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    I have installed Windows 7 32 bit as an upgrade  to Vista Ulitmate on my network client and now receive "cannot mount the backup when attempting to open any backup on the WHS to access a file. All other functions of WHS appear to function perfectly - backup nightly, shared folders, connection, etc.. WHS has all updates and connector the latest version. As a result of the failure I have re-installed WHS as a new install, downloaded all updates, uninstalled client WHS client connector, rebooted and installed latest version connector - result is the same: "cannot mount the backup" at the 81 % point. Please help!

    GW
    Saturday, April 4, 2009 10:08 PM

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    Hi,
    this is a known bug of the official Windows 7 Beta.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 7:24 AM
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    Thanks for the response. At least now I know I am not going nuts. Is there a work around or do I just live with it until the RTM. Are there any problems with a complete back up restore?

    GW
    To expand on Olaf's answer, if you are using Win7 build 7000, you get to open the backup database one time, ever.  That's it.  The work around is to upgrade to a different build of Win7 (which, since 7000 is the only one that MS has released to the public, means you are pretty much up a creek without a paddle at this point).  Hopefully Win7 RC will be available soon.
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 2:23 PM
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    Hi,
    this is a known bug of the official Windows 7 Beta.
    Best greetings from Germany
    Olaf
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 7:24 AM
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    Thanks for the response. At least now I know I am not going nuts. Is there a work around or do I just live with it until the RTM. Are there any problems with a complete back up restore?

    GW
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 7:44 AM
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    Thanks for the response. At least now I know I am not going nuts. Is there a work around or do I just live with it until the RTM. Are there any problems with a complete back up restore?

    GW
    To expand on Olaf's answer, if you are using Win7 build 7000, you get to open the backup database one time, ever.  That's it.  The work around is to upgrade to a different build of Win7 (which, since 7000 is the only one that MS has released to the public, means you are pretty much up a creek without a paddle at this point).  Hopefully Win7 RC will be available soon.
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 2:23 PM
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    Please expand on "one time, ever." Do you mean open the back-up to recover one or more files or do you mean the PC Restore disk will only restore one complete backup of a Windows 7, build 7000 image - ever! As a  ms "partner" are there any subsequent builds available.

    GW
    Micro/America
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 8:33 PM
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    Please expand on "one time, ever." Do you mean open the back-up to recover one or more files or do you mean the PC Restore disk will only restore one complete backup of a Windows 7, build 7000 image - ever!

    I don't know about running a BMR of a Win7 image, but as far as SFR, yes, you can only open the backup database from a Win7 Beta Build 7000 client once, forever and ever.

    As a  ms "partner" are there any subsequent builds available.

    GW
    Micro/America
    There are no newer versions on the MS website that I am aware of.
    Sunday, April 5, 2009 10:35 PM
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    Please expand on "one time, ever." Do you mean open the back-up to recover one or more files or do you mean the PC Restore disk will only restore one complete backup of a Windows 7, build 7000 image - ever! As a  ms "partner" are there any subsequent builds available.
    "One time, ever" means that when you are using the single file restore feature of Windows Home Server to view the contents of a backup, the very first time you do that on Windows 7 build 7000 you will be successful. After that, you will never be able to open a backup on that installation of Windows 7 again. It doesn't have anything to do with the Restore CD (except that Windows 7, by default, configures a disk a bit differently on installation and that could have an effect). On later (or earlier) builds, which have not been made available to the public, this functionality works correctly. It's just build 7000 that's borked.

    As for getting other builds, as a partner you have a contact at Microsoft. That's the appropriate channel for your question. Here, we can only point you to the public build.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Monday, April 6, 2009 4:54 PM
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    I have installed Windows 7 32 bit as an upgrade  to Vista Ulitmate on my network client and now receive "cannot mount the backup when attempting to open any backup on the WHS to access a file. All other functions of WHS appear to function perfectly - backup nightly, shared folders, connection, etc.. WHS has all updates and connector the latest version. As a result of the failure I have re-installed WHS as a new install, downloaded all updates, uninstalled client WHS client connector, rebooted and installed latest version connector - result is the same: "cannot mount the backup" at the 81 % point. Please help!

