Running a backup from Veritas System Recovery Disk

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
Using a valid license key, you can create independent recovery points using the Back Up My Computer feature in Veritas System Recovery Disk. You can create recovery points of a partition without the need to install Veritas System Recovery or its agent. This feature is sometimes known as a cold backup or offline backup.
With a cold backup, all files are closed when the backup occurs. You do not copy any data that may be in the middle of being updated or accessed on the desktop or server. Cold backups are particularly useful for databases. They ensure that no files are written to or accessed at any time during the backup so you have a complete recovery point.
You can also use the Veritas System Recovery Disk to create recovery points if you experience any of the following:
  • A level of corruption prevents you from starting Windows on the computer.
  • Veritas System Recovery does not function properly while it runs on a Windows operating system.
  • You want to back up the condition of a damaged system before you recover. For example, if a computer is severely damaged, you can use the Veritas System Recovery Disk. You can back up what remains of the system. Then, you can recover what you can later, after you restore an independent recovery point.
    Note: Recovery points that you create using Veritas System Recovery Disk are restored to dissimilar hardware using Restore Anyware.
When you want to create a backup fromVeritas System Recovery Disk , you are prompted for a valid license key only for the following scenarios:
  • You create a Veritas System Recovery Disk using the Prompt me for a license file to use the Backup My Feature option. The computer does not have Veritas System Recovery installed.
  • You create a custom Veritas System Recovery Disk on a computer that has an unlicensed installation (60-day trial) of Veritas System Recovery. You then use the custom Veritas System Recovery Disk to create a backup of a computer. The computer does not have an installation of Veritas System Recovery.
See Customizing an existing Veritas System Recovery Disk.
  • You choose not to add a license key at the time you create the customized Veritas System Recovery Disk.
To run a one-time backup from Veritas System Recovery Disk
  1. If you intend to store the resulting recovery point on a USB device (for example, an external hard drive), attach the device now.
  2. Start the Veritas System Recovery Disk on the computer you want to back up.
See Booting a computer by using the Veritas System Recovery Disk.
  1. On the Home panel, click Back Up My Computer, and then clickNext.
  2. On the Welcome panel, click Next.
  3. If you are prompted, on the Specify License File panel, browse to provide a valid license file, and then click Next.
  4. On the Drives panel, select one or more drives that you want to back up, and then click Next.
    Note: Veritas System Recovery 23 is able to display the drives from a GPT disk even if one of the GPT headers is corrupted or if there is a disk signature collision.
  5. On the Backup Destination panel, set the options you want, then click Next.
    Folder Lets you browse to and specify the location where you want to store the independent recovery point.
    You can specify a hidden drive as a location where you want to store the recovery points in the following format:
    DiskNo-PartitionNo\
    For example, If 2 is the disk number and 3 is the partition number, you must specify 2-3\ as the location.
    Map a network drive Maps a network drive by using the UNC path of the computer on which you want to store the recovery point.
    For example, \\computer_name\share_name or \\IP_address\share_name.
    Browse Lets you browse to locate a backup destination that you want to use.
    Select the Show hidden drives check box to see a list of the hidden drives along with the list of the other drives.
    You can select a hidden drive as a location where you want to store the recovery points.
    The hidden drives are displayed in the following format:
    DiskNo-PartitionNo\
    For example, a hidden drive is displayed as: 2-3\. Where 2 is the disk number and 3 is the partition number.
    Note: By default, this check box is not selected.
    OpenStorage Destination Lets you select a cloud storage destination that you want to use for backups.
    See OpenStorage destination options for backups .
    Destination Details Displays the type of destination path. If you add a network path it also displays the user name.
    Recovery point file name Lets you edit the recovery point file name.
    Rename Lets you rename the recovery point file name.
    Default file names include the name of the computer and then followed by the drive letter.
  6. On the Options panel, set the desired backup options and advanced options for the recovery point.
    Compression Lets you set one of the following compression levels for the recovery point\:
    - None
    - Standard
    - Medium
    - High
    See Compression levels for recovery points .
    The results can vary depending on the types of files that are saved in the drive.
    Security Options > Use password Sets a password and enables AES encryption on the recovery point when it is created.
    This option is selected by default.
    Security Options > Password Lets you specify a password for the backup. Passwords can include standard characters. Passwords cannot include extended characters, or symbols. (Use characters with an ASCII value of 128 or lower.)
    You must type this password before you restore a backup or view the contents of the recovery point.
    Security Options > Confirm Password Lets you retype the password for
    confirmation.
    Security Options > AES encryption Encrypts recovery point data to add another level of protection to your recovery points.
    If
    you upgrade from a previous version to Veritas System Recovery 23, for older backup jobs where only
    password protection is defined, you need to edit the jobs to select the AES
    encryption level. If you do not edit the older backup jobs, they continue to run
    without AES Encryption. Veritas recommends that you edit the job and select AES
    encryption level.
    Note: If theUse Passwordcheck box is selected, you must define AES encryption.
    Choose from the following encryption levels:
    - Standard 128-bit (8+ character password)
    - Medium 192-bit (16+ character password)
    - High 256-bit (32+ character password)
    Verify recovery point after creation Tests whether a recovery point or set of files is valid or corrupt.
    Description Indicates a description for the recovery point. The description can help you further identify the recovery point's contents.
    Advanced Lets you further add security options to the recovery point.
  7. On the Options panel, click Advanced.
  8. On the Advanced options panel, set the advanced backup options you want for the recovery point, and then click OK.
    Divide into smaller files to simplify archiving Lets you split the recovery point into smaller files and specify the maximum size (in MB) for each file.
    Disable SmartSector™ Copying Lets you copy used and unused hard-disk sectors. This option increases process time and usually results in a larger recovery point.
    SmartSector technology speeds up the copying process by copying only the hard-disk sectors that contain data. However, in some cases, you might want to copy all sectors in their original layout, whether or not they contain data.
    Ignore bad sectors during copy Lets you run a backup even if there are bad sectors on the hard disk. Although most drives do not have bad sectors, the potential for problems increases during the lifetime of the hard disk.
  9. On the Options panel, click Next.
  10. On the Completing the Back Up My Computer Wizard panel, click Finish to run the backup.
  11. When the backup is finished, click Close to return to the main Veritas System Recovery Disk window.
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