Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

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

  1. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2003
    Posts:
    20,590
    As Froggie said, the answer is NO. It can not.

    Pete
     
  2. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2006
    Posts:
    1,336
    Location:
    France
    I think the answer was : none of AXTV2 recovery media can do that. I guess there are many ones (USB, CDROM, etc.)
     
  3. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Posts:
    4,945
    Location:
    The Pond - USA
    To clarify... only RESTORATIONs may be performed under the WinPE recovery environment. I'm guessing they don't want their full blown imager to wind up in the wild, being able to image and restore for FREE to non-registered users.
     
  4. Baldrick

    Baldrick Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2002
    Posts:
    2,674
    Location:
    South Wales, UK
    Well, Froggie, you may be right but then again it would not be difficult to put a switch in AXTM that disable bare metal restores in the trail or free version but allows it for the licensed version...so I am not sure I buy that one.
     
  5. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Posts:
    4,945
    Location:
    The Pond - USA
    He's not talking about restorations (bare metal or otherwise)... he's talking about IMAGING directly from the RECOVERY MEDIA, like saving a BASELINE image from that media.
     
  6. Baldrick

    Baldrick Registered Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2002
    Posts:
    2,674
    Location:
    South Wales, UK
    Ah, OK, apologies...I misconstrued...:oops:
     
  7. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2009
    Posts:
    3,237
    I agree, that is excessive. I hope the plan to give users the ability to define the snapshot and merge schedule is still being planned for.

    Still sticking with V1 for the time being.
     
  8. wajamus

    wajamus Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2013
    Posts:
    321
    Location:
    Australia
    Hi, no we do not support this feature at the moment. It is something we have considered and may implement in the future.
     
  9. wajamus

    wajamus Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2013
    Posts:
    321
    Location:
    Australia
    Hi, yes a schedule for backups and merging is on the near term game plan.
     
  10. apaert

    apaert Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2013
    Posts:
    16
    Hi
    I wasn't able to restore a Backup from a certain Folder under WinPe (done and tried to restore with Version 2.0.0.439)I couldn't even open that Folder.
    The same Partition imaged with Version 1 went well (also WinPe 2.0.0.439 ).
    The log ended with this error : TimeMachineDesktop.cpp(71)]Can't open hidden desktop. Error: 2
    Has someone any Idea what went wrong ?
     
  11. taotoo

    taotoo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2013
    Posts:
    459
    That's great to hear - would be nice if it were to be highly flexible, as a schedule such as 1hr, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, I imagine might go a long way to reducing restore times. I presume this would also be easier to implement than any change more fundamental to how chains work (that said I wonder if having the latest incremental put its sectors directly into the baseline while moving previous incrementals' sectors out to another area might result in quicker restore times to recent snapshots at the cost of longer incremental creation times - I think this is what Win 7 imaging does btw).
     
  12. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2006
    Posts:
    1,988
    This is what I love about AX64: Bye the way, I did return to v1 even though both hot and warm restores were working in v2. Unless I infer incorrectly from all of the v2 assessments, some "valuable" functions from v1 are missing in v2. Anyway, to my point. I wanted to try Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit, made an AX snapshot (23 seconds). Even though the program didn't seem to have any impact on my system performance I decided I didn't really need it. Opened AX and selected the snapshot. From the time I started the restore until the reboot started took 35 seconds. Between the chance to enter the BIOS and then next to choose between W7 or Macrium in the boot menu takes about another 30 seconds total time. Of course my system does use a SSD so that helps. AX is an amazing application as it is!
     
  13. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2006
    Posts:
    1,336
    Location:
    France
    Could you explain why you reverted to V1 if V2 works fine ? And what are those "valuable" features that may be missing. I have a V1 licence, and V2, decided to go for V2 on my Win8.1 PC and so far backup has been working fine, I didn't try any restore, fortunately. Thanks.
     
  14. timmy

    timmy Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2005
    Posts:
    140
    My question is similar to the young man above. Also have been using the ver. 2, and it seems to be working ok. If it is doing anything(s) it is not supposed to, am at least unaware of it. What are the "valuable functions" that are missing?

    But also have a question, please. There is a large box in the "console" that says Browse&Recover Data. Which works fine when I do a restore. But...this is being done in the Windows, at least the instruction is given within the Windows. Is it thus a "hot" restore? Yet am told, I think from reading here, that the program does not work for hot restores? Is it one of the "valuable functions" stated above to be "missing"? Any info apprecd. Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2014
  15. Selukwe

    Selukwe Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2007
    Posts:
    86
    The feature I am missing in TM is inability to stop the creation of backup once it has started if one changed his mind. Adding a Pause and a Stop backup button would be a worthwhile idea. Both Acronis TI and Macrium can be stopped and it is indeed a useful option.
     
