ASUS Backtracker - Sandisk 32GB USB but "failed to create the factory default backup"

[technophobe]

Hi everyone
First time on these forums - got my G751JT in the UK last week (think it is a March 2015 build). Still getting everything set up and noticed that people recommend creating a USB back-up of the recovery drive / image.

So I downloaded the latest version of ASUS backtracker from the ASUS website - for Windows 8.1 64 bit. Installed fine and it recognised my 32GB USB drive, but then when I try to create a backup the loading bar starts and about 5 - 10 minutes later I get the error message:

"Failed to create the factory default backup. Failed to read or access the USB storage device. The backup image creation process stopped. Please ensure the following: Your ASUS notebook is connected to a power source (it is) and Your USB storage device is working properly (it's brand new and seems to work fine?)

So my question is - has anyone else had issues creating a backup? In particular with the G751JT? Could anyone recommend a solution?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[matrixleader]

I bought a G751JY 2 months back and used a 16GB SanDisk USB Flash Disk to create the factory image using BackTracker. Unfortunately, when I wiped my HDD thinking that I have a back on the USB, started BackTracker, but half way down the line the restore failed saying many files are missing. I don't think it's an issue with the USB but rather the factory image itself or BackTracker, very unreliable. Your only option now is to take it to the service center and let them restore the factory image for you.

[Piola]

The are a ton of thread like your (I did one too), sadly Backtracer is a fail, make an image of your HD and a Boot Disk waiting for an ASUS Fix.

[JBM]

I have a G751JT and was experiencing this problem with the backtracker app, not matter what usb I tried it kept on failing. Submitted a ticket to ASUS and they came back with an
acknowledgment that there are issues and are working on fixing it.

I saw today that version Version V3.0.9 (http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_ROG_G751JT/HelpDesk_Download/) has been released so I gave it a try and it completed it without any errors using the same usb that was failing for the previous versions
of backtracker.

Hope that may help you out.

[dapogz]

quick question.. can you use a copy backtracker from other computer(same model) to yours?

[Space_Paste]

dapogz wrote:
quick question.. can you use a copy backtracker from other computer(same model) to yours?

Assuming by "a copy backtracker" you mean borrowing a recovery partition from another matching model, that's not guaranteed to work as they might have minor hardware dissimilarities. For example, two users both have a G751JY-DH71 but their Wi-Fi modules vary, with one being from Intel and the other from Broadcom. I don't know if mismatching drivers would halt the recovery process, but that isn't something I would advise you to try anyway, even if you had confirmed each and every piece of hardware was a 1:1 match.

Since Windows product keys appear to be stored within the UEFI firmware and not the recovery partition it might be a working solution. I would only recommend trying it if you're desperate to restore the laptop to a default state without a working USB backup and you're avoiding an RMA request for reinstalling the factory image.

[Space_Paste]

I have been able to backup my recovery partition with ASUS Backtracker on versions 3.0.7, 3.0.8 and the newly released 3.0.9. I used a SanDisk Extreme 16GB USB 3.0 drive, model # SDCZ80-016G-GAM46.

Whether or not the backup actually works is another story. Since I'm not really worried about losing any data on my 1TB drive I'll find some time to remove my M.2 SSD and use the HDD as a testbed for the recovery, then report back.

EDIT: Sorry, forgot to disclaim I own a G751JY in case that wasn't observed in my displayed PC specs.

UPDATE: Factory restore using the ASUS Backtracker image on the aforementioned USB drive was successful. My laptop booted as you would expect with an out-of-the-box setup. The recovery partition is also back on the storage drive, but I noticed this time it's 20 GB instead of 12 GB as it was on my M.2 SSD. I can't say with confidence I know the reason, but my guess would be, similar to ASUS Backtracker, the recovery partition scales in size depending on the capacity of the storage. Just under 4 GB are available on my 16 GB USB drive after using Backtracker, but when I used a 32 GB USB drive the recovery used 20 GB of space.

I'm not going to tell you that you'll have the same fortunate experience as I just had given the mixed results people have shared on this forum. However, I'm guessing I'm the first guinea pig among G751 owners to give this a shot with the latest version on a USB stick reported to work and share working results. If possible, I'd recommend trying to grab the latest model of Sandisk's Extreme USB 3.0 drive if you don't already have one.

On a somewhat related note, it's worth mentioning that due to Microsoft's stupid certification requirements for USB sticks to be Windows 8 certified, SanDisk ended up configuring an unknown number of USB sticks as "fixed" drives before switching back to "removable". I don't know if this makes a difference in the recovery process, but I made sure mine was configured as "removable" before proceeding with this test to be on the safe side.

I wish you the best of luck on securing your recovery partition. If you get to the point of creating a successful backup on a USB drive, test out the recovery on a dummy drive when you can. Of course, please do share those results with the rest of us. 🙂