How do I test imaging software?

[Defcon]

I would like to evaluate Norton Ghost 14, ShadowProtect and Acronis before I decide, but what's the best way to test an imaging+backup program?

It's only as good as the restore feature, and I don't have a spare pc to play with. Even if I did the real test would be with my main pc and its hardware and drivers. For the same reason I don't know if testing in a VM is going to be any help.

I can test other stuff like speed, UI, features etc but without a rock solid recovery cd its all useless, and I've no idea how I can properly test that.

[Brian K]

-{ Quote: "
It's only as good as the restore feature, and I don't have a spare pc to play with." }-
Defcon,

So true about the restore feature. It would be nice to see one successful restore.

TeraByte say this about their software but I don't know if it applies to other apps ...

-{ Quote: "In all cases, on a new system, you should boot whatever recovery
disc/diskette you'd use for recovery on a failed hard drive and run a
validation to ensure you can access the image. The code that does
validation is exactly the same code that does the restore except it skips
the writing of the data to the HD.
" }-

[Peter2150]

The validation does confirm your recovery CD can see the disk and the image.

However the only way to be sure you can restore an image is to restore it. I can vouch for SP's reliablity.

If you can, protect yourself, and try a restore.

What I mean by protect your self is have some other means of recovery should the restore fail. For example protect your data, be able to reinstall stuff, as well as windows.

While this seems awful, but then doing a lot of imaging, and then discovering a problem when you need it.

Pete

[Hairy Coo]

-{ Quote: "I would like to evaluate Norton Ghost 14, ShadowProtect and Acronis before I decide, but what's the best way to test an imaging+backup program?
" }-

Suggest the best way to make a decision is to be aware of other users experiences,including those in dedicated Forums-plus running your own tests.

Long term experience is really necessary to bring out bugs in these apps.

Under easy conditions like testing validations and restores, when the computer is working well-that is not really a stress test.

You can test away and everything seems perfect,but when that vital one in a hundred situation occurs, where an emergency restore is needed and even a previous restore or validation indicated everything should be OK,it fails.

Has happened to me(but not with SP)-probably because of some conflict within the system at that particular time.

Some of the apps. are just more powerful and better at resolving problems,than others.

[ErikAlbert]

I re-installed my computer from scratch and did backup/restores all the time, needed or not, while I was adding new softwares. You can't lose much, while you are installing a computer and testing your image software.
At the same time I had a bunch of clean images, which I still use. :)

[HAN]

That first restore is a scary one! :o I remember sweating. ;)

My first imaging app was Image for Windows. I later migrated to Image for DOS and then ShadowProtect Desktop. The thing I liked best about IFD and SP is that I never had to install anything. Nothing! I image only from bootable CDs. So nothing is on the PC to uninstall or use any precious resources...

[MrBrian]

If your test restore overwrites your system, use a 2nd backup program before doing the test restore. I've used DriveImage XML for this purpose. It's also found on Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. By having two backups from separate programs, you're only hosed if both fail.

[lucas1985]

-{ Quote: "what's the best way to test an imaging+backup program?" }-
Get an empty drive and do your tests there :)
When you feel confident, do a test restore to the system drive and you'll be ready to go.

[ErikAlbert]

-{ Quote: "That first restore is a scary one! :o I remember sweating. ;)
" }-
Yes, the first one was exciting, certainly with ATI after reading all these disaster posts in the Acronis Forum.
Nowadays backup/restore with SP are pure routine, quite boring too, if you have to wait.

[AKAJohnDoe]

-{ Quote: "I would like to evaluate Norton Ghost 14, ShadowProtect and Acronis before I decide, but what's the best way to test an imaging+backup program?

It's only as good as the restore feature, and I don't have a spare pc to play with. Even if I did the real test would be with my main pc and its hardware and drivers. For the same reason I don't know if testing in a VM is going to be any help.

I can test other stuff like speed, UI, features etc but without a rock solid recovery cd its all useless, and I've no idea how I can properly test that." }-
First, I would add Paragon Drive Backup Personal to your list.

Next, create the bootable CD for each of the softwares you are testing. If you do not already have a spare hard drive and an external USB hard drive, get them.

Backup to the external USB hard drive, swap out the internal hard drive and swap in the spare internal hard drive. Boot off the CD. Restore from the external USB hard drive to the internal spare hard drive. Boot off the restored drive and check it out. Swap back to the real internal hard drive.

[Huupi]

-{ Quote: "First, I would add Paragon Drive Backup Personal to your list.

Next, create the bootable CD for each of the softwares you are testing. If you do not already have a spare hard drive and an external USB hard drive, get them.

Backup to the external USB hard drive, swap out the internal hard drive and swap in the spare internal hard drive. Boot off the CD. Restore from the external USB hard drive to the internal spare hard drive. Boot off the restored drive and check it out. Swap back to the real internal hard drive." }-

I must be nuts at the time i did the first restore''in real live'' without testing or things,but i trusted others who did the same before and luckily until now never met any mishap.

