Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

v1.4.1.24 with XPsp3...

Although the HOT mechanisms (installed version) seem to work just fine, I decided to try and create my 1st XP-based CD RECOVERY MEDIA (I always used my W7 RECOVERY MEDIA on this system when needed). I have no idea what it's supposed to look like so I gave it a whirl.

Of course it's very different than the newer recovery media, it makes its way through a bunch of stuff (CD selection, HDD checking, etc.) then looks like it's about to start. It runs an "XPnetcfg.exe" program, and when complete, drops into a SYSTEM RESET... the next thing I see is the laptop's logo and the whole process starts over once again, loop time.

I have to assume it's not working at the moment

The laptop is circa 2005 containing a single core AMD SEMPRON at 1.6ghz, 2gB RAM and a 2-partition 5400rpm HDD. Any guidance from the XP users?

 

Mantra, are you running XP? I am and have had this issue for a long time. IF I need to boot from the CD, I plug in an old PS2 mouse and all is OK.

 

Hi Froggy, Thanks for explaining that. I don't quite understand though. If I start a new baseline, the old baseline doesn't remain in the folder with the new baseline. You start new. I have been renaming the old baseline just to retain that chain of snapshots in case I want to go restore a snapshot from that chain. Am I doing a step or missing a step while starting a new chain that causes me not to have 2 baselines in the same folder?

 

Froggie, my XP works fine and the recovery works OK as well on XP with the NEW release. I only have 2 issues.

1. The Mount does not work while in XP. No problem as I can drag and drop from the AX Browser to Explorer.

2. When booting from recovery CD, my USB mouse is not seen. Still no problem as I just hook up an old PS2 Mouse if I ever need to do a cold restore.

 

Sorry but I'm a bit confused. Should we be installing 4124 or wait until we get an official announcement? I'm back on 1120 with Win 7 pro 64 and all seems okay.

 

4124 is final. it is the newest release.

 

Hi I just have a few questions, when running a backup or incremental backup can i continue to use my machine?
Also this is something i'd like to fix, after making my first full backup I made another 2 hours later ,i seen the note made "axtm external volume modification detected ,this backup may take longer than expected". How can I get rid of this message ? delete all my backups and start fresh, or something else? it took 25 mins to backup 600megs? Thks

 

I'm using 1.4.0.19 worry-free on my Win 7 systems. Having read so many people having issues with various versions, I keep hesitating updating to 1.4.1.24 out of fear that I'll start having "stuff" not work right.

The funny part is that I could always snap back to this functioning state — th essence of the program — yet I still won't do it.

This is more a mind programming thing than a software programming thing, and I don't think ISSO or Waj or AxDev can fix that, huh!

 

I'm with you Chamlin, I will wait until the bullet proof hot restore version is officially released,,,then I will wait to see how other, more courageous folk, find it,,,,and only then, if their reports are favorable,,,,I will upgrade.

I am def in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" camp for this sort of software and 1.3.0.7 has worked flawlessly for me so why change? I am running Win 7 just as you are so its not like the 8.1 fixes are of consequence for us.

 

The answer to the first question is yes, especially for the incrementals which happen so fast that you will not know that they are happening unless you happen to notice the time (for auto snap it will occur at the top of the hour).

The message you received indicates that somehow AX64 lost track of the changes between the 2 snaps and so it has to check the entire chain against the drive to determine what has changed since the last snap. This is equivalent to creating a new baseline in terms of the time it will take to complete. Once its done however, if the problem with the tracking function does not occur again, things will proceed as per normal so you do not need to do anything per se. I have only had this issue if I have ejected the storage drive between snaps and then only on rare occasions.

 

I love the idea of this program and am wanting to move away from RBRx for stability issues.

I've tried 1.3.0.7 and later betas. The restores on any of the betas do not work as they should. A HOT restore will work once and after that it hangs. Even COLD (boot media) restores don’t work correctly most of the time on the later versions. (Using Win7.) 1.3.0.7 seemed to have better results but only from COLD restore—which takes a long time.

I was/am optimistic about AXTM but it is way too inconsistent to be trusted (or be a paid program at this point). This is meant to be constructive. At this point RB is far more stable, and Acronis is not that much slower in a restore—and it always works, which can’t be said for AXTM. A little faster than Acronis but if likely won’t restore its of no value. I hope thay keep up the good work on what might be a very promising program. I’m sure hoping it will be. I’ll keep trying in hopes this becomes usable in future releases.