    GW
    I have just reinstalled XP (Media Center Edition) on my home PC and am trying to recover a file from backup - I get exactly the same error when I try and open the backup from my XP machine or a Vista laptop. No windows 7 here....  Is there anything I should try?

    I've read the various posts on this topic and I'm getting the error as per the above quote, which sounds like a slightly different error message than some of the other posts.  I don't see any clear answer on whether this is fixed or not though.

    I do see the Z: drive appear briefly in explorer before the error pops up.   This is a real shame as it's the first time I've had to restore files for real from my server which I thought was working ok and now it's let me down.....hopefully it can be addressed.
    Tuesday, April 21, 2009 2:42 AM
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    I have just reinstalled XP (Media Center Edition) on my home PC and am trying to recover a file from backup - I get exactly the same error when I try and open the backup from my XP machine or a Vista laptop. No windows 7 here....  Is there anything I should try?

    I've read the various posts on this topic and I'm getting the error as per the above quote, which sounds like a slightly different error message than some of the other posts.  I don't see any clear answer on whether this is fixed or not though.

    I do see the Z: drive appear briefly in explorer before the error pops up.   This is a real shame as it's the first time I've had to restore files for real from my server which I thought was working ok and now it's let me down.....hopefully it can be addressed.
    Is the server up to date and running Power Pack 2 (version numbers end in 2030 under settings>resources)? If so, please file a bug on Connect and provide client and server CABs.

    When you file the bug, please be sure to mention that you are not running Windows 7.

    Thank you
    Lara Jones [MSFT] | Program Manager
    Community Support and Beta | Windows Home Server Team
    Windows Home Server Team Blog
    Connect Windows Home Server
    Windows Home Server
    Tuesday, April 21, 2009 8:05 PM
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    Is the server up to date and running Power Pack 2 (version numbers end in 2030 under settings>resources)? If so, please file a bug on Connect  and provide client and server CABs.

    Now that I remember where the "settings" icon is.... :-) ....yes, it is up to date, PP2 and the 2030 version #s.  Thanks.  Bug number 434212.
    • Edited by r_c_pattinson Wednesday, April 22, 2009 3:16 AM added bug #.
    Wednesday, April 22, 2009 2:36 AM
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    I never heard anything back on the bug that was filed - how long does it typically take for a response?

    thanks

    Thursday, May 14, 2009 2:33 PM
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    I never heard anything back on the bug that was filed - how long does it typically take for a response?

    thanks


    I've contacted the developer for you. When I hear back from them, I will let you know.

    Thanks!
    Lara Jones [MSFT] | Program Manager
    Community Support and Beta | Windows Home Server Team
    Windows Home Server Team Blog
    Connect Windows Home Server
    Windows Home Server
    Thursday, May 14, 2009 3:29 PM
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    I would like to know something about this too.  I am having the same problem with Windows XP Pro
    Friday, May 15, 2009 9:34 PM
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    Check to see if you have a Z: drive.  I had a Z: drive mapped removed the map rebooted and I can open backups now.
    Friday, May 15, 2009 10:01 PM
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    Still not heard anything - any luck? 
    Friday, June 26, 2009 1:46 AM
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    Now this is a Show Stopper!

    It's not possible to open a backup on the client machine (Windows 7 RC1 or Windows XP Professional)
    It's not possible to open a backup on the Wíndows Home Server machine. It tells me to open it on the client...

    So now it's not possible to recover indicidual files from a backup. Maybe it is possible to restore a complete client, but I havent tried that, and i'm seriously in doubt if there will be problems with that as well. 

    A bug like this must not live for 3½ month on a Server operating system solely intended for backup.

    I bet it wouldn't in a professionel Windows Server operating system.

    This shows that you should always try out any backup setup in a Fire Test. That is: Don't trust it until you have seen and verified both partial and complete restores.
    Sunday, July 19, 2009 10:09 AM
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    "One time, ever" means that when you are using the single file restore feature of Windows Home Server to view the contents of a backup, the very first time you do that on Windows 7 build 7000 you will be successful. After that, you will never be able to open a backup on that installation of Windows 7 again. It doesn't have anything to do with the Restore CD (except that Windows 7, by default, configures a disk a bit differently on installation and that could have an effect). On later (or earlier) builds, which have not been made available to the public, this functionality works correctly. It's just build 7000 that's borked.

