Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by Isso, Jan 18, 2013.

  1. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    Another vote for staying with 1.4.1.48 :)
     
  2. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Paul, if your new system is going to have a different hardware/software base than the old one, all bets have to be OFF as far as successful AX64 HOT restoration is concerned. If that's the case, I would try v1.4.1.48 as you build to see if you have the same stability with HOT restores as your old system did. If it's not a complicated system and doesn't have reams of mostly unnecessary software installed on it (tons of weird AV/AM/AS/A<whatever>), I s'pect you'll have excellent results with v1.4.1.48. As an imager, in most cases, it worked flawlessly. As a restoration app, it only had occasional issues with HOT restorations... COLD restorations were usually flawless, if necessary. If your HOT restores turn out to be great... then "You're in!"

    Official status and unofficial chatter...
    ------------------------------------------
    Official status: the most recent v2 BETA (new HOT restore) has expired (January 30th) with nothing new available at present. Results have been mixed with that release. The AX64 Team has admitted known flaws in both their HOT and WARM restore methods to date. They plan a new v2 BETA release sometime in the near future and plan yet another "successful" approach to HOT (WARM?) imaging to come at a later time in the product's release schedule (which is not available at the moment). Nobody from the Team has appeared in this Forum with any kind of real explanation for quite some time (I personally thing they're re-evaluating the whole project to determine its future and it timing).

    Prior to the BETA expiration, one of their more important developers left the scene for some unknown reasons. They are in the process of trying to rectify that situation.

    unOFFICIAL Chatter: Nobody really knows what's going on or what the future of this product really is. Many users are using various versions of AX64 Time Machine successfully but all users are not using the same version. Product issues appear to be mostly system configuration dependent other than AX64's known HOT/WARM design flaws (known to AX64 only) which everybody is dealing with one way or another (if they even experience them).

    Not much else going on... here, that is.
     
  3. clubhouse1

    clubhouse1 Registered Member

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    v1.4.1.48 imho surpasses all imaging software if you use a general everyday type set-up.
     
  4. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

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    On a x64 W7 SP1 PC I built with a SSD, I have never, never, ever had a "Hot Restore" fail with versions 1.3.7, 1.4.48 nor 2.0.0.528. Waisted my $ with v2 since I've never had to do a "Warm Restore!"
    Although less of an importance now with Macrium's v6 incrementals being so quick, I'm quite satisfied with AX64. I just feel it's somewhat easier and ever so slightly faster at restores, using AX when I want to dump an application or something.
    The one strange issue I had was while testing boot media or a cold restores, the cursor from my Microsoft 5000 mouse wasn't visible, hence navigating restore was impossible. A PS/2 or USB mouse worked so I'd have to grab my laptop USB mouse to get outa there! The MS mouse has always been fine with Macrium, Paragon or W7's boot media!
     
  5. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    As you said, that's only your opinion. There are tons of ppl out there who don't care about incremental/differential, but care about speed and compression AND reliability. AX64 types of imaging software will never induce my interest. For data backups that demands frequent updates, I rely on Dropbox/Box.
     
  6. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

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    Dropbox and Box are "imaging" softwares? Never heard of that being true.
     
  7. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    oliverjia,

    How do you use the cloud for backups? I calculated it would take me 42 days to upload my data. My upload rate is 1 Mbit/second.

    I'm not a snapshot man either.
     
  8. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    What's your purpose of using "imaging software"? Did I say DB and Box are imaging software?
     
  9. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    For cloud backup such as dropbox, I install its client software and use its sync function. For these cloud storage, I only backup data that are 1. Important work related document files; and 2. need to be constantly updated, and 3. not private data.

    All other files with huge size but don't need frequent update, I store them on two separate HDDs in each of my two desktop computers, plus two external HDDs that are not connected to power unless the time doing new file backup.

    For files that are important but don't require frequent update, such as family photos and videos, I upload them to clouds with huge capacity (Pan.baidu.com, 2TB, China's Google so it won't go bankrupt the next year) in addition to local storage on HDDs.

    So in summary, I used a layered data system to determine which backup solution to be used for each types of data. To treat all types of data as equal and back them up all the same way is not wise IMO.

    OK now back to topic. IMO, imaging software is only good for imaging OS disk/partition. Any stretch from that is unnecessary and good for nothing, since there are better and easier solutions for non-OS data backup out there.
     
  10. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I've been there with bankrupt cloud storage companies.

    Thanks for the info.
     
  11. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    Imho the main use for AX64 type programs is to backup your operating system disk, not data backup.
     
  12. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

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    True enough but it's also very useful for data & config files, one never think to backup the right files when using data backup only. I perform both actually.
     
