Restoring Hyper-V VMs Using the File-Based Method

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To restore a Hyper-V virtual machine using the standard file restore process, select the backup task from the Backup Task List (unless restoring on a new machine) and select Restore from the main menu. Proceed with Restore Files and Folders:

Then you need to fill in the details about the backup location. This information is usually preset with the task settings:

Note: You need to select the root folder in this step.

If you open the folder in Windows Explorer, the root folder may look like this:

Notice the C_ folder (for C: drive) and the BackupChain.config files. These files are necessary for restore operations.

Proceed and the backup set selection opens:

Either select “I do not know when the data was backed up” to obtain the full view of all existing backups, or select a particular day and time.

Once you select a restore point you will be presented with the option to automatically restore the entire Hyper-V virtual machine, the option to open Granular Restore (available only in BackupChain Server Enterprise Edition), or to proceed with File Restore. In this tutorial we choose File Restore:

Proceed and click OK and the Restore Screen opens:

Navigate to the folder containing the virtual machine files and check the folder. This will restore all files within this folder as well as all subfolders. The restore process will restore the latest version of each file in the folder. The “latest version” is determined by the date filter at the top of the restore screen. Now proceed by clicking Restore.

If the virtual machine contains snapshots, you need to restore all the files to the same folder, such as C:\VHD. WARNING: Even though the default restore setting does not overwrite files without your permission, you still need to be careful not to overwrite files accidentally!