How many snapshots do you have and ...

How many snapshots do you have and what is your purpose for each snapshot.

At the moment i only have my Primary snapshot that i use daily, and my secondary snapshot that contains my Vista operating system which i update when new security updates are available from MS, and all drivers also frequently updated along with FirstDefense-ISR.
I also archive these snapshots to an external hard drive.

Hopefully you can share your use of FD-ISR as not only is this program fascinating, but i also find it great reading on how people use this program in so many different ways.

 

Actually I have 5x Snapshots
My Primary,a copy of my primary for everyday update. One basic with Win XP Pro plus some of my everyday use programs but no Security program installed. One Archive snapshot and one snapshots for playing mainly with new Security programs

 

I have 4 snapshot.
My main Vista snapshot and a secondary that I update when I test software.
Two XP snapshots, one tweaked for gaming only (frozen), and the other one for the times I for some reason decide to run XP, but that doesnt happen often nowadays so I probably should archive it.

 

On a XP Pro SP2 with a 200Gb x 3 partitions Hard Drive and thrilled to peaches i was lucky enough to get in on Leapfrog's Classic FD-ISR or as some have mentioned (uncrippled) early version, i maintain an array of 8 snapshots each with their equal compliment of those good as Gold .archives that i conveniently keep stored not only on the same drive/separate partition, but the more safe isolated separate Hard Drive in event of emergency or some other unforeseen problem that might render the normal snapshots unbootable.

I have never exported any snapshots although that feature is very available and some do.

The purpose i keep 8 bootable different snapshots is the (as ErikAlbert so eloquently puts it. LoL) luxury of having multiple bootable systems accessible at will, but more importantly for me, it affords me the advantage of setting up in each of them, different security programs, different customizations, and so forth. I do keep one of them strickly for DVD viewing because of the resource demand.

I'm still after all this time in total disbelief that this could have been fashioned at all, and yet LEAPFROG punched thru the obstacles with their superior programming talents and efforts to form what i still consider a most Legendary ISR unlike any before and maybe ever again.

EASTER

 

Hi stapp, yes i keep my primary archive updated and i would (and have) recovered from that.

Well thats 5 users posts and 5 different use of FD-ISR.

 

I have my primary which is running Vista SP1
I have a recovery snapshot that is updated from my primary on a weekly basis
I have a clean install of Vista with SP1 installed, updates, drivers, and nothing else
I have a clean install of XPSP2 with updates and drivers and nothing else
I have a working version of XPSP2 that I use rarely when a program doesn't support Vista

 

Hi, as of right now 4.
A primary everyday snapshot.
A rollback snapshot (copy and updated) of primary.
3) snapshot of a new os install, I do boot to on occasion and do windows updates.
4)one as of now for software testing,ect.

 

7, A primary and 6 others. Each one about 16GB.

 

Currently I have a work snapshot, a backup of the work snapshot and a setup snapshot.
The setup snapshot is basically a Windows installation from scratch, the purpose it to have a system without any bagage.
The purpose of the backup of work snapshot is to test/evaluate new software.

I also have archives of these snapshots (to quickly restore), which I update when security fixes become available.
And the setup snapshot is exported, which I keep under my pillow. (Are you reading EASTER?)

 

For the moment I have 8 snapshots on my 186 GB system drive with different security setups, three of these are with a special modified XP3...I use copy/update to other Data drive and in addition to that I also export snapshots to an external FAT32 drive...

 

I sure do and am.

Never tried the EXPORT job myself although i'm sure it does has it's benefits, and in FD-ISR what doesn't? That's as long as you keep your good-as-gold installer stored along with archives to another metal container.

I once had to wipe that 200GB all the way down to clear up a pesty virus, zeroed and randomed the fire out of it, then reformatted, reinstalled both XP & FD anew, tethered up the drive with stored archives, and FD-ISR done the rest marvellously. That's actually when i discovered it could double as an imaging program of sorts in extreme situations.

EASTER

 

Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply and those who have yet too

Interesting reading, everyone has there own different way of using FD-ISR, so flexible in so many ways.

Thanks for sharing guys.

 

I keep an exact copy of my primary as my secondary, which I update every few days. This is my insurance policy. I also keep a third snapshot which is minus the latest installations in case the new stuff doesn't work out, and an archive on an ext. drive.

 

I do basically the same as Peter. Just a bare bones secondary snapshot to restore from, with archives of Primary. This keeps imaging size to a minimum.

 

For several years I used the maximum 10 bootable Snapshots (obviously this would be using "Classic" FDISR). Now I use "only" four bootable Snapshots. I cut back once I started using ShadowProtect; having 10 bootables simply made for too huge of an image for my limited disk space. Also, an on demand scan using NOD32 scans every Snapshot so scanning took forever as it scanned all 10 Snaps even with the relatively fast NOD. I have a bunch of Archives, I don't even know the number, 10-12 perhaps; it is so nice being able to backup "on the fly" and quickly to some Snapshot on one of my two extra hard drives. Actually, I wish I had the space for more bootables, I miss having them for software testing; it was sooo nice being able to test several different softwares at the same time, each in its own Snap. Here's praying to the software Gods that Classic can make a comeback (and continue on over to Windows 7!).

Acadia

 

I use 2 snapshots and on another drive I have 3 archives and 1 archived image.
I like the idea of a stripped down secondary snapshot along with just 2 archived snaps.
With a primary and secondary identical in size, how do you go about "stripping" down the secondary? (WinXPhomeSP3)

 

Just a thought but isn't it easier to just create a new snapshot and install a bare Windows in it?

 

I prefer to use the empty snapshot feature and simply reinstall Windows.
(Don't format the disk! and make sure that you notice the 'NT Loader error' before you proceed)

 

I think I will try Peters method. Whenever I try the empty snapshot routine I wind up not being able to boot Windows & have to try to restore an image. Since right now the image restores sometimes work & sometimes not I only do this when I am desperate. I would say that at least on my computer it is not possible to use the empty snapshot proceedure.

 

I have three snapshots: Daily; Duplicate of Daily; Software Trial. I also have three archives: Initial; Updated; New Install. I do not use Frozen Snapshot. I use the Updated archive for refreshing my drive c.

SourMilk out

 

As you are having problems with both your imaging and installing Windows to an empty snapshot, it might be worthwhile to investigate WHY you are having these problems together. Is it something specific to your machine do you think, or is your imaging program not reliable? It would be nice to think you could fix BOTH the problems, and have a perfectly normal working machine.