windows backup and restore changed after update


smoothnobody

Well-known member
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OS
windows 11
22H2 changed something. i have a drive that i partition in two, windows and storage. i keep my system image on the storage partition. i use to be able to go to settings and restore this image. now it tells me it can not restore this image cause the image is on the drive and i need to use installation media. i created a USB and it worked. however, another change is it formatted my storage partition. it never formatted my storage partition before. wondering what has changed and if there is a way to make it work like it did before. i know windows claims this is a depreciated feature and is no longer updating it and everybody recommends i use another program. i never saw the need to use something else when this works and is built in. i also don't want to buy another USB.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    CPU
    3800X
    Motherboard
    X570 aorus xtreme
    Memory
    16gb 3800 / CL14
    Graphics Card(s)
    3080 TI
    Hard Drives
    980 pro
    PSU
    1000w titanium
Just a comment, keeping a backup on the physical drive as the Operating System is installed on, even though on a separate partition, is taking a large risk, especially with older drives. Failure of the drive will prohibit saving the backup partition so ALL will be lost. As to the backup feature in Windows, they've been trying to get rid of that for awhile, basically was left over from Windows 7. Most recommendations, even from Microsoft, have been to use a third-party program, lots of posts on forums about it. And a second drive is the way to do it, either added internally or USB, maybe eSATA if the computer has the port. I'd choose a drive at least twice the size of the internal, actually what I do.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
i have everything on the storage partition backed up on a USB. i already acknowledged i am aware everybody recommends using another backup method.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    CPU
    3800X
    Motherboard
    X570 aorus xtreme
    Memory
    16gb 3800 / CL14
    Graphics Card(s)
    3080 TI
    Hard Drives
    980 pro
    PSU
    1000w titanium

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3793
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 1065G7 @ 1.30GHz Ice Lake 10th Generation
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0V996R
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus Graphics with shared graphics memory
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Laptop Display 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2, NVMe SSD
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbs
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    F-Secure Security Suite
    Other Info
    Upgraded from Windows 10 to Win 11 on 10-21-21
    Upgraded to Win 11 22H2 on 9-20-22 (Clean Install)
    Upgraded to Win 11 23H2 on Halloween 2023
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3910
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700 processor (12-Core, 25M Cache, 2.1GHz to 4.8GHz)
    Motherboard
    Dell 0KHP4K
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 770 with shared graphics memory
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 27" Monitor S2721DS,
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2560 x 1440 @ 75 Hz
    Hard Drives
    1TB M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    F-Secure Security Suite
    Other Info
    Bought in November 2022
    Updated to 23H2 10-31-23
i have a drive that i partition in two, windows and storage. i keep my system image on the storage partition. i use to be able to go to settings and restore this image. now it tells me it can not...
... i know windows claims this is a depreciated feature and is no longer updating it and everybody recommends i use another program. i never saw the need to use something else when this works and is built in. i also don't want to buy another USB.
For most of my machines I too have a data partition where I create my system images. It's nice and convenient to restore from. However as Berton points out this is not much use if the drive fails on you, you'll loose the system image partition as well as your Windows partition. So once I have made my system image I then copy it to an external usb hard drive.

I used to use 'Backup and Restore (Windows 7)' for this but as you say, this has been a deprecated feature for five years now and no further development has taken place.

Microsoft said:
System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.

I switched to using Macrium Reflect Free after Microsoft broke their own system imaging in 32-bit windows 10 version 1803 and didn't bother to fix it until a year later when 1903 was released. If MS have broken it again with another update, then don't expect them to be in any hurry to fix it.

Macrium has worked flawlessly for me for more than four years and still does in the latest Windows 11 22H2.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
is taking a large risk
Not large...huuuge. Half the reason to have a backup at all is to protect your data in case of hardware failure. Having a backup on the system drive completely negates that protection.

