1. Support
  2. Knowledge base
  3. 100023006

How to restore a computer through Restore Anyware (RAO) with Veritas System Recovery (VSR)

Article: 100023006
Last Published: 2021-03-17
Ratings: 2 1
Product(s): System Recovery

Problem

How to restore a computer through Restore Anyware (RAO) with Veritas System Recovery (VSR).

Solution

The recovery points (or virtual disk file) must be stored on a location that can be accessed by the System Restore Disk (SRD), either using external media like an external hard drive or a network location that can be mapped. If your recovery points are stored on CD\DVD media, you can eject the Recovery Disk you are booting from once the main menu appears, then insert the CD/DVD that contains your recovery points.

It is good practice to run the driver validation tool included within the System Restore Disk (SRD) when the disk is loaded within Windows. If additional drivers are needed; create a custom System Recovery Disk (SRD) and include the necessary drivers for the hardware. Drivers can also be loaded at the beginning of the restore in the recovery environment. See the Related Documents Section below on how to run the driver validation tool and how to create a custom System Recovery Disk (SRD).

Additional items of consideration when performing a Restore Anyware to hardware that is significantly different may require you to do the following:
 
  • Add mass storage device drivers.
  • Install updates for the Windows operating system.
  • Reactivate the Windows operating system when the system restarts.
  • Provide the Windows license key when the system restarts.
  • Provide a local user name and password for the recovery point when the system restarts.
  • Prompted for the local administrator name and password when the system restarts.

To restore a computer through Restore Anyware:
 
1. Start the computer by booting into the System Recovery Disk (SRD).

 
2. Review and Accept the EULA.
 
3. Load network drivers if necessary.
 
click Yes ( if an error occurs stating that it was unable to start the network refer to https://www.veritas.com/docs/000012248 for further assistance) 
If the restore point is stored on a remote network location and do the following otherwise if restoring from a local disk skip to step 4.
  a. Select from the main menu to Map Network Drive.
  b. Enter the UNC path to the share (e.g. \\SERVER_NAME\SHARE_NAME)
NOTE: For best results, share the sub-folder containing the recovery points themselves, and not the parent sub-folder.
  c. Choose to enter alternative credentials, and enter a Windows account that has full access rights to the share's contents.
          i. For Active directory use the syntax DOMAIN\ADMINISTRATOR_ACCOUNT
          ii. For a Workgroup environment use the syntax SERVER_NAME\LOCAL_ADMINISTRATOR _ACCOUNT 
 
4. On the Analyze tab select Open Command Shell Window


5. To prepare the disk for your image, type Diskpart. The prompt should change to DISKPART>
 

 
 
6. To ensure the correct disk is selected, type List Disk. The results are displayed ( if an error occurs stating that it was unable to find a disk refer to https://www.veritas.com/docs/000012248 for further assistance).
 

 
 
7. In the example, Disk 0 is the disk to which the image will be restored. Select the disk by typing Select Disk 0.
 

 
8. The message, " Disk 0 is now the selected disk." will be displayed.
 

 
9. Type Clean. When done, type Exit twice to get back to the Main Menu.
 

 
10. On the Welcome page of the System Recovery Disk, click ' Recover My Computer' and select Next.
 

 
11. Select ' Filename' at the top as the option to view the recovery points by and select Browse to choose the recovery point or virtual file. Then click Open and choose Next.
 
 
12. The wizard will prompt to Initialize the disk. Select the disk on which the recovery needs to be done. And then click on "Ok". (Note: When you recover your computer, select the drive on which Windows is installed. On most computer systems, this drive is the C drive. In the recovery environment, the drive letters and labels might not match what appears in Windows. You might need to identify the correct drive based on its label. Or, you can identify the drive by its name, or by browsing the files and folders in the recovery point.)

 
13. The next screen shows system hard drives as well as many options to customize the restore. Many of these options can be accessed by selecting Edit. Select Next once preferred options are completed.
 
Select the options to perform as follows:
 


( Note: If you encounter errors when recovering a drive, use the 'Edit Target Drive' option above to select the target drive, then selecting 'Delete Drive'. This ensure that the partition is wiped before the restore occurs. When you use this option, the drive is only marked for deletion. The actual deletion of the drive takes place after you click Finish
in the wizard.
 

 
Verify recovery point before restore

Verifies whether a recovery point is valid or corrupt before it is restored.  This option can significantly increase the time required for the recovery to complete.
 

 
Use Restore Anyware to recover different hardware

Use this option when restoring to unlike hardware from which the original recovery point was taken.
 

 
Resize drive after recover
 
Select this option to resize the partition.
 

 
Partition Type
 
  • Primary Partition: Because hard disks are limited to four primary partitions, select this type if the drive will have four or less partitions.
  • Logical Partition: Select this type if more than four partitions are needed. There can be up to three primary partitions, plus any number of logical partitions, up to the maximum size of the hard disk.
Check for file system errors after recovery
 
Checks the restored drive for errors after the recovery point is restored.
 

 
Set drive active (for booting OS)
 
Makes the restored drive the active <partition> (for example, the drive from which the computer starts).  Select this option when restoring the drive on which the operating system is installed.
 

 
Restore Original Disk Signature
 
Restores the original, physical disk signature of the hard drive.  

 
Restore Master Boot Record
 
Restores the master boot record. The master boot record is contained in the first sector of a physical hard disk. The MBR consists of a master boot program and a partition table that describes the disk partitions. The master boot program looks at the partition table of the first physical hard disk to see which primary partition is active. It then starts the boot program from the boot sector of the active partition.
 
Note:  This option is recommended only for advanced users and is available only when restoring a the entire drive in the recovery environment.
 

 
7. Review the summary and click Reboot when finished if this is the only drive/partition being restored.

 

 

 

Was this content helpful?

Article Languages