Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

Discussion in 'backup, imaging & disk mgmt' started by Isso, Jan 18, 2013.

  1. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    I have been running FlashBack for about 6 months. A month or so ago, I renamed the old directory and started a new one. Now I regret the move and wish to unite them.
    Can I just copy the data from the one to the other, folder by folder of course, or would that cause a disaster?

    Norman
     
  2. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    They cannot be united. All those snapshots are based on different baselines and the baselines cannot be "melded" or merged.

    I believe you can house them in the same folder but they will have individual relationships with their sepatate Full/Incremental identities. They are basically separate and distinct backup chains.
     
  3. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    Pity. Thank you Froggie for your quick reply.
     
  4. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Since we haven't heard from the gang since February 15th, this from their FaceBook page...

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Xeroweight
    May 18 at 3:06am ·


    Greetings! We apologize for the lack of updates. We are a working diligently on preparing v3 of FlashBack. It requires a complete architecture overhaul to enable our most wanted features such as:


    -Scheduling
    -Multi user support (other users not just admins can use FlashBack)
    -Customised schedules for backups
    -Custom auto-delete policies for when your disk gets full with backups

    The team at FlashBack understand that updates are frequent, but we're still working on the product hard and passionately. We appreciate the patience and as always - any questions - please shoot them to info@xeroweight.com and we'll respond promptly.

    Have a great day.

    The FlashBack Team.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    So... is everybody ready for a COMPLETE ARCHITECTURE OVERHAUL? That sure sounds like fun, doesn't it?
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2016
  5. manolito

    manolito Registered Member

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    This just sounds like a lame excuse to extract more money from current users. Very much like the transition from v1 to v2. Version 1 never worked as advertised, but before fixing it they introduced v2 (and they were very honest about it: "Because we need the money").

    Now v2 also does not really work for many users, but instead of fixing it they come up with a "complete architecture overhaul". This is just ridiculous, the promised enhancements have nothing to do with a "complete architecture overhaul". These are just some long overdue improvements, they do not justify a new major version update.

    Whatever, it's their philosophy (reminds me a lot of some other well known companies), it goes like: Instead of fixing the current version, we publish a new version which brings some new features which nobody needs, but we still do not fix the old bugs, and we will ask for money for this new version.

    I have had it with Xeroweight, I still use Isso's version 1 sometimes, but for FlashBack I think they blew it completely, they just should disappear from the market.


    Cheers
    manolito
     
  6. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

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    Well I think they should put the original team who built version 1 back in charge. I still use version one. AX64 V1 was revolutionary, V2 was like every other BU imaging tool.

    Go back to what made AX64 so unique...

    I think the original developer was Nathan Vong....
     
  7. shmu26

    shmu26 Registered Member

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    after install I got BSOD: boot device unavailable
    v 2.0
    windows 10
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2016
  8. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    Trouble is that it was problematic. I put 1.4.1.48 back on and it was fine for a bit. Then I had a Macirum fail, and it required a 4 hour run with chkdsk. I am thru with this experiement.
     
  9. Masterblaster

    Masterblaster Registered Member

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    I believe they were promising V3 by the end of last year.
     
  10. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    I remember being told that the command-line feature is not available to us lowly XP users. If so,
    (a)Is there any workaround to control the on/off switch on the backup dashboard? If not,
    (b)Is there any file (dll, say, or exe) that can be hobbled so that FastBack will not execute the next hourly backup but will keep the tracking file intact? If not,
    (c)When can we expect version 3?

    Norman
     
  11. chrcol

    chrcol Registered Member

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    For people using this just for hourly snapshots you could just do system restore every hour. As that makes snapshots. No need to pay for a extra program, and is stable since is part of the OS.

    In addition macrium incremental is a sort of snapshot backup, it will only backup changes, and it can be mounted as a new drive allowing you to restore specific files you want. So macrium is not image restore only. To me this RX program offers nothing I can already do.
     
  12. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    System Restore will only restore your system, not all the data and programs & settings that may have changed since the restore point. It would appear that you do not understand AXTM. You are correct about Macrium though AXTM allows for this as well (though not as reliably).
     
