Bare metal restore question

What option is used to backup with the intent of doing a bare metal restore? Do you use the clone option or can you use the .TIB format for a bare metal restore?

 

The main intent of the clone option is to do just that, make an identical copy of the existing disk. This normally is done when you want to replace an existing operational disk with a new and usually larger one. Since you have both the clone and the original after running the process you have also created a single backup.

Making an image of an existing disk builds a file on the target disk that contains all of the information to recreate the source disk if necessary. It has the advantage that it can be compressed if you wish and if your target disk is large enough you can hold a large number of backups. With a clone you only have one since all of the disk is allocated. You are able to do a bare-metal restore with images and that is the intent of the product. Just make sure you do an image not a Files and Folders backup of the entire disk.

Files and Folders option is intended for saving data files not for re-establishing the operating system after a disk disaster. Note that if you make an image you automatically have all of your data files included in it so it provides a complete solution.

You should always ensure your total backup and restore strategy works.

Create an archive within Windows
Validate the archive within Windows
Bootup the TI rescue CD and validate the archive in the Full mode.
If all of the above successful and a second drive is available, perform a restore. If you do not do a restore you do not have 100% confidence but the liklihood is good it will work if it validates from the TI rescue CD.

After you have done this you can eliminate validating the archive from the TI rescue CD since you have established that it works. The TI rescue CD is a Linux environment and sometimes has inadequate drivers for all variants of hardware.

 

I bought ATI10 mainly for disk imaging for disaster recovery. The ability to backup individual folders is a bonus as my old software (Genie Backup Manager) started crashing for some reason.

I backup using the bootable disk and backup Disk1 with the verify option selected. I never do a system backup while windows is running.

I have done 3 restores so far with no problems from a TIB image file (I have 4 partitions).

When I first bought it, after I did the backup, I unplugged the C: drive, added a new one then did a restore (a true bare metal restrore). All worked flawlessly.

I suggest that you do this to gain confidence as there is no point in doing backups if you don't know that a restore will work OK.

 

I found a PC I could risk loosing. I backed up the entire drive using the TIB format. I then blew the partition away on the PC drive and confirmed it would not boot. I then booted the TI CD and restored the data. It is amazingly simple and worked fine. I was not sure it backed up the boot data which was the reason for my question.

Thanks for the help
Gary

 

If you did the test on another PC it means it works on that PC - do the test on the one you are concerned about as well.

The MBR is backed up if you make an image of the whole disk or a partition. It shows up as a separate entry in the restore wizard so you can elect to restore it if desired. If you are just restoring a different backup image to a working disk there usually is no need to restore the MBR.