Casper will not let you select the system drive as a destination when you attempt to copy a drive in Windows 10 or Windows 11

PROBLEM:
When attempting to restore a backup from an external USB drive or while booted to a Casper Restore-Point Backup image, the original system drive does not appear as a destination. If you select the option to view all drives, the original system drive appears in the list. When you attempt to select it, Casper displays the following message:

This drive contains paging files currently in use by Windows.
CAUSE:
Windows is using the desired destination drive for virtual memory. Casper will not let you select as a destination any drive that is being used by Windows. This includes any drive on which Windows is running or contains an active Windows paging file.
RESOLUTION:
To permit the original system drive to be selected as a destination, you must remove the paging file from it while the computer is running from the USB backup drive or Casper Restore-Point Backup image.

Follow this procedure:
 
  1. Right-click on the Windows Start button
  2. Click System from the context menu to open the Windows Settings window
  3. Click the Advanced system settings link, which appears under the Related settings heading or beside the Related links heading depending on the version of Windows. This will open the System Properties dialog with the Advanced tab selected.
  4. On the Advanced tab, in the Performance group, click Settings to open the Performance Options dialog
  5. Click the Advanced tab on the Performance Options dialog
  6. Within the Virtual memory group, click Change to open the Virtual memory dialog
  7. Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives if checked
  8. Select drive C: (or whichever drive contains the paging file you need to remove) in the list that appears
  9. Select No paging file and then click the Set button
  10. Click OK to close the Virtual memory dialog
  11. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog
  12. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog
You will need to restart the computer from the external USB drive or the same Casper Restore-Point Backup image to affect the change. After the system has restarted, Casper should permit you to restore the desired backup to the original system drive. Then, once the backup has been restored and you restart the computer from the restored drive, you will need to re-enable the paging on the system drive.

Follow this procedure:
 
  1. Right-click on the Windows Start button
  2. Click System from the context menu to open the Windows Settings window
  3. Click the Advanced system settings link, which appears under the Related settings heading or beside the Related links heading depending on the version of Windows. This will open the System Properties dialog with the Advanced tab selected.
  4. On the Advanced tab, in the Performance group, click Settings to open the Performance Options dialog
  5. Click the Advanced tab on the Performance Options dialog
  6. Within the Virtual memory group, click Change to open the Virtual memory dialog
  7. Check Automatically manage paging file size for all drives
  8. Click OK to close the Virtual memory dialog
  9. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog
  10. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog
THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO:
  • Windows 11
  • Windows 10

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