Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

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

  1. jwcca

    jwcca Registered Member

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    Last weekend I had a problem restoring a Reflect image to a larger SSD (120GB>256GB) and at first thought it was a Macrium problem. Instead it turned out that I needed to update my BIOS (F10>F12) and quite a few MB drivers. That was my bad!

    Is there a possibility that the same thing applies to AX64? I don't use it, I just watch the thread.
    Could it be that those with success have updated Bios & MB drivers while those that haven't had success haven't updated?
    Or vice versa.
    Of course it could be that the developers need to do the updating.

    I don't have an opinion, I'm just asking the questions for others to consider.

    J
     
  2. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    J, the problem with updating drivers is a real issue for some people. Many follow the LWEA principle (Leave Well Enough Alone), mostly due to the fact that many times driver updates cause more harm than good, and that's scary. In your case you had something that wouldn't work and took a shot at driver/BiOS issues... and you lucked out.

    It's a hard nut to crack... the same nut that exists with BiOS updates. The typical user knows nothing of BiOS (or driver) "innards"... and they truly are innards. To just take a shot at updating them (when all else is running just fine) is a very scary proposition. I just went through this with an Intel wireless adapter located inside a 2012 laptop. It supposedly used a certain driver set from Intel but when loaded it would not work at all. Turns out it was the right driver set but the device would not operate at any release level after late in 2012... who knew, and this wasn't documented anywhere.

    So basically the whole BiOS/driver thing can sometimes be a real crapshoot... if the user doesn't have a clear way back to where he started, he/she could be in real jeopardy after the update.
     
  3. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Sorry for lack of activity. Didn't get a chance to check what I missed. But how is Windows 10 support coming along? Thanks.
     
  4. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    ROFL. About the same as Windows 7,8,8.1 Another words nothing is happening
     
  5. jwcca

    jwcca Registered Member

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    I agree, I was in the LWEA camp until last weekend. I'm not going to test whether it was related to an update that I had done recently (6 months ago?) from the Intel site that was newer than the version on the Gigabyte site, I just updated using the older Gigabyte version and will not use any updates from the Intel site from now on. And I didn't test after each update to possibly identify the culprit, I just did all in a row starting with the BIOS.

    I was lucky in the sense that I had two fully functional 120GB SSDs that had no sizing problems, I just wanted to get bigger ones. And if there was an issue with the specific 256GB SSDs I could buy more from a different manufacturer later, so I just kept switching cables until I finally got it right.

    You're right, because I've done BIOS updates before I wasn't afraid to do another, however it could be very scary for anyone who was doing it for the first time. At least my Gigabyte board has two BIOS chips, update one and if that fails, revert to the other rather than lose the board. Because the F10 and F12 BIOSs were so old, I concluded that the F12 was stable and safe since, if it had problems, there would have been an F13...

    J
     
  6. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Regardless of the skepticism expressed by others I look forward to the release of the next beta. AX64 has served me well over the last 1.5 years and I expect the problems will be ironed out eventually and AXTM will take it place with the best.
     
  7. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Hi Barry

    That AX64 has served you well is great. Actually Beta 548 was serving me well until it was torpedoed. I see 3 major issues. 1) they don't seem to be that customer service savvy, and that can sink them. 2) Worse still is here they at this point in time, and they still don't have their technicals nailed down. and 3) worse still what is their market and how do they reach it.

    Pete
     
  8. mxyzptlk

    mxyzptlk Registered Member

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    Mr Goodman, you are really a very nice & kind man :thumb:
    You remind me of my pal Supes who works in Daily Planet, he just likes you, has a heart of gold :cool:
     
  9. appster

    appster Registered Member

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    I find this kind of strange, if not hypocritical. You dropped RB like a hot potato even though it never failed you because of the way HDS does business, but you remain loyal to AX64 when the post-Isso group has been less than open and forthcoming with its users. What am I missing?
     
  10. mxyzptlk

    mxyzptlk Registered Member

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    Yeah, it really bothers me most: they need a market to survive (that includes us, the Wilderses), but they seem clueless on how to keep a good relation with its customers.
     
  11. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Not the same at all in my opinion (and Rx never failed me because I never used version 10, when I saw what it was doing to users systems and how HDS responded I decided to drop it) but if you want to think of me as a hypocrite that is certainly your prerogative.
     
