Vista - Complete PC Restore from image stored on external USB disk

I am currently using an external 500Gb USB-connected disk to store Complete
PC Backups (VHD files).

I was just browsing the news group and saw the following posting...

------------------------
Hi David,

Vista won't recognize a USB drive until the OS is fully loaded, it has (to
my knowledge) no provisions for loading from or to one during any point of
setup other than grabbing a driver for a RAID configuration or SATA drive.
Which, non coincidentally, may be the issue with the SATA drive. It may
require a manufacturer's driver to access it fully.

You mentioned you created these as network shares, were they attached
locally and mounted as such? or were they attached elsewhere on the network
and mapped?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
------------------------

Rick's reply seems to indicate that a complete PC restore is not possible
from a USB-connected hard disk. If true, then my current backup strategy is
essentially useless (from a complete PC restore standpoint).

Can anyone confirm - is it true that a Complete PC Restore is not possible
from a USB-connected external disk?

--
RichG

I recently had to restore my computer from the image stored on my USB drive.
I ran the restore program from the bootable Vista Ultimate DVD, and it worked
quickly and perfectly.

"RichG" wrote:

> I am currently using an external 500Gb USB-connected disk to store Complete
> PC Backups (VHD files).
>
> I was just browsing the news group and saw the following posting...
>
> ------------------------
> Hi David,
>
> Vista won't recognize a USB drive until the OS is fully loaded, it has (to
> my knowledge) no provisions for loading from or to one during any point of
> setup other than grabbing a driver for a RAID configuration or SATA drive.
> Which, non coincidentally, may be the issue with the SATA drive. It may
> require a manufacturer's driver to access it fully.
>
> You mentioned you created these as network shares, were they attached
> locally and mounted as such? or were they attached elsewhere on the network
> and mapped?
>
> --
> Best of Luck,
>
> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
> My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com
> ------------------------
>
> Rick's reply seems to indicate that a complete PC restore is not possible
> from a USB-connected hard disk. If true, then my current backup strategy is
> essentially useless (from a complete PC restore standpoint).
>
> Can anyone confirm - is it true that a Complete PC Restore is not possible
> from a USB-connected external disk?
>
> --
> RichG