    As for getting other builds, as a partner you have a contact at Microsoft. That's the appropriate channel for your question. Here, we can only point you to the public build.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)

    As I updated most of my machines to Windows 7 RC (Build 7100) I find that I am getting the same error message when trying to open a backup.
    Monday, July 20, 2009 3:22 PM
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    As I updated most of my machines to Windows 7 RC (Build 7100) I find that I am getting the same error message when trying to open a backup.
    I would recommend submitting a bug on Connect.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Monday, July 20, 2009 3:34 PM
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    As I updated most of my machines to Windows 7 RC (Build 7100) I find that I am getting the same error message when trying to open a backup.
    I would recommend submitting a bug on Connect.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    I already did that for mine and have not heard anything a few months later.....
    Thursday, July 23, 2009 1:30 AM
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    Nice going, BILL!

    I've been counting on a backup system that does not exist! I even PAID GOOD MONEY for the thing.     Paid for the disk to try it, and just bought the REAL one too.

    I got ripped off!

    Here's what happened: I had a laptop that went down, permanently. Not planning to put more money into it to restore to it, even if that were possible. I already had accessed the backup database for both opening individual backups to view/get files from, as well as restored one machine from it (worked nicely). Not sure which of these used up my "one time only".

    Tried to open one of the back ups - then ALL of the backups - on the WHS. Tells me to open it from a home computer. OK - I tried them all. Get the same message you're getting, "Cannot mount the backup" , stoping at 81%. The ONLY difference Vista makes vs. XP is Vista installs a driver, and also asks you to reboot (XP never gets that far, I guess), but ends up the same - NO BACKUP FILES ACCESSIBLE.

    Running the EVAL copy, build 3790, Service Pack 2. Ran Windows Update on it, it installed some .NET update, and that did NOT fix it. No other updates out there.

    Running Windows XP and Vista, doesn't matter. Bought and paid for a real live copy of WHS YESTERDAY.. wish I had read this, I would have saved my money. 
    Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:58 PM
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    There are a number of causes of "81%" issues. Some of them have been fixed in Power Pack 3, which is in public beta at the moment. Could you please go to Connect, join the Windows Home Server beta program if you haven't already, download and install Power Pack 3 (follow the installation instructions carefully) and see if it makes a difference?

    Also, you may not be aware of this, but the bare metal restore (Restore CD) process isn't subject to the same 81% errors.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Thursday, July 23, 2009 8:08 PM
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    Also, you may not be aware of this, but the bare metal restore (Restore CD) process isn't subject to the same 81% errors.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    I hope that's the case, but unfortunately that's hard to test until you're in the unfortunate position of having to do one..... I will try the PP3 beta and report back. thanks for the tip. 
    Saturday, July 25, 2009 3:36 AM
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    Ok - no luck with that. Installed pp3, new backup and same failure at 81% on the restore. aaargh. 
    Saturday, July 25, 2009 4:47 AM
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    Ok - no luck with that. Installed pp3, new backup and same failure at 81% on the restore. aaargh. 

    Any update on this issue? I have the same problem here. No Windows 7 in my environment ever. WHS with PP2 (licensed copy on an HP MediaSmart server). I tried a bare metal restore of a Vista Ultimate laptop and kept getting network errors, even when direct-connected. So decided to pull off the drivers to a USB and found that I could not access any of my backups...didn't work from a Vista client nor from an XP SP2 client. None of my backups are accessible. Always  stops at 81% and helpfully says "Cannot mount backup". Seems something in PP2 broke the restore function or the ability to read the backup data as this worked before PP2. I tried PP3 beta and get the same results. I would think about ripping out PP2 but I need the Media Center integration more than I need the backup/restore functionality. I will be opening a ticket with connect.
    Monday, August 3, 2009 3:38 PM
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    Ditto on the 81% hang up and error message "Cannot mount the backup".    All of my old client pc's -- cannot mount any of the backups.  Added a new computer, ran a backup.  Then tried to mount, it worked.   Then went back to old backup and tried to mount again --- same error message.
    Tuesday, August 4, 2009 5:57 AM
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    I have the same error, for once I have to backup my PC, now this! Not cool at all. I am hoping that there is a fix for this soon.
    Tuesday, August 4, 2009 6:19 AM
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    Same here
    Wednesday, August 5, 2009 4:06 PM
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    I have the same error. Brand new EX485. I'm getting "Cannot mount the backup" on my 3 PC (Windows XP Pro, Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Premium French version). Never installed Windows 7. I don't have any drives mapped (no Z drive).

