FD-R: First Look

[tobacco]

Originally Posted by TomAZ

I assume then from what you've said, that you don't lose anything (data, programs, etc.) with the snapshot restore/reboot -- is that correct?

Also, approximately how much space does all of this take? For instance, if I have an 80MB HD with about 43MB free space, roughly how much space is the FD app and the snapshot going to take?

That's correct - everything should be there.


Not sure with Rescue but FD-ISR used whatever size your backup was. So if your C partition was 30 gigs used space then that's how big your secondary snapshot would be.

[TomAZ]

Is there any way to keep your snapshot on an external HD, or wouldn't that work for booting purposes in the event that it was ever needed?

[dueceswild]

Currently with FD-R you cannot keep the snapshot on an external HD.

[boonie]

Hey TomAZ, I was looking at your posts and, a few things:

Originally Posted by TomAZ

That's helpful. I am familiar with disk imaging, but not with rollback type apps.

I assume then from what you've said, that you don't lose anything (data, programs, etc.) with the snapshot restore/reboot -- is that correct?

Not really.

Let's say you install FDR, create your Rescue Area (which you're prompted to do during installation), and then later, make some changes.

You:
1. Uninstall a program.
2. Install a new program
3. Update a program
4. Delete a document from your Desktop
5. Add a new document to your Desktop
6. Change a document

Now let's say you encounter a problem and have to boot into the Rescue Area, and you HAVE NOT yet updated the changes I listed above from the Original Area (this is the profile, or snapshot you normally work in)to the Rescue Area (your backup).
You boot to the Rescue Area, restore it to the Original Area, and then reboot back in to the Original Area.

The problem you encountered is gone (hopefully) but, looking at the changes you made:
1. The program you uninstalled is back, because it was in the Rescue Area and got copied back to the Original Area.
2.The new program you installed is not there because it was never copied to Rescue Area.
3. The program you updated is back to the old version as this was the version in the Rescue Area.
4. The document you deleted from your Desktop has been restored.
5.The new document that you added to your Desktop has been deleted.
6. The changes you made to this document are lost as they were never copied to the Rescue Area

Although FDR is not an imaging program (like Acronis, Drive Snapshot, etc.) the end result is more like those than System Restore.

Unlike System Restore, any changes you make to your data (that's on your system drive), will be restored, reverted, or deleted depending on when you last updated your Rescue Area. Sort of like System Restore and Windows Backup in one program.

The exceptions to this are any files and folders you decide to Anchor, just like in FD-ISR. Anchored files and folders are not copied to, or restored from the Rescue Area. There is only one copy of Anchored data, so it's never changed. The downside is that it can not be recovered should you mistakenly delete it, or if it becomes corrupted. So be careful what files you decide to anchor.

Also in FDR you can choose to copy (update) and restore only certain folders if you wish. Like so:



Of course, this wouldn't work with installed programs, as there are changes made to the registry, and many programs install files in different locations, but it is very convenient when you want to update just a few files or folders of data.

Originally Posted by TomAZ

Also, approximately how much space does all of this take? For instance, if I have an 80MB HD with about 43MB free space, roughly how much space is the FD app and the snapshot going to take?

From the manual:

Minimum System Requirements
Recommended FirstDefense-Rescue Workstation Requirements:
32-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP or Windows 2000 Professional.
64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP Professional.
Memory (RAM): 128 MB minimum (256 MB recommended).
Available Hard Disk Space: 5 MB for Program; 5-9 GB for Rescue Area.
NTFS file system*
Recommended FirstDefense-Rescue Server Requirements:
32-bit versions of Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Server 2003, Windows XP or Windows 2000.
64-bit versions of Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional.
Memory (RAM): 128 MB minimum (256 MB recommended).
Available Hard Disk Space: 5 MB for Program; 5-9 GB for Rescue Area.
NTFS file system*
* Not compatible with FAT16, FAT32, Dynamic Disks, or Microsoft "BitLocker" drive encryption

Originally Posted by TomAZ

One other thing ... a few years ago, I remember reading something about not being able to defrag your HD when using this type of program. Is that still the case??

There was only one file in FD-ISR ($ISR Bin) that you had to exclude from defragging, but with FDR, you no longer have to. (Although I noticed that Perfect Disk still does automatically.)


Hope you don't find any of this patronizing, I'm just not sure what your experience is with these programs, and didn't want to leave anything out.

[twl845]

This is why FD-R needs to have a Primary and a second and third snapshot. The second snapshot is the mirror of the primary, and the third is for testing and upgrades. That way, you have wiggle room. Perhaps they can find a way to incorporate the third snapshot in an upgrade without violating the agreement from FD-ISR.

[TomAZ]

Thanks to all . . . incredibly helpful information!

[Creer]

Is it the same software which was selling by HorizonDataSys, and allows you to create one baseline and one snapshot?