  12. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I am not sure that we at Wilders are in fact their target. There have been demands/requests to increase the complexity of AXTM to suit the needs of advanced users and these came from Wilderses. Isso was very clear that he was targeting folks who did not backup because backup software was too complicated. For the most part these last are not likely to be hanging around Wilders. If the developers are able to achieve a solid program I am sure the word will spread and their market will define itself. Of course I would have preferred it if Isso had been able to maintain control of the project but things did not unfold that way.
     
  13. enonod

    enonod Registered Member

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    In order to justify my decision to wait patiently for AX64 to fully achieve, I decided to test out the 'nearest neighbour' that I could find; Raxco InstantRescue. I was dissatisfied, not because it doesn't work, it does, but because
    a) I could not extract a file from (or mount) a snapshot. If you don't need that and don't forget every change you made before snapshotting, then maybe it would work fine for you. That of course is not true of AX64.

    b) Any Archive kept off disk to keep System disk size down for whatever reason, must first be Restored back to the System drive before being able to Recover to it. That of course is not true of AX64.

    Some of the following points can be gleaned from Peter2150 and his explanation of how he uses it. My tests were aimed at using it almost like a multi-boot with different system setups instead of all software (tons) all on one system.
    The only way I could get a 'forgotten' file back was to boot back to another snapshot, copy it to another drive and then boot back. Had I updated the Archive to achieve that I would have also 'equalised' or 'merged' all other software differences between the snapshots. If my observations are of use to anybody they follow.

    1. It works with UEFI/GPT. Windows 8.1
    2. It does not pre-boot the same way as RollbackRx (who also claim that AX64 cannot go back and forward in time) and so seems safe.
    3. The pre-boot screen is crude like a first attempt at using DOS in the old days, making it difficult to spot the snapshot list among the text; no formatting or use of DOS boxes etc.

    4. The Import/Export function 'seems' redundant. A reply from Raxco to my question to Raxco Forum appears to confirm that you could achieve either way.
    As long as an Archive or a duplicate is kept off the System Drive it will achieve the same thing quicker and be updateable, whereas an Export is not. An Export would need to be Imported into an Empty snapshot whereas an Archive would not.
    It is 'as if' they invented Import/Export then improved Archiving (also removing compression at Build 302) which accidentally or by design achieved the same end, but then forgot to remove the former.

    5. It is not as fast as I expected, especially if you only keep two snapshots on the System drive and Archive the others. i.e. using it to boot to different system setups or software content rather than simply a recovery scenario.
    6. Using an Image backup like Macrium is larger the more snapshots kept on the System drive.
    7. A patch has to be used if you use a wireless keyboard, it is not part of the main software (as of latest build 307), it does not seem to be mentioned until you hit it with a non working pre-boot (which you might not come across until disaster has already struck, be warned).

    Overall, I see it as dated and over clunky (not as sleek).
    Take it or leave it.
    Obviously, of course, I stand to be corrected by anybody who discovered something I didn't.
     
  14. twl845

    twl845 Registered Member

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    IR is a quick fix for me. If something goes wrong or an app your testing turns out to have problems, all it takes is a reboot to the second snapshot, and it's like the problem never happened. Then you copy snapshot #2 to #1 and your back to normal. It isn't the same animal as Macrium or AXTM. First you should have installed Instant Recovery rather than Instant Rescue, as it does more. Check the web site for details. You need an image backup as well.
     
  15. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Hi Enonod

    I actually would agree with you on most of your points, but yes there is one thing you haven't discovered. Myself and others have been using this product since it early days as FDISR. For me it's almost 7 years. What that thing is is the reliability of the product and the support of Raxco. It does also offer some unique capabilities. Couple of years ago I found myself in the situation of a totally corrupted folder on my disk with no way to remove it. Also thru stupidity, I realized that the only image I had was a year old. I also learned that to be sure the file system itself was intact I had to either restore and image or reinstall windows. Neither good choices. It was FDISR/(now IR) that came to the rescue.

    What I did was create a new archive(Yep slow and clunky), but used a key feature, the ability to exclude folders. I simply excluded the bad folder. Then I restored the year old image, and now had a good file system. Then using the slow clunky archive restore brought the system back to normal. One hour of slow and clunky instead of a day's worth of reinstalling software.

    But also keep in mind the designed purpose is as the name says "Instant Recovery" Which means a business would basically only use two full snapshots with both being kept current. Then if any software disaster strikes they simply boot to the other snapshot and keep on going.

    Both of these things are pretty unique.

    Pete

    PS Disclaimer. I am indeed a fan boy.
     
