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Viz Vectar Plus User Guide

Version 1.2 | Published April 12, 2022 ©

Restore Factory Defaults

Backup and Restore

The Backup and Restore system permits you to create a bootable clone of your Viz Vectar Plus system drive on another (same size) hard drive inserted into one of the removable drive bays or connected externally for this purpose.

The clone operation includes:

  • The hidden, factory-prepared Restore partition.

  • It is critical that you back up before restoring and move your folders to the D:\ drive. This procedure restores your system drive (C:\) to its as-shipped state. The D:\ drive, which holds content and sessions, won’t be modified.

Afterward, the backup drive can be removed and stored, to be used later if necessary, to restore the internal drive, or in the case of a catastrophic drive failure, to be connected internally to completely replace the original drive.

The actual creation process for the backup is discussed in the next section.

Restoring Viz Vectar Plus Software

Comprehensive Viz Vectar Plus Restore features are available in the event of an unforeseen problem. You can use one of two methods to access the Viz Vectar Plus Restore features, depending on your situation:

To restore after successful launch

To restore your Viz Vectar Plus system software after the system launches normally:

  1. Click the Shut Down icon on the Home Page of the Startup Screen.

  2. Click the Administrator Mode link at right to exit the Viz Vectar Plus environment.

  3. In the Administrator Mode screen, select the link labeled Backup or Restore System.

  4. Select the Restore Factory Defaults bootup option.

To restore after failed boot

If Viz Vectar Plus fails to boot up properly, you may need to try a different approach to restore your Viz Vectar Plus system software, as follows:

  • From the black boot screen that appears shortly after powering-up Viz Vectar Plus, select the menu item labeled Restore Factory Defaults.
    If this screen does not automatically appear, reboot and press F8 a few times in quick succession, about once per second, immediately after powering up.

Backup and Restore Tools

Either method described above ultimately presents you with powerful system backup and restore tools. The management screen initially presents you with three options as follows:

  • Restore System Partition to Factory Defaults: Overwrites the C:\ partition (only) on the existing system drive from the disk image in its local Restore partition.

    Note: Following a Reset to Factory Defaults operation, the Windows® system software must be reactivated. To do this, you need the operating system number of the machine hosting your Viz Vectar Plus system. This procedure restores your system drive (C:\) to its initially installed state. The D:\ drive, which holds content and sessions won’t be modified. However, any Viz Vectar Plus software updates (possibly including optional Viz Vectar expansion packs) are overwritten – so use this function only when necessary. When you do restore, remember to update the Viz Vectar Plus software afterward.

  • Create User Backup Drive: Creates a bootable clone of the entire system drive (as it exists at the time) on either an external HDD or a drive mounted in a removable hard drive bay.
    The Clone operation includes:

    • The existing (factory-prepared) Restore partition.

    • The complete C:\ partition.

In cases of catastrophic drive failure requiring drive replacement, a service technician can connect the User Backup clone drive in place of the original internal system drive and you’ll be back in production (prudence would call for creating a new User Backup drive as the first order of business).

  • Restore System Partition from User Backup Drive: Overwrites the C:\ partition (only) on the existing system drive with the C:\ partition on the external user backup drive. This allows you to insert a User Backup drive into a removable drive bay (or otherwise connect it), and regain a functional system partition as stored on the clone drive.

    Note: This feature is intended to allow a restore operation of the system drive that the clone was prepared on. It is not intended to allow restoration from another Viz Vectar system. Using the Restore System Partition from User Backup Drive to restore another Viz Vectar system is unsupported. In a dire emergency, however (such as if a system drive fails when no User Backup from the same unit has been prepared) a User Backup created on a similar Viz Vectar Plus model can be helpful as follows:

    • Install the other User Backup drive to replace the defunct system drive.

    • Power up, and – at the boot selection screen – select Manage Vectar.

    • Choose Restore System Partition to Factory Defaults, and follow prompts.

    It will be necessary to re-activate Windows, re-enter the registration unlock code, and possibly update the Viz Vectar Plus software after the restoration process in this case. Be aware that the approach above is not encouraged, since minor hardware differences between the two Viz Vectar Plus systems involved may result in issues in the Windows installation. As well, the new system drive will no longer have a factory restore partition. Still it might be better than nothing in a crisis.