Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

mike_111,

No, sorry, at the moment we don't support removable media as a source. The main purpose of the program is to backup/restore the system drives. However later we may add support for removable media too.

Isso

 

Dear EASTER,

Thank you very much for your kind words. I remember you were always supporting me back since the UltimateDefrag days. Much appreciated!

Isso

 

Zero3K,

Sorry, looks like I missed it. I would think of this as some coincidence, because AXTM isn't running when you do a restart, so it couldn't interfere with VSO downloader. Please re-check, if the problem persists, I'll try to reproduce on my test setups. Please send to me the logs from that machine, so I reproduce the environment. Thank you

Isso

 

I tried running just it when in Safe Mode and the issue still occurred. I think that my logs from earlier should suffice.

 

Got it, thanks, will check it out.

Isso

 

Hi, Dummie here. I know just enough to get myself into trouble but never quite enough to get me out of it. I, too, am a convert from RBRx. Windows 8 Pro w/GPT and very tired of waiting for Version 10.1. I'm not near as tech savvy as you people here in the forum, so I hope you can help.

AX64 seemed to install fine and took my first backup fine. Then I tried to make a Recovery Media. I have tried to make the CD and I've downloaded the .iso file to burn it myself. In both cases, when I boot from the CD, I get a line that says, ">>Start PXE over IPv4, Press [ESC] to EXIT . . ."

I'm assuming the Recovery CD should somehow allow me to get to the location of the backup files. However, if I hit Escape, the regular system boots, or if "I wait it out", again, the regular system boots. I can see no way to get to the backup files using AX64 Time Machine, using the Recovery CD.

Am I doing something incorrectly? Well, I'm sure I am but what?

Thanks for your help.

Chuck

 

Thanks Isso - just installed it.Very impressed with the speed. Before installing it I made an image using Active@ which took 19 mins (about 20Gb). AXTM took 4 mins.

I have found that you can take images of various partitions but presumably you are referring to the hourly auto backup that can't cope with this.

Just a nit pick. When I use explorer I use a button on my mouse to go forward and back through the folders. Can this be added to the AXTM image explorer. I know this is early days for this sort of thing.

 

Hi Isso, can you add an option to make a cold backup image via boot CD. It might be of interest for some people using AX64 just as a plain imaging app in offline mode.

Thanks

 

Hi Chuck,

Sorry about it. Indeed there is a problem with EFI partitions in the current version. That's why I'm going to disable EFI partition support in upcoming version, and enable it back as soon as the problem is resolved (in should happen within a month I guess).

Isso

 

djg05,

Try more backups and especially restores - you will be even more impressed with the speed

For various partitions - they are supported for hourly backups too. What I meant is that you can't backup multiple partitions at once.

For mouse support - thank you for the idea, will certainly add it.

Isso

 

aigle,

Thank you for the idea. You are right, and I was thinking about the same too. It doesn't really fit into current program design though, but I'll see what can be done.

Isso

 

Hi Isso,

I just emailed you the links. Today I tried creating a Recovery USB and it got stuck after POST everytime I tried it.

Let me know if there's something else I can do to help.

Thank you.

 

Hi, I am still running Rollback RX 10 and now AX64 too. Before installing AX64 I always uninstalled RB before defragging and making images, and then re-installed. Now I have been making images manually with AX64 and forgot about how I would uninstall RB first. Do I still have to uninstall RB first before doing an image with AX64? Will the RB snapshots interfere if I don't? Thanks in advance.

 

Actually AX64 is really fast so I guess some users might just use it as a plain imaging app. We can think of it as a bonus feature.

 

Thanks for the response! And I understand that the main purpose of the program is to to backup/restore the system drives. Just in this case one of the system drives (with programs, windows user data, other data) is "marked" as a removable media (but it is not used as such). But I understand that I might be the only one with this wacky use case

 

Hi twl835. See my post here.