    What now?
    Monday, August 10, 2009 9:02 PM
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    Ok - no luck with that. Installed pp3, new backup and same failure at 81% on the restore. aaargh. 
    I did some playing around and it seems to be limited to one of the three drives on my desktop PC. Not sure if that helps, but the system drive and the spare data drive seem be ok as I can open the backups and recover files. My main data drive (typical isn't it!!) is the one that I cant mount backups for. I have been able to use synctoy to sync files to the extra drive and then back that up, but it's hardly an elegant solution....plus it's manually triggered for now, so not the automated answer I was looking for with WHS. 
    Tuesday, August 11, 2009 2:04 AM
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    I just installed the final Windows 7 Build from MSDN today and I made a clean install.
    When I try to open my previous Vista-backup I also get the cannot mount backup error message! The first time as mentioned here, I got the drive up but I was not able to access it.
    I guess it will be the same for the Windows 7 backup.


    So the WHS cannot make backup of a Windows 7 PC??
    This must be fixed asap..

    I have filed a connect report for this.
    Friday, August 14, 2009 9:43 PM
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    So the WHS cannot make backup of a Windows 7 PC??
    This must be fixed asap..
    Milzit:

    I am running the final build of Windows 7 Ultimate x64, build 7600, and am not seeing this issue. WHS backups are mounting correctly, automatic daily backups are working, and I've even restored from a backup, all without issue.
    Friday, August 14, 2009 11:49 PM
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    While I hope that this will all be fixed in Windows 7, I'm concerned that it doesn't work on Vista or XP today. My daughter's laptop crashed, and when we tried to restore it we got "network connection" problems, even through a wired connection. We get the 81% error on all three home machines - Vista Ultimate, Premium and XP.  (Luckily, we had her data backed up on another system, but I still had to rebuild her drive from scratch.) HP's support team, while helpful, could not figure it out. Both guys I worked with made it sound like this was the first they had heard of it; obviously others are having  the same problem. They wanted me to do a factory reset on the server, but after reading other posts it doesn't sound like it's worth the hassle.

    The lesson to be learned: you may not be safely backing up your PCs. Even if the backups appear successful, they are useless if you can't mount them...
    Saturday, August 15, 2009 4:03 PM
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    While I hope that this will all be fixed in Windows 7, I'm concerned that it doesn't work on Vista or XP today.

    I don't expect anything related to WHS backups will be "fixed" by Windows 7 because the client OS (at least typically) is not the problem (and especially in your case, where it's across 3 PCs and 2 completely different OSes).  It's probably either A) an app you have installed on all 3 clients (some "Internet Security Suite" perhaps) or B) a problem with the server OS.
    My daughter's laptop crashed, and when we tried to restore it we got "network connection" problems, even through a wired connection. We get the 81% error on all three home machines - Vista Ultimate, Premium and XP.  (Luckily, we had her data backed up on another system, but I still had to rebuild her drive from scratch.) HP's support team, while helpful, could not figure it out. Both guys I worked with made it sound like this was the first they had heard of it; obviously others are having  the same problem. They wanted me to do a factory reset on the server, but after reading other posts it doesn't sound like it's worth the hassle.

    The lesson to be learned: you may not be safely backing up your PCs. Even if the backups appear successful, they are useless if you can't mount them...
    First, you should file a bug report on Connect (if you haven't already).

    Second, the WHS team has been (and still is) trying to eliminate the 81% bugs.  Power Pack 3 has some new fixes for it.  You can download the beta version of it from Connect and see if it works for you.
    Saturday, August 15, 2009 6:13 PM
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    So the WHS cannot make backup of a Windows 7 PC??
    This must be fixed asap..
    Milzit:

    I am running the final build of Windows 7 Ultimate x64, build 7600, and am not seeing this issue. WHS backups are mounting correctly, automatic daily backups are working, and I've even restored from a backup, all without issue.

