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Getting an mediaID.bin error message when trying to restore data from a backup

Anonymous
2011-06-03T16:31:47+00:00

I used windows vista to backup my data onto an external hard drive.  I then did a system restore and upgraded to windows 7.  I then used windows to restore my data and I keep getting an error message saying that the mediaID.bin is missing.  I have about 200G saved on my external hard drive.  It seems impossible for me to go through each file.  Can anyone help?

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-06-04T05:49:30+00:00

    Hi,

    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 Vista won’t recognize your backup. Our advice is to not move backups, and if you do, be sure to copy the mediaid.bin file.

    Check if you find the mediaid.bin file in the backup folder.

    It seems that MediaID.bin file is invalid, it can be missing or corrupt. I would like to suggest:

    Method 1:

    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

    Method 2:

    You may also follow the steps provided by Ki Chi Leung on 22 rd February 2010 at 4: 07 PM in the below thread link.

    http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7performance/thread/5e368f95-5142-4b9f-afb2-ccff9b646433

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-12-27T07:23:07+00:00

    Is this possibly a situational thing.  I backup up my Vista files to a subdirectory on a Win7 machine--not to an external drive.   Now my Vista is dead.  I want to retrieve thye files from the Win7--but that is not the owner of the files.   Although MediaID.bin is "invalid" the backup appears to be OK.  In fact I can [browse by folder] or [browse by file] verv well.  The problem only occurs when I try to [Restore].   I can also restore any file I have tried by browsing and unzipping the backup--but this is too tedious because I can only find files by repeatedly descending into subdirectories of the zip-files.  So the backup appears to be there.  What's more, No one has moved, deleted or even touch any part of this backup.  The MediaID.bin file cannot be "invalid" in any way -- except as it was originally written.  (I have done a diskchk). 

     .

    1. OK I expect Windows is not dumb enough to insist that backups can only be accessed byt the same computer that created it. ...Or is it?

    .

    1. Does Windows insist that I back up my files to an external drive?

    .

    1. Some say that MediaID.bin will be in the root-directory of the disk I used to backup--no, mine is in \MARY-PC\johnback\MediaID.bin next to \MARY-PC\johnback\JOHN-PC.  But there seem to be a few other files next to MediaID.bin, and the backup is at \MARY-PC\johnback\JOHN-PC\junk\Backup Set 2011-03-08 222649, and there are some sibling files there as well.  Maybe MediaID.bin is in the wrong place?  I can't explain the subdirectory \junk\

    .

    But Restore -does- find the backup and lets me browse through it--just can't restore any file content.  So MS must be reading the zip files.  What does it need MediaID.bin for?

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