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Recovery Boot Disc Creation

 

Creating a Boot Disc for Image Backup Recovery

Overview

A boot disc (also called a Recovery disc or DR disc) allows you to restore your complete system image, even when your operating system won't start normally. This is essential for disaster recovery scenarios where your primary operating system is unavailable or corrupted.

NovaBACKUP offers two modes for creating boot discs:

  • Simple Mode - For most workstations and servers without RAID controllers
  • Advanced Mode - For systems with RAID controllers or specialized storage configurations

⚠️ IMPORTANT: If your system has a RAID-controlled hard drive, you MUST use Advanced mode and include your RAID controller drivers. Without the proper drivers, you will not see your RAID drive when booting from the recovery disc.

What You'll Need

  • NovaBACKUP Management Server or Workstation with administrator access
  • A bootable media device (USB drive recommended)
  • Approximately 1-2 GB of free space on your media device
  • An existing image backup available for restoration
  • For Advanced mode: Your RAID controller driver file (if applicable)

Creating a Boot Disc - Simple Mode

Simple mode is suitable for most users running workstation or non-RAID server operating systems (Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016+, etc.).

Step 1: Access the Boot Disc Creation Tool

  1. Open NovaBACKUP Management Server or Workstation
  2. Navigate to Tools → Create Boot Media
  3. The Boot Media Creation wizard will launch

Step 2: Select Your Media Type

Using a USB Drive (Recommended)

  1. Insert your USB device into an available USB port
  2. The system will auto-detect available USB drives
  3. Select the correct drive from the list (verify the drive letter and capacity)
  4. Click Next

⚠️ WARNING: The media creation process will ERASE ALL EXISTING DATA on the selected device. Double-check that you've selected the correct drive.

Step 3: Select Simple Mode

  1. In the mode selection screen, choose Simple Mode
  2. Click Next

Step 4: Review and Create

  1. Review the summary of your configuration
  2. Verify the correct media device is selected
  3. Click Create to begin

The creation process typically takes 5-15 minutes. Once complete, you'll see a success confirmation.

Step 5: Verify Your Boot Disc

  1. Wait for the creation process to complete
  2. Do not eject the media immediately
  3. Click Finish to close the wizard
  4. Safely eject your USB drive

💡 Optional but Recommended: Test your boot disc by restarting your computer and selecting it as the boot device (usually by pressing F12, ESC, or DEL during startup). Verify that NovaBACKUP loads successfully.

Creating a Boot Disc - Advanced Mode

Advanced mode is required if your system has a RAID controller or if you need to customize the boot environment with specific drivers.

When to Use Advanced Mode

  • Your system has a RAID-controlled hard drive (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, etc.)
  • You have specialized storage controllers not included in standard Windows PE
  • You need to add network drivers for network-based backup restores
  • You're restoring to a system with non-standard hardware configurations

Step 1: Gather Required Drivers

Before starting Advanced mode, you'll need:

  1. Your RAID controller driver file (usually a .inf file or driver package from your hardware manufacturer)
  2. Any other specialized storage controller drivers your system requires

To find your RAID driver:

  • Check your system documentation or motherboard manual
  • Visit your hardware manufacturer's website (e.g., Intel, 3ware, Adaptec, LSI)
  • Search for your specific RAID controller model and "Windows PE driver" or "Windows driver"
  • Download the driver package to a USB drive or temporary folder

Step 2: Access Boot Disc Creation

  1. Open NovaBACKUP Management Server or Workstation
  2. Navigate to Tools → Create Boot Media
  3. The Boot Media Creation wizard will launch

Step 3: Select Your Media Type

  1. Insert your USB drive or blank DVD
  2. Select the correct media device from the list
  3. Click Next

Step 4: Select Advanced Mode

  1. In the mode selection screen, choose Advanced Mode
  2. Click Next

Step 5: Add Drivers

  1. The wizard will show a "Driver Management" or "Add Drivers" section
  2. Click Browse or Add Driver
  3. Navigate to your RAID controller driver file (.inf file)
  4. Select the driver and click OK
  5. Repeat for any additional drivers needed
  6. Click Next

💡 TIP: If you have a driver package (folder with multiple files), select the .inf file specifically. Windows PE will use this to install the driver.

