Image for Windows Scheduled Task Fails to Save Backup to Network Drive
Problem:
Image for Windows is set to run as a scheduled task in Windows and save the backup to a network drive, but the backup is not created as expected. The Image for Windows log (ifw.log) shows the message File already exists or Path not found.
Cause:
When the scheduled task runs, the network drive is not mapped.
Solution:
Configure the scheduled task to save the backup to the network drive using the Universal Naming Convention (UNC), rather than with a mapped drive letter. You can accomplish this by either editing the scheduled task manually or by deleting the existing task and then recreating a task the usual way in Image for Windows. An example of the change that is required follows.
Using a mapped drive:
"C:\Program Files\TeraByte Unlimited\Image for Windows\V2\imagew.exe"
/b /uy /um /d:w0@0x1 /f:"N:\BACKUP" /rb:0
Using UNC:
"C:\Program Files\TeraByte Unlimited\Image for Windows\V2\imagew.exe"
/b /uy /um /d:w0@0x1 /f:"\\ComputerName\ShareName\BACKUP" /rb:0
When using a UNC path, you may also need to specify the login information for the network share. To do this, use the /login option. For example:
"C:\Program Files\TeraByte Unlimited\Image for Windows\V2\imagew.exe"
/login:"\\ComputerName\ShareName*username*password" /b /uy /um
/d:w0@0x1 /f:"\\ComputerName\ShareName\BACKUP" /rb:0
Note: Depending on the version of Windows being used and how the share is configured, you may need to include the ComputerName with the username. For example:
"C:\Program Files\TeraByte Unlimited\Image for Windows\V2\imagew.exe"
/login:"\\ComputerName\ShareName*ComputerName\username*password" /b /uy /um
/d:w0@0x1 /f:"\\ComputerName\ShareName\BACKUP" /rb:0
Here is a complete example using the following configuration:
- The computer name is BackupServer.
- The share name is LaptopBackups.
- The user name is JohnDoe.
- The password is pswd1234.
- The image file is named Win7.TBI.
"C:\Program Files\TeraByte Unlimited\Image for Windows\V2\imagew.exe"
/login:"\\BackupServer\LaptopBackups*BackupServer\JohnDoe*pswd1234" /b /uy /um
/d:w0@0x1 /f:"\\BackupServer\LaptopBackups\Win7" /rb:0
If it is undesirable for the password to be visible you can have Image for Windows cache the encrypted password. You would then just need to specify the share and user name. For details on caching the password see the /login option in the Image for Windows manual.
Instead of using the /login option, it's also possible to use saved user credentials for the network share. When setting up the task and browsing to the share, check the option Remember my credentials when you enter the user name and password. You could also add the credentials using the Control Panel. Note that using remembered/saved credentials may not be as reliable as the /login option depending on how they are saved. Also, if you move the script/task to another computer it won't work unless that computer has credentials for the share. The /login method would work normally in this case since the user name and password are specified.