  13. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    agreed, that's a added bonus :)
     
  14. clubhouse1

    clubhouse1 Registered Member

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    If the developers are still looking at this thread you are currently on a respite....Rollback rx is the current whipping boy and Kurtis is splendidly standing his ground!
     
  15. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

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    Most important to know, please. I read that "Images," such as from Macrium, Aomei, etc must be made onto an actual hard drive, and not onto a thumb flash drive. But, what about the Time Machine Snapshots. Can a F.D. be used for them? thanks any info.
     
  16. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    You would need a rather large flash drive, I think the biggest I saw was 120 gig but it was crazy expensive. I don't recall exactly but it seems to me that the space recommended for AX64 images/snaps is at least 3 times the size of the entire data set being protected.
     
  17. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Baseline images are the same size roughly as with Macrium and Aomei. So figure that is your answer
     
  18. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Timmy... I think what you're looking for is whether AX64 images can be "taken" to a REMOVABLE thumb drive. With the v1 release, at the beginning, that could not be done... the drive could not be removable. I do not know how that requirement progressed. If that limitation is still in place, you need to mount your thumb drive on the system and see if Windows sees it as a REMOVABLE drive (today's thumb drives are a mixed bag... some are removable some are not). If it's not, you can surely use it. Others here in the group may chime in as to whether using REMOVABLEs is still a no -no.
     
  19. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

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    I guess the only thing to do is to try it and see what happens. The size of the thumb drive is not an issue don't think because you can buy, as I did, a 128GB (actually about 116 usable) thumb drive for around $20. Not sure what is meant by "removable." It's removable yes in that you plug it in, and then remove it and put it back into your pocket. Am guessing too that 116GB would be plenty for both initial snapshot and several incrementals. If plug it into the computer, it does show up as an external drive. Whether it's afterward possible to "recover" from that drive is the mystery. Will report back. tx and rgds
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2015
  20. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Timmy, when you plug in any external storage element, when it shows up under Explorer it will be either a regular storage volume or it will be listed as a REMOVABLE storage volume (take a look with one of your current sticks).

    Usually, an external HDD shows up as a regular storage volume and Flash-based UFDs mostly show up as REMOVABLE devices but not all of them.
     
  21. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I no longer buy USB flash drives. They are expensive and slow, even USB3. External HDs (USB3) are better value, $ per GB. But $20 for a 128 GB UFD is a great price. What is its Write speed?

    I use my old 1 and 4 GB UFDs for boot media.
     
  22. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

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    To Mr. Froggie: Oh yes I see what you mean. Yes, the little thumb stick is "removable" listed at the bottom with the dvd and blue ray drives. So...am guessing then that the thumb stick can not be used. If I were to go ahead anyhow, is possible that anything bad could happen, such as wiping out what is there already? Or would it just say sorry, can't help you, or words to that effect; but have would still be able to proceed as before. Would be very nice indeed to just plug that thumb stick into the laptop machine at any time a backup needed. Vs the cumbersome hook up of an official external hard drive and its various wires.

    As for the stick drives, don't know if allowed to say, if not just delete: that "Tiger" Co. often has sales on them. Recently in fact bought one that was actually free. The catch is you have to buy McAfee with it, but the entire cost is given back as a "rebate."
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2015
  23. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

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    Don't know? You said
    "AX64 types of imaging software will never induce my interest. For data backups that demands frequent updates, I rely on Dropbox/Box."
     
  24. oliverjia

    oliverjia Registered Member

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    Fine, you win, if you insist on picking on some obvious omission in that sentence. My intention was to say that I don't use AX64 types of imaging software, and for data backup that demands frequent updates, I rely on (other software such as) Dropbox/box. I thought everyone knows box/db is not imaging software so I omitted what is in the parenthesis.

    Anyway, I see no point to do imaging just for the sake of imaging. The purpose of imaging is to backup data. Dropbox/box is more reliable than local disk imaging in terms of backing up data for files that require frequent change (this is my opinion). So I went for DB/Box for constantly changing data rather than disk imaging. I thought that logic was easy to understand.
     
  25. paulescobar

    paulescobar Registered Member

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    To all,

    Thank you all, for your responses.
    The consistency of positive reviews for 1.4.1.48 is reassuring.

    In regards to TheRollBackFrog's excellent response, I am one of those who found "Hot Restores" (restoring within Windows) to be hit & miss.
    That lead me to install the boot option contained in the program. Have always had success with that, and don't mind the toll of a few extra minutes.

    I guess one big difference is that my new playground is Windows 7 64 in UEFI/gpt...whereas my past environment was Windows 7 32 in legacy bios/NTFS.
    Hope it has no trouble, what with all the new system partitions & the rest.

    Will learn soon enough, as I'm starting installations.
    Acronis is also on the mix, if AX64 fails.
     
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