Alternative to True Image (nervous nellie)

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by bellgamin, Jul 18, 2006.

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  1. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    I just take a complete image every time. From my experience with Acronis, incrementals, just didn't save any time or space.

    Pete
     
  2. wilbertnl

    wilbertnl Registered Member

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    That is my experience too, the reason is probably that we defragment the disk, which means many sectors changed.
     
  3. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    I always take full backups with ATI. I don't like backups that have to depend on eachother for restoration. If one of these incrementals fails, the restoration won't be successfull either. :)
     
  4. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    No, I don't know of any other techniques, it's just a logical general assumption.
    Any problem in computers can be solved in different ways and this has been proven over and over again in the software world. The same counts for preventing piracy, you can do it in different ways. New ideas create new softwares and methods.

    IMO most software companies didn't do a great job on preventing piracy.
    You can find serial numbers and cracks of many softwares all over the internet, including forums where you can get help and advice to crack a software.
    You have to be knowledgeable to write a crack program, but using a crack program is very easy.
    All these crackers are united in groups and work like any other company.
    Once I saw a video of crackers to celebrate their 10,000nd crack program.
    Some crackers even recommend to buy the software, if you like the cracked version. :D
     
  5. grnxnm

    grnxnm Registered Member

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    So the problem to be solved is this: Formulate a technique that makes software installations as simple as possible (the user doesn't have to deal with any keys or registration or activation) but that also protects the assets of the software vendor.

    One idea that I had a while back (which I then forgot... :() was to continue to use automated online activation, but to package a unique product key along with the each installer. This would require the download link to dynamically generate new installer packages (with unique product keys) each time a user purchased a product, but to the user, as long as they have an internet connection (and it's a safe bet that they do if they are downloading your product) then the entire process is seamless. The user just installs the application (never enters any keys and never even has to click on an "activate/register" button) and they're ready to go. It would feel just like they had installed some freeware, while at the same time protecting the software vendor's assets. A disadvantage of this technique is that you couldn't mass-produce media from a single master (if your software is too large to be distributed over the network).

    Of course, as you suggested, the binaries could always be cracked, which is kind of a different subject than making the install as simple as possible (e.g., the user doesn't have to deal with keys). The best techniques involve hardware dongles, but that's cost prohibitive. It wouldn't surprise me if a good generic solution ends up involving harware, perhaps some portion of the Trusted Computing hardware. Baring hardware support, the best solutions right now involve binary "hardening" where the binary actively resists reverse engineery (it's compressed, encrypted, disallows debuggers to attach or dlls to inject into the process address space, etc).
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2006
  6. grnxnm

    grnxnm Registered Member

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    That's a great point! Any sector-based imaging product that supports incremental imaging will generate very large incrementals if you defrag a volume in between backups.
     
  7. Tommy

    Tommy Registered Member

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    Folks again a question to IFW/IFD
    I just tried to restore an image using a boot IFD disc. The image was in the folder D:\secure\..
    IFD does _not_ browse to this directory, it isn't even visible in the list. There only appear directories like 'MyMusic', Myvideos', etc. Alos *.* didn't help. Is that normal. I had to copy the image file to the root of D in order to be able to get it listet.
     
  8. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Don't you have some kind of goback button or icon to get to a higher level of the folder tree ?
     
  9. Tommy

    Tommy Registered Member

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    It' like a old DOS window, in which you navigate by doubleclick on the directory or on '..'
    Problem is, that not all directories are listed which are on the root of partition D.
     
  10. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    In that case you better wait for an answer from real IFW-users. :)
     
  11. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

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    That is strange indeed. I guess D: is a internal harddrive? I did create a folder named secure in the root of my D: partition and copied my IFD/IFW backup files there and rebooted with my IFD boot CD.
    I navigated like this in the meny:

    Restore/Bios HD/harddrive 0/extended partition

    I had no problems seeing or navigating to it (or any other folders) in the meny fyi. So what you have wrote here is not normal. IFD should not have any problems discovering any folders you can see in explorer or any other filemanager in windows.
     
  12. crofttk

    crofttk Registered Member

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    On the "Restore From" screen, are you selecting "File" or "Partition" ? Is the drive formatted FAT32 or NTFS ?
     
  13. Tommy

    Tommy Registered Member

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    The image file is located on an Extendet Partition Volume.

    Restoring selecting:
    Partition -> Bios HD -> Extended Partition Volume HPFS/NTFS

    Only OS related directories appear. Not one of my own created directories appear in the list, not even with *.*,

    P/S. Selecting 'File' does not work, telling me i am not running DOS.
     
  14. crofttk

    crofttk Registered Member

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    I agree with sukarof. That's pretty damn weird.

    It's odd you say that only myVideos, myMusic, etc. are visible because those are usually sub-folders of your MyDocuments folder. Are they not in your case ? Surely when you select that partition it's not showing you your MyDocuments folder immediately is it ? If it is, that would imply that you mounted your MyDocuments folder as D: drive -- is it possible you've done this ?
     
  15. Tommy

    Tommy Registered Member

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    Yes that's right, i have done so. But this should not have any influence to my problem. The setting of these special folders efects only the work in Windows.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2006
  16. Howard Kaikow

    Howard Kaikow Registered Member

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    True Image.
     
  17. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    Hit the tab button. Doing that will put your cursor into the directory box, then you will be able to use your arrow keys to search the files list.
     
  18. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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    @Bellgamin: :thumb:

    @Howard
    Have you tested with IFD/IFW/Bing ??
    You would not go back ;)
     
  19. Howard Kaikow

    Howard Kaikow Registered Member

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    AFAIK, last I looked, they do not currently support incremental/differential backup, or the mounting of volumes.

    Also, other than directly from Terabyte, where can one buy the software?
     
  20. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    As I said from the beginning. Terabyte isn't userfriendly. Even selecting the source and target of backup and restore isn't simple and should be simple like in other softwares. BING/IFW/IFD need a new GUI. Period. :)
     
  21. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Yes I tried IFD/IFW/BING first, couldn't figure out how to do a simple backup.
    That's why I downloaded ATI and I had my backup and restore right away.
    No need to go back. ATI's reliability is as good as Terabyte's reliability.
    Each softwares has its fortunate and unfortunate users, its friends and enemies, good enough for a very looong discussion.
     
  22. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    C'mon Erik -- you are waaay smarter with computers than I am, and I had no problem whatsoever with understanding & using IFD the first time out of the box.
     
  23. Beer Dog

    Beer Dog Registered Member

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    I've got no problems with the Terabyte GUIs; besides, I'll take user-unfriendly IFD over data-destroying ATI any day.

    Isn't this thread supposed to be about alternatives to ATI?

    And isn't there an ATI forum for all you fanboys?
     
  24. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    I'm talking about Terabyte and the posts in this thread and other threads prove how un-userfriendly Terabyte really is for first-time users.

    Any difficult software becomes userfriendly once you understand it or have already experience with similar softwares. Userfriendliness is something else, but its true meaning disappeared, just like the true meaning of beta software.
     
  25. Tommy

    Tommy Registered Member

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    I know, but as i told, most folders on Partition D are _Not_ shown. So this could be a reason not to use IFW/IFW :thumbd:

    P.S. Tried do create an image file from part C, saving on part D. Also in this case i can't access all the folders on part D.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2006
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