Restore Files from a Windows 7 Image Backup

I've tried searching this forum and Microsoft's web site, but couldn't find the answer.

My Sony Vaio Z motherboard died this week, and it's likely going to take a month for it to get fixed/replaced. The problem is that the backup I have, while recent (last Wednesday), is an Windows 7 IMAGE backup (versus a file backup). Also, since the Vaio Z uses a non-standard "sandwich" SSD RAID0 drive array, I can't connect it to another computer to just access the files.

THEREFORE, my question is: How can I get the important files out of my backup file, without doing a full image restore? Is it possible with a replacement same-version Windows 7 system to open the backup files/folders to select files/directories to restore? If so, how do I go about doing that?

Alternatively, is it possible to:

1. backup a replacement Windows Vista/7 system with a comparably large hard drive
2. then restore the old Z's image backup to that replacement machine
3. do a regular file backup (or just copy and paste files onto the external drive)
4. then do a system restore of the replacement Win7 system to bring it back to it original state
5. finally copy/paste (or use the file backup) to restore the files?

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I forgot to mention that I do have a Win7 System Repair disc to boot from so that I'll be able to access the external drive backup.

 

Mount your VHD using Disk Management.

 

If you have Windows 7 Professional and upwards, you can attach the backup (which is essentially a VHD image file inside a folder) in Disk Management and browse it as a disk.

Tutorial.

 

Huh? I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean to say that I can use the image backup (stored on a portable, external hard drive) from the replacement/substitute Win7 machine by mounting it as a virtual disk and then just browsing it's files? In other words, are you saying that the Win7 Disk Management applet can load the backup as if it was the drive that it's an image of, thereby enabling me to browse it's files and copy them to anywhere I'd like?

 

Awesome! I'm so glad I pay the extra for getting the Professional (or higher)versions of Windows 7!!!

 

Thank you for the tutorial link. What the Tutorial doesn't tell me is how the newly created virtual disk is in anyway associated with or can access the Backup File.

Understand, all I want to do is get the data out of the Win7 Image backup and onto another Win7 machine. After reading the entire tutorial (twice), I'm not seeing how it helps me with that goal...unless, perhaps, Windows 7 created one or more VHD files when it made my old machine's image backup...

Sorry to still be confused...

 

The Backup folder is also ''protected'' by an access restriction warning. Ignore it and click OK to go inside. Each of the files you will find inside is a partition you backed up. You should be able to tell which one's which by their size.

 

Perfect! Now it makes sense.

Thank you everyone for your patience and kind assistance. I LOVE this forum.

 

This whole process isn't limited to Pro and higher. I have Home Premium and have access the .vhd's many times.