Exclude the Snapshots from Images

Mohamed (aladdin) asked me a few days ago how to create an Image of his hd with including the non active snapshots.
It can be easily done with the VSS.
-To exclude the snapshots from file based backups (vss aware programs) You will need to ad an exclusion "Multi-String Value" key under the registry key
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup".
-To exclude the snapshots from sector based backups (vss aware programs) You will need to ad an exclusion "Multi-String Value" key under the registry key
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToSnapshot".

The files/folders to be excluded are:
"C:\$ISR\0\$ARCHIVE\" (default archive directory)
"C:\$ISR\0\$AH\" (directory for temporal anchored folders/files of inactive snapshots)
"C:\$ISR\0\Freeze Storage.arx" (frozen archive)
"C:\$ISR\A\" (frozen snapshot)
and below are the inactive snapshots directories
"C:\$ISR\1\"
"C:\$ISR\2\"
"C:\$ISR\3\"
"C:\$ISR\4\"
"C:\$ISR\5\"
"C:\$ISR\6\"
"C:\$ISR\7\"
"C:\$ISR\8\"
"C:\$ISR\9\"

I attached a "FirstDefense exclusion.zip" with both backup/snapshot reg modifications. Eliminate the "txt" extension, extract it and run the one that interests you. Backup works on xp and later. Snapshot works on Vista and later.
more info about how to use exclusions from VSS here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb891959(v=vs.85).aspx

 

A note:

Excluding those from the sector based backups will exclude most of the files but not all. Windows does not allow VSS to exclude critical system files.

After restoring the image you will have to update or eliminate your snapshots (depends on your needs).

Files based backups does not have the above problem and with those the restore will result with only your active snapshot in FD-ISR.

Panagiotis

 

OMG, I just saw this thread. How did I miss this!

Many thanks Panagiotis, you always go out of your way to help others. A kind and gentle person, who keeps on helping and teaching others.

I will now download the "FirstDefense exclusion.zip" and will surely give it a try and report back.

Best regards,

Mohamed