Rollback RX and Search&Rescue 3 (Iolo)

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by MerleOne, Mar 28, 2006.

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  1. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

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    Hi all,

    Is anyone aware of an incompatibility between Rollback RX Pro and Search&Rescue3 from Iolo software. Since I have installed Rollback RX Pro, S&R3 won't launch, even after an upgrade to the latest version (for both products).

    Thanks.
     
  2. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    If search and rescue is a windows file based recovery system, I am not surprised it doesn't work. Some things won't. For example Dantz's Retrospect which is a file backup system using the open file API, BSOD's just fine with Rollback. Thats because Rollback doesn't use the standard Windows File system.
     
  3. Acadia

    Acadia Registered Member

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    WHOAAAA, Peter, you're hitting me with new info here. You mean to tell me that there are some software programs that DO NOT mess with the MBR that will still mess-up Rollback RX? If that is the case, I repeat "If", that is a major strike against Rollback ... I hope that I am interpreting this new info incorrectly. :doubt:

    Acadia
     
  4. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Retrospect didn't mess up Rollback. It just couldn't work. Some stuff like Retrospect that does open file back might not work with the way Rollback keeps track of data. Retrospect clearly was one of them. Since it was a slowwwwww solution to backup, I really didn't care. Is this a strike against Rollback? So far to me no. Same way if you want Perfect Disk to map everything on the disk in every snapshot, it won't happen.
     
  5. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Pete~ Any reason you're not using HDSClone along with RollBack Rx for ultimate disaster-recovery (like if you experience a hard disk crash)? ~pv
     
  6. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Yes. It didn't work for me in that it couldn't see my external USB/IEEE drives.(No Drivers). I've talked to HDS about this and hopefully they will fix it. Also when I do the non windows imaging it takes better than twice as long.

    Pete
     
  7. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

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    Thanks.

    I guess it depends on the way SR3 uses to access the filesystem. But what is strange is that it won't even load. I would accept it cannot rescue deleted files from a Rollback protected partitition, but not from the other partitions I have on my HDD that are not Rbk protected.

    Actually there is a way to be sure about this, I would just have to remove Rollback and try to launch SR3 again, but I would lose my snapshots.

     
  8. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    So seeing that HDS does not 'endorse' creating TI full-drive images with RBRx installed (recommending only file backups with TI), how are you using TI (with RBRx) to prepare for the possibility of a disk-crash? ~pv
     
  9. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Hopefully Chris will chime in here. In my talks with HDS they never said I couldn't do full drive images. The just pointed out that if I did a restore I would a) have to do the FDISK/MBR thing and b) I wouldn't have my snapshots, but just my system as of the snapshot I imaged.

    I have imaged a snapshot with both ATI (latest version) and IFW. Although I haven't restored both verified, and I was able to mount both images and restore files from them.

    Pete
     
  10. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Pete~ I'm just going by the following quote from the RollBack Rx FAQs:
    So taking that statement at face-value, even though ATI's own check reports the image to be ok, I (as a guy who has suffered a couple of disk crashes) can't help but be concerned about whether or not that image will restore properly to any replacement HDD. ~pv

    PS. My apology to Merle for hijacking his thead (I think we need to form a dedicated RollBack Rx forum)!
     
  11. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Check the other threads, but I believe the only problem with a full image is that if you restore on a disk with Rollback installed you will have to uninstall rollback first and then may have to run FDISK/MBR to get that disk to boot after the restore.
     
  12. huntnyc

    huntnyc Registered Member

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    I first installed RBRx and got a blue screen ffor some reason on restart during install routine but decided to run that way for a while. All seemed fine but just to be safe I wanted to start again with an image where I did not have RBRx on my laptop.

    I first uninstalled RBRx. Next, I restored an image I had made with Image for Windows before I installed the program. Then after rebooting into Windows, I reinstalled RBRx and had a clean install routine with no problems noticed since. Maybe this info will help someone in regard to image compatability and RBRx.

    Gary
     
  13. Acadia

    Acadia Registered Member

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    I think that is a great idea! :cool:

    Acadia
     
  14. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    If that's is the only problem, it's a non-issue (for me) because RBRx wouldn't be on any replacement drive until I chose to install it (which would be after restoring the image). And other than the system drive crashing, as far as I know RBRx can recover the system from any other problem!

    ~pv
     
  15. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Thanks Gary, that certainly tells me that an IFW image (created on a system with RBRx installed) will restore properly. But it's ATI that I'm concerned about since the RollBack FAQ (which I quoted) specifically addresses ATI. ~pv
     
  16. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    I would email, them and I think you will get an answer, or PM Chris, I think he started one of these threads.
     
  17. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    I think we need to start a poll: How soon before Acadia try's Rollback:D
     
  18. Chris12923

    Chris12923 Registered Member

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    Do you mean Search and Recover 3? Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.

