Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Hi Kent,

Great suggestion, I've added it to the list.

Isso

 

Kapiti,

I had one more report on disabled "make backup" button. We will be looking into it soon.

For registration name - sorry, indeed in some cases it gets truncated. We'll fix it in upcoming update too.

Isso

 

Greate to hear it, I'll add this location to the search so the next version will find it automatically. Zero3K - thank you for your help!

Isso

 

Mohamed,

Great suggestion - this is exactly the scheme that I use: AX64 for the system, programs, settings (drive C: ), and some file-based backup for the user files located on a separate partition (drive D: ).

Isso

 

Dear Mohamed,

I don't see your message, could you please forward it to info@ax64.com? PM seems a bit unreliable to me. Thank you

Isso

 

Hi Isso,

Email sent.

Best regards,

Mohamed

 

Hi Mohamed, received, replied. Thank you

Isso

 

Folks,

I've added a few articles to the Knowledge Base. I would appreciate your comments as I might be missing something.

What is AX64 Time Machine and how it works

Disk Imaging vs Snapshotting

How AX64 Time Machine compares to...

Thank you
Isso

EDIT: you might want to follow us on Twitter or Facebook for this type of news.

 

This not the only use of SD that may make for incompatibility between AX64 and SD. Even without any exclusions or commitments, enabling Shadow Mode greatly extends the time that it takes for AX64's incremental snapshots.

I have to disagree when it comes to using a light virtualizing program (notably Shadow Defender) along with AX64 because when it comes to securing a PC from malware SD is proactive, whereas AX64 is retroactive.

Most respectfully,
TS

 

Hi, I've got a Windows 8 machine with GPT, so I know I can't make any recovery media. That's been explained before. However, I have anoher problem.
I have two hard drives in my laptop - an SSD and a 750 GB disc drive. I've been using the SSD as C:, so that's the one I backed up. The SSD went south, so I put the Disc drive as C: and reinstalled Windows. After installing AX64, I tried to restore the image I had made from the SSD to restore everything. No Go! So, I went with an Acronis backup I had.
Later, I wanted to try the SSD again and . . . same thing! I cannot restore the backup from the disc drive to the SSD.
If there's a way to do it, I hope someone can explain. Maybe it's just the lack of GPT support. I'm not sure.
I do know that if I make a backup of the SSD, I can restore that all I want - as long is it's restored to the SSD and not the disc drive.
Thanks for any help.
Chuck

 

The Shadow,

You are right, and I've just updated the KB on this issue. Thank you for your help. I must clarify though that the long backup happens only once succeeding the transition from normal to Shadow mode. As long as Shadow Defender is in either normal or Shadow mode the backups will be fast.


Isso

 

Hi cdressel,

You are right, bare metal restore for GPT doesn't work and that's the main reason I disabled the GPT support in the latest version. We'll release the fixed version in about 2-3 weeks. Thank you

Isso

 

Isso, when comparing AX64 to Rollback Rx (et al), you list the following as an advantage for Rollback Rx (et al).

Firstly, I don't see where Rollback Rx (RBRx) uses less space, as it has to lock the disk sectors which are mapped by its snapshots. Based on my experience with RBRx that can consume quite a bit of space on the system drive, not to mention considerable fragmentation! Secondly, I certainly don't see how storing its snapshots on the system drive is an advantage for RBRx (I consider that a major disadvantage).

TS

 

The Shadow,

Thank you for reviewing the article. The reason I wrote that paragraph was following: some of the users complained that AX64 requires lot of space to do the initial backup. RBX doesn't need to save the entire content of the drive.
Also some of them don't want to use separate drive for backups, and for them it's an advantage to save the backup on the same (protected) drive.

But you are right, I need to revise that part, as it's not clear. Thank you

Isso

 

I like Shadows's spin - in order to have a backup RB needs to have an image as well as a set of snapshots - so for a robust scheme the storage will be about the same. But RB will fragment the drive

I always have systems with more than one drive/partition might be worth changing the installer to create the backup partition much like acronis offer for their backup partition that way it would be easier for the masses to use?

 

Isso,

Do you have information on how many AX64 users don't bother to create boot media? Just curious.

 

Hi Ts,
I do not disagree.

It's just that for incompatibility for me, one program or the other does not work as it should. Longer backups does not mean that AX64 does not work as it should.

By the way does it happen also when automatic backups are disabled (= AX64 does not take a snapshot when in shadow mode)? [I did not think that anyone would have automatic backups enabled when in shadow since it defeats the purpose of using Shadow defender (=AX64 will backup the risk session and could potentially restore a malware)]
If not, for the moment it can be easily fixed by disabling automatic backups and in a future version Isso could fix it permanently, by introducing a feature "pause backups when x,y,z programs are running".

