Which disk imaging program?

Maybe you have to look thru the dense bushes to see the real trees,Real opinions are based on trialling and using it an extended time so you can speak from firsthand experience and then talk back to us.

 

Your last statement i agree ,but i can imagine their paranoia triggered from past experiences !

 

Hi EASTER, which version of Paragon are you using?
I agree on the time issue, x minutes is of no consequence to me at all, having spent on many occaision, all night reformatting and re-installing to get a computer ready to roll in the morning, mere minutes either way is of no interest. All I want from my recovery solutions is the highest reliability available, I will gladly invest 10, even 60 minutes more to acheive this. Paragon I notice sell support, which is likely why their forum is quiet, there was an open question when I looked, is it possible to verrify an image before restoring it?

 

To pay for support questions is common with most Vendors,talking about support at least the developper of ShadowProtect is here at wilders time and again.

 

Understand that, not a problem. I have no problem paying for anything I use, but when I pay, my standards are exacting. I do not pay for incompetence or poor service or workmanship (this is a general statement, and not directd at any company or party)

 

FYI - ShadowProtect Desktop/Server Edition 3.0 (available Aug 21) also supports burning to CD (R/RW), DVD (+/-R/RW), and Blu-ray (R/RE) - and by the way it does not install any additional drivers/etc in order to accomplish the media burning so it keeps your media storage stack nice and clean. It's recovery environment also contains the Hardware Independent Restore capability (which will allow you to restore your backup to completely different hardware, either physical or virtual). I like Lodore's advice though: Try them all out first and pick the one that best suits your needs and budget.

 

in fact to give some idea of just how inconsequential the time issue really is, I am of a half a mind that FD-ISR alone may be adequate disaster recovery for me. The theory being that if I have archived snapshots stored on a secondary internal or external drive, then a software meltdown on my primary operating drive could be recovered by reformat, re-install of OS, reinstall of FD-ISR and import archive/copy/update. This would be far more lengthy than restoration of an image, using SP, ATI, Paragon etc, but may still meet my needs.

 

Yes, that will work.
1. One small IMAGE of "Windows + FDISR" (fast restore) and it doesn't matter how old that image is.
2. An updated archive of each snapshot.
That is enough to restore your entire system.
If your personal data is not included in the archive, then you have to restore your data also. Karen's Replicator can do that job.

This is a very space saving solution and archives are very flexible.

 

If you have a Seagate HD on your pc, you can download a FREE copy of ATI10 with a slight restriction in that you can't image individual files. Check it out:http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39779;D

 

The problem with this program is that StorageCraft is going to require activation. I have heard in other forums that it will not work well with FD-ISR, as each snapshot will require another activation. If this is true, the program is OFF of my list.

It is too bad as I was looking forward to switching from ATI.

 

I believe the same product is also available for Maxtor HDD's. I think it's called MaxBlast in the Maxtor version.

 

Although there has been much talk about this I feel that as long as you are aware of the activation "quirk" it may be worked around. For example I will renew desktop next year, at which time SP would , if I have not found a satisfactory alternative, become a viable option. My view would be to install OS, install FD-ISR, then install SP and activate, this can then be copy/updated to all subsequent snaps without issue, if I understand properly. It only requires activation in another snapsot if you physically install it into that snapshot.
The problem seems more for those not in a position to do that. There is also no real requirement to have SP in every snapshot that you have.
My own personal issue is simply one of timing because I would have problems transferring it to another machine when I update next year. Hth

 

Yes that's right.

 

To besafe the OP:
Round and round we go .....
The thread referenced here is a cornucopia of information and distilled experiences and insights: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=139716
Some of it may be a bit out of date
@Bellgamin:

@E-A:

@tepe2: Glad you found it ?

@Le Gourou (Peter2150):

LOL

@BobD:

Just bulletproof

@DrSuess

Looking forward to seeing it.

@silver:

Hhmm. Might be the Hopefully grnxnhm will elaborate.

Fwiw: imho preferences to date:

FDISR is my cornerstone
BING (Terabyte) is my "spine"

next choices: Storage craft V2 has been really good; subject to release of V3 and possible associated issues re activation , may be better still, Paragon, then ATI.( heh: I find ATI more confusing than BING when it comes to "options" )

Dont sweat the ATI forums that is despite a daunting look, only a tiny fraction of users, http://www.dslreports.com/faq/swforumapps/14_Backup___Imaging

Realistically any of the mentioned tools are remarkable software.

Dont forget Symantec recovery tools: developing nicely..and work with VMWare...VMware also in partnership <=> with Storagecraft.
(Terabyte images will restore into VMWare too.)

For speed, safety, reliability, multiple management/booting options and partitioning tools, price ( and new version will be free if you buy now ) fully functional trial, support etc etc etc: Terabyte rules for me.