  13. chrcol

    chrcol Registered Member

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    Well what do you want snapshots? or system restoration? Snapshots mostly are not used for restoring entire systems.

    System restore will however restore whatever you tell it to, if it is snapshotting your entire system then yes programs and settings would also be restored to the date of the restore creation point if you did a full rollback.

    Your answer is very telling tho, remember when it comes to data preservation, reliability is absolutely key, and that is why macrium is successful as it is.
     
  14. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I want both.

    Snapshots are used to restore a SYSTEM (ie: drive consisting of all system files and non-system files) to a prior state.

    The problem is that you seem to equate a system restore point with a full restore to a drives previous state. It is not. AX and Macrium, via the use of snapshots, allow for a restore to a previous state and will allow you to recover any files that were created after the restored to drive state. A system restore point will not permit you to revert non-system files or programs. It thus will not enable you to do use an hourly system restore point to create a useful snapshot,,,,,and you would have to do the creation of the system restore point manually whereas both Macrium and AX can do the hourly snaps automatically.

    Or perhaps when you say
    you are not referring to Microsoft's ability to create a system restore point but something else.
     
  15. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    How about my original post (#11210)—no takers?

    Norman
     
  16. Peter2150

    Peter2150 Global Moderator

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    HI Norman

    I think one of the issues is people are slowly giving up on this whole thing. I went back and gave the 1.4.1.48 a last try. I have so wanted to see this project succeed. It seemed well until a macrium backup failed, and I had to run a 4 hour chkdsk. That was it. I am thru. So the only advice I can give is uninstall.

    Pete
     
  17. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    Sad, considering the enthusiasm with which it was received. I myself cannot use version 1 because I need to backup my entire system disk, all 4 partitions. Unfortunately for me, XP support (of version 2, not of the support staff) is minimal.

    I do not rely on FB for system backups (I have Macrium for that, and use RollBack RX for snapshots), but I find it much better (much faster to mount, very much faster to navigate, faster to extract, faster to unmount) than the other two; however, it does throttle down the system during its hourly activities—hence the original post for an automatic way to suspend it (solved in the meanwhile).

    Perhaps version 3.

    Norman
     
  18. Kit1cat

    Kit1cat Registered Member

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    First time I visited this thread for a couple of months, sad to see no real progress has been made with the program since my last visit, at least version 1.4.1.48 is still running great on my windows 7 system.
     
  19. Masterblaster

    Masterblaster Registered Member

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    This utility is all but dead and now this forum thread is on life support. This is really too bad as there was so much promise in the beginning before ISSO sold this.
     
  20. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    I don't think Isso "sold" it... I think he lost it due to accidentally pilfered technology from a previous job he had. It really doesn't matter the reason why...

    PS- the new CBT (Changed Block Tracking) method currently being BETA tested by Macrium Reflect appears to be as fast (or faster) than the method used by Flashback when snapshotting the system and overcomes all those slow incrementals following any external access of the managed volume and any BOOT time changes that may have occurred. Looking forward to its BETA program completion and the release of the technology.
     
  21. normanbg

    normanbg Registered Member

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    Great news! Do you have any idea whether it will support XP?

    Norman
     
  22. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Sorry to get you too excited, Norman... it WILL NOT be supported in Windows XP (serious technical limtations).
     
  23. taotoo

    taotoo Registered Member

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    Do you know HOW it overcomes the slow incremental problem - if there's external access wouldn't that normally render the CBT data invalid?

    edit: have just seen other thread, will follow that one instead
     
  24. TheRollbackFrog

    TheRollbackFrog Imaging Specialist

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    Your question has been answered in the MACRIUM REFLECT thread...
     
  25. shmu26

    shmu26 Registered Member

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    after installing AX64, my system became immediately unbootable.
    I got error message: cannot find boot device
    this happened with v1 and with v2.
    windows 10 x64
    SSD, with GPT partitioning
    I restored my system, using macrium reflect.

    is there a fix?
     
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