Image based backup is a pain

I agree that images can be restored quickly, but my point was to describe a method which does not use image backups and still manages to preserve data. Obviosuly if you know how to use them then its faster.

 

Right now I see KISS drowning.
RIP

 

Defcon,

I agree with your initial post. Using imaging software particularly with Win7 and its SRP has become quite complex. I don't have a simple answer for those new to the game.

 

Do you move e.g. My Documents to another disk/partition?

 

majoMo,

Yes. This is how to move your data with WinXP. Win7 is only slightly different.

http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-xp/49222-moving-windows-xp-default-folders-rev1.html

I also move the Desktop to the D: drive.

Edit http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_shell_folders.htm

 

Brian_K, I was thinking to do that. Now I'll do. Thanks.

 

It would eventually become a universal standard across all motherboards. ASRock have a feature that boots Windows in 4 secs.

 

A compact flash card would make a cheap, fast, small boot drive for recovery from DOS or with a Windows OS. I see no mention on the forum but only for USB flash card.

Requires a compact flash card adapter for SSD, SATA or IDE. Some fit to the motherboard. Compact flash of 4GB or 8GB is cheap. This is more than enough for a slimmed down Windows. This would give many options to boot anything and be self contained. A kind of cheap SSD but not as fast. Advisable to make it read only for long life.

Something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Compact-Flash...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297794646&sr=1-24

Total package cost could be as little as $30.

 

My Asus Laptop has two power keys. The power key on the right hand boots Windows 7 x64 and the power key on the left hand boots up Linux in 4 seconds. It has everything one needs.

Though, the Linux is installed in Windows 7 x64. And, it is not a dual boot system.

Best regards,

KOR!

 

I thought you was suggesting to clone the drive as a solution.

You could turn the SRP to a advantage and convert it to a 100MB DOS partition for recovery.

I notice in IFW it doesn't let you backup unassigned formatted partitions, only those assigned to a drive letter. If i had a 8mb unallocated partition before C, could be offset space or whatever, it doesn't let me choose to backup. Shame.

 

I can't remember how we got onto clones. I certainly never recommend clones as a backup solution. They are fine for upgrading to a new HD if you don't already have an image. I already have an image so I don't use clones.

Mark, I'm not sure what is happening there because IFW allows you to backup any partition on the HD whether it is in the MBR or not. I have over 20 primary partitions on my HD but only 4 are in the MBR at any one time. I can backup all 20 partitions using IFW from WinXP. 16 don't have a drive letter.

 

Mark, I know you or I could setup an automatic backup image/restore system on someone's computer so all they had to do was a double click. But there is no literature telling a novice how to do this. And every system would require a slightly different method.

I think image/restore has become quite complex. Mainly due to Win7 with the SRP.

 

As IFW has alot of options and enhancements i expected to see my unallocated space show up in the GUI backup list, even though it not actually space to backup. What i'm trying to say is image backup the space, SRP, hidden etc. and c by being able to tick both. That would be nice but I ask too much of the software or most software. I believe it still possible to recreate the space before C using Copy option and selecting 'update boot partition'. I'm sure if you copied the partition info setting(MBR,track), it would be there anyways. I notice IFW auto detects what type of partition you have already for the backup and auto ticks certain one's, so default is probably good enough in alot of cases.

Anyways for SRP types as well c, it is better to use the command line to do all in one process.

I thought you suggested to newcomers, is to clone the drive, using eg. Ghost, then you backup the entire lot and replicate the SRP as well in 1 click, instead of having to backup several partitions and having to restore the boot partition first then the c afterwards. I refer to cloning not as a backup solution but as a general easy fix solution for newcomers.

Or are you advising more to remove the SRP completely as a easier way to backup?

 

Gigabytes's motherboard built in a "Xpress Recovery" option for backup and recovery, but you need to create a bootcd.

A fully built-in imaging tool is good if it is universal
But how many will use the built-in backup&recovery feature provided by motherboard vendors?

The best way may be pre-partition by third-party partition tool
Or if you use the Win7 DVD to patition, you can delete the SRP and extend the space of SRP to e.g. C:\ before install Win7

If you have already install Win7, then it may be a bit complicated for newbies to remove the SRP and fixboot

 

If it's easy to use probably lots, but i guess it will be kinda complicated, so not much

 

Many people do not backup, ~ Off Topic Comments Removed ~.

 

I don't think all that many people are brave enough to remove the SRP. None of my family or friends have a SRP.

 

Sure, I surprised you not done something alreayd as everytime I see SRP on web your name pops up .? It can be all done from the command line. So it back to Drive Snapshot and IFW.,bring in Diskpart. I came to Windows 7 relatively late. vbn kvbbut .1)1

 

@Defcon

Moving User folder after installation is a convuluted niggle! . Better to get install DVD to do it right and it automatically by creating a unattended.xml. There is a program that oj let you do it and more custom install abit like nlite called RT Se7en Lite.

 

I have a batch file to "remove" the SRP which is a quick way to do this...

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=409

Code:

@echo off
reg unload HKLM\BCD00000000
robocopy p:\ c:\ bootmgr
robocopy p:\Boot c:\Boot /s
dir c:\ /ah
bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd /set {default} device partition=c:
bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd /set {default} osdevice partition=c:
bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} device partition=c:
bcdedit /store c:\boot\bcd /set {memdiag} device partition=c:
echo.
pause

 

Very useful, + short. You see Brian, editing the BCD is still needed. Image programs can't do all yet. They maybe soon enough, have better options to support SRP.

 

I see this is good for deleting a already created SRP but what are you using to reclaim the space back?
Easiest has to be preparing the partition beforehand. You will already know the following but probably one of the easiest, having to install setup DVD again. If you let the 7 DVD create the SRP and system partition on install. Then delete the system partition, and then extend the SRP to full size, which becomes the system partition. Once you have images with no SRP, then unlikely you have to use DVD for a long time.

 

For people unfamiliar with partitioning software they could just leave the 100 MB partition in place. It is inactive and a 100 MB loss of space on a 1000 GB HD can be ignored .

I delete the 100 MB partition and slide the Win7 partition to remove the 100 MB of just created unallocated space. But this is not essential.

 

None of my computers have a SRP to start with as I install Win7 into an established partition.

Dell makes life difficult for its users as they install the booting files into the Recovery Partition. If you look at Disk Management in a Win7 Dell computer the Recovery Partition is the System, Active partition.

The batch file I posted works on Dells too.

 

How about Paragon(Boot corrector) and ShadowProtect(BCD Fix)?
Can they fix BCD after removed the SRP?