It's not just the folks here who advise not using the old backup/restore function in Windows. Microsoft does as well. For them to publicly say people should not use their own feature tells me something loud and clear. It makes no sense to me that anyone would want to use it when there are so many better solutions available.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
are you guys even paying attention to what i am saying? i have already addressed the things you guys are repeating over and over. i don't want advice on how to backup. the purpose of this post is specifically what has changed with windows backup, does anybody know how to undo it, or prevent the unwanted behavior. if your post does not address these specific concerns it is not helping.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    CPU
    3800X
    Motherboard
    X570 aorus xtreme
    Memory
    16gb 3800 / CL14
    Graphics Card(s)
    3080 TI
    Hard Drives
    980 pro
    PSU
    1000w titanium
the purpose of this post is specifically what has changed with windows backup, does anybody know how to undo it, or prevent the unwanted behavior. if your post does not address these specific concerns it is not helping.
The chances that anyone here still uses it are low. You are unlikely to fine the help you are asking for.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
i understand
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    CPU
    3800X
    Motherboard
    X570 aorus xtreme
    Memory
    16gb 3800 / CL14
    Graphics Card(s)
    3080 TI
    Hard Drives
    980 pro
    PSU
    1000w titanium
Isn't there a Muphy's Law that applies to backups? The chance of a drive failing is inversely proportional to the quality of your backups. In other words, the worse your backup plan, the higher the chance that the HD will fail :-).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
are you guys even paying attention to what i am saying? i have already addressed the things you guys are repeating over and over. i don't want advice on how to backup. the purpose of this post is specifically what has changed with windows backup, does anybody know how to undo it, or prevent the unwanted behavior. if your post does not address these specific concerns it is not helping.
No need to be so beliigerent. People here are unpaid adnd offer advice to help. It may not be what you want to hear but as @Bree says, few of us use it nowadays.

I am guessing MS have made an indavertent change i.e. a bug, or maybe you made a mistake in your backup.

Most of the third party tools have some kind of definition file that once created (and tested), you use it rather than going through the whole partition or drive selection process each time. I have one, and I use it to minimise risk of human error.

In the end, we would need a lot more information and testing to work out what went wrong, and to be honest, we just believe the solution is simple - follow MS advice and use a 3rd party tool.

So people are trying to help but it may not be specifically the help you requested. That is the nature of forums in general.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
belligerent is not the appropriate word to use here. just trying to reduce useless posts and stay on the topic. every time i post here about the built in system restore you guys swarm me about its depreciated even microsoft says don't use it there are better options use something else. unwanted advice. like going to a casino and telling people not to gamble. i specifically mentioned in my first post that i know with hopes i won't get lectured and we are still going in circles.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11
    CPU
    3800X
    Motherboard
    X570 aorus xtreme
    Memory
    16gb 3800 / CL14
    Graphics Card(s)
    3080 TI
    Hard Drives
    980 pro
    PSU
    1000w titanium
......we are still going in circles.
Well, I am probably the most familiar here with using Backup & Restore to make system images. From 2015 up to 2018 I used it exclusively and regularly to image all my machines, I'm overly familiar with all its little foibles and idiosyncrasies. :(

So I tested it in a Hyper-V virtual machine running Windows 11 22H2 build 22621.521 (the current Patch Tuesday build from 13 Sept.). It worked as normal. I then upgraded the machine to the latest optional Preview cumulative update, KB5017389, 22621.608, issued 30th Sept. It still worked normally, both for making a system image and restoring it by booting to its own Advance Startup options. The separate Data partition was untouched by the restore.

So whatever you issue is, it.s specific to your machine or what choices you may have made when creating the system image. It should work normally, I cannot reproduce you problems using the latest build of Windows 11 22H2.

SIB1.png

SIB2.pngSIB3.png

After the restore....

1665142678143.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
, another change is it formatted my storage partition. it never formatted my storage partition before. wondering what has changed
The only plausible explanation that I can think of is that the upgrade from 21H2 to 22H2 had to resize the Recovery partition, and in doing so had shrunk the Data partition slightly to make room for that. If so, then you could perhaps restore a 21H2 image and resize the Recovery partition yourself before upgrading to 22H2 again.

MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you do that, it's what I used to make the space for the new Data partition in my tests above.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
As far as I can remember, every Windows 'Feature Upgrade' (including the transition from Win 10-11) since the Windows 10 Insider programme commenced has involved a full system rebuild, including editing the existing drive partition table. Editing the existing Partition Table is an essential part of the process because a new Recovery Partition has to be created whenever a 'full' Windows Upgrade is performed (i.e. whenever a 'Windows Old' system backup is created) and the space required has to be taken from somewhere (normally the C: Drive Partition with the new Recovery Partition being created immediately after).

IME with a UEFI formatted disk Windows usually also leaves behind the old Recovery Partition which can, of course, can be deleted and the space recovered. All you have to do is a before and after Disk Partition check to monitor what changed.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    macOS (plus VMs: Windows XP, 7, 10 Home/Pro, 11 Home/Pro, Linux Distros)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    a) Apple MacBook Pro (Intel) - 2019 b) Apple MacBook Pro M1 MAX - 2021
    CPU
    a) Intel i9 b) M1 MAX (ARM)
    Memory
    a) 16GB b) 32GB
    Hard Drives
    a) 1TB SSD + 256GB SD Card b) 1TB SSD (+ 1TB SD Card)
    Browser
    a) Safari/Vivaldi/DuckDuckGo b) Safari/DuckDuckGo
    Antivirus
    -
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro (plus VirtualBox VMs: Windows 11 Pro & Linux Distros)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    a) Microsoft Surface Book 2, b) HP Spectre X360
    CPU
    a) i7, b) i7
    Memory
    a) 16GB, b) 16GB
    Hard Drives
    a) 1TB SSD, b) 1TB SSD
    Browser
    a) MS Edge, b) MS Edge
    Antivirus
    a) Defender, b) Defender
a new Recovery Partition has to be created whenever a 'full' Windows Upgrade is performed....
Windows 11 is now capable of resizing the Recovery partition rather than creating a new one. Where the C: partition is followed immediately by the recovery partition (the default for a clean install) the Feature Update will shrink the C: partition a little to make room. Only when this is not possible will a new second recovery partition be created.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Just a thought, may be an idea to run SFC, could just be a corrupt system file that caused the problem, I'm inclined to think though that as suggested it may have been change of partition size resulting in not enough space to complete the restore although I would have though there would have been at least an error message of some kind.

Microsofts blurb on the Deprecation Windows 7 Backup and Restore deprecated - Win32 apps of course being recommended not to use it doesn't mean you can't, plenty of ancient programs work quite happily in Win11 any build.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2 OS Build 22623.1095
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
    Motherboard
    Asus PRIME B350-PLUS
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 @3000Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS - GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB TUF GAMING OC
    Sound Card
    On Board Realtec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer KA241
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    240GB PNY CS900 SSD - OS
    2 x 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD
    1 x 500GB Crucial MX300 SSD
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001-1ER164
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM008-2FR102
    PSU
    750 Watt Corsair TX750 Plus
    Case
    Cooler Master 690 III
    Cooling
    Akasa AK98 5 Case Fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270 - wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech - M185 wireless
    Internet Speed
    BT Fibre 75 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Use hardware KVM to switch monitors on three PCs and software (input director) to use mouse and keyboard on all 4 PCs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 build 22621.900
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881 - modified with SFX PSU fitted internally
    CPU
    Intel i5 - 10400
    Motherboard
    Dell 032w55 version A00
    Memory
    16GB of HyperX Fury @ 2133 Mhz
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 6GB GTX 1060.
    Sound Card
    Builtin
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER KA241
    Screen Resolution
    1920x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK hynix NVMe
    1TB Western Digital WD10EZEX-75WN4A1
    PSU
    Modular 450 Watt Corsair SF450 Platinum ( Mod to replace the Dell 265 Watt PSU)
    Case
    Inspiron Small Desktop
    Cooling
    Dell stock cooler
    Mouse
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    BT Fibre 75 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Use hardware KVM to switch monitors on three PCs and software (input director) to use mouse and keyboard on all 4 PCs.
Windows 11 is now capable of resizing the Recovery partition rather than creating a new one. Where the C: partition is followed immediately by the recovery partition (the default for a clean install) the Feature Update will shrink the C: partition a little to make room. Only when this is not possible will a new second recovery partition be created.
I am not sure if this is entirely the case. As far as I can tell, it will reuse an existing partition if it has enough space, but will recreate a new one by shrinking C drive as you say if it cannot reuse a partition. I am not aware of the existing recovery partition ever being resized.