    I'm also running the final build of Windows 7 x64.. But good to hear that is working for somebody.
    Monday, August 17, 2009 8:35 AM
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    Feedbackfrom my bug report on connect:
    Thank you very much for submitting feedback to us via Connect. Your input is very valuable to us. We are aware of this particular issue you reported and it is already being tracked in our system. We are happy to inform you that the particular issue is being addressed in the product – as a result we will be resolving and closing this feedback.
    Best wishes,
    Windows Home Server Team

    Still I don't know when this will be fixed, hopefully via a windows update soon..
    Tuesday, August 18, 2009 6:44 AM
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    This seems to fix now as Microsoft said on the connect feedback:-)
    I can now open my backup without any error message.
    Thursday, August 20, 2009 7:21 PM
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    Milzit, what's the link/number of your bug report?

    I've been fighting exactly the same issues for the last week: attempting to open _any_ of my backups via the WHS console yields the "Cannot mount the backup" error at 81% complete.  No Windows 7 involved at all: I've tried accessing several different backups from a several different Windows XP machines and a Vista 64 machine.  I've removed all mapped network drives (I previously did have a Z: network drive) and rebooted several times.  While the operation begins, I can temporarily see the Z: drive appear in Windows Explorer, but then it disappears when the error message is displayed.  I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the connector software on the clients to ensure that the latest version is installed.  I also installed the client on a machine that had never been attached to the home server, and still wasn't able to access any backups.

    I've been a big proponent of WHS, but I must confess my confidence has been shaken: while attempting to restore a dead laptop via the Restore CD I get the "unknown network error" (http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/7428d797-a3c1-4424-bed5-6aa217b23353), which led me to try accessing individual files from the backup, which led to the discovery that I can no longer access any of the backups from any of my machines.  As Estesmark said above, backups are only helpful if you can actually restore from them; while I thought recovering the machine's data would be straightforward with WHS, I now discover that I'm stuck.

    I was going to file an issue of my own on Connect, but was dissuaded by the multiple requests not to file duplicate reports, so I'm hoping to uncover a solution here.

    Thanks, Andy
    Friday, August 21, 2009 11:04 PM
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    Milzit, what's the link/number of your bug report?

    I've been fighting exactly the same issues for the last week: attempting to open _any_ of my backups via the WHS console yields the "Cannot mount the backup" error at 81% complete.  No Windows 7 involved at all: I've tried accessing several different backups from a several different Windows XP machines and a Vista 64 machine.  I've removed all mapped network drives (I previously did have a Z: network drive) and rebooted several times.  While the operation begins, I can temporarily see the Z: drive appear in Windows Explorer, but then it disappears when the error message is displayed.  I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the connector software on the clients to ensure that the latest version is installed.  I also installed the client on a machine that had never been attached to the home server, and still wasn't able to access any backups.

    I've been a big proponent of WHS, but I must confess my confidence has been shaken: while attempting to restore a dead laptop via the Restore CD I get the "unknown network error" (http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/7428d797-a3c1-4424-bed5-6aa217b23353), which led me to try accessing individual files from the backup, which led to the discovery that I can no longer access any of the backups from any of my machines.  As Estesmark said above, backups are only helpful if you can actually restore from them; while I thought recovering the machine's data would be straightforward with WHS, I now discover that I'm stuck.

    I was going to file an issue of my own on Connect, but was dissuaded by the multiple requests not to file duplicate reports, so I'm hoping to uncover a solution here.

    Thanks, Andy

    I would completely ignore anyone that said "don't file a bug report" (especially on this 81% issue).  The WHS team is definitely interested in any and all restores that fail at 81%.  By all means, please file a bug report on Connect.  Also, Power Pack 3 is supposed to have some new fixes for it and you can download the beta version from Connect and see if it helps you.
    Saturday, August 22, 2009 1:41 AM
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    Milzit, what's the link/number of your bug report?

    I've been fighting exactly the same issues for the last week: attempting to open _any_ of my backups via the WHS console yields the "Cannot mount the backup" error at 81% complete.  No Windows 7 involved at all: I've tried accessing several different backups from a several different Windows XP machines and a Vista 64 machine.  I've removed all mapped network drives (I previously did have a Z: network drive) and rebooted several times.  While the operation begins, I can temporarily see the Z: drive appear in Windows Explorer, but then it disappears when the error message is displayed.  I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the connector software on the clients to ensure that the latest version is installed.  I also installed the client on a machine that had never been attached to the home server, and still wasn't able to access any backups.

