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Reinstalling various Linux systems I have affected the efi partition that was used by all systems of the same drive, including Windows.

Restoring Windows from a restore point doesn't work but I have a image created for the same purpose on a separate drive.

Using a Windows usb stick I have initiated the procedure of restoring Windows from that image. It warns me that all partitions will be formatted.

Does that include the 2 ext4 partitions on the same drive or just the Windows/ntfs ones?

Update: I have fixed the Windows installation by reinstalling Ubuntu/kubuntu on one if the Linux partitions. That has repaired the EFI partition at the start of the drive.

But I want an answer for a future situation

cipricus
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  • What tool have you used for the backup and restore? How did you do the backup? – harrymc Sep 23 '21 at 14:14
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    A **full disk image** made by any reputable method, e.g., free commercial products such as Macrium Reflect for Windows, or Linux dd, can be used to restore the *entire* disk, or any number of partitions. This allows restoring *just* Windows, or *just* the boot partition, or *just* the Linux ext*n* partition, or any combination thereof. – DrMoishe Pippik Sep 23 '21 at 17:08
  • @harrymc - that was done with an option present within Windows itself to create a backup of the system – cipricus Sep 24 '21 at 06:18
  • @DrMoishePippik - it's a system restore image, not a disk image I think, as the restoration process re-installs windows – cipricus Sep 24 '21 at 06:20

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You used Windows Backup, a deprecated product which is the quirkiest of its kind. It's impossible to predict what will happen when restoring, but we have had several posts about problems created after doing that. The message was correct, in the sense that the restore destroyed partitions that it had no business touching at all.

The lesson for the future is not to use Windows Backup. Microsoft has renounced it and is no longer developing this software dating from Windows 7.

For safe backups, my favorite is AOMEI Backupper Freeware, but there are other alternatives.

harrymc
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