How to create a system backup to VHD file containing that partition only

[logon]

My firts post here: hi all of you!

I'm trying Backup and Recovery and I like it also because it can directly save a system partition to a (dynamic) VHD mountable image.

However that image is of the whole HD even if I select the System partition only and if I mount that image I find the system partition and a lot of unallocated space that meet the whole HD size...

Since that is a huge issue for me then I wonder if there was a way in order to save a dynamic VHD that contains the system partition only without the unallocated space.

Any addressing is more than welcome!

Thanks & Regards

[aoz987]

what are you trying to back up, and to whre, and in what format?
when you state you're backing up to a VHD mountable image, is that a PARAGON image that you are mpounting, to see the files in it, or an actual VD, such as VmWare, Oracle, or microsoft type (paragon can do those)
re: unallocated space, that is really empty space, and paragon may just show that it is present,but not actually cause any space use for that...

[logon]

Thank you for your appreciated reply, aoz987!

I used True Image to create system partition images (.tib). The program can convert image files from ".tib" to ".vhd". When you mount under Windows a VHD created by TrueImage then you (that's, Windows) can see just a partition with the same size of original one and with no unallocated space at all. The size of VHD file is related to partition size: not much less, not much more. That VHD image (that's, that partition) can easily be reduced running "VHD Resizer" program with just ONE step. Usually I reduce it to 26GB in order to boot it from a 64GB pendrive: at mounting it will need just that 26GB. Otherwise, if 50GB (just as an example) of unallocated space is present at the end of virtual drive then your VHD image cannot boot because it needs a pendrive of at least 76GB in size...

Now I want to use Paragon Backup and Recovery in place of True Image, but the unallocated space at the end of the image is a huge issue, just for the above reasons. Thank you!

[logon]

So, IMNSHO it could be a great option if Paragon Backup and Recovery could save a VHD image (.vhd) with no unallocated space at all, or even if a different way existed to reach that goal...

[aoz987]

ok, i'm still confused, and these screen shots may be of help.
first, what do you use the VHD mounted image to do? IF it is to BROWSE files, then you do NOT need to convert the paragon image to a VHD file, paragon can be MOUNTED, and files selected, from within the native paragon backup (I am NOT sure if you can WRITE to the paragon image as individual files, you can experiment though)
IF yuou are using the VHD as a separate drive, to read/write, then that is different (and we can experiment on that also)

FIRST, let me assume you are mounting the VHD to just view or retrieve files.
in that case, in PARAGON, do the normal paragon backup. THEN, when it is done, wheneve you need it, you can go to your backup list, and SELECT/click on the bckup you want to MOUNT. (SEE FIRST IMAGE). inside that , select, on right side, the MOUNT/UNMOUNT option. you then see the partitions in the backup; select the c: drive partition within that backup (or your data drive, whatever), select to ASSIGN a drive letter to THAT PARTITION, and continue. THEN, you see my drive lists, c: and d: are my normal drives; the "Z" drive is the mounted partition (I had selected the Z letter for the drive), it shows the allocated and unallocated space in it, BUT it is not taking up any disk space, because it is just showing the virtual space in the bckup, what it would look like if it were restored to a new drive. AND, then 4th image, shows the directory of the Z drive, which is a mirror of my C drive.

is this what you are looking for?

[logon]

is this what you are looking for?

No, but thanks anyway.

Please aoz987, if you kindly re-read my 2nd post you'll discover that I never mentioned mount-ability of a VHD-image in order to browse for file, but only to BOOT that VHD-image from an USB Flash Drive in order to run a Windows installation from that USB Flash Drive... or to examine its hd-drive-partition-structure (never mentioned I wanted to examine its content), since if I want to know if an unallocated space is existing on a virtual disk I have first to MOUNT the image to see how it is structured (running Disk Management)...