    I've been a big proponent of WHS, but I must confess my confidence has been shaken: while attempting to restore a dead laptop via the Restore CD I get the "unknown network error" (http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/7428d797-a3c1-4424-bed5-6aa217b23353), which led me to try accessing individual files from the backup, which led to the discovery that I can no longer access any of the backups from any of my machines.  As Estesmark said above, backups are only helpful if you can actually restore from them; while I thought recovering the machine's data would be straightforward with WHS, I now discover that I'm stuck.

    I was going to file an issue of my own on Connect, but was dissuaded by the multiple requests not to file duplicate reports, so I'm hoping to uncover a solution here.

    Thanks, Andy

    My connect bug report is here:
    https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=483087
    But I don't know if this was solved via a windows update or not, anyway it is working now as I can open the backup files. They did not said either when this was going to be resolved, or if it is already.
    Monday, August 24, 2009 5:58 AM
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    My connect bug report is here:
    https://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=483087
    But I don't know if this was solved via a windows update or not, anyway it is working now as I can open the backup files. They did not said either when this was going to be resolved, or if it is already.
    I had a similar situation several weeks ago, after upgrading most of the machines on my network to Windows 7. After opening a backup the first time I was unable to open any backup, on any machine for several days. Then it miraculously started to work properly. Right now I can open backups on Win XP, Vista and Win 7 machines.
    Monday, August 24, 2009 12:08 PM
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    I've been fighting exactly the same issues for the last week: attempting to open _any_ of my backups via the WHS console yields the "Cannot mount the backup" error at 81% complete.  No Windows 7 involved at all: I've tried accessing several different backups from a several different Windows XP machines and a Vista 64 machine.  I've removed all mapped network drives (I previously did have a Z: network drive) and rebooted several times.  While the operation begins, I can temporarily see the Z: drive appear in Windows Explorer, but then it disappears when the error message is displayed.  I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the connector software on the clients to ensure that the latest version is installed.  I also installed the client on a machine that had never been attached to the home server, and still wasn't able to access any backups.

    I've been a big proponent of WHS, but I must confess my confidence has been shaken: while attempting to restore a dead laptop via the Restore CD I get the "unknown network error" (http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/7428d797-a3c1-4424-bed5-6aa217b23353), which led me to try accessing individual files from the backup, which led to the discovery that I can no longer access any of the backups from any of my machines.  As Estesmark said above, backups are only helpful if you can actually restore from them; while I thought recovering the machine's data would be straightforward with WHS, I now discover that I'm stuck.


    I am in a similar situation. Tried bare metal restore of the backup for a PC with failed HDD, and found repeated 'unknown network error' occurrences. Checked the backups from a working client PC and could not open ANY of them -- all attempts failing at 81%. Have logged the bug at connect.

    Frankly, I'm surprised that this problem seems to be so widespread, yet I have seen NO clear fix...
    Saturday, August 29, 2009 2:56 PM
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    My attempts to mount a backup of any of my machines also fails at 81%.  At that time, the backup service stops temporarily and then restarts.  I'm unable to open any backups of any machine, on any machine.  I have XP, Vista and Windows7 machines.

    Just started having this problem after a server restore.  After the restore, the backup service wasn't running and I had to run the repair backup database utility.  After the server restore, the first machine I installed the connector software on was running Windows7 RC, so I wonder if that could be related.

    By the way, I don't have any drives mapped to "Z".


    UPDATE:
    I ran backup cleanup which eliminated a couple failed and cancelled backups that were left over from the backup database repair.  After the cleanup completed, I am able to mount any of the backup files successfully.
    Monday, October 19, 2009 2:50 AM
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    What worked for me when I ran into this problem with a Win7 x64 box was to restore the file using a Vista 32 box on the same WHS network.  I was surprised to learn that you can "restore" files to one PC that had been backed up from another PC.  They don't have to go back onto the same machine.  I then simply copied the file from the Vista box to the Win 7 box.  And, yes, it works more than once.
    Saturday, November 21, 2009 9:15 PM
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    I just ran into this problem today. Did anyone ever find an answer? It only seems to affect my most recent backups, I went back a couple weeks and was able to mount just fine.
    www.justechn.com
    Friday, September 17, 2010 12:02 AM
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    I was having the same problem with a Windows 7 64bit machine mounting backups. I could mount my backups by running a virtual xp machine within the Windows 7 box. I found a very vague reference to automounting partitions and somewhere during an install of some sort of software, this setting must have been turned off. Anyway, this is what worked for me.

