Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

In defense of AX64 v.1 it might not be wise to use it under an UEFI/GPT system. But the latest v1 versions like 1.4.1.48 certainly have no problem backing up and restoring the System Reserved Partition of Win7 systems.
I have used it extensively under Win7-64bit. Version 1 can only backup 1 partition at a time (as opposed to V2), but the SRP is backed up additionally if it is present by default.
paulescobar modified the SRP by giving it a drive letter so for AX64 it was no longer a SRP.

IMO this is in no way a bug of AX64 v1. It is a lack of understanding by the user of how this software works.


Cheers
manolito

 

Thanks for the info!

 

I have mentioned this previously, but I've not gotten around to doing anything about it. On Win 8.1, I am having issues with 1.4.1.48. It freezes upon trying to do an incremental. I have not tried to start a brand new chain, mainly because I'm sitting with a license to v.2 or Flashback that I've never used; and I am debating whether to uninstall 1.4.1.48 and install v. 2.

So, my question is this--has anyone had any issues with uninstalling 1.4.1.48 on a win 8.1 machine? I assume that it is a straight-forward as using add/remove programs and uninstalling from there?

P.S. Lastly, I'm wondering if I'm being way too paranoid as I also use the paid version of Macrium Reflect to do daily incrementals (M-F) and if I should just dump AX64/Flashback....

 

Cant help with your uninstall issue but I am using both Macrium and AX64 together. Like you I am using MR to do daily incrementals but I like having AX64 for the hourly snaps. It has been said that MR is easy to set up for hourly snaps but to me its more work than I care to do especially since I have a license for AX64 and it works fine for me.

Re the freezing issue,,,,,,I start a new chain every month or so. I see no reason to have snaps going back months especially since I have Macrium going back 3 months. Also, starting a new chain does not mean you will not be able to access the old chain if you need to go to it so there is no reason not to start the new chain IMO.

I have not used V2 so cannot comment on it.

 

You are quoting the experience of my latest chain. To recap, software required the SRP to be assigned a letter to gain access to boot folder. I would love to think this was the issue, because I am more comfortable using AX64.

But if you had gone up the page a little...you would have seen my previous issue. It was in regards to another chain & OS installation on the same laptop. In this chain, no modification was ever made to the SRP. Even in this case, it would not recover the SRP and no AXB backups were ever created for the SRP.

 

Last night I tried to install FlashBack build 703 trial on a Win10 desktop and ended up with an unbootable machine. The install seemed to go normally and asked to reboot the machine which I agreed to. The machine shut down and that was it, stated no boot device found. Fortunately I had done a recent backup using Macrium and was able to restore the machine. Thinking maybe it was a fluke, I tried again today with the same exact results. Looks like I'll just stick with Macrium on this machine. I'm curious if this has happened to anyone else or if you've ever heard of this happening with AX64 or FlashBack?

 

Yeah, it was really strange. I installed FB on my Win10 laptop about two weeks ago and had zero issues, so I was really unprepared for it trashing the desktop like it did...

 

Wow. Makes me nervous about uninstalling version 1 and installing version 2 on my Win 8.1 system.....

 

I suspect that the issue was related somehow to Win 10 and his particular configeration of this particular device, if you are nervous you might want to simply image with another image program before you do the upgrade,,,,,,,,lots of folks have done the upgrade on many different systems so its unlikely you will have a problem but it does not hurt to be safe.

Question for Kid Shamrock: did you try booting from the AX64 rescue disk. I suspect this would have enabled you to recover the machine without having to use Macrium.

 

No, I don't have an AX64 rescue disk. The error occurred when I was trying to install the program, so I never had an opportunity to make a rescue disk. I do have a Macrium rescue disk, which I used to boot and restore the machine.

 

Hey Froggie,

maybe you are so much in love with Macrium lately that you tend to mix up a few things about AX64 v.1. Here's a couple of quotes which are either misleading or plain wrong...

The hidden partition is always backed up automatically if the system drive C: is selected for backup. Cannot be disabled.

Not sure about UEFI (no way to test it), but the options to backup or restore the EFI partitions are there. And the SRP is no problem at all with the lastest v.1 builds.

This is plain wrong. The latest v.1 builds backed up and restored the SRP just fine. The bug where the SRP was no longer backed up was introduced much later in v.2 by the new gang from Down Under. And this bug was only fixed with the latest v.2 build 703.

