Active@ Disk Image restore problem

I am trialling the personal standard version of Active@ Disk Image. I have made an image of the boot partition (C drive) but am unable to do a restore of it since it cannot close the activity of the disk nor do a force closure - obvious since the o/s is using it.

In the past I have used ATI ver 9 and it just boots down to the Linux system and restores - not so with ADI. Does that mean it cannot perform this task? Or does it rely on a boot CD to accomplish this?

Maybe I am missing something - would appreciate some help.

Thanks

 

David,

I don't know if ADI provides a reboot from its hot environment into the cold environment necessary to actually perform a partition-restore (from your description, it sure doesn't appear to). In the course of my Cold-Imaging Competition I restored the ADI image by using its boot disk and it succeeded (without a hitch). I suggest booting up with the ADI boot disk to perform the restore - that should do the job.

Good luck,
Aaron

 

Thanks Aaron

I have been reading through the threads here and am intrigued why so many of you do cold images. To me this is just more hassle of having to close down Windows and boot off a CD. I have been using ATI since ver 8 and lately ver 9 and have always used hot imaging and has always work successfully.

Since I have upgraded my motherboard the Linux boot on ATI can no longer see all the drives, and the latest version is just an unreliable mess.

I thought that ADI would fit the bill but if you say it cannot hot image then I will have to find something else. I do have Paragon but don't really like it as a permanent solution.

 

I can't speak for others, but the reason I use cold-imaging is that I believe (argumentatively) that it is more reliable than hot-imaging for backing-up a system partition (where VSS, or the like, is necessary to 'lock' all open files).

I think you mean it cannot 'hot restore initiate', and in that regard I said 'I don't know' if it can do that; perhaps it can (I never tried), but based on your recent attempt, it seems that it can't.

Aaron

PS. treehouse786 is an ADI user - perhaps he will jump in here (or you could send a pm).

 

I use both cold and hot.

Cold imaging allows me to use use two different imaging programs alternatively, without having any of them installed.

But I also create hot images using Windows 7. I like this program because of its simplicity and minimalist design.

 

hi guys, ADI will not let you do 'hot images', you will have to use the best boot disk around (Active@ Boot Disk) for that

edit- oops i meant 'hot restores' and not 'hot images'. so to clarify, if you want to backup your system partition then of course ADI can do that, however it cannot restore the system partition from within windows so you will need to use the boot disk.

 

me too

 

Thanks for the replies. After posting I realised the reason for cold imaging.

However I would prefer to find a program that can do a hot restore. I frequently restore the C drive as a way of uninstalling s/w I am trying out.

I had a play with Keriver but that also is unable to hot restore, also it would not allow me to add a description to the image. Another drawback for me is that you have to choose whether to do an image save or a file save. Seems it is unable to extract files from an image.

 

the only ones that can do hot restores to my knowledge is Acronis and DriveSnapshot (there's definitely more out there which am sure other people will mention).

something like Rollback RX might be more suitable for your needs?

 

I have never figured out why the aversion to booting a computer to a boot disk to restore or make a backup.

Restore an image while windows is running would be like changing an engine in a car running down the highway at 65 MPH the least little bump and the whole thing goes to pieces.

I don't know of any software that can do it they all boot into another environment for restore. Whether it be a boot disk or a hidden partition on the HDD, or some form of windows on windows like recovery console.

Imaging while windows is running is like trying to get a clear still image of the same car traveling at 65 MPH while you are standing beside the road. It will take some assistance from something (VSS) to clear things up. VSS can drop the ball and leave you with a blurry mess of an image that is as bad as no image.

Some software uses a hidden partition on the HDD to create a backup image as well.

VSS = Volume Shadow Copy Service

Make sure your plan works:

If possible replace your current HDD with another one and attempt a restore to the replacement drive.

Did your computer successfully boot after the restore ?

Now you know your backup really works.

rrrh1 (arch1)

 

Thanks

I think I have been wrong in my terminology in using "hot restore". What I meant was the same procedure as ATI 9 where it boots into another environment to restore the partition. I thought that ADI would do this but it just stops at that point. Maybe it is not available in the demo version.

 

Good point Robin A. I always prefer cold imaging and like you said, you don't need it installed to do it (unless you are using ShadowProtect and need to use their HIR option).

 

David,

Solid points for sure. I do cold imaging only for two reasons...the first, there is no contention for files and data as the imaging program has full access to the disk...and second, for me anyway, it's no big deal to take my home PC or laptop down to do it. I know some people run theirs 24x7, but IFL boots in under a minute from CD and off I go. Even if I was doing a live image I wouldn't want to be on the machine using it while it was imaging (that's just me)...so it really makes no difference. That being said, working in corporate IT environments, live imaging is essential as you just can't take your file server or mail server offline to image it, so to me it has it's place. I am never 100% confident with live imaging...even though I rarely see a bad image. When I do have to do it, I try to use IFW with Phylock. It's really a personal choice.

 

Along with the others mentioned on this thread, Drive Image 4.7 will do this for you (http://www.drive-image.com/). You can kick off a restore and it will reboot into a DOS-like environment to restore (assuming this is the C: drive). Hope that helps!

 

Thanks for that info. I will give it a look see.

 

That does work in the way I like but it is slower and produces larger image files compared with ATI - 3.2 as against 4.25 gb.

I have been having another play with ATI 2011 but it so overly complex to do what was so simple in ver 9, also you cannot add a decent description to the image. It has to be done afterwards and only a single line of text to write or read.