    Run cmd.exe as administrator

    >diskpart

    DISKPART> automount enable

    DISKPART> exit.

    All my backups are now mountable.

    Original post is here. http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/668d17ca-4171-4175-8183-be6e9e7d3f86

    • Proposed as answer by mkpaul Wednesday, January 5, 2011 10:57 AM
    Thursday, October 7, 2010 10:25 PM
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    I just tried the automount with on a Win7 32 bit install with no luck. I cannot restore any backups on any machines I own after trying just about every solution (PP3, database repair etc.) short of saying goodbye to all my backups.

    As an aside: I see hundreds of these types of posts with an odd solution here and there and by large the whole thing has not been solved. It is amazing. As a developer who uses almost exclusively MS software I can't tell you how frustrating this is. The one (one!) thing the software is supposed to do (Backup/Restore), it cannot do. 

    Thursday, October 14, 2010 2:35 AM
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    I've got all of our 4 year old twins pictures, observations, etc. on my desktop PC and backed up to the WHS.  Then one of my two Raid 0 drives failed on my desktop.   No problem right, as I have daily backups stored on the WHS.   I replaced the desktop PC and now I get (from all Win7 and Win XP PC's on the network):

    "You need to format the disk in drive Z: before you can use it.  Do you want to format it?"

    and whether i respond or not i get another popup that states

    "cannot mount the backup".  

    I've tried all of the "81%" solutions and no luck yet.  My wife is nearly hysterical and I'm depressed.   Is there any way to restore the files directly from the WHS database and onto additional disks attached to the WHS?

    Friday, December 31, 2010 11:14 PM
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    I am running Windows XP SP 3, and this tip by GPImports fixed it as follows:


    All my backups are now mountable after two initial tasks - permit automount, and remove Failed Backup files


    1.  To permit automount:

    You must be an Administator.  Go to Start | Run
    Enter cmd.exe
    >diskpart

    DISKPART> automount enable

    DISKPART> exit

    2.  To identify failed Backup files:
    Open Windows Home Server Console
    Go to View Backup for each system
    Select each Failed Backup
    For each failed backup, select Delete at next Backup Cleanup | Apply | OK

    3.  To remove failed Backup Files:
    Go to Settings | Backup and start Cleanup Now

    4.  To restore backed up data:
    Go to View Backups and restore

    After pausing at 81%, 82% and 83%, the full backup will open and be visible as a new drive Z
    You may then select individual files and copy them back to their original location or any other temporary location

     

    Wednesday, January 5, 2011 10:59 AM
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    Doing this procedure with diskpart also solved my issue as well.
    Saturday, February 5, 2011 4:15 AM
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    I tried this several times, but I still get the same result.  I get an error message stating that I need to format the disk in drive Z before I can use it and do I wnat to format it now?    Before I can answer mount fails and I get the can not mount drive.  If I do answer it says the drive can not be formated because it is not attached. 

    I follwed the two recommended steps in the previous post. 

    Should I try to repair the back up database?  I hate to do this because so many others feel like this is the nail in the coffin.


    here is the link to my problem post.
    • Edited by JulieJeanHamilton Friday, April 13, 2012 8:22 PM added link to my post about this issue
    Friday, April 13, 2012 8:20 PM
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    I tried restoring the back up to an external drive using the PC restore CD and I get this error:

    An unknown network error has occurred during pc restore.

    Please verify that your network connection is active and that your windows home server is powered on.

    Friday, April 13, 2012 9:18 PM
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    This is definitively one of the main Solution options that actually works for this "Mount backup" failing at 81%.

    I just had the same Issue running Windows 8.1 and the DISKPART above solution fixed it !

    Thanks a lot mkpaul !!!

    Thursday, December 26, 2013 10:42 PM