And, please note that, to BOOT a VHD-image from an USB Flash drive requires a lot of space from the USB Flash Drive itself, that's the same identical amount of space of the system partition you are booting INCLUDED the unallocated space existing at the end of the virtual Hard Disk.

So it appears as obvious that VHD image size (not only the system partition size, but also the DRIVE size) has to be as small as possible and that the unallocated space does prevent to use an USB Flash Drive of a "reasonable" size.

In my Paragon VHD image I currently have an unallocated space of more than 800GB (please look at the sceenshot in attachment) and then if I want to BOOT that VHD image from an USB Flash Drive it would require an USB Flash Drive of almost 1TB...

So, is there a way in order to create a Paragon Backup as a VHD image (.vhd) EXCLUDING the unallocated space just as already does TrueImage (that I do not want to use anymore)?

So many thanks.

sshot.jpg

[aoz987]

sorry, I misunderstood before,, but I see what you are doing.
I attached two screen shots, of the settings for paragon for creating the VHD; first is selecting the option,and second shows the view you get after selecting to proceed with the backup.
I do NOT know if it resizes the unallocated space.
BUT, question - if you right-click on the VHD file you careated, what is its actual size? I still believe that the VHD, even if it reflects the unallocated space, doesn't actually create a VHD that is that exact size, from what I've experienced in the prior viersion, PHDM 15. I had a C: drive of about 200 G (allocated and free), but the actual VHD file size was about 70 G, and that is what would get copied to the usb stick, or drive.

I'm again sorry if i'm missing something in this, and again I can't vouch for how exactly the unallocated space gets looked at.

[fireworker]

Hi all

1. Is the file size of VHD of HDD with occupied and unolocated partitions much more than only with occupied?
2. Please, tell me why you use VHD on a flash drive? Really curious.
3. How much space is really occupied on the 0_C_Win drive?

So, is there a way in order to create a Paragon Backup as a VHD image (.vhd) EXCLUDING the unallocated space just as already does TrueImage (that I do not want to use anymore)?

Likely there is. But, probably more complicated than in Aсronis.

[logon]

if you right-click on the VHD file you careated, what is its actual size? I still believe that the VHD, even if it reflects the unallocated space, doesn't actually create a VHD that is that exact size

Speaking of a VHD booting then the FILE-size is a thing, the Virtual Disk IMAGE-size is a different one.
The booting of a VHD from an USB Flash Drive (or from an HD too) is related not only to the .vhd FILE itself, but also with the structure of the Virtual Disk "inside" the VHD image.
If you MOUNT a VHD image from an USB Flash Drive you'll have NO issue at all related with SIZE/SPACE, but if you BOOT a VHD image from an USB Flash Drive you have (at least) TWO issues: the 1st is related with the size of the FILE (.vhd) that you have to copy on the flash-drive (my VHDs have a tipical size of almost 13GB, that's just the system-partition used-space size); the 2nd issue is related with the size of the HD/DRIVE/PARTITION contained in the VHD image.
At BOOTING that VHD-image NEEDS ALL of the space existing in the virtual disk, INCLUDED the unallocated space (just as I'm repeating again...): so, the unallocated space at VHD booting is MATTER, ok?
13GB the size of the FILE + 1TB the size of the virtual disk IMAGE = there is no USB Flash Drive of that size, yet...
Please note that anyway I know how to "resize" that image, but the procedure contains too many steps for my taste (in the sense of too many operations on the image-drive structure that I do not like to do at all for reasons of "integrity").
However using Acronis does solve ALL of this issues together, but I do NOT want to use anymore because I like Backup and Recovery now.
But the program has to create image file WITHOUT unallocated space: how?
Thanks.

[logon]

Please, tell me why you use VHD on a flash drive? Really curious.

Have you ever booted a Paragon Backup and Recovery WinPE image from USB Flash Drive?
Well, your VHD backup can run your win install from flash drive...

Likely there is. But, probably more complicated than in Aсronis.

How?
Thanks.