  16. enonod

    enonod Registered Member

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    Hello twl845: My mistake, it was InstantRecovery. I used five snapshots for different setups. I understood it was nothing like Macrium before I started (I use that for periodic images), as I said, nearest neighbour to AX64, however, I disagree, it is like AXTM (very much so). It does the same job regarding booting from a different 'snapshot' or 'backup'. The merging is also similar in effect to updating, but with one exception; AX64 returns one backup from the two while IR retains both. However, a major difference is the access to the files in the 'snapshot' / 'backup' or lack of it.

    Hello again Peter2150: No I did not discover reliability (in a day or two) but take your word for it from your valued experience, in fact it was you that indirectly caused me to try it. I guess any software will occasionally prove its outstanding worth in individual situations and likewise its inability in another. I appreciate your solution to the dead folder. I find AX64 faster and I guess at the end of the day it is 'horses for courses'. Perhaps one should have a dozen pieces of software to cover every eventuality, like your dead folder. :)

    Not 'quite' current or it is pointless. In fact, like AX64, there is in fact only really one 'snapshot', the other is the one you are using (in both programs) and one can boot from the current to the copy in both programs, provided of course you update snapshot, in IR or take a new backup incremental in AX64.
    I found it a useful exercise and will hang on to it at least until my next Macrium moment... which might be more than a moment. :)

    I reserve all rights to be wrong about anything.
     
  17. enonod

    enonod Registered Member

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    @Peter 2150: I believe I have found a flaw that applies only to users of wireless keyboards. The software cannot detect a wireless keyboard and so a patch needs to be applied. This can create the flaw. Scenario...
    Install software without knowing about the keyboard issue.
    The software creates the Secondary snapshot. You use the software to set up your two or more snapshots with differing software or whatever.
    You attempt to boot to another snapshot and the error occurs. You discover there is a patch and apply it to the Live snapshot.
    You may not realise what will happen when still trying to boot another unpatched snapshot. The error will occur.
    The supposed obvious solution is to update the other snapshots before trying to boot to them.
    Doing this will of course equalise all the snapshots undoing everything set up.
    The pre-boot selection cannot be made because it only shows the error with no choices.
    The Menu item in the main program (boot to snapshot) only results in returning to the same snapshot.
    I have not tested further (I have to start again), but it seems that the patch needs to be built into the software so that it is applied before any snapshots can be made. AX64 works with wireless keyboards, of course.

    If anybody wishes to test this I would be grateful to know that there is not a different hidden problem.

    If anybody is about to try this software simply be warned to apply the patch and update the Secondary snapshot before doing anything with it, if you use a wireless keyboard.

    Once again... I reserve all rights to be wrong about anything.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2015
  18. Baldrick

    Baldrick Registered Member

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    Completely did not understand a work of this...what do you mean by secondary snapshot, live snapshot (no such thing in my book...there cannot be as a snapshot is a picture of the past).

    Yes, have found that in some cases when using the boot recovery option when Windows boots I cannot use the keyboard to tab down and select the AX Time Machine Recovery Console...but no issue, just boot normally and then reboot and all should be fine...which leads me to suggest that the issue is with Windows not recognising the USB connection rather than an issue with AX Time Machine.

    But thanks anyway.
     
  19. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

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    Ran into something I've no encountered before. I deleted old snaps to start a new chain, and when I did my first snap it took hours--as in 3 maybe close to 4. Normally it only takes an 1.5 hrs at the most. Nothing has changed. I reinstalled w/out uninstalling to repair any bad files but that didn't help either. I began to notice that my snaps were taking longer before the deletion of the old chain. Anyone run into this I know why this might be? Thanks.
     
  20. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Dagrev, you should be concerned. If you started to notice that slowness prior to the chain reset, your OS may be having some problems (possibly dealing with error correction issues) with your HDD. I would check it out with some HDD checking software and see if you can find an app that can give you the drive's S.M.A.R.T. information which is where the errors, if they are happening, are being logged.
     
  21. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

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    Thanks Froggie! I'll look into this. Everything else is running great, but I'll do some checking. Do you have a suggestion as to waht would provide good information (for an average user like me)? Thanks again.
     
  22. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Dagrev, here's a good place to START...
     
  23. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

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    Thank you very much. I'll run some of those today.
     
  24. enonod

    enonod Registered Member

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    @Baldrick: Perhaps if you read all the posts #10138 through #10142 you will realise...

    I reserved the right to be wrong on anything...
    my mistake was that I did not know how to link the last post to the ones above it, much like most of the posts here
     
  25. dagrev

    dagrev Registered Member

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    @ Froggie: So far tests are indicating no problems.
     
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