Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Everything is working smoothly with the latest AX64 v2 build 499..
Took several snapshots, and went back and forth with them.
Deleting and merging also works fine.
No problems at all!
Made checksum files for several ISO recovery images on the main drive, and after the tests, the checksums matched.

 

Are you running it on Automatic backups? Perhaps Manual might be better for you.

 

I have it set for hourly automatic backup. I understand your suggestion but I think a big advantage of TM are the auto backups. I'll just wait and see if this issue is reoccurring.

 

twice now i also have had 499 lockup on me and freeze. it just sat there and was in the middle of a backup and i let it sit for a good while. nothing i ended up having to reboot and try again and weirdly it finished this time properly.

 

Dear Zfactor and anyone experiencing issues. Please report you issues to info@ax64.com with your logs. It'll help us diagnose and fix the bugs much quicker.

To save logs:

1. Go to backup tools
2. click about
3. Click collect logs

Send this to our mail. Thanks!

 

@wajamus i contacted support regarding and persistent error. I still have not gotten a response and its been over two weeks. So ill explain here. After installing version 2,( even with version .499) randomly i keep getting a prompt stating Windows idle error timeout. After clicking okay, AX64 shuts down. The windows event is "The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout." event ID 8224. Restarting AX64 is not an issue and all seems to function as normal till the next timeout error. Here is the AX64 Log for that occurrence.

Please have a look. Regards.

 

Is anyone here using CrashPlan for online backup WITH AX64 v1 or v2? I'm trying to troubleshoot a CrashPlan issue that may be connected to AX64's automatic backups. Won't blame AX64 or CrashPlan, but there may be a conflict when both operate simultaneously. My suspicion is that CrashPlan backs up to the cloud fine in all circumstances, but when it is doing a backup to a local external drive, (which is the same drive that AX64 backs up to) AX64 might be causing CrashPlan to crap out and not be able to access the local external drive.

 

Some more info about the prompt. Happened again just now. Please refer to the Pic Below. Checking AX64 Log for the time the prompt occurred we get;

[8452:11076:0920/132246:WARNING:AXCommonStuff.cpp(996)]StartProcessAsStandardUser->CreateProcessWithTokenW failed, error 5
[8452:11076:0920/132255:ERROR:AXCommonStuff.cpp(2395)] AXCORE_MODULE: Error opening the file: E:\AXTM\TRUST
[8452:11076:0920/132255:ERROR:AXCommonStuff.cpp(2395)] AXCORE_MODULE: VHDUtils.cpp(593): Error = 0xC1000102 WinError = 0x5
[8452:11076:0920/132255:ERROR:AxUtils.cpp(427)]AX_ReadEmbeddedImageInfo error 3238002946 Win error 5 Path E:\AXTM\TRUST
[8452:11076:0920/132255:ERROR:BackupsLog.cpp(35)]BackupsLog:GetImageEmbeddedInfo error for E:\AXTM\TRUST
[8452:11076:0920/132255:INFO:VolumeEnumerator.cpp(80)]Couldn't get information for volume D:\ error: 21
[8452:11076:0920/132255:INFO:VolumeEnumerator.cpp(80)]Couldn't get information for volume V:\ error: 21

 

Dear TS4H,

Please send this report to info@ax64.com. Send your description of error along with your logs.

To send logs go to:

backup tools,
about,
collect logs

Attach these to your mail and send to info@ax64.com

Thanks!

 

S

Sorry you didn't get a reply - our response rate is generally very quick, within hours. I believe we asked you for the full logs in our response. We did change our exchange server a few weeks ago - at which time some mails going out may not have gone through. OR we just missed you response, which we are very apologetic about.

Again, please send the full logs via the instructions above. Please see your PM.

 

Thank you. Ill send full set of logs through when i get a chance later in the evening.

regards.

 

I have just installed AX64 again after a break not using it.
At setup, it tells me that old backups will be deleted when my disc becomes full.

That's not how an earlier version worked.
I thought it got rid of old backups earlier than that.
I don't want to wait until my disc becomes full for it to delete old backups.


I also have a question about Rescue Media in relation to Windows 8.1/8.1.1.
Is there still a bug for Windows 8.1/8.1.1 users when creating Rescue Media like there was in earlier versions?

