Recover a whole machine (bare-metal restore)

What it's for

A bare-metal restore puts a whole machine back from a Disk Image backup: the operating system, applications, settings and data, onto the same computer after a disk failure or onto replacement hardware. This walkthrough takes you from "the server won't boot" to a running machine, and links to the detailed articles for each step.

Note: Partners can white-label the backup app, so window titles and product names may show your own brand instead of the names used here.

Before you start

A Disk Image backup of the machine. Bare-metal restores only work from Disk Image Protected Items. For a bootable result, the backup should include the whole system disk: the partition table area, any System Reserved or EFI partition, and the OS partition. See Disk Image - Walkthrough (Windows) or Back up Linux devices with Disk Image.
The client's backup username and password. The recovery environment signs in with the client's user account, and the password is what decrypts the data.
Recovery media, ideally made in advance: a WinRE USB drive (2 to 32 GB) or ISO for Windows, or a Linux ISO. Make it from any working device with the backup app. See Recovery Media and Guide - Creating a Disk Image bootable USB drive.
A target disk at least as big as the backed-up partitions. A bigger disk is fine. A smaller one isn't.
A wired network connection if you can. Wi-Fi may not work in the recovery environment without extra drivers.

Warning: A bare-metal restore overwrites the target disk. Check you've picked the right disk, and copy off anything on it that isn't in the backup first.

Steps

1. Boot the machine into the recovery environment

Plug in the recovery USB drive (or attach the ISO for a VM) and boot from it using the machine's boot menu.
The WinRE media boots on both UEFI and legacy BIOS machines, including with Secure Boot. The screen may stay black for a minute while it loads. If it won't boot, try turning Secure Boot off temporarily.
When it's loaded, the backup app opens. If the clock is wrong, fix it with Tools > Timezone, because a wrong date can stop the connection to cloud storage.

2. Sign in and choose the backup

Sign in with the client's backup username and password. If you're restoring onto the same hardware, the media is recognized as the same device.
Click Restore, pick the Storage Vault, then expand the device and the Disk Image Protected Item and choose the snapshot you want (usually the latest good one).
Choose to restore to physical disks.

3. Map backed-up partitions to local disks

In the left-hand column, select a backed-up disk or partition.
In the right-hand column, select the local disk or partition to write it to.
Click Add to restore queue. Repeat for every disk or partition you need, including the EFI and System Reserved partitions.
If the local disk needs partitioning first, use Edit to open the disk tool, then Refresh to update the list.
Click Restore to start. The data streams straight onto the disks, so no temporary space is needed.

4. Restart and check

When the restore finishes, use Tools > Shutdown to restart, and remove the USB drive.
If Windows doesn't boot, restart into the recovery media and use the Windows Recovery Environment's boot repair from the Shutdown menu.

Linux machines

Boot the Linux recovery ISO, sign in and restore the Disk Image the same way. From other Linux live environments, you can also restore single partitions straight onto a disk, for example with the Program Output restore method and dd of=/dev/sdX1 bs=8M. See Disk Image - Walkthrough.

Verify it worked

The machine boots to its normal sign-in screen and the client's applications and data are there.
The restore job shows Success in the Web Portal under Management Console > Job logs.
Run a normal backup from the restored machine and check it succeeds.

Troubleshooting

No network in the recovery environment: use a wired connection, or rebuild the media with the network driver added. See Recovery Media.
Drive letters look different: that's normal in WinRE. If a local Storage Vault drive has a different letter, reassign it with diskpart from Tools > Command Prompt.
The target partition is too small: a backed-up partition can't be restored into a smaller one. Use a bigger disk, or restore to a VM instead (see Restore a backup as a virtual machine).
Different hardware won't boot, or Windows needs activating: see the boot tips in Restore a backup as a virtual machine. If the app asks to register the device again, see Change of hardware causes registration dialog to appear.

Still stuck? Email support@magnusbox.com with the username, the Protected Item, the snapshot date and what you see on screen.