Restore EaseUS Todo Backup PBD to VirtualBox

[mbressman]

I'm hoping someone can offer some assistance - I'm trying to restore a PBD backup file (containing a full OS and system backup - made using EaseUS Todo Backup) to a blank/new VirtualBox VM, and can't seem to get anywhere. The PBD file was originally on an external USB drive, and while I could get the blank/new VM to see the external USB drive via enabling USB in the VM settings, it then wouldn't see the WinPE ISO file I'd attached to the VM in order to be able to do something with the PBD file.

I then tried to move the PBD file to a new hard drive VDI file I'd created, figuring I could attach this VDI, another VDI that would ultimately be where the PBD file contents were restored to (and be the primary hard drive of the VM), and the EaseUS WinPE ISO (in order to facilitate the restore), but this didn't work either (I can't quite remember what didn't work when trying this, as by this point it was getting late and I was getting tired and running out of steam).

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to accomplish this? I had thought this would be relatively easy, but it seems like it isn't unless I'm just overlook something simple (which is likely). Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[mpack]

You need to boot the VM from the restore CD (or ISO) provided by EaseUS.

Here's one of my own similar discussions from 9 years ago: Accessing huge Acronis Images After a CD Boot. It's Acronis instead of EaseUS, but the issues are the same.

[mbressman]

I've tried that - the problem is when I boot from the restore ISO provided by EaseUS, I can't see the USB external drive containing the PBD file.

[socratis]

Please read the following thread: USB basics and troubleshooting, all of the posts.

If you still have a problem after reading through the whole thing, please follow the advice of the last post, #8: Asking for help and post the information requested.

[mbressman]

Ended up just taking a laptop I wasn't using, popping a spare SSD into it, and restoring the PBD file to that laptop using the EaseUS WinPE Emergency Disk.  Got it started up in Win10 Safe Mode and was able to get all the info I needed.  Wish there was an easy way to do this with VirtualBox, but guess not...

Although next time if I don't grab the entire disk to backup but just partitions, I might be able to use a non-free version of EaseUS Todo Backup to convert the PBD partition backup to a VMDK or VHD file (see here: https://superuser.com/questions/1366400 ... virtualbox)

[BKoering]

I ran into unsolvable problems today too with Easue pbd backup and my intention to restore to Virtualbox VHD.

I had the smae idea to just backup the Windows partion in future since I do not trust these bells and whistles of isseless Windows restore capabilities. I know that I need an EFIBOOT partiotion since in most cases any Windows 10 back up image wil bbe 'GPT' based. But you can rebuld this from scratch. Theoretically. I am still trying..

Anyhow: As nice Easeus and all the others may be. Their P2V funstions only work mit old MBR schema. I found no solution to get things easily working with GPT schema. You can not backup a Windows GPT disk/partition with Easeus to VHD or Vmware format.
This is misleading by Easeus and all the other software that claims it can do it.
I can remember that Paragon HardDiskManager V12 I believe could attach VHD disk and also create these. So you could also do image with Paragon and copie/migrate it into ! VHD.
This was a first step to get virtualisation of Windows etc. done.

[mpack]

Macrium Reflect Free supports GPT.

Incidentally, VHD is an obsolete format: don't use it. In VirtualBox use VDI.