Step 6: Configure Boot Environment (Optional)

Advanced mode may allow additional configuration:

  • Network support - Enable if your backups are stored on network shares
  • Language - Select the boot environment language
  • Boot options - Configure how the boot environment starts

For most users, default settings are appropriate. Click Next to continue.

Step 7: Review and Create

  1. Review the summary including all added drivers
  2. Verify the correct media device is selected
  3. Click Create

Creation may take longer in Advanced mode (10-20 minutes) due to driver integration.

Step 8: Verify Your Boot Disc

  1. Wait for completion
  2. Click Finish to close the wizard
  3. Safely eject your media

💡 Recommended: Test your Advanced mode boot disc on your target RAID system to ensure it recognizes the RAID drive at startup.

Using Your Boot Disc to Restore an Image Backup

Before You Start

  • Ensure you have your boot disc available
  • Know where your image backup is stored (local drive, USB, network share, cloud)
  • Have any credentials needed to access network shares or cloud storage

Recovery Steps

  1. Insert your boot disc into the target computer
  2. Restart the computer
  3. Enter the boot menu during startup:
    • Dell: Press F12
    • HP/Lenovo: Press F12 or ESC
    • ASUS/Gigabyte: Press DEL or F2
    • Consult your system documentation if unsure
  4. Select your boot disc as the boot device
  5. Wait for the Windows PE boot environment to fully load (1-2 minutes)
  6. NovaBACKUP Recovery Wizard will launch automatically
  7. Select your image backup from the backup location
  8. Configure recovery settings (partition layout, destination, etc.)
  9. Review the recovery summary and click Start
  10. The recovery will proceed; do not interrupt or power off the system

Once complete, your system will have been fully restored to the state captured in your image backup.

Troubleshooting

Boot Disc Creation Issues

USB Device Not Detected

  • Ensure the USB drive is fully inserted
  • Try a different USB port
  • Verify the USB drive is functioning on your current system
  • Try a different USB device
  • Restart NovaBACKUP and try again

Cannot Create Boot Media on Selected Drive

  • Verify the drive has at least 1-2 GB free space
  • Check for a physical write-protection switch on the USB drive
  • Reformat the USB drive on your current system before creating the boot disc
  • Verify you have administrator privileges
  • Check that no other application is accessing the drive

Creation Process Fails Partway Through

  • Ensure the USB drive remains connected throughout the process
  • Try creating the boot disc on a different USB drive
  • Verify you have sufficient free disk space on your system's C: drive (at least 2 GB)
  • Close other applications to free system resources

Boot Disc Usage Issues

Computer Won't Boot from the Disc

  • Verify the boot media is properly inserted
  • Ensure the boot device is selected in BIOS/UEFI boot order (usually first position)
  • Restart the computer and try pressing the boot menu key again
  • If using USB, try a different USB port (USB 2.0 ports work better for booting on some systems)
  • Try creating a new boot disc if the original appears corrupted

Boot Disc Loads but NovaBACKUP Doesn't Start

  • Wait 2-3 minutes for Windows PE to fully initialize
  • Ensure the boot disc was fully created (did not interrupt the process)
  • Try creating a new boot disc
  • Verify you have sufficient system RAM (minimum 2 GB recommended)

RAID Drive Not Visible After Booting

  • This indicates the RAID driver wasn't loaded
  • You must recreate the boot disc using Advanced mode
  • Ensure you have the correct RAID controller driver for your hardware
  • Verify the driver is a Windows PE-compatible driver, not just Windows Server drivers
  • Contact support for driver assistance if unsure

Cannot Find Image Backup After Booting

  • Verify the backup storage device is connected and powered on
  • If backup is on a network share, configure network settings in the boot environment
  • Verify the backup hasn't been moved or deleted
  • Ensure network credentials are available if required
  • Confirm the backup file location with your IT administrator

Recovery Issues

Recovery Shows Incorrect Partition Layout

  • Review the partition configuration carefully before proceeding
  • You can adjust partitions in the Recovery Wizard if needed
  • Contact support if the layout seems incorrect

Recovery Fails with Error Message

  • Note the exact error message and error code
  • Ensure the target drive is not currently in use
  • Verify you have sufficient disk space on the target drive
  • Contact NovaBACKUP Support with the error details