    If so I just downloaded the trial version to try to repro your issue and it works ok. When I say it works ok I mean it installed, ran, searched and found some files. I did not look to close to see if the search revealed files I might be interested in but it did find some. Both on my Rollback Rx protected partition and the one that does not have Rollback Rx protection.


    It doesn't look like he plans on trying it :( https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=715009&postcount=105 .

    As far as using ATI I will use an example of what worked for me.
    1. installed Rollback Rx on an already used system
    2. messed around a few days
    3. decided to restore an image of pre rollback rx system with ATI
    4. worked perfectly

    I see many posts about fdisk /mbr. I did not do that and everything came out ok. I'm not saying this may not be necessary but it worked for me without it.

    If there is any other questions please feel free to ask. I will try to answer if I can and if not I should be able to get you an answer fairly quickly. If you want I will try to create an image with ATI while Rollback Rx is installed make some changes and then uninstall Rollback Rx and restore the image and see what happens I will be happy to. Let me know if this is something your interested in.

    Thanks,

    Chris
     
  19. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Hi Chris

    I think thats great. I am assuming I can use ATI or for that fact IFW, take a disk image with Rollback installed, and if I have a disk failure can replace disk and restore with little or no problems. Am I correct??

    Pete
     
  20. Chris12923

    Chris12923 Registered Member

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    Tell you what. I'm going to try it right now just so I can verify it 100% on my system. I'll post back in just a few minutes with results. Please stand by :)

    Thanks,

    Chris
     
  21. huntnyc

    huntnyc Registered Member

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    Another test using IFW and Tootit installed on HDD to restore image.

    1. I took a snapshot Using RBRx.

    2. I created an image under Windows using IFW.

    3. I uninstalled RBRx and told it to go back to my baseline snapshot made a couple of days ago.

    4. I let it reboot back into Windows and finish uninstall process and checked in Device Manger to see if my older verion video driver was installed. It was.

    5. I rebooted and from Bootit NG installed on my HDD, I restored the image of my C drive that I had made while RBRx was installed.

    6. Rebooted back into Windows. Confirmed in Device Manager that my newer version video driver was there. It was.

    7. Wend to Roolback folder under Program Files and double-clicked on the uninstall.exe just to get a clean uninstall under Windows. No reboot required because the preboot was not there anyway.

    8. Now I am ready to install RollbackRx again.

    Question - what do you think is a good strategy for using imaging software in conjunction with RBRx? Imaging has the advantage of being able to be stored on external drive or removable medai while RBRx is less flexable in this way. Developers are telling me they are working on a version where we will be able to store snapshots on external drive.

    Thanks.

    Looking forward to Chris's results also.

    Gary
     
  22. Chris12923

    Chris12923 Registered Member

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    Sorry for the delay. A few phone calls in between.

    1. Created backup of my C:\ partition using ATI 9

    2. Made some changes in windows so I could make sure the TI image worked
    3. Uninstalled Rollback Rx using the start menu uninstaller to my last snapshot
    4. Rebooted after the uninstall
    5. Another part of Rollback uninstaller started pre-windows
    6. After windows booted Rollback Rx finished it's uninstall and was in my last snapshot
    7. Restarted and used ATI boot disk to restore the image. I couldn't use the ATI startup recovery manager since it was long gone from the MBR. I guess I could have resinstalled ATI or created an ATI Secure Zone but I didn't to save time.
    8. Windows loaded into the ATI image
    9. Rollback Rx then uninstalled itself.. (not sure why)

    So because Rollback uninstalls itself after you restore the ATI image you lose all snapshots which is probably assumed anyway.

    Hope these results help out and please if I wasn't clear please let me know and I will try to clarify.

    Also thanks to huntnyc for his test of IFW.

    Thanks,

    Chris
     
  23. huntnyc

    huntnyc Registered Member

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    Thanks Chris. And, thanks for your test of TI 9 which I use sometimes also.

    Still if anyone has suggestions about how to incorporate imaging strategies with this RBRx instant system rrecovery program, please post. I usually image all my partitions once a week. And, sometimes before Rollback, I would image more often when testing beta software or updating drivers. But now, I am still trying to get my head around this RBRx program and how to efficiently incorporate it with my imaging solutions I use. Thanks.


    Gary
     
  24. Acadia

    Acadia Registered Member

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    You know, as much as I like the sound of Rollback RX, using it with disk imaging programs sounds much more convoluted than does using FirstDefense with tradition imaging programs (of course, leave yourself tons of disk space) ... just an observation. :doubt:

    Acadia
     
  25. Chris12923

    Chris12923 Registered Member

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    I agree it does sound like a pain but it's really not too bad. But you have to use what you feel comfortable with. If thats FD then you made the right choice. If it's Rollback Rx then you made the right choice. I will say that if/when HDS comes out with an improved drive backup/imaging type tool it will be a kickbutt utility combined with Rollback Rx :)

    Thanks,

    Chris
     
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