  16. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Posts:
    4,945
    Location:
    The Pond - USA
    Timmy, I'll do my best to explain as I know things...

    Doing a RESTORE under the "Browse & Recover" function of TM, while in Windows, now defaults to what's been known as a WARM restore. As you already know, the WARM restore will reBOOT into a special WinRE environment, execute the requested restore for you, then return, via a reBOOT to your active Windows system.

    The original TM v1 HOT restore is still available for those who would like to use it... you will find its selection available under the ADVANCED function in the RECOVERY WIZARD window which opens after you hit RESTORE. This restore is done immediately under your LIVE Windows system and does not require BOOTing into the WinRE recovery environment. BUT... as some of us found out during TM v1 BETA testing, this function can be a bit flakey depending upon one's system configuration. Many of us have never experienced a flakey HOT restore (one which hangs during the restore process) and as a result, we continue to use it just to avoid that reBOOT into the WinRE recovery environment. Others who have experienced it have moved on to the v2 WARM restore.

    When a HOT restore would hang, the only recourse was to execute a COLD restore through a recovery media... this, of course, takes much more time than a successful HOT or WARM restore. The developers decided to offer both in v2 so that those who never had a problem could continue to use the HOT restore if they wished... the only difference is that HOT was the default in TM v1 and now WARM is the default for TM v2 (but you can select HOT under the ADVANCED option of the RECOVER window.

    As far as "Valuable" functions are concerned, I wouldn't consider HOT restore one of them. For those that have had probs with this method, it will not change... it is a flaw in the developers expectations as to how Windows and its tasks really do business, it will never be better than it is at the moment. What you might wanna do is run all your restores using the HOT method and see if you experience a failure. If you do, you can always recover using a COLD restore and then abandon the HOT method if it doesn't suit your system configuration.

    I think the main "valuable" function that's currently missing in TM v2 is the ability to "bare metal" restore your system in case of tragic SSD/HDD failure, basically restoring all the partitions you may have been saving with TM. This function somewhat worked in TN v1 but doesn't seem to be functional in TM v2. The developers have admitted such (at least to me) and are currently working on the problem.

    The second "valuable" function that seems to be awry at the moment is the ability to create RECOVERY MEDIA on CD/DVD and USB for those that do not have a Windows Distribution on DVD. In TM v1 (& TM v2 BETA), TM would create RECOVERY MEDIA when necessary, even if the user did not have a copy of the Windows Distribution. It used the Windows pre-loaded WinRE Recovery Environment to create its own RECOVERY MEDIA. This feature seems to have broken on the way from v2 BETA to "ofishul" release. This is an absolutely necessary feature to have if you ever need to externally recover one of your TM managed partitions... otherwise you're dead in the water if you need to recover your BOOTable Windows partition which may be damaged or infected.

    Others may chime in with "valuables"... but I think we're talking about what was already there, not "nice to haves."
     
  17. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2006
    Posts:
    1,988
    Thank you frog!
     
  18. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2009
    Posts:
    3,237
    In addition, I gather, due to the new retained snapshot protocol, restores can take much longer than with V1.
     
  19. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2012
    Posts:
    214
    Location:
    USA
    This seems to be working now. It didn't in the first official release, but is now in the second. At least for me, whereas before it certainly didn't function at all.
     
  20. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2006
    Posts:
    1,336
    Location:
    France
    Just curious, does Time Machine V2 auto-update itself or do I have to manually check builds on the Website ?
     
  21. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Posts:
    4,945
    Location:
    The Pond - USA
    Although with v2 and its AUTOMATIc mode taking many more snapshots than v1, this "anomaly" (which it really isn't) can make restores after a few days take much longer than with v1.

    This fact is true of ALL "incremental" (vs DIFFERENTIAL) imagers on the market... they must process each and every INCREMENTAL image to be able to put humpty back together again... although in TM's case, it doesn't not have to restore the BASELINE in this process (if you're doing WARM or HOT restores).
     
  22. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2011
    Posts:
    4,945
    Location:
    The Pond - USA
    MerleOne, TM does not access the internet for any reason (except after its install where it brings up a THANK YOU web page via your DEFAULT browser)... based on that fact I'd say you'll have to check the website for new releases. I think they plan to help with that later...
     
  23. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2006
    Posts:
    1,336
    Location:
    France
    Thanks for the confirmation.
     
  24. MerleOne

    MerleOne Registered Member

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2006
    Posts:
    1,336
    Location:
    France
    Just found out something : when I click on "Collect log" it opens a file requestert that freezes the application, or just takes a looooooong time to respond. Is this by chance a known issue ?
    Thanks.
     
  25. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 9, 2012
    Posts:
    214
    Location:
    USA
    On ver2a it did take longer for me--maybe a couple minutes. Ver 2b is about 10 seconds currently on my system.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.