[AKAJohnDoe]

Although 30+ years in professional IT should have taught me otherwise it apparently did not; however, my woes trying to make ATI restore did. Even if I were not testing, if I were restoring for real, I would now restore to my spare. And I would use Paragon. ;)

[ErikAlbert]

After 58 years, I came to the frightening conclusion, that my backup procedure was wrong, even "dangerous".
So I don't backup my actual system anymore, less work too. :)

[AKAJohnDoe]

Is that 58 in hex or decimal?

[ErikAlbert]

-{ Quote: "Is that 58 in hex or decimal?" }-
Well I'm 59 and my backup, based on a classical procedure, was wrong during 58 years. The age isn't important, it only shows how long it took to see it. :-[

The classical procedure for a system partition (Windows + Applications) is :
1. Create and backup actual system
2. Update actual system
3. Backup actual system
Point 2. and 3. repeat themselves after that and that is wrong. So I changed it when I was 59. :-[

[Peter2150]

-{ Quote: "Well I'm 59 and my backup, based on a classical procedure, was wrong during 58 years. The age isn't important, it only shows how long it took to see it. :-[

The classical procedure for a system partition (Windows + Applications) is :
1. Create and backup actual system
2. Update actual system
3. Backup actual system
Point 2. and 3. repeat themselves after that and that is wrong. So I changed it when I was 59. :-[" }-

For the benefit of any newcomer. The above is wrong for you, but not necessarily wrong. I use the classical procedure, and find nothing wrong with it.

[RAD]

Start you experiments with Paragon Drive Backup Personal (Because I know that it works.) The first time is definitely a nail-biter, especially if you have gone through the experience of having them NOT work. ;)

Save the restorable image produced by Paragon, so you can recover from any other botched recoveries. (On a separate internal hard drive is ideal; but any method works.)

Of course, after you verify that Paragon works, there is no need to really have another image program. But if you want to try others, you can try them at will, with the confidence that you can always restore your disk to the pre-experiment condition.

Tip: Try Acronis last. ;)

In my opinion, at least one separate internal hard drive, in addition to your boot drive, is mandatory for reliable computing; and they are very cheap these days.

[Huupi]

-{ Quote: "Start you experiments with Paragon Drive Backup Personal (Because I know that it works.) " }-

I'l too hope so for others,its an indisputable fact with that many configurations out there, not many softwares will always work on any machine

[AKAJohnDoe]

-{ Quote: "In my opinion, at least one separate internal hard drive, in addition to your boot drive, is mandatory for reliable computing; and they are very cheap these days." }-
If I had a desktop computer it would have at least 4 separate hard drives; however, my PC is a notebook with only one drive, so I have a spare that I can swap in/out and also external USB drives.

[Howard Kaikow]

-{ Quote: "I would like to evaluate Norton Ghost 14, ShadowProtect and Acronis before I decide, but what's the best way to test an imaging+backup program?

It's only as good as the restore feature, and I don't have a spare pc to play with. Even if I did the real test would be with my main pc and its hardware and drivers. For the same reason I don't know if testing in a VM is going to be any help.

I can test other stuff like speed, UI, features etc but without a rock solid recovery cd its all useless, and I've no idea how I can properly test that." }-

When I first started using image backups, about 4 years ago, I was very uncomfortable as to whether they actually did their job.

RESTORE-ing does not actually prove that they work. A restore might omit/modify files, but you might still be able to reboot.

So, being a masochistic, I decided to write programs to compare the file content in an archive with the file content on the actual hard drive. Of course, some of the files on the hard drive may have changed since the backup, but that rarely, if ever, matters.

It took a while before I convinced myself of the reliability of image based
backups.

I wrote the following programs to verify things:

GetDiskSpaceUsed (http://www.standards.com/index.html?GetDiskSpaceUsed)
ReadFile (http://www.standards.com/index.html?ReadFile)
Get file Type distribution (http://www.standards.com./index.html?GetFileTypeDistribution)
Compare DRives (http://www.standards.com./index.html?CompareDrives)

And if dates/times get screwed up

Change File Times (http://www.standards.com/index.html?ChangeFileTimes)
Change Path Times (http://www.standards.com/index.html?ChangePathTimes)

and, not yet released

CopyMoveDeleteREname (http://www.standards.com/index.html?CopyMoveDeleteRename)

[MrBrian]

-{ Quote: "
It took a while before I convinced myself of the reliability of image based
backups.

I wrote the following programs to verify things:
" }-

You could also use TestPath.
-{ Quote: "The program reads all the files in the source path and its subdirectories and then compares them (byte by byte) with the files in the destination path. The program will then report the missing files in the destination path and report files with differences. Different comparing options, such as 'compare by file time' and 'do fast comparing' are also available. TestPath is FREE for Personal Use and SHAREWARE for Corporate Use." }-

[Howard Kaikow]

-{ Quote: "You could also use TestPath." }-
CompareDRives does that too, and uses certain advanced techniques to do so. (http://www.standards.com./index.html?CompareDrives).