Requirements for using Simplified Disaster Recovery

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
The following items are required for Simplified Disaster Recovery (SDR):
  • Backup Exec or the Backup Exec Agent for Windows must be installed on any computers that you want to protect with SDR.
    Note: The Create Simplified Disaster Recovery Wizard is not supported on any 32-bit operating system.
  • Encryption key files must exist for all volumes that you encrypt with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption.
  • A third-party ISO 9660-compliant CD or DVD burning application must be available to burn the SDR-created bootable image to a CD or DVD.
  • A writable or rewritable CD or DVD device must be available.
  • An Internet connection so that you can download the Microsoft Assessment and Deployment Kit.
  • The option Use storage-based catalogs must be enabled. If you disable this option, the backup sets that you create for use with SDR cannot be restored during an SDR recovery operation. As a result, SDR cannot recover the failed computer. To ensure that this option is enabled, click the Backup Exec button, click Configuration and Settings > Backup Settings > Catalog.
    Note: If you use deduplication disk storage devices, be aware that there are limitations in their use with SDR. SeeRecovery notes for using Simplified Disaster Recovery with Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, CAS, Hyper-V hosts, and the Deduplication feature.
Additional requirements exist when you create a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image and when you run the Recover This Computer Wizard, as described in the following sections.
Requirements for creating a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image
The following items are required to create the Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image:
  • The Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image must be the same version of Backup Exec as the Backup Exec server. You cannot use SDR to restore the backups that were created with previous versions of Backup Exec.
  • The Microsoft WIndows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) 8.1, and ADK 8.1 Update 1 is supported only on Windows Server 2008 SP2. On Windows 2008 R2 and later, you can create an SDR disk only using ADK 10. If the Backup Exec server does not run on Windows Server 2008 SP2 or later, or if the server does not have an Internet connection, methods are provided to let you create the Simplified Recovery Disk.
    Note: The recovery disk created with Windows ADK 8.1 does not detect the Backup Exec storage folder (\BEData) if this folder is configured on the storage pools and storage spaces on the Backup Exec Server. This problem happens only when the Backup Exec server installed on Windows Server 2016 operating system is not available and you want to perform an SDR local recovery from the BEData folder. If you create the storage pools and spaces using the recovery disk created with Windows ADK 10, then after system restore, the Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 operating systems does not detect the storage pools and spaces.
  • 5 GB of disk space to download and install ADK.
  • 1 GB of disk space to store the required files and folders to create the ISO image.
Requirements for running the Recover This Computer Wizard
The following items are required to run the Recover This Computer Wizard:
  • The Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image must be the same version of Backup Exec as the Backup Exec server.
  • If the computer that you want to recover was backed up to a tape device, deduplication storage, or to a virtual disk, then SDR cannot store the disaster recovery information file with the backup sets. Instead, you must provide the path to the default location or to the alternate location when the Recover This Computer Wizard prompts you. The default location is C:<Backup Exec install path>\Backup Exec\sdr\Data. If the file is unavailable, you cannot recover the computer with SDR.
  • The backup set that contains all of the critical system components for the computer that you want to restore.
  • The boot drive on the computer that you want to recover must have from 3-GB to 5-GB of free space depending on the operating system and configuration.
If a blank screen appears and the computer does not restart after you use the SDR disk, ensure that the boot drive has the necessary amount of free space. Then, restart the computer again.
  • The target computer that you want to recover to must have an amount of RAM that is equal to or greater than the minimum that the restored operating system requires.
  • The target computer that you want to recover to must have disks with enough free space to contain the data that you restore from the backup of critical volumes. A volume is considered critical if it is required for the computer to start successfully.
  • If you recover a Windows computer that has BitLocker encryption enabled, you must turn on BitLocker encryption after the restore. See your Microsoft documentation for more information on BitLocker drive encryption.
  • If the computer you recover contains a RAID setup, you may be required to configure the RAID before you start it with the SDR disk. Use the computer manufacturer's RAID software to configure the RAID system.
  • If you restore Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 storage spaces and storage pools, you should be aware of the possible restore scenarios.
See Recovery notes for using Simplified Disaster Recovery with storage pools and storage spaces.
More Information
Creating a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image
Recovering a computer with Simplified Disaster Recovery
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