List of Imaging softwares that have P2P/HIR/Universal Restore feature

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by andylau, Jan 13, 2011.

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  1. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    List of Imaging softwares that have P2P/HIR/Universal Restore feature

    As a home user, when you want to migrate your current OS onto your new PC, BSOD may occur, because of different hardwares, like chipsets and mass storage drivers.

    If you do not want to re-install your OS again(quite time consuming for setting and install apps again), an imaging software that has P2P/HIR/Universal Restore function may help you to solve this problem, so it's very important. Because they have Dissimilar Hardware Restoration features, they may help you to save time for OS migration.

    P2P : Restore your backup image to different computer (Physical to Physical)
    HIR: Hardware Independent Restore
    MIR: Machine Independent Restore
    Universal Restore(UR) : This technology used in Acronis imaging software, bascially like P2P/HIR

    The list below is about which products have the feature, the feature that they use and can use 3-party drivers or not.

    Acronis:
    -Acronis Backup and Recovery
    -Acronis True Image + Plus Pack
    ●Feature : Universal Restore, Can use 3-party drivers

    Paragon:
    -Paragon Hard Disk Manager
    -Paragon Partition Manager
    -Paragon Drive Backup
    -Paragon Backup and Recovery
    ●Feature : P2P, Can use 3-party drivers

    StorageCraft
    -ShadowProtect IT Edition (You need not to pre-installed it on your OS image)
    -ShadowProtect Desktop Edition (You need to pre-installed it on your OS image first)
    ●Feature : HIR/P2P, Can use 3-party drivers

    Macrium:
    -Macrium + Macrium ReDeploy
    ●Feature : HIR/P2P, Can use 3-party drivers

    Tom Ehlert Software:
    -Drive SnapShot
    ●Feature : Can only specify one driver at once

    O&O
    -O&O DiskImage
    ●Feature : MIR, Cannot use 3-party drivers

    Symantec:
    -Symantec BESR
    -Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
    ●Feature : Dissimilar Hardware Restoration with Restore Anyware, Cannot use 3-party drivers, but built-in large amount of drivers

    FarStone:
    -FarStone TotalRecovery
    ●Feature : Universal Restore, Cannot use 3-party drivers

    TeraByte: (added by Brian K)
    -TeraByte OS Deployment Tool Suite
    ●Feature :

    As you know, there are a lot of imaging softwares, but not many have P2P/UR features. This list just let you know which one has P2P/UR feature, to give you more info on P2P/UR..

    If you know another that does not in the list, please let me know, thanks! I will add them to the list.:D
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2011
  2. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    andylau,

    Nice post.

    Could I add TeraByte OS Deployment Tool Suite.

    This is independent of the app used to create/restore the image. If the restored OS won't boot due to incorrect storage controller drivers, wrong HAL, different processor, then the Tool Suite should enable the computer to boot. I've been testing it lately, restoring laptop images to desktops and vice versa. IDE HD images to SATA/AHCI HDs and vice versa. Different HAL computers.
     
  3. Pleonasm

    Pleonasm Registered Member

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    Note that the Desktop edition of ShadowProtect also provides the capability to “restore images to different hardware or to virtual environments (P2P, P2V, V2P).”
     
  4. Aaron Here

    Aaron Here Registered Member

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    Hi Brian,

    I hadn't realized that TeraByte's OSDTS could be used independently (I mistakingly thought it was tied to TeraByte's own imaging apps)! I would be quite interested in using it along with Drive Snapshot.

    Would you be so kind as to outline the procedure for using it? ...if that's described elsewhere, please just point me to it. ;)

    Furthermore I see there are 2 versions, professional/standard, and it appears as if the standard version is free. Is that correct? If so, is the standard version sufficient to accomplish the functions you mention above?

    Thanks,
    Aaron
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2011
  5. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    I got this one Brian.

    Hey Aaron. It seems I have the same setup as you, now that I use Rollback RX. I also use TeraByte OS Deployment Tool Suite, and Brian was kind enough to help me. You can read the rather extensive thread here. It should give you all the help youy need in using Drive Snapshot and TBOSDT as a combo.
     
  6. Aaron Here

    Aaron Here Registered Member

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    Hi Nate,

    Glad to hear that you embraced Rollback Rx in your setup and I hope it's working well for you. That thread you referenced is pretty lengthy; can you point me to the post that specifically addresses the how-to's for using TeraByte's OSDTS?

    Thanks,
    Aaron

    PS. I always use DS after booting into WinPE. Will the OSDTS work in that environment or must it be used in DOS?
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2011
  7. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Aaron,

    The TBOSDT has become much easier to use since the thread mentioned by Nate. It is now menu driven and fairly easy to use. I have some notes on its use and I'll find them soon.

    You do need the Pro version to run the menu driven osdtool. It runs from Windows, WinPE, DOS, Linux and its own OS (TBOS).

    If you download the free version of TBOSDT and look in the Docs folder you will find tbosdt.pdf. From page 28 onwards there are instructions for "Using OSDTOOL – Manual Mode".
     
  8. Aaron Here

    Aaron Here Registered Member

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    Hi Brian,

    Thanks for the info. Based on what you said and since I never use DS' DOS disk (I always run DS from either Windows or WinPE), I'll buy the Pro version of TeraByte's OSDT.

    Whatever you (and Nate) can provide in the way of 'how-to' tips, etc., would be great.

    Aaron
     
  9. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Aaron,

    You can put these files on your WinPE CD or on a USB flash drive and run them in your WinPE. I have mine on a flash drive.

