Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Baldrick, Marc,

Thank you guys, we are working in a normal pace (actually below normal, because one of the developers is on vacation). There was a really lot of work at the time of the first release, but now it's much easier.

Isso

 

geekatlarge,

Thank you very much indeed, I'm so happy to read your post! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me (or post here).

Isso

 

technotron,

We indeed don't use any online activation or DRM. For major versions - I think once a year or two.

Isso

 

Al,

I see your point. The next release most likely will add a feature to select arbitrary path.

Isso

 

technotron,

Yes, forum member discount is still active, please drop me an email to info@ax64.com and I'll send to you the coupon.

For restore - that's the expected behavior. At this moment we support the restore to a partition of the same size and offset only.

For registry keys - all registry information is backed up and restored if you select the system drive for backup (because the entire registry is located in C:\Windows\System32\config folder).
If you select a non-system drive the registry will not be saved. Hope this helps.

Isso

 

ratchet,

Thank you very much for positive review!
For last snapshot - indeed, it's a known limitation. We don't allow to delete it, because of some technical problems. However in one of the upcoming releases this limitation will be gone.

Isso

 

Thank you atomomega and kudos to Marc for quick help. Did you create the recovery media with the latest version of AX64? If yes, may I ask you to zip and upload the contents of your non-working USB stick somewhere and give me the link? Also please run msinfo32 on that system and send the NFO file to me too. I have the ISO and NFO files that you've sent to me a while before, but they are created with the old version, so the problem this time is apparently something else. Thank you

Isso

 

Thank you for the reply!

 

Forgive me for asking; I'm relatively new here, is that a 25% discount?

(I'm following this thread quietly and behind the scenes.....)


P.S. A search of the word "discount" only for this thread lead to almost 11 pages of posts....

 

Hi Alex,

Yes, 25% discount for Wilders members.

Isso

 

I had a conflict between AX64 & Shadow Defender as I had noted above but it was one that I could have lived with if I really felt a need to use Shadow Defender, and I expect you could too IF YOU EXPERIENCE THE SAME CONFLICT, which you may well not.

In my case the conflict was that each time I updated AX64 and then did a manual image the PC would blue screen. Isso did some trouble shooting for me and determined that there was a conflict with a SD driver. After the blue screen if I simply rebooted the PC it would boot normally and the next AX64 snap would take longer than it would typically take. After that all was back to normal. Snaps were created as expected, restores were normal, and manual snaps were created without issue. This is not a major issue I think so you should feel free to use SD if you REALLY WANT TO. The only other thing you will have to deal with is longer than normal snaps after you reboot the PC to get out of Shadow Mode. Again, this is not, IMO, a major issue. These issues are what you will have to deal with if you use SD and AX64 on the same PC. Its a trade off but it is not a big one (again IMO).

I must say however that I agree with what twl845 said above,,,,, if you are using AX64 there is little reason to use SD. I had used it for years and for a bit I felt uncomfortable not having it for those times I was not sure about whatever it was I was doing. after a few months with AX64 I no longer feel that way and have un-installed SD from my PC. Like you I run AppGuard on my PC and I also use Zemana Antilogger and ESET Smart Security. Between these 3 and AX64 as well as weekly images with another imaging program I feel quite safe without SD. I expect that you would too,,,,,,,especially since, as you indicate, you very rarely use SD. It would be a shame if you did not avail yourself of all that AX64 has to offer for the sake of a rarely used app.

 

Dearest Isso,

Once a year is too short of a period. It is like buying Acronis 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, .......

I believe that you had previously mentioned that a major cycle will be from two to four years, thus an average of three years, like the other major imaging software.

Best regards,

Mohamed

 

Thanks for the reply. I must admit I wish I'd read about Ax64 earlier as it seems like a much simpler solution to my slightly over the top security set up. Definitely something to consider.

 

I've never used a product like Ax64 before, arguably there isn't one out there, but what I mean is any type of imaging or backup software and the number of times I've had to do reinstall recently. I did give Ax64 a quick go once but it felt very alien to anything I used before and I decided to use software I felt more comfortable with instead.

Like many Wilder's users I'm aware of a lot of good security products but I just haven't worked out which is the right/easiest combination to use.

 

If you are not using an imaging program at all YOU SHOULD DEF START NOW.

Any hard drive failure or many virus or data corruption issues will be very difficult if not impossible to recover from without the use of a backup image. The bit about it being alien to you should not put you off of using AX64. It has been designed from the get go to be extremely simple to set up and use. Pretty much the only thing you would need to do is plug in an external drive and install the program, everything else (almost) is done without your involvement. The only things beyond the above that you would need to do would be the decision to put a tick in auto backup box or not (I recommend you do) and create the recovery media (pop a CD into your burner and click on create recovery disk). Then you can forget about it if you wish until disaster strikes and you need a way to recover. AX64 will also make it clean and painless to test software or OS system modifications if you want to use it for this (again I recommend you do). If you do not like a program you have tried/tested, or if you decide you are not happy with any modification to the OS/user interface, a few clicks and a reboot (reboot happens automatically when you recover/revert) and its as if it never happened.