 

Does latest beta works with XP SP3?

Thanks

 

Have you submitted a service ticket? It is very (make that extremely) rare for cold restore to fail and hot only fails very occasionally for most users. Your experience sounds atypical. I would suggest that for hot restores you have a program conflict and it seems to me that someone mentioned problems with RX installed for cold restores. I think this was because RX messes with the MBR it could be that thats causing the cold boot problem. IF memory serves they had to un-install AX64, then un-install Rx, and then do a clean install of AX64.

I'm sure others will chime in but a service ticket might be a good idea for you at this point.

 

Have NEVER EVER had a cold restore fail (and am running Win 7 64bit) and whilst hot restores were not reliable in the past the latest version which is no longer a beta, as it is available from the web site, seems very stable and I have not had a hot restore fail in the 5 that \I have tried so far.

Provided for information.

 

I've had the cold restore fail on my, but I'm pretty sure that was my fault.. Basically I split up my hard-drive into two partitions because I wanted to try Ubuntu again, later I deleted the new partition and.. well.. merged(?) it back into one partition again.. if that makes any sense.. Either way when I tried to restore the image of before I first made the new partition it would just refuse, can't remember the error but it absolutely refused.. But like I said it was probably my fault since I decreased and increased the size of the disc and it must have done something.

 

This might be semi-off topic, but is anybody experiencing very slow cold-restores to an SSD? It pauses for a minute or two every 10% or so - I imagine it's the SSD trying to find some free space, but thought it could possibly be related to the boot environment - lack of a driver maybe.

 

dagrev, are you using a USB2 or USB3 port. I, have found that restoring images (cold) from USB3 can def be unreliable. Evidently this is a widely known issue and not just with AX64 but with many imaging programs.

 

Yup, USB3 has always been unreliable for me, hell I can't even use the USB3 ports on my new motherboard, nothing happens even with drivers installed.

 

Aigle, the latest "beta" has since become the latest release (v1.4.1.24). I installed it on my XPsp3 machine without issue as far as imaging and HOT restores. I tried making my 1st XP-based RECOVERY MEDIA (had been using a W7 RM previously) and it fails. I don't think that's a release problem, I believe it's a configuration problem on the test platform. Other XP users have no problem with their recovery media.

 

I have 2 questions


a) I backed up drive c and then drive d. I then deleted some files from both drives and backup up first drive c and then drive d. I wanted to test incrementals.even if my first backups were both in the same dir ax64 did not find them and started backing up as if they were first backups. Am I missing something ?


b)Would it be possible to backup multiple hdrives at the same time ?
I only managed to back up one at the time yet.

Tia

 

To follow-up on BGoodman's response, that "loss of tracking" that he mentions will almost ALWAYS be cause by any device that externally BOOTs your machine (a UFD BOOT device, a CD BOOT environment, etc.) as well as any kind of unnatural shutdown of your system (Hard reset, forced external shutdown, etc.). When this happens, AX64 TM notices a "dirty" condition in its tracking file and must reestablish it. It does this by re-scanning the entire drive on its next incremental backup, then producing a properly sized incremental snapshot accordingly.

From this point on, if the system isn't "disturbed" (by the things mentioned above), incrementals should be normally timed.

 

TaoToo, if you're using a RECOVERY MEDIA that was made on the same device as you're COLD imaging back to, the necessary required drivers should be contained in that BOOT media. If the RECOVERY MEDIA was made on some other system configuration, there may be some issues.

Usually disk drivers are not an issue except between SATA and PATA (EIDE) as far as creation is concerned... your SSD should look like any ol' SATA device, no special drivers for the disk itself.

When it's back up, you might wanna look at the drive's S.M.A.R.T. data to make sure you don't have any ongoing problems with the drive itself. My SSD COLD restores as expected... pretty quickly with no pauses.

 

"You have been assimilated! The BORG thank you!"

 

OK, I have Windows 8.1
I did s fresh install of 1.4124.
I have a recovery USB freshly reformatted.
When I boot to it I get. |Windows\System32\Winload.exe
Statue 0xc000000f
Ideas?