Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by Isso, Jan 18, 2013.

  1. taotoo

    taotoo Registered Member

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    I've a feeling I've done exactly this in the past.
     
  2. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    I haven't tried this with v2 (v1 worked fine) but if the same limitations exist as existed then, the following will be required.

    Successful partition re-installation via AX64 requires one of two things... the exact original partition (size and ID) to re-image to, or an unallocated chunk of disk space at least as large as the AX64 imaged partition was.

    If that be the case, a FRESH (or CLEAN) INSTALL of Windows would have to produce a Windows partition at least as large as the image or larger, and since the new Windows partition would have a different partition ID than the one in the image (even if it was the exact same size), the image will not re-install until the new Windows partition was blown away (making it unallocated space).

    The real purpose of the CLEAN INSTALL would be to reproduce the partition structure that was in place before the restoration requirement (if UEFI, then at a minimum an EFI SYSTEM partition, a M$ System Reserved Partition (set to ACTIVE if originally there) and the Windows partition. At this point the Windows partition would need to be twiddled (as in the above description) in order to have a successful re-imaging by AX64.

    Now... all of this may have changed along the way without any knowledge passed on to us, only Waj and the Dev team can really explain what the current limitations are and what we can currently do. What I describe above is what was needed earlier in the dev cycle.
     
  3. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    I hate to be a naysayer, but if you have to install windows before restoring an image, then you don't have a true imaging program, but an excellent snapshot type program.
     
  4. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    Thanks for detailed info Froggy, I was assuming the exact original partition. Perhap's the best way would be to install image from another program then install and run time machine to install it's last image, that's assuming time machine's cold restore would not not run. All this may be more simple on a windows 7 mbr system compared to a modern windows 8 system.
     
  5. Zero3K

    Zero3K Registered Member

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    You could try formatting the disk then using the restore disc you made via TM to restore the latest snapshot to it. I've used it when upgrading SSDs with no issues since they were already formatted when I got them.
     
  6. demoneye

    demoneye Registered Member

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    woot ??

    using version 2.x i cant safely restore inside windows ?? are u sureo_O :doubt:
     
  7. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    The developers advise you not to use Hot Restore (restore inside windows) because of possibe problems, version 2 defaults to Warm Restore. I have had no problems with Hot restore using version 1 and 2, but beware of possibe problems if you use it.
     
  8. demoneye

    demoneye Registered Member

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    is this issue directed to version 2 especially ? coz i never herd of such thing , and version 1.X made a great restore within windows (hot) every time i use it...

    can the developer light us on that ? coz i am kinda shocked. :confused:
     
  9. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    It was also a problem for some users in v1, hence the warm restore in v2. Like you I have had no problems with Hot restore.
     
  10. Keith Weisshar

    Keith Weisshar Registered Member

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    Bare Metal Restore (deleting all partitions and restoring to empty) isn't working in v2 as it was in v1 although advertised on http://ax64.com/tour-product/.
     
  11. wajamus

    wajamus Registered Member

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    What Keith experienced was a failure on AXV2 part to backup the hidden partitions. AXV1 did this fine. We will fix this in the subsequent build. Keith is correct in that bare metal restore did not work as advertised for him. Thanks Keith for sharing your experience with the other users here.
     
  12. wajamus

    wajamus Registered Member

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    Hi Demoneye,

    What happens is ax64 during a hot restore freezes the disk in order to make sure nothing can interfere with the restore process.

    However there are some cases in which the restore may fail (some users never experience failure, like yourself) where third party applications will run even lower then Ax64 and thus interrupt and cause the restore process to fail.

    Applications that cause this to happen usually include but are not limited to other security applications eg. virus scanners , backup utilities and security software in general.

    To reduce the chances of hot restore failure, you may want to try disabling all of these types of software before attempting a restore. When the restore has completed successfully then all your previous software will be re-enabled.

    We understand this is an ongoing vulnerability to the ax64 v1 and although it works majority of the time, this was not good enough. In v2, ax64 instead of restoring in windows creates its own backup environment which is booted into. Unlike restoring from within Windows where the restore process is vulnerable to other apps, having AX64 control its own restore environment makes it far more reliable.

    Thanks!
     