AX64 has about the shallowest learning curve of any program I have seen,,,,never mind any backup/imaging program. The developer is also the most responsive and helpful regarding any usage issue or rare problems I have yet to encounter. All told AX64 will be one of the best investments you will make. Extremely highly recommended.

 

Spot on BG...excellent advice & overview of AXTM.

 

Absolutely! Have to second that great advice with my own follow up endorsement. AX64 TM is simple as can be while excelling in image BACKUP/RESTORES as well as instant snapshot capability.

Regards Easter

 

Bgoodman4, your post has definitely given me something to think about. When I started Ax64, I pretty much had to partition my 1TB HD to create backups. What worries me is if I do end up with a virus or any other problem that messes my system up, won't it affect the back ups that are also on the same HD? I can't get my head around it and I appreciate that this isn't just an Ax64 issue.

Also you mentioned the back up media was one cd. That's pretty impressive! From my experience with other backup programs, I can end up using over 10 DVDs.

I don't have an external HD either. Would this be a problem too?

 

I think that you have slightly misunderstood BG. The back up media he is referring to is NOT a back up of your disk but rather a disk that contains what is necessary to boot into Windows and run the AXTM browser under which you can then recover from your backups/snapshots.

But that only works if you can access the disk that the backups are on and if these are on your main disk and that is inaccessible (hence why you would be undertaking a recovery using the Recovery CD/DVD) then even AXTM won't help you. You need to save the backups/snapshots made by AXTM to an external HD.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks Baldrick that did help. I think an external hard drive is going to be my next purchase.

 

Actually, merisi, I was being a bit too specific with the external...it could be another internally mounted HD, if that is easier or more convenient...the important thing is that the backup/snapshots are not on the drive that AXTM is protecting.

 

Thanks for the clarification Alas I have neither so I'll have to sort that out.

 

Merisi, there's more to this whole thing than just what has been discussed.

You say you had to partition your 1tB HDD to create backups. If that means you created a multi-partition disk (your system partition and a data partition for your backup images) then, indeed you can use that DATA partition for your AX64 TM BASELINE and backups. This configuration can protect your system partition against virii and rootkits, but it cannot protect you against a HDD hardware failure... for that, you need a separate HDD for your backup images.

If your system becomes infected, it is the system partition that gets itself entangled with viruses and bad BOOT vectors due to rootkits, not your backup data images in the separate DATA partition. That why a restoration of your system partition (and your HDD's Master Boot Record <MBR> if necessary) will return your infected system to some sort of normalcy.

If that 1tB hard disk goes bad, you are totally out of luck accessing those backup images if needed so a separate HDD is needed for those images to protect yourself against HDD hardware failure.

Feel free to use that separate DATA partition on your 1tB HDD for AX64's images until you have yourself a backup disk.

 

FYI Seagate has a nice 2TB external HD for $100 on sale that I use. A lot better than 10 DVD's.

 

External drives are getting cheaper and terabyte portable drives can be found for under $70. Non portable drives can be had for less.

YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT PUT THIS OFF. Way too many folks have realized too late how important this is. Imagine waking up one morning and not being able to boot into your drive because it has died (it does happen more often than some folks think). Not only is all your data gone, but you will have to get a new drive, reinstall WinX and all the apps you use. Then you will have to configure everything and still, no data. With an image its simply a matter of getting a new drive, restoring the latest image, and your back to where you were when you shut down the previous night. Under 2 hours and all is well verses days of work and still no data. Add in the more likely scenarios of a corrupt OS, a messed up Windows update (pretty common), a virus, or anything else that PCs are prone to and its really a no brainer IMHO.

Previously backing up and or imaging was work, with AX64 it no longer is.

Isso suggests that the backup drive be 2 times the size of the partition you are protecting. I would amend that to at least 2 times the size of the used space you are protecting. I have a 500 gig drive in my Tablet/Laptop PC that has only 126 gigs of used space. I really do not need a terabyte of storage space, 300 gig to 500 gig would be plenty. That being said I am using a terabyte portable drive, the difference between the $65 I paid for it verses the $50 being asked for the 500 gig drive was not enough to justify the smaller drive,,,,, but the key is to get those backups,,,, so whatever you decide to spend on a drive please do it sooner rather than later. I really would rather not have to say I told you so.