Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

How about using Flyspray (http://flyspray.org/doku.php) instead of UserVoice as the bug reporting/feedback backend?

 

Isso, my duplicate post is the one with 0 points assigned (so far), so please delete that one!

Cruise

 

Thank you very much, I'll make a disk image (and test in virtual machine) before hand. Always willing to take risks for the desired results.

 

Question about function.
I am an RRX10 user that wants to switch to AX64.
When my comp would not boot, RRX10 had a screen that came up before the OS loaded allowing me to load a snapshot before the troubled boot. This saved me so many times.
Does AX64 have such an option. This is a deal breaker for me.

 

Greetings MB! The only basic function at the moment to do this is BOOTing from AXTM's Recovery Media. From there you may return to any snapshot point in time, although it will be much slower than RBrx (due to the return being done in a "re-imaging" fashion rather than a new set of database pointers as in RBrx). The result will be exactly the same, including all previous snapshots taken.

I.E., if you have 6-snaps and your system fails to BOOT for some reason, you may roll backward to snap #4 if you wish, and after successfully arriving there, you may roll forward to snap #6 if you want... or just go to snap#6 at the get-go from the unBOOTable system.

The only "major" functionality missing in AXTM that exists in RBrx is the ability, when "rolling back," to take a snap of the CURRENT SYSTEM IMAGE prior to the rollback. In AXTM, that can be done manually if your system is functional, RBrx would do that AUTOMATICALLY unless turned off. If the system is broken, however, RBrx would also do that from its sub-Console screen... AXTM cannot do that, currently, from its Recovery Media. BUT... I believe Isso and crew have plans based on application feature requests to date.

 

Thanks TheRollbackFrog.
I think I can live with that.
Do you know where I can find a screenshot of this boot screen?
Oh, and I assume I only need to create the recovery disk once and it will assess all of the snapshots after it was created?

 

Hi again MB! I EDITed my previous post, it may be relevant.

The AXTM boot screen looks exactly like the BROWSER window ("View backups.." function from the AXTM application). In fact, I believe it's the same application running under a WinRE recovery media which he builds with. The look and feel are almost identical, with the same functional buttons... it's really easy to use.

You should build a Recovery CD and boot to it... it will arrive at the Browser window.. you'll see what I mean. Just look it over (no recoveries unless you're ready). Without doing anything you can remove the Recovery CD and exit the window... the system will re-Boot.

 

Well it's a li'l better than that. You can create the Recovery media (CD or USB) and it will access ALL you snapshots whenever they were taken, not just after the media creation. Remember, the snaps are "real" data stored away from the protected partition... they're always available.

 

Just a question:

i moved then resized my system partition with some unallocated space, made a snaspshot, AXTM tell "it will be the first one and may take more time" (as a new install of AXTM).
I am ok with that.

now, i have snapshots made before the resizing, if i rollback to one of them; what may happen?

- nothing special and all will go smooth?
- restoration not possible due to partition resizing?

edit: got my answer from the first post ^^

 

So TheRollbackFrog,
Why wouldn't I want to switch from RRX10 to AX64?

 

I also have RBRx and uninstalled it so I could do a defrag a short time ago. Since I read about AX64TM and installed it, I still haven't re-installed RB. I don't think I need it with AX64TM installed. We'll see. I still have the RBRx .exe file in my download folder if I want to run it. You can run both AX and RB at the same time, but I would only need RB if I wanted it for that pre boot screen.

 

Well... if you have a SPEED DEMON requirement, you won't switch. AXTM is clearly slower when recovering an unBOOTable system, and slightly slower when rolling through snaps on a LIVE Windows system.

Bottom line for me (and I've already made the switch)...

1. The application support has been OUTSTANDING to date.

2. Plans for its improvement are solid and exciting (feature additions, capability, etc.).

...and

3. 99% of the RBrx functionality is there, and at my age I'm not in a big hurry anymore

 

Maybe because you like to live dangerously? Based on my (horrific) experience with RBRx I would add one more reason to switch...
With RBRx installed you stand a much greater chance of system corruption!

