Rollback91 and Hot Imaging

I have a way to backup all Rollback snapshots within Windows, without leaving Windows.

Could of posted this long ago if i was around, but better late than never. I post details later.

 

Mark, I'm looking forward to the info.

 

Hi Mark,

Is this the same method you discovered a year ago or so, using IFW (w/Phylock) together with a separate MBR backup-restore? Or can it be accomplished with DS as well?

Aaron

 

No Aaron this time is improved. No need to jump outside of Windows for anything.

 

But will it only work with IFW, or will it work with DS as well?

 

Both, as you use Rollback alot i will give it to you for testing.

 

Eaz-Fix v9.1 already has an imager.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z268/mochigood/ezfximg_cr.jpg

SourMilk out

 

Mark, I'll be happy (and anxious) to do that (using DS of course).

Aaron

 

SM, with all due respect, that's not what we are talking about here. EAZsolution's Drive Image (and HDS' Drive Cloner Rx) function the same in either the integrated or subsequent separate version - i.e., the image created in either scenario does not contain the EF/RB application nor its snapshots. So Drive Image and Drive Cloner Rx are no more functional when it comes to EF/RB than other disk imaging solutions!

Aaron

 

@Aaron: None taken.

SourMilk out

 

Any descent imaging utility, that can take raw images on unlocked drives can do this.

Panagiotis

 

Sure a unlocked system is outside of Windows. You could use another Windows drive,partition to jump into, and backup the first hard drive partition.

For the benefit that don't know as indicated from a post above. Backing up the system partition within Windows, either in data or RAW mode always results in the backup of 1 snapshot only using every type of image software. So when you come to restore you lose all your previous snapshot data backups that you took, except the current one you have restored as Aaron already pointed out.

There is a big convenience backing up all snapshots without leaving Windows, as you already know. Which is why users been holding there breath for this Drive Cloner feature whenever that would be...if ever.

PS. IFW Physlock simply waits and suspends writes to the partition and relevent data. Physlock gives the nod to IFW to start when disk quiet otherwise IFW auto start in default 10mins which I set to 1min regardless.

 

one just has to wonder about the future of these snapshot apps with the speed of computer and storage increasing.

of course, if one has a huge hard drive with lots of GB of data to restore one of these snapshot apps might be preferable.

but i can restore an image worth 17 Gb of data in 5 minutes on this 3 years old computer.
with new computers and super fast HD it's probably even faster...

 

Dear Moontan,

You are correct Keriver 1-Click Restore rocks!

Best regards,

KOR!

 

wow!
you folks are right, i just had a look at the screenshots on their site; it's the same app.

i like the look of the Keriver boot console better (reminds me of the cover art for "Epsilon in Malaysian Pale" ) and it's 280$ cheaper.

 

Can we PLEASE stay on the topic of this thread...

 

Panagiotis,

Beyond Mark's explanation as to the end result of attempting a Normal image-backup of an RB-protected partition from within Windows (i.e. 'Hot Image'), I should add that when one creates a Raw Hot Image of an RB-protected partition the end result is that the RB-protected MBR and perhaps other sectors in track 0 are not properly imaged (RB shields that from happening)! So even if the Raw Hot Image captures all snapshots, upon restoring the image the RB application is corrupted and inoperative.

So I am very curious to see how Mark manages to penetrate RB's MBR shield when creating a Hot Image!

Aaron

 

@ Mark
I did not mean to backup from outside windows, that is why I said to create a RAW of an unlocked drive.

@ Aaron
Only the last/current/unlocked snapshot will be corrupted, all the others will be fine.
Just backup the mbr from outside windows for being on the safe side.

Panagiotis

 

Yes, an MBR backup from WinPE would be a must in that scenario, but as long as one would have to do that, then imho one might as well just do a PE-Raw backup of the entire partition!

Aaron

 

The offline MBR only needs to be backed up once. As it doesn't change there is no need to backup the MBR each time an image is created.

 

Brian, I only wish that were true, but the tests that I've run on my RB system do not validate your statement (although I couldn't identify whether that was due to a changed MBR or some other sector changes in track 0)!

Aaron

 

Aaron,

Thanks. I accept your testing as it was obviously done over a longer period than my one day of testing.

 

Brian, I wish I better understood the underpinnings of RB (as I imagine Mark does). Over the past few years I have tried various methods to hot-image my RB partition, but everytime I wiped the partition (including track 0) before restoring, the hot-image failed to restore properly for one reason or another (depending on my specific backup methodology).

If Mark can come-up with a reliable way to hot-image an RB partition (without relying on any kind of track 0 external backup) then my hat's off to him.

Aaron

 

Aaron you are wrong.
Unless you update your baseline snapshot, the position of the bootsector of RollbackRX is never moved (does not reside in the mbr) and the mbr does not need to be updated.
Only if you update your baseline snapshot you need to make a new copy of the mbr.

Panagiotis

 

@Panagiotis

A unlocked drive in Windows? zWhat you mean,refer to exactly? Do you mean without Rollback running?


Saving the MBR long time and forget you changed partition sizes at later date can be byebye data on restore.,. ?