 

IMHO, if you post in other threads (or other forums) people may not know about the program, so I would add a second line with a claim. A couple of examples:

• Super fast backups and restores
  or
• Instantly switch between any point in time

you could even start a competion for the best one-liner amongst all beta-testers!

it basically depends on what you think the basic USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of this great program is

 

Is there going to be a dedicated support forum for questions, issues etc ?

I thought I had seen mention of it previously somewhere, but I may have just dreamed it.

 

If I needed to reinstall the operating system, could I then install Time Machine and select a image to get my system back to the way it was before the fresh install? Thanks

 

Hi Isso I just register as you can see only for congratulate you,thanks for doing a wonderful job in this project! try and beta test AX64 for the last month on 2 laptops and in VM without any serious issues,i have 2 questions: when it be released the final version ETA? and for the guys who beta test the software (like me) when the final version goes out,we given a long period of days to try the new versions?

Thanks again for making possible this great software!

Sorry for my English is not my native Language.

 

Kit1cat, since AXTM is both a snapshot AND imaging program, you can always go back to a previously saved point in time using the RECOVERY MEDIA provided by the program.

I'm not sure you can do this under LIVE Windows after a fresh install of AXTM. There's a record of changes being managed by AXTM (via a special volume-level driver) that it uses when doing reversion to any snapshot that it has created while running. That record, of course, is obliterated when you do the fresh install of Windows followed by a fresh install of AXTM. Isso will be able to answer this for sure.

But the RESTORE operation using the RECOVERY MEDIA will always put your system back to the selected snapshot to restore to. Since you have my curiosity peaked, I will also try this procedure and let you know what I find... time for more coffee.

 

Kit1cat... I LUV this tool!

Just did your scenario and all works fine. The LIVE Windows (or HOT) restore to a snapshot worked exactly the same as the RECOVERY MEDIA (or COLD) restore does. Since the "running" snapshot data doesn't exist after a Windows + AXTM reInstall, AXTM must do a FULL restore (including Baseline + needed Incrementals) to get your system back to its known point prior to the Windows reInstall). Normally, if Windows was not reInstalled, and AXTM was not unInstalled during the process, the "running" snapshot data would be available and the HOT respore would be way faster (no Baseline reInstall required).

Yer good to go!

 

Carfal, Thanks for the reference to your post. Have you since installed AX on your real computer with RB already installed? I noticed where you warn not to protect the snapshots on the backup drive. My backup drive where I keep AX snapshots (images) is on an external drive, so their not even in the picture.
AX and RB are protecting the C drive only. As I mentioned in my post, before AX I always uninstalled RB to defrag and make images, and then reinstalled RB. Do I have to do the same when I make a backup with AX? If I become confident at some point that AX64 is all I need, and I want to uninstall RB, will I have to reinstall AX and make a new initial Backup and recovery disk without RB? Lastly, I haven't attempted a recovery of a snapshot yet with my new AX, and have to ask perhaps stupidly since I haven't accessed the recovery window yet, if can I recover to another snapshot without the recovery disk or do I need it? I'm not sure if the recovery disk is only for a non bootable recovery or not.

 

Yes, I've been running RB and AX together on my SSD drive for at least a month now. Your good to go.

You do not have to defrag before taking an image (snapshot) with AX even if RB is installed.

You will not have to re-install AX and you may continue to make snapshots with AX with your existing backup set. However, if you roll back to a snapshot where RB existed (in that snapshot) then I'm not certain as to what would happen. I think it would either boot normally and the greyed out RB icon will appear in your systray (of coarse all of your RB snapshots would still be gone or corrupted) or your PC could BSOD. For this reason, after you uninstall RB, I recommend that you delete all files in the "AXTM" backup folder and make a new baseline snapshot. This way your covered. The same applies if you use AX for a while and then decide to install RB again. Delete all files in the "AXTM" backup folder and make a new baseline snapshot.

Your existing AX Recovery media should still be fine and a new one would be unnecessary.

PS. Dont forget this important condition if you decide to use RB and AX together

 

Maybe it would be better to release a separate (probably free) product for that task? With partitioning features included? What do you guys think?

Isso