 

So delete them manually by clicking on "Browse and Recover Data".

 

Repeated the steps again, but this time I used ExactFile
to make checksums of every file on my C-drive and took an snapshot prior to rolling back with the them.
Went back and forth with snapshots, first to the baseline and then jumping between the snapshots, and finally back
to the latest snapshot with the checksums file on it.
Verified every file on C-drive, all ok, no errors!

Massive thumbs up for Wajamus+co. from me for all the hard work they have been doing.

 

And a BIG +1 to that from me...

 

Hi!

Rescue media for win 8.1 is now supported.

If you have any qs hadron do feel free to contact us via the site's live chat and our support mail

 

Time Machine is an impressive piece of software in my eyes. I have windows 8.1, and now it works as advertised. Wajamus and team have worked diligently to remove all of the bugs. Way to go guys!!

 

OK.
So, it's manual.

 

Uhm wat?

I had my chain which has been working fine but now when I started a new backup it said it was doing the first full backup?? I'll let it finish but is it possible that it detected external modifications and is doing the long backup but doesn't have the right text, or is my chain broken now? ... I don't know.. I'll let it finish.

Edit: It appears that it didn't make a first full backup, it's just what it said but it made an incremental, must have lost track on tracking file somehow.

Suggestion: Change text from "first full backup" to something else less "OMG Wait no what did you do to my chain!?"... ya know.

 

Hi... I'm new to this program and it seems to be what I'm looking for but, I don't quite understand what it's doing. Why do I need more than one FULL backup? Does this thing not just merge the changes to C: drive into the first backup? I am backing up to external USB 1TB drive which is also used for other storage. Initial backup asked me to create more space to accommodate which I did. I have now reserved about 600 GB for AX64 Time Machine to use. The first time I installed AX64 it tried 3 times to make a FULL backup and I ran out of space again as it wanted me to clear more files. I uninstalled the app and deleted all the backup files - reinstalled the latest version and began anew. That was only 4 days ago and now it is in process of doing another FULL backup. At this rate I will need new backup media every week!

 

I don't know what your doing, but I click Backup and it makes a Baseline backup. Then all subsequent backups are snapshots of what is new since the last backup. I too have a 1tb external drive which has a folder devoted to the baseline and snapshots. I also keep the previous baseline and snapshots in another folder in case. My external HD is less than half full, including a copy of all my photos and my three latest Macrium Reflect full back ups as well.

 

How large is the drive you are imaging? You should have at least 3 times (AT LEAST) the space on the backup drive as is the size of the used space on the protected drive.

As to what its doing,,,,,,AXTM creates a baseline which is the full image of your drive as it exists at the time. then, each time it takes a snapshot, it is recording the changes to the drive since the last snapshot (for our purposes the base line is a snapshot). Each time it takes a snap only the changed data is recorded. As time goes by older snaps are merged so as to prevent rapid filling of the storage drive. The various snaps enable AXTM to quickly restore the system state to an earlier (or later in some cases) state since all it has to do is deal with the changed data. Traditional imaging programs will need to do an entire restore using all the snaps up to and including the selected one, thus taking much longer to accomplish than AXTM needs to do the same thing.

You should also be aware that if you unplug the storage drive, make a change to the PC and then plug it in again, AXTM will see an interruption to its tracking file and seem like its creating a new baseline,,,,,but its not, look at the size of the snap after one of these occurs and you will see that its quite small. What AXTM is doing is looking at the entire drive and comparing it to the baseline. It does this so that it can bring its tracking file up to date.

I hope this helps.

 

In theory, but the new version seems to be quite keen on doing new baselines on a regular basis. I had this issue after restoring back and forth a few times.

True again in theory - however in reality this is only true if you have a small number of snapshots. In my experience if hourly snapshot creation is on, a two-month old baseline leads to restore times that are 2.5x SLOWER than a traditional imaging program.

 

If this is indeed the case (and I am not in any way suggesting you are incorrect), I am once again glad I have so far stuck with AX64 and not made the jump to TM. Froggie did say that if you use HOT restore the program functions like the old AX64. Sounds like warm restore needs some serious work if it is to be competitive.........or is this restore time issue only on some systems and the majority are working just fine?