  13. Chamlin

    Chamlin Registered Member

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    Arrgh. Was just about to buy v2. My PC hiccupped and all my Thunderbird email configurations disappeared. Perfect timing, no? So, I turned to v1.4.0.48 to restore to last night's last image. Froze at 0%. Tried the boot version, then the media version. Each froze at 0.1% and I had to reboot. :( Chkdsk ran each time.

    Now, I'm faced with trying to fix the thunderbird issue, and "trashing" all my old AX backups? Don't want to use Macrium as it's older than it should be and too much has changed.

    How to uninstall the boot aspect of v1 so I can install v2? And might v2 be able to restore to one of these images?
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2014
  14. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

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    Hi, sorry for this basic question : is there a difference between hot restore and warm restore ? Thanks.
     
  15. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

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    Go up two posts to 8737!
     
  16. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    Chamlin, sounds like the last image you took is corrupt, can you not try a previous image? V2 has worked for me with v1 images but I can't see it helping in your case. You could go back to your Macrium image, run time machine and try the time machine images again, but this would only work if the images are on another disk.
     
  17. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

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    Frog and/or wajamus, last week I just restored to an incremental Macrium image after removing v1 and testing v2. Given my outstanding track record with v1 hot restores, I'm not about to dump it yet. So can I safely remove v1, install v2 (with my license number) and return to v1 from another Macrium image?
    My issues were the forever (v1&v2) missing MS 5000 mouse cursor (other PS/2 and USB mice work fine) during cold restores and the more serious issue that after entering AX to the boot menu, the W7 SP1 boot option menu never again rendered, just booting into W7 each time.
    If I do try this again, I'll include logs or I may just sit on my 14 buck license a while longer. Thank you!
     
  18. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

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    Thanks, I read it already but warm restore was not mentioned. Now I understand what it means, hopefully.
     
  19. demoneye

    demoneye Registered Member

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    now i think i got it , version 2 make his own restoring environment like a pre boot and there it do the restoring...unlike version 1 who did it in windows environment... am i correct? (never try version 2 restoring).
     
  20. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    You are correct, that is a warm restore. Also under v2 you can select to do a hot restore under the advance features, this is the same as hot restore in v1, but is not recomended.
     
  21. Baldrick

    Baldrick Registered Member

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    As far as I can tell I tell it is very likely that if one has had no issues with the Hot restore in v1 then one will not have any issues with the same functionality in v2...but the only way to know is to try. ;)
     
  22. demoneye

    demoneye Registered Member

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    why not ? coz it got what u tell me before about version 1?("third party applications....") or coz its bugy ?

    10x again :)
     
  23. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Ratchet... you just did that successfully :) Remember... Macrium is a TIME MACHINE that doesn't use snapshots. If you have a good Macrium AXTM v1 image in tow, and you decided to remove the current v1 app and do some v2 testing, you can easily go back to that image without issue... no residual effects from the re-imaging. People do this all the time (ask Pete ;) )

    And... if during/after your v2 testing, if your system was not left compromised (ie, TIME MACHINE is running successfully), you can use the v2 Time Machine (WARM restore or HOT restore if that has worked for you in the past) to go back to a TM snapshot that has v1 alive in it (just like Macrium), both work very well.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2014
  24. Chamlin

    Chamlin Registered Member

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    Thanks for the support Kit1cat. I found a way to fix my Thunderbird issue and think it's best to just start fresh with TMv2, new baseline image, new Macrium image and call it a day.
     
  25. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    DemonEye, v2's HOT restore is exactly the same as v1's HOT restore... no new bugs. The reason it's NOT RECOMMENDED is for the same reason that v1's HOT restore was flakey for some users. V2's HOT restore "warnings" are the same as v1's HOT restore warnings. And has been said many times, if you've successfully used v1's HOT restore without issues, AND your system configuration doesn't change very much at all, v2's HOT restore will most likely have the same results. The main difference, of course, is v2's new WARM restore option (the DEFAULT)... which has none of the "issues" of the previous HOT restore but does restore in the same manner (restores only CHANGES from current state to selected snapshot state, rather than a complete re-imaging of your storage element from the BASELINE to the selected snapshot state... also know as a COLD restore).
     
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