Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

The first thing I would suggest is that you contact AX64 support and let them know what you have experienced. Cold restore failures are rather rare so I am sure they would appreciate hearing from you. They will ask you to provide them with the AX64 logs and then they will troubleshoot the issue.

In addition the following may be a possible way for you to proceed.

Many of us are using a 2 tier protection system. That is, AX64 in combo with a 2nd, regular, imaging program. In my case (as in most if not all cases), its not because I do not trust AX64 per se, but because I do not trust any single program with my precious system/data.

What I have been doing is imaging with a 2nd program as I would normally (that would be 1x per week in my case) and using AX64 in auto mode the rest of the time. I have very rarely (maybe 2% of the time at this point and not since early last summer) had a hot restore fail on me but if I did, and if cold restore did not work, I could go to my traditional image program to restore to my latest weekly image. This image would of course contain AX64 so at that point I could simply fire up AX64 and access the last AX64 snapshot (or any AX64 snapshot) and copy any more recently created data files over to my normal drive to bring them up to date. AX64 is not just a drive imaging program (for me), I use it as a sort of short term (the last 3 hours of PC activity) versioning file level protection app as well.

I see no reason that you could not employ the same or a similar regime. You have had good success with hot restore and really that is what makes AX64 unique in the realm of recovery programs. In the interim the developers are refining this still very young app (and working hard on the Win 8.1 generated bugs) and I have no doubt that the issues you have experienced will be solved in due course.

 

Sorry to hear your predicaments.
Your experiences are only confirming how AX64 is not yet ready for 8 and/or 8.1.
I have a Win 8.1 system, and yes, I don't put AX64 in it.
However, I also have 2 Win 7 systems, both are protected by AX64, and both have been imaged & restored many times successfully. For these systems (particularly for each of their OS/Windows partition), I put my trust in AX64.
I long for multi-partition support, so that I can then put the whole of my Win 7 systems into AX64's hands

However, I found it interesting that you have the (restore) problems only after you tried to do a cold-restore (and of course also the "booted into recovery" thing).
Maybe this can give clues to the developers.
I wonder, was the cold-restore successful but then somehow Win 8 intervened, thus ruined (confused) AX64?
Or, instead, was the cold-restore unsuccessful (which has never happened to me and lot of others), although previous hot-restores were ok?
Also, who was actually responsible for the "booted into recovery"? Win 8.1 which detected the need for it (either correctly or incorrectly), or AX64 cold-restore process (which suggested that there was something very wrong in the cold-restore process)?

Hopefully these can help AX64's developers to better it, for 8/8.1 systems and other systems as well.

 

mxyzptlk, are your win 7 systems UEFI / GPT type?
Thanks.

 

new / old player back in town

http://www.raxco.com/home/products/instantrescue#details

 

Can you send me the logs?

 

Just thought of something I should have asked a long time ago! At the start of AX media boot it says something about "network" but offers to skip this step, which I always have since I have no network storage and it seems to just be in an endless loop. Is it acceptable that I do that or could that be part of the "mouse" issue? Thank you!

 

Hi ratchet

In regards to the network panel that comes up, if you do not have any NAS devices, etc., I would let it search for about a minute then simply click "Skip". That would be fine.

I skipped that dialogue after about a minute as i do not have any network storage etc., and it was fine. I DID notice one time that my mouse cursor was frozen or hung for approx. 10 seconds but I think it was because of the network search doing its thing, but just incase, I let it go for about a minute, then skipped. I had no issues at all with the boot media, both "local install" or UFD drive. This was operating on Win7 Pro SP1 x86 Dell laptop, basic MBR disk.

Hope that helps.

Jim

 

Thank you, it does help! I have the mystery missing cursor (mouse) issue. The AX GUI loads but I can't do anything with it. No biggie though, hot restores never fail and I have other boot media and images available should I need them. Thanks again, ratchet

 

You're welcome! Good to hear your hot restores are working great. Have a good evening/day

Jim

 

I've sent the logs as requested, and installed beta v1.4.1.48. So far the beta hasn't made a difference. All problems that existed before still exist.

Thanks for your attention; I'm sure everything will get straightened out.

 

I'm sorry, but I had a hard time trying to figure it out

Windows' Device Manager for both systems state that all the HDD have "MBR" as partition type, so I believe I don't use GPT.

Regarding UEFI, one of the systems is quite old, I think it isn't UEFI.
The other system is using MSI H77MA-G43 as mainboard, I believe it's UEFI?

I don't know much about UEFI thing, only have the understanding that in Windows world, only Win 8 & above utilizing it. Hopefully I got this small bit correctly...

 

As a matter of fact I did. The keyboard arrows worked but that was about it and prior to that nothing worked. You definitely found an interesting fix but my mouse didn't cooperate!

 

Yep, according to the specs page, the MSI board has:

 

wow really got screwed here with ax64 today. a client was using it and did his daily backups and today he brought it in because he went to restore the last one and everytime it gets to 28% it locks up and freezes. well after about 10 hours of sitting there we finally had to shut her down. now the system no longer boots and chkdsk fails as well when we boot from the boot disc to restore from there it cant see the backups off the external drive. i can see the drive but the backup that should be there is not. tried booting into safe mode but it seems ax64 will not run from there. so looks like he is screwed unless someone has any ideas. i suggested to him to use 2 different backup solutions but he was only using ax64 and it cant do anything to help right now it seems. this sucks big time. a LOT of data will be lost if i cant fix this somehow.

 

Hi zfactor,

Could you please provide more info. Which OS, ax64 version, logs ?

Also you wrote:
>> tried booting into safe mode but it seems ax64 will not run from there
Seems or not running at all ?

>> as well when we boot from the boot disc to restore from there it cant see the backups off the external drive
You have opened the folder and don't see backups from ax64, but they exists ?

Thank you,
Iurie

 

did you try to use a live CD ( like unbuntu) to :

1- access the partitions and backup the important files
2- check if the backup is really there


then you will just have to reinstall the OS and AXTM

 

I would agree with guest, confirm backup's are on the external drive, reinstall OS, install AX64 and try and rollback to the required image and/or access the images and backup the important files.

 

Hi zfactor.

What type of restoration used? HOT or COLD?

 

Make sure you have the external drive plugged into a USB 2 port. Many times USB 3 ports will not show the images for a cold restore.

Keep in mind that if the images exist they can always be mounted as a virtual drive and the data can be copied from there after a re-install of the OS.

One last thing, freezing of the type you mention is known to occur during a hot restore if certain security products are running when the restore is attempted.

 

Bingo, especially with Windows 7 which is not 100% compatible with USB 3. I can always see my USB 3 drive with AXTM, ShadowProtect, and built-in Windows imaging to create an image, but I can never find that USB 3 drive doing a restore with any of those three programs.

Again, bingo.

Acadia

 

[edit] At times other things can cause problems as well not just security software. I have the hot freezing with every conceivable thing is is manually stopped in services. (Though even in safe mode--warm restore-- Windows Defender will keep it from working.)

 

win7 x64, newest version of ax64 from the site that is listed .24 i believe, yes the images are there and no it can not see them. no it doesnt run at all in safe mode i get some kind of error (not in front of the system right now to see what that is). i booted to the recovery media and no backups blank list. i can search to the folder and nothing is inside its blank. but yes they are there i confirmed on 2 other machines. one is 19gb and then the snapshots.

doesnt matter what usb plug (its a laptop) i tried them all it CAN see the drive and everything on it minus the backups. still messing with it later when i get back to the office. cold restore now no longer works it failed 3 times and having to shut down the system during the recovery it no longer boots to windows. so i have now tried both.