The reason I took my time for this post is that I verified my statements using an older Win7-64bit laptop where I still have the SRP installed.

I really am no fan of Flashback v.2, I believe that the new guys are just not up to the task. But v.1 when Isso was still in charge is still a very capable software. If you can live with the limitation that it can only backup 1 partition (and your system is up to it) then IMO AX64 v.1 is much superior to Flashback v.2.

Cheers
manolito

 

Morning Mab!

This has always been the problem with AX64 since the beginning. Your mention of things working above have little or no real meaning for ALL users of AX64. Almost since the beginning their issues have been configuration dependent. A great many users have never had an issue with the SRP being saved automatically (v1 or v2) but many have. That missing SRP issue was still around, with some users, even after the finalization of v1.4.1.48... I was even working with that group concerning that issue at that very time. Of course an additional issue in the same area may have cropped its ugly head in v2 development but the original one was never completely dealt with.

With AX64, any given user repeating a given successful imaging/restoration scenario guarantees almost nothing with this particular application... the guarantee is only for the user running the scenario. This app has been that way for a very long time... it almost seems to have an operational mode all of its own depending on different user's configurations, and I'm not just talking about Legacy-MBR vs UEFI-GPT vs SRP or no SRP. It's really hard to tell what's going to happen on a given user's machine... I just don't trust it anymore.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that v1.4.1.48 is as solid as this app is ever going to be (I still use it, albeit well pre-tested, on many client machines), but I wanted Paul to understand that there have always been issues with every version of this app since its inception, not necessarily HARD failures with all users, but soft failures depending on system configuration.

Edit: ...and am I a Macrium Reflect fanboi? I like the application very much... it's very solid, but I also have always like AX64's application since Isso's inception. I just wish somebody over there in the Dev group can get a complete handle on system formats and partitioning issues... it's been a long time ya know (over 3-yrs)

 

Love....love...love this sig line!! Married to a woman with a "little extra weight", I can certainly confirm it.

 

Peter,

I dont know about FB V1 but FB V2 latest is not compatible with SD. When I installed FB V2 latest it mentioned not compatible & remove SD.

 

Mr Frog -

I hope you know there was absolutely no insult intended whatsoever!!!

I (as I am sure everyone on this board) totally respect your knowledge and abilities! I also enjoy reading your posts!

Regards,
SteveG

 

Of course I do... that's why I "stuck out my tongue" at you and smiled broadly

As far as the non-TRIM test was concerned, it was carried out, via TeamViewer, with the HDS Senior Support Team sitting on my test system watching the script performing (I offered to do it on a System of their choice instead... they refused). In the end, after all the snapshot creation and deletion and Rollback defragging, AND the complete uninstall of Rollback RX, every piece of data created during that scripted test was still inside the SSD, being carried around ad infinitum 'cause Windows never knew it existed... it had never been TRIMmed.

The Support Team was "very surprised" by the results and informed me that they would take this issue up with the Developers (I happen to believe, based on work done in the past, that the Senior Support Team and the Developers are one in the same) and get back to me. Of course that never happened (I really didn't expect it would).

I've moved on from this issue in the meantime as they have refused to acknowledge this enigma in their application design and continue to obfuscate the real issues here with their users. I have not been a RBrx user for quite a while now but continue to offer guidance/knowledge (not just criticism), when necessary, to existing users both here on Wilders and on the HDS Forums. I may no longer trust HDS and their product development but I've always felt users of those products should be aware of application aspects whether they be positive or negative. As a non-user of HDS products, I no longer have any real issues with them... other than trust.

 

Is there any way in FB 703 (either during installation or afterwards) to set your own backup-file name (other than the extension, of course) separately for each of the monitored partitions?

Norman

 

Nope.

 

How about modifying just a single teensy-weensy character from the 16 hexadecimals (in addition to the year, month, day, hour, minute, second) that XeroWeight seem to find necessary, just one?

Norman

 

Well, when I modified that teeny weenie l'il character in the FileName, the app never saw the backup chain again... that HEX FileName has other info embedded in it.

You might wanna ask the Devs for that option (it should be easy <gulp!> to add, I would think)... they just may consider it.

 

I did, on August 23, 2014. Five days later I got a reply from Peter Nesic, the lead developer on Time Machine:

"Your next issue was the naming of the files to better recognise them. I am still thinking about the best way to help here."

I guess he's still thinking.


Norman