I am pretty certain the only partition resized is the C drive, as Windows knows if there is enough spare space.

I do not actually know what could happen if you tried to update a Windows partition which could not be shrunk enough to hold a new recovery partition. However, I seriously doubt you do an upgrade anyway if it was that tight. From memory on my old 32GB emmc tablet, even if you had a usb drive to hold temporary files, you still needed about 4 GB space minimum to do the upgrade.

Also, it is not always clear because I have seen it also create a new one even if existing is big enough for the new winre.wim. I suspect this is when the existing recovery is not directly adjacent to the C drive but I cannot prove that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
belligerent is not the appropriate word to use here. just trying to reduce useless posts and stay on the topic. every time i post here about the built in system restore you guys swarm me about its depreciated even microsoft says don't use it there are better options use something else. unwanted advice. like going to a casino and telling people not to gamble. i specifically mentioned in my first post that i know with hopes i won't get lectured and we are still going in circles.
You may be correct. Perhaps instead of belligerant a more accurate description would have been discourterous.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Pro Retail Upgrade to Win 10 Pro, to Win11 Pro 23H2 OS( Build 22631.3235
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 3 3200G with Radeon Vega Graphics
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 Tomahawk
    Memory
    Corsair DDR4 32g (29.9 GB usable)
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon Vega 8
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB (SATA (SSD))
    931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 (SATA )
    Seagate BUP 4TB USB3 (This drive died at one year)
    (3) Seagate BUP Slim 2TB USB3
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500G USB3
    PSU
    Corsair TX 750W
    Case
    Cooler Master tower
    Cooling
    3 generic fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech Backlit USB
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    T-Mobile 5G 100+ Mbs
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender and Malwarebytes Prem
    Other Info
    A bunch of legit software
Just a wild guess..............

It may have formatted the drive in order to expand the Recovery partition for the OS. Again, it's only a guess.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Multi-boot Windows 11 & 10 - RTM, RP, Beta, Dev and Canary
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware R12
    CPU
    11th Gen i9-11900KF @ 3.50GHz, 8 cores/16 logical proc.
    Motherboard
    Alienware 07HV66 (U3E1)
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 w/10GB GDDR5X mem
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 27" Curved C27F591
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 60 hertz
    Hard Drives
    1TB NVMe PM961 NVMe SSD SAMSUNG (Boot),
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001-1ER164 (SATA),
    1TB Samsung SSD 850 EVO,
    1TB Seagate ST1000DM003-1ER162,
    1TB WD Elements 10A8 USB Device,
    1TB BUFFALO HD-PNTU3 USB Device,
    1TB x4 Seagate BUP Slim SCSI Disk Device
    PSU
    850W PSU Liquid Cooled Chassis - CyberPower 1500 UPS
    Case
    Alienware Mid-Tower (Dell)
    Cooling
    Liquid Cooled - 3 fan - Top exhaust
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1 Gigabit
    Browser
    FF, Chrome, Opera, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender, MBAM, SuperAntiSpyware
    Other Info
    Blueray R/W Optical,
    Canon MX410 series Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier,
    Altec 5.1 Speakers L-R, Mid Base Boom,

    Macrium Home Premium, Revo Pro, Screenspresso Pro

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