Image For Windows

Mostly for compatibility purposes for ancient users (v1.15 )... that's why they now suggest VSS instead, it's a much more robust implementation for frozen FileStructures.

 

hi
ok , seeing almost almost all image software do use their drivers to avoid VSS service
i will use Vss service
thanks mates

 

ok, thks everybody.
For info Terabyte once wrote: 'PHYLock works on the physical drive level. VSS works on the volume level. PHYLock will still backup all the various metadata and files. VSS has exclude files and such (that are deemed to be okay to exclude by MS).'
I say 'for info', personally I do not understand..!

 

@myk1 - PhyLock will be invoked whenever any partition on a physical drive is imaged. That means all changes to any partition on that drive while PhyLock is invoked, will be set aside until the imaging process (and it's frozen FileSystem) have been imaged. At that point, PhyLock releases all the changes that occurred on that physical drive and allows them to be incorporated into the LIVE FileSystem. VSS does the same thing but only does it on a partition or volume boundary (the ones being actually imaged)... not the entire disk.

But as I mentioned earlier, although the FileSystem is frozen during both a PhyLock or VSS freeze, all files may not be consistent at that time, especially when it comes to any database type of file. Most databases cache their output files for speed purposes. This caching is usually done in RAM memory. Every so often the database application will flush those caches out to their disk counterpart, just to be sure the entire database environment is consistent. With VSS, those database apps are notified of the upcoming FileSystem freeze and allowed a certain amount of time to flush those RAM-based caches so that their disk counterpart is now consistent with the status of the database... PhyLock is not designed to do this at all. As a result, when using PhyLock, the disk-based database may not agree with the application cached database at the time of the PhyLock FileSystem freeze. This is exactly what would happen if your System had a random crash... most active databases at that time would be incosistent.

 

Ok, I see.
Isn't it a little surprising that TeraByte never drew the attention of its users to this almost 'dangerous' characteristic of PhyLock ?? I live with the idea that TByte has clients who use their products for professional purposes.

 

It would've been even worse without the use of PhyLock (unFrozen FileSystem) during an imaging operation... which some imagers did in their early days.

 

I use on VSS on one laptop, but Phylock on another - simply because it would not work with VSS.
Long time ago but I remember Brian K was assisting me at the time.

I could give VSS another shot though I prefer to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

English is not my mother tongue> not understood! > what do you mean?!

 

I could try VSS again, but prefer to leave things as there because it is working now ...

 

Ok! (In French it is not a dog, but a cat...!)

 

Seems that some particular product's proprietary backup drivers (with good intentions-results) aren't as useful on these modern microsoft windows versions as once were. Years ago i used Paragon and it never failed me either. VSS is proved itself fairly well any more. Still when i see a PhyLock actually perform over Windows built-in shows it can come through in spite of the opposite.

Personally i feel many always preferred the option of a product's special crafted proprietary driver to not circumvent Windows, but to improve upon and even surpass Windows basic capabilities. This exact concept lured my attention and subsequent usage of Paragon many years ago. Even then i knew of Terabyte's PhyLock and although didn't use it then, wasn't surprised to see it a viable if not reliable option.

On my Windows 8.1's i gladly still use in tandem with UD6 defrag, Puran Defrag to make good use of what they call it's proprietary defrag driver

All that said, i don't think a commercial product's proprietary driver is such a bad thing or they wouldn't bothered developing and including it as an alternative feature, but it depends on each individual's system and what Windows will allow without bumping it aside for their mainstream built in service.

 

It sounds like VSS is broken on that computer.
Did you try and fix it?

Macrium supply a little tool called VSSfix on this Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase article.
It's also built-in to Macrium Reflect.

 

Never tried to fix it, but not experienced any issues either.
Will look at the Macrium tool ... MR is actually my imager of choice, IFW just a backup.

 

If you're using Macrium Reflect, then you can go to Other Tasks > Fix VSS Problems.
But if Macrium Reflect is working on that computer, then VSS must be working.

These are my IFW PHYLock/VSS settings. A lot of them are probably default.

 

I think i had only 1 or 2 instances of losing VSS for whatever reason-distortion (which they call corrupt file) due to another software bumping it (some interference) or unknown. Malware definitely has it on their kill list for many windows versions over the years.

Since 8.1 is a bedrock in this camp i always depended and still do on those systems rely on Registry Backups as another alternative failsafe measure. Has really pulled the bacon out of the fat for me many times. When VSS goes down those actions are at stake.

But back to Macrium, that feature @Hadron points out should repair it unless there is something else going on.

 

'Use VSS When Available' and 'Use VSS for Simple Operations' are unticked on that computer.So other VSS settings are greyed out.
On my other laptop, my settings are the same as yours.

 

@Brian K

I created a topic at TB's forum, maybe you know something about it.
https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/ucf/viewtopic.php?t=4180

 

Mr.X,

No, I've never seen that. But I don't use those large WinPEs.
I tried IFW in Win11 and in TBWinRE and in Active@ BootDisk. Also IFL and IFU. They all produced the .@0 file.

No idea what this means.

 

I wasn't careful today. I'd planned to restore a partition image of a UFD to free space on the primary drive in my test computer. But instead, I restored an entire drive image. It left me with a UFD partition on the primary drive and nothing else. My six OS (Windows and Linux) were gone. Replaced by free space.

The sole partition on the drive was then deleted as it had over-written the first OS. The first OS was restored. I could have restored the remaining 5 OS but instead I used the Undelete function in BootIt and the 5 partitions were recovered in less than a minute.

Undelete is a very handy tool. Any partition you delete in Disk Management can be Undeleted.

 

Good to know. Thanks Brian!
Even you must have had a moment of panic!

 

I see others reporting this black screen issue with TBWinRE.
Any fixes on the horizon?

 

No fixes until Microsoft release a new wim in the RE partition.

 

I felt stupid. I ran through the steps later and it was obvious a disaster was about to happen. Brain in neutral.

 

I haven't seen the black screen issue mentioned on the TeraByte Unlimited forum. It should be reported.
I started having that issue about three months ago.

 

I was using TBWinPE at the time so I didn't have a problem. Later I tried RE and saw the black screen. It persists for about 5 minutes.

TeraByte Support know about it.