Drive Snapshot bootable media!

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by ams963, Jun 13, 2012.

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  1. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Thanks for the explanation, although I'm afraid most of it went over my head. :oops:


    Brian, I used your previous code, which btw concluded with ':no' whereas the code above doesn't? :doubt:

    And fwiw, I did get a 'full' error so I deleted the items listed above and then was able to insert choice.exe.

    Now, when I boot the CD I get the choice for restoring the Partition Structure, so all appears to be working well.

    Let's chat after you awake and have a cup of jo.

    Cruise
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2012
  2. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    Late night. I'm underway now.

    It's in the next section. I posted the updated code in a confusing manner. You don't need to change to the new choice.exe code.

    Regarding restoring the Partition Structure. It only needs to be done if there are no partitions on the HD. A new HD. Otherwise, chose N.

    OK. What do you have? A CD where you only have to enter the names of the images to be restored. Remember to type the .sna. We started out with the aim of restoring an image with a fixed name. The CD would have no fields to enter names. That was my preference because my latest image is always named the same. You could make a CD like that too if you find you are always restoring an image with the same name. I'm pleased with our CD.
     
  3. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Hi there and good morning to you. I guess it's about 9AM on Fri down under (depending on your city of course).

    I'm almost ready for the acid test - restoring an image! First I'd appreciate it if you would look over the contents of my autoexec.bat (below) within my DS_HP recovery iso and tell me if all looks ok. I just kicked-off a full DS backup on my HP, which I will attempt to restore after you give me the ok on the autoexec.bat (which follows).
    Code:
    @echo off
    
    set bootdrv=A
    \bin\bootdrv
    if errorlevel 2 set bootdrv=C
    
    set path=%BOOTDRV%:\;%BOOTDRV%:\bin;%BOOTDRV%:\utils
    
    :- CDROM drive at W:
    set CDS=
    if exist MSCDIDE set CDS=/d:MSCDIDE,w
    if exist MSCDIDE2 set CDS=/d:MSCDIDE2,w
    if exist MSCDUSB set CDS=%CDS% /d:MSCDUSB,w
    if not \%CDS% == \   bin\shsucdx %CDS% /q
    set CDS=
    
    :- load language specific settings
    
    if exist LANGUAGE.BAT call LANGUAGE.BAT
    
    if exist XMSXXXX0 goto _xmsok
    	echo.
    	echo AUTOEXEC: No XMS manager installed (himem.sys)
    	goto _abort
    :_xmsok
    
    rem The ramdisk drive
    set ramdrv=q:
    xmsdsk 8192 %ramdrv% /y /t
    if errorlevel 1 goto _ramok
    rem xmsdsk returns errorlevel 0 for error
    goto _abort
    :_ramok  
    
    md %ramdrv%\temp
    set temp=%ramdrv%\temp
    set tmp=%ramdrv%\temp
    
    copy \command.com %ramdrv%\command.com
    if not exist %ramdrv%\command.com goto _abort
    set comspec=%ramdrv%\command.com
    
    copy snapshot.exe %ramdrv%\.
    
    md %ramdrv%\bin
    copy \bin\unuharc.exe %ramdrv%\bin
    copy \bin\_unpack.bat  %ramdrv%\bin
    
    set path=%ramdrv%\;%ramdrv%\bin;%path%
    
    call _unpack \level0\utils %ramdrv%\bin
    
    call NTFS.bat
    
    set target=ds_hp\*.sna
    for %%A in (D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do if exist %%A:\%target% set drive=%%A: 
    %drive%
    CD ds_hp
    echo.
    dir
    
    echo.
    set /p full=What is the full image filename?:
    echo.
    set /p diff=What is the diff image filename?:
    echo.
      
    choice /c:YN "Restore Partition Structure?"
    IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO no
    IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO yes
    :yes
    echo.
    snapshot restore hd1 partitionstructure %full%
    
    :no
      
    snapshot restore hd2 auto %full% -y
    snapshot restore hd2 auto %diff% -y
    goto _end
    
    :_abort
    @echo AUTOEXEC: Aborted...
    @echo.
    @rem flow into "_end"
    :_end
    Oh yeah, one other question. If a nasty should infect my MBR, am I able to just restore only the Partition Structure using my new DS DOS Recovery CD?

    Cruise
     
  4. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    Your autoexec.bat is the same as mine. If you don't have a diff to restore just press Enter for that field. Press N for partition structure (or Y if you like as it won't do any harm).

    Yes. But that situation doesn't bother me as there are many ways to achieve the same result.

    At the end of your restore you will see the word "Success".
     
  5. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Wait. I just noticed an error in your autoexec.bat

    Edit....
    snapshot restore hd1 partitionstructure %full%

    should be

    snapshot restore hd2 partitionstructure %full%
     
  6. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Interesting. I prepared a CD to restore the partition structure to the wrong HD. When you press Y you see a message showing which HD will be restored but if you don't read it and press Y exciting things happen. You get all the wrong partitions on the wrong HD. I used BIBM to recover the original partition structure. BIBM is GREAT!
     