    Create a folder and copy these files into the folder...

    osdtool.tbs
    tbosdtw.exe

    Also create a batch file in the folder and put this in the batch file..

    tbosdtw.exe osdtool.tbs

    Double click the batch file and the tool will run. You can test your folder in Windows.

    Edit... Or create a TBOS CD or USB flash drive by running maketbos.exe in the dos_tbos folder. Put ticks in the 5 options. Boot from the flash drive or CD and you will get a > prompt. Type tbosdt and press Enter. You will then see a @A:\> prompt.
    Type runtbs osdtool.tbs and press Enter. You will now be in the tool.

    Note... Be careful to use the correct tbosdt.exe or tbosdtw.exe.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2011
  10. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    Brian K,
    Thanks for you info!
    Of course:D . But can it use 3-party drivers? And which feature does it use?

    I have downloaded its standard(free) version, but I really don't know how to use the DOS Boot ISO, and don't know how to create its linux bootdisk:ninja:

    In the manul on page 29, there is a OSD Tool Script screen, is that the free version did not have?
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2011
  11. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    The tool is only in the Pro version.
     
  12. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    As I know, the desktop edition needs to pre-installed on the OS when you want to use the HIR feature, but the IT edition does not need.

    I will add the desktop edition in the list, and notice about that.;)

    Thanks for you notice!
     
  13. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    Oh, its sad that could not test it before purchased.:oops:

    From the screen, it seems can inject one driver(needs inf file) at a time only. If it can search the whole sub-directory to find the suitable drivers automatically will be better.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2011
  14. aladdin

    aladdin Registered Member

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    Excellent thread!

    Kind regards,

    KOR!
     
  15. Aaron Here

    Aaron Here Registered Member

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    Thanks Brian - that seems pretty straight-forward. :thumb:
     
  16. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    It is only designed to get Windows to boot. Once Windows has booted the OS will run through the process of "Found New Hardware" and installing drivers. Once that has finished you can install drivers (that the OS doesn't contain) for your specific hardware.

    From what I've seen it only takes a couple of minutes to get Windows to boot after restoring the image to a different computer.
     
  17. Pleonasm

    Pleonasm Registered Member

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    Yes, that is accurate. In practice, for the individual PC user, that restriction isn’t really a limitation, since you would normally have ShadowProtect Desktop installed on the original PC anyway.
     
  18. Pleonasm

    Pleonasm Registered Member

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    In reviewing the TeraByte video Create a VMWare Workstation Machine from a Physical Machine, the process of doing a HIR restore using the OSD Tool Suite seems to be manually intensive, and potentially convoluted and complicated. Has the process improved since this video was created?

    P.S.: The OSD Tool Suite itself is very impressive.
     
  19. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Pleonasm, I thought that procedure was extremely complicated. There were other videos called "Create a VirtualPC Machine from a Physical XP Machine" and "Create a VirtualPC Machine from a Physical Vista Machine". These were less complicated but still required manual steps. Now there is a script, copyp2v.tbs, that will create a Virtual Machine from a Windows installation in a few clicks. I've used it to create a VirtualPC Machine from a Win7 installation and I think it does VMWare Workstation Machines too.

    From the introduction....

    "// Purpose:
    //
    // This script is used to copy a Windows installation on a physical drive to a
    // virtual drive.
    //
    // This script can be run under Windows, DOS or Linux"
     
  20. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    As for me, I won't install imaging software on the OS. Some vendors have provided a bootcd ISO for customers to use, like Acronis, Paragon, Symantec and etc...Some can integrate or use plugin to build a WinPE bootcd. Of course, you can do this in anywhere such as virtual machine. But they both need not to pre-install on OS image, just use the bootcd to operate both backup and HIR/P2P restore.

    Therefore, I think ShadowProtect needs to do so is quite strange(except the IT edition).:ninja:
    Of course, if don't mind this, then it's also a quite good HIR/P2P.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2011
  21. Pleonasm

    Pleonasm Registered Member

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    That is helpful to know!

    I suspect that ShadowProtect Desktop checks for an installed and validated copy of itself during a HIR operation as a means to help ensure compliance with the terms of the licensing.
     
  22. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    You are right.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2011
  23. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    Anyone know more that are not on the list?:D :p
     
  24. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    Hardware independent restore functionality isn't needed in at least some cases. Without use of such functionality, I've restored a Windows 7 image to two different hardware models; both times Windows 7 booted successfully on the new hardware. I did have to use Paragon's Boot Corrector (found in even the free editions of Paragon Rescue Kit and also Paragon Backup & Recovery) to get things working. To make things easier, I also generalized the BCD as described at http://www.multibooters.co.uk/cloning.html before making the Windows 7 image.

    XP users: I've had success using option 1 mentioned at How to move Windows XP hard disk to a different computer or motherboard without BSOD.

    A statement from a user at Restore a windows 7 image to different PC's that I believe is accurate:
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2011
  25. andylau

    andylau Registered Member

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    MrBrian,

    HIR/P2P bacsically is to change HAL and driver injection(some may change registry). Some have boot correcter for correcting the boot file.

    Starting from Vista, it integrated Microsoft's AHCI driver, so for vista/win7, they can migrate to different hardware more easier. Maybe just use Sysprep can solve. But Sysprep may not work for all hardwares.

    As for XP, it did not integrated with AHCI, so you can only use IDE mode to use it if your XP did not have a generic ahci driver. When you enable AHCI mode in BIOS, and you do not have a generic AHCI, then HIR/P2P is useful.
     
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