Good luck.

 

VMware also floated on the Nasdaq y'day and attracting interst from Cisco and EMC. Ticker VMW if anyone intersted.
Sorry off topic I know.

 

It's true about the activation and I'm glad other forums saw it too.
ShadowProtect works very well as Image Backup/Restore when it is installed in a FDISR-snapshot, but you can install it only ONE time in only ONE snapshot.
If you install it in another snapshot without using copy/update, you can't activate SP anymore and that is a serious restriction for FDISR-users, who like to move SP to another snapshot, like I did.
I had two Machine ID's on the same computer.

SP doesn't check your hardware for activation, it creates a hidden Machine ID stored on your harddisk and when you install SP in another snapshot, it creates another hidden Machine ID.
When that happens StorageCraft will think that you are installing on ANOTHER computer and that is considered as PIRACY.
The only way to get it right is emailing StorageCraft and explain your case and when they believe you, they will fix it.
The Machine ID has nothing to do with your hardware, it is an Activation Code with the label "Machine ID". In the beginning I thought it was a true hardware Machine ID, but that is not true.

If you format or zero your harddisk, you will also remove the hidden Machine ID. In September I will test what happens then.
The only thing that keeps working is the "Recovery CD" of SP.

 

I think this is a very valid issue for StorageCraft to look into, I personally would consider it a little less than satisfactory for the product to think that a machine has more than one Machine ID

 

Only multi-snapshot users (FDISR or RBRx) will notice this and only in case they install SP in another snapshot and that doesn't happen much.
Users without FDISR or RBRx won't have that problem.
So StorageCraft won't change it, because their activation method works in most cases and the rest is fixed with begging emails for re-activation.
I could have done a few more tests, but I was afraid that StorageCraft would really get suspicious about me. After all they don't know me personally.
After each test with an activation failure, I have to email them. If I do this too often, they won't believe me anymore.
I'm very sure that StorageCraft KNOWS the problem by now, but they won't fix it.

 

True but since you are indeed trying to re-install the product on the same computer, and assuming the right to do so as often as you like is part of the eula, it would be interesting, if not a little ott to explore what the legalities of preventing you from doing that, and further, the position of accusing you of attempting to install it on another computer in breach of eula, a false and slanderous accusation. I'm sure they would not want to make this accusation based on false information from their own product, to the wrong person in todays litigious society

 

I fully agree with both posts of you. I think that my and other user's activation problem with SP is just the beginning of problems around activation.
If my test in September also causes an activation problem, I won't be the only very first user with activation problem.

 

I can't say whether or not we'll change our activation scheme. I can say that we will discuss your concern, Erik.

The affected users are a very niche crowd, demonstrated by the fact that so far you're the first person in the universe to experience a problem with our reactivation scheme.

 

To my knowledge we've never accused anyone of breaching the EULA. If a user has a problem, they email or call us and we work it out for them. Just as we did for Erik. "..false and slanderous accusation" - where are you getting this stuff from? Ask any *real* user of ShadowProtect, who has had personal dealings with our support staff and engineers, about their experience. I think you'll find that, generally speaking, we go the distance for our users. The purpose of our activation scheme is to prevent theft, and there are reasons that it is designed the way it is (unfortunately it would not be wise for me to disclose the various ins-and-outs of the scheme). For those users (one, so far) who experience issues with this scheme, we'll happily work with them.

 

Erik, how do you feel do be the only person in the universe with this problem.

Just joking.

 

That would of course depend on whether the eula forbid the installation on another machine. My post, which you have quoted openly contains assumptions.

Indeed, just as it should be, and you yourself have been very helpful to both users and prospective users, so it would be erroneous to take any comments related to elements of StorageCraft's actvation procedure personally.

Let me assist you here,

Does that not sound like an accusation that he is installing it on a new machine? Assuming he is not, that would be both false and slanderous

Well I suppose there may be *imaginary* users around to ask, but that is by the by. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt either the excellence of the product, or for that matter the dedication of either engineers or customer service, I would leave such endorsements to those who have had dealings with them.

It is perfectly understandable and appropriate that your company should do everything possible to combat the theft of its property, and equally that you should not discuss the process of its activation in any detail here. However something is clearly wrong, assuming Erik is indeed installing on the same machine, and has made no significant changes to said machine, if the process is unable to distinguish this.

 

Yes I know you are joking
My problem has already been mentioned in other forums by FDISR-users, but they don't contact StorageCraft. They fix the problem by uninstalling the second unactivated SP and continue with the activated SP. I did the same thing.
The only difference between me and these users, is that I reported the problem to StorageCraft's support and that's why I'm the only person in the universe with this problem according StorageCraft.