  7. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    OMG - had you not caught that, what the restore have overwritten? :eek:
     
  8. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    If you had only restored the images. No problem. The Restore Partition Structure would have put your internal HD First Track on your external HD. When you looked at the partitions on your external HD it would have looked like the internal HD. No data would have been restored to the external HD, just the partition table, etc. As I mentioned, it can be fixed. But the message is read the text about which HD the partition structure is being restored to after you press Y. Don't press Y today.
     
  9. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Brian, I haven't yet attempted an actual restore using your DS DOS Boot CD, so no harm done. But I must admit being a little 'gun-shy' now about using DOS as it doesn't confirm the name of the drive or partition structure that's about to be restored!

    Cruise
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2012
  10. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I thought you wanted it that way. No problem. Change...

    snapshot restore hd2 auto %full% -y
    snapshot restore hd2 auto %diff% -y

    to

    snapshot restore hd2 auto %full%
    snapshot restore hd2 auto %diff%

    and you can read about what will happen before you make the final Yes.
     
  11. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Will that confirm the name of the drive about to be restored?
     
  12. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    I just tried a CD with -y removed. After entering the name of my image and pressing Enter I see a lot of information finishing with...

    "Do you want to overwrite HD:1 primary partition #1 with this information?"

    By the way if I choose Y for the Partition Structure restore I see a lot of information finishing with...

    "Do you want to overwrite HD:1 with this information?"

    In your HP computer it would be HD:2 instead of HD:1

    Looks easy to me. But read the text and don't restore the partition structure today. Also, if you try to restore your image to the wrong HD, it just aborts so no danger there.
     
  13. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    In the " lot of information " ...

    you see your partitions on the target HD
    >>> next to the partition to be restored
    the name of the partition to be restored
    size of the partition to be restored
    amount of free space in the partition to be restored
     
  14. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    You are really sweating about this CD. Go on. Do it.
     
  15. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Brian,

    In fact, I may just actually be sweating it, but please don't lose sight of the type of individual you're dealing with here (me). Although I consider myself an experienced PC user, I'm not very technically savvy. So while I am enthusiastic about this exercise, and regard your knowledge with high esteem, I am stepping very carefully!

    With that out of the way, I need to ask you about a problem I'm having when burning the latest CD. It burns successfully, but does not verify successfully! I tried twice with the very same result. When I boot with either of those CDs, it seems to present the correct information, but (as you now realize) I am cautious and nervous (and job-interviewing doesn't help)! What's your take on this?

    Cruise
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2012
  16. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I do understand.

    I burn lots of CD-RW. Failure to Verify usually means a bad CD and I throw it away. I know you are using CD-R. I'd be cautious too.

    Out of interest, what partitions do you have on your internal HD? You have DS and IFW images for which partitions?

    Edit... to be truthful, I rarely Verify CDs anymore.
     
  17. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    My feelings exactly - I'll try again.

    Please refer back to post #143 (a lot of posts have gone by since I first answered that). I have DS and IFW backups of just my C-partition, Windows & Apps, with the most recent being yesterday.

    Cruise
     
  18. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Same here.
     
  19. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Brian,

    After my long-time trusted burner, Ashampoo Burning Studio, burned the image of your boot disk but would not successfully verify it, I tried the burner included with PowerISO, also without success! Any idea why they won't verify?

    Cruise

    PS. Short of actually performing a restore, all 3 CDs appear to run ok! o_O
     
  20. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    Not really. Do you have a different brand of disk you can try? Like you, I'd be reluctant to use a CD that failed to verify.

    Edit... I just tried Verify when burning the DS CD. No problems.
     
  21. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Hmm, that does seem to point at my Memorex CD-R blanks. I'll probaby be going out in a while and I'll buy another brand.

    Cruise
     
  22. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    I suggest you buy a CD-RW too. I mainly use CD-RW for tests.
     
  23. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Dear Brian,

    I can see the importance of DOS exercise, but why CD and why not USB?

    Best regards,
     
  24. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Cruise,

    It would have been a lot easier if we could have used a USB flash drive instead of CDs. However I couldn't get a flash drive to work. It booted but NTFSDOS failed to find any NTFS drives. I substituted NTFS4DOS which found the NTFS drives but it terminates at a prompt and the restore section won't run automatically.

    Just a comment.


    Edit...
    aladdin,

    I just saw your post. We must be psychic.
     
  25. Cruise

    Cruise Registered Member

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    Good Morning Brian,

    I picked up a 50-pack of Maxell CD-R yesterday (the only CD-RW they had was Memorex and as that brand of CD-R seems to be problematic, I didn't want to chance their CD-RW). However as my wife and I were out for the day, I did not get a chance to burn another copy of your DS DOS boot-disk.

    I have an interview follow-up in a few hours, but I'll burn a copy on a new Maxell CD-R when I get back, and if the burn verification is successful I'll try doing a restore (providing I'm not exhausted from the interviewing process)!

    Cruise

    PS. Your flash-drive issues are curious. Could it be that DOS doesn't (properly) support USB?
     
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