Finish button. The Windows Recovery Environment will ask whether you want to let Windows Complete PC Restore format the disks and restore the backup. Proceed by clicking OK.
10. Your Restore should start now