Why can I not move MediID.bin? Win7

Thanks,

But WHY can't I move MediaID.bin? How on earth does moving it affect anything. If I move both the backup and MediaID.bin back into the rood directory, neither of the files have changed even one byte, so why does windows complain?

thanks.

Hello,

Thank you for replying.

I understand that you are trying to move the MediaID.bin folder along with the backup to the root directory, Windows might show error if the MediaID.bin folder is corrupted. Moving the folder to another location might corrupt the folder and ideally it is not recommended to move the MediaID.bin folder.

I would recommend that you try the steps provided to manually restore the backup.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to create multiple backups by moving the Mediaid.bin folder to different location as Windows works on incremental backup where backup is done when changes are made.

Try replacing the Mediaid.bin file:

a. Locate the root directory of the drive or the file share where the backup was originally stored.

b. Copy the Mediaid.bin file.

c. Locate the root directory of the location where the backup is currently stored.

d. Paste the Mediaid.bin file.

For example: If the original backup location is drive D, and the backup was moved to drive E, copy the Mediaid.bin file that is located in the root directory of drive D to the root directory of drive E.

e. Try to restore another backup file and check.

Hope this information provided helps. Do let us know in case you need further assistance, we will be happy to help.

Hello,

Thank you for the update and I am sorry if I misunderstood the issue.

I would like to inform you that Mediaid.binin windows 7 is created by the**backup utility**and contains the details of the folder/files in the backup.

It is created with each backup and should remain in the same folder as the backup files. Ideally, it is not recommended to move the Mediaid.bin file. If you move the Mediaid.bin file, you will not be able to restore the backup.

By default Windows 7 works on incremental backup.

Windows offers two kinds of backup solutions for Windows 7:

Normal/full backups: All files that have been selected are backed up, regardless of the setting of the archive attribute. When a file is backed up, the archive attribute is cleared. If the file is later modified, this attribute is set, which indicates that the file needs to be backed up.

Incremental backups: Designed to create backups of files that have changed since the most recent normal or incremental backup. The presence of the archive attribute indicates that the file has been modified and only files with this attribute are backed up. When a file is backed up, the archive attribute is cleared. If the file is later modified, this attribute is set, which indicates that the file needs to be backed up.

The backup Windows 7 follows is incremental backup. Windows Backup will add new or changed information to your subsequent backups. If you're saving your backups on a hard drive or network location, Windows Backup will create a new, full backup for you automatically when needed.

The error code "MediID.bin is invalid" indicates that MediID.bin folder is missing or corrupt. I would like to suggest:

Manually create another Backup and copy the MediaID.bin file to the old backup file, and see if you can restore from it.

Manually restore files backed up by unzipping it, please visit the following guide:

How to Manually Restore Files Backed Up Using Windows Backup (Applies to Windows 7 as well).

Hope the information provided is helpful. Do let us know in case you need further assistance.

Hi, thanks for your response, but it really sounds like you have not read my question.

Firstly, I move the backup file and MediaID.bin file immediately to another directory on the same external drive. However, some time later when I need them and copy them back to the root directory, I get the error.

If I don't move the mediaID.bin file I can only have one backup. I want more than one.

So.....why do I get this error, considering neither file has been altered?

thanks

Hello,

Thank you for writing to us at Microsoft Community.

When a backup is created on a volume on a hard disk, a file called mediaid.bin is added to the root of the volume. Your backup folder is there as well. If you move your backup folder but forget to move the mediaid.bin file, Windows 7 won’t recognize your backup.

So Please do  not move backups, and if you do, be sure to copy the mediaid.bin file.

You do not need to open the mediaid.bin file using any application.

Check the link mentioned below as a reference

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940263

Note: It also applies for Windows 7.

For more information, please check the steps provided by Ki Chi Leung on  February 22, 2010.

Cant restore from backup, mediaid.bin invalid on win 7 - fails on vista from another computer

Hope the information provided helps. Do let us know the status of the issue, so that we can assist you further.