 

I've only just found about Ax64 and I've not used system restore type of software before apart from the one built into Windows which I've come to realise has problems. So I have a number of questions:

1. Is Ax64 up and running properly or still in development?
2. Is the license for life?
3. Will their be any odd or negative effects on my pc by installing it or any program conflicts?

 

1. AX64 is good to go. V1.1.996 Final Release
2. Not at this time. (see http://ax64.com/#!prettyPhoto for price structure.)
3. None. Your personal pc settup the exception.

 

merisi,

You can safely install AX64 and try it on your system. If it causes any problems you can easily remove it, although you should report any such problems to the developer Isso.

After installing the software the very first thing you should do is click on the Create Recovery Media button and proceed to make a boot-disk. Then bootup with that boot-disk (do you know how to do that?) to see if it is able to boot your system and discover your hard drives, as this is still a problem for some of us.

Btw, of course the system is still in development, and that's a very good thing!

Cruise

 

Could somebody please refresh my memory?

1. What is the problem with using "chkdsk"?

2. Is the BROWSER treeview scheduled for the next release?

thanks

 

Zero3K,

Thank you for suggestion. Frankly right now I have no time to look into alternatives - whatever we have now seems to work, so I'll leave it as it is. Later I'll think about it. Thank you

Isso

 

Masterblaster,

I'll add my thoughts to what TheRollbackFrog and Criuse mentioned.
This is how I see the two programs compared:

RollbackRX proc:

- Speed
- More features (like advanced scheduling, taking snapshots at certain events)

RollbackRX cons:

- A number of design flaws:
a) power failure may corrupt the drive
b) bad compatibility with imaging, defragmentation, file recovery, and other programs
c) decreases SSD performance and life by blocking TRIM
d) prevents normal use of paging file
e) snapshots need defragmentation, uninstallation is a pain
f) prevents normal use of Multiboot system, because modifying the volume from another OS will corrupt the snapshots
g) disables Windows recovery environment in a silly attempt to overcome f)
and more...

- RollbackRX cannot be used as a backup program (although claims so). For example disk failure will result in unrecoverable system. MBR infection by malware is also an unrecoverable situation (and there are a bunch of viruses that easily infect MBR bypassing Rollback).

And I really doubt they will ever able to add proper TRIM support and EFI secure boot support - IMHO the program design won't allow to do that.




AX64 TM currently also has some design problems, but they are not as critical as RollbackRXs. The most important problem that we have is following:
AXTM has a file where it keeps the data about changed sectors since last backup. That file is always open, and when checkdisk is running at system boot, it doesn't like that fact and refuses to start. We are going to fix this in upcoming 2-3 months - it will require a lot of redesign. However it's quite doable. Otherwise I don't see important problems with AXTM design - all in all it's just a imaging app like Macrium, Acronis, Shadowprotect, just heavily optimized for speed. And imaging technology has proven itself.

Hope this makes sense.

Isso

 

rostrow,

Please see my reply above for checkdisk. For tree view - I'm not sure about when we'll add it, but I think in about 1-2 months (BTW I think that idea is missing from feedback.ax64.com, may make sense to add it there, and see how many votes it gets. If many, then I'll consider giving priority to it).

Isso

 

Were you able to find the reason for the automatic merging not completing every now and then?

 

Yes, next update will fix that.

Isso

 

Isso... You should be sipping on old scotch to celebrate the release right now.

 

Marc, what a wonderful idea, I don't have scotch though, but let me grab a beer

Isso

 

Testing RX and AXTM together on real system.

Purpose: use RX for daily usage (testing softs, malwares, etc...) and AXTM to negate any system crash/corruption/infection that may be not recoverable by RX.

OS: fresh install and update of Win7 x64 SP1, system partition's original size: around 16,5 Gb.

Procedure steps: (for the moment)

1- installed RX, rebooted, it creates its baseline. (333mb)
2- installed AXTM, rebooted
3- AXTM created its 1st Snapshot (it detected ~17.5 Gb converted into a ~7.9Gb snapshot, backup time: ~12mn, the size seems to include RX's Baseline)
4- installing my softwares (office, AVs, etc...)



note to Isso: the right side panel still not display the files/folders of the snapshot but the desktop of my real system.