Hot imaging, synching backups and drive virtualization programs are vulnerable to direct disk access modifications (when restoring; hot imaging are only vulnerable when perform a restore like AX64 or when restoring through file syncronization). Because of this I do not consider any of them proactive for some advanced rootkits.
read posts from 169 to 174:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=2181186#post2181186

For common malware I agree with you; but Isso could easily make AX64 to have also such proactive ability by introducing 2-3 features/options:
a) restore x snapshot, at reboot.
b) restore x snapshot, at logoff.
c) restore x snapshot and power off the system, at shutdown.

-if Isso adds a command line, the above can be easily achieved with the simple scheduled tasks, without the need of adding any extract functionality in AX64 (except for the power off after the restore).

Panagiotis

 

starfish,

Thank you for the idea. Frankly I don't have enough information about how Acronis works with that partition. It sounds like it might be a waste of the disk space, because we would need to allocate a big enough partition to hold all future backups. I'll check it when I have some free time.

Isso

 

Brian,

No idea, sorry. I don't even have any understanding of how I can possibly get such info, other than creating a poll maybe

Isso

 

Panagiotis,

Thank you for your ideas. I need to make some clarifications on what's happening with ShadowDefender. AX64 backups seem to be working fine in both Shadow mode and normal mode. The only case when it takes longer is right after the user transitions from normal to Shadow mode and restarts.

The reason for the long backup is apparently following: AX64 uses a "dirty shutdown" bit that it saves on the disk. Basically this bit is set when the system is started, and reset when it's properly shut down. If the bit is found to be set when OS starts, then AX64 assumes that the computer was shut down improperly (crashed, powered off etc), and creates the next backup in slow ("re-sync") mode.

So what's happening with ShadowDefender - the OS starts, ShadowDefender is in normal mode, thus AX64 sets the "dirty shutdown" bit with no problem. Then the user enables Shadow mode, and reboots. Because of Shadow mode AX64 isn't able to reset the "dirty" bit. That's why upon next startup it assumes that the system was shut down improperly and makes a "re-sync" backup.

Hope this makes sense.
Isso

 

Hi Isso,

my view on this issue is a little different...

People who participate in this forum are certainly not your "Average Joe" computer users. The folks here care about system security, always have current backups, putting time and effort into this.

I am the "computer doctor" for a couple of friends, and none of them care about backups (only after a fatal disaster...). They argue that they have the Windows System Restore (Win8 even has a continous data backup feature), and talking them into using any third party backup solution is mostly futile.

AX64 has the potential to overcome these reservations. The requirement to have an external HDD connected permanently to the computer is not a big issue these days. But AX64 should be able to protect the whole machine without the need to employ other file based backup software for the data partitions.

So this is my plea:
Please resist the requests of the forum participants to add new features and tweaking abilities. Keep it as simple as it is now, but add the ability to protect the whole HDD, not just one partition.



Just my two cents,

Cheers
manolito

 

Hi manolito,

I absolutely agree with you, certainly the support for multiple volumes should be (and will be) added. We just released the first version with single partition support to keep it simple.

Isso

 

I came across this thread and I'd like to say what a great idea. I am checking out this product and I have a question to ask. I took the intial image and then a snap shot. I have 2 drive disks, labeled C and E. AX set up a folder on E. I went into the recovery disk enviroment, the explorer showed two possible recovery points and I saw the the drive notation C in the panel. Now when I pressed the restore button I am getting the message that it is going to restore the backup to drive E. Shouldn't I be seeing restore to C or is the recovery disk OS seeing the C drive and labeling it as E? If it is the Windows E drive that would have wiped out all my files.

 

I noticed you didn't include Keriver One-Click Pro, which is the package that most closely resembles your efforts with AXTM. It's amazing how closely they are to one another.

I still use One-Click Pro, even though I have purchased your package. There's some minor differences, some favorable and some not. Most unfavorable features has to do it's lack of the maturity One-Click Pro. I purchased AXTM, because I have confidence that eventually you'll have everything ironed out, since you're in a constant state of advancement.

One big reason I haven't switched completely; and I did try yours for a week, is because it cripples the disk check feature. I can figure ways of running a disk check from a separate USB system, but then it messes up AXTM, requiring a new "first snapshot" on the next backup.

Usually when you see One-Click discussed here, it's the free version. The PRO version has much more features, including most of what you're attempting with AXTM.

 

Hi JJ,

Thank you for trying the program. It always restores to the same drive, and won't overwrite other partitions. Your guess is correct, it's the recovery disk labeling the letters differently, that's why it says E:, while it's the original C: drive that you have backed up.

I already received a report for such problem before, so we'll modify the program to display the original letter.

BTW have you tried online restore already? It's much faster than restore with Recovery media.

Isso