Introducing AX64 Time Machine - hybrid imaging/snapshot software

With that much free space we can exclude the impact of RBRX defragging.

The only other things that come to my mind are:
a) if you jump often from one RBRx image to another (maybe causing Ax64 to compare sector to sector incremental images?)
b) RBRX driver or Ax64 driver interferes with your e-sata channel. e.g. one of the early versions of RBRx 9.x greatly interfered with my usb data transfers and instead of 30mb/s the spead was max 6mb/s (but happened only on one of my pcs while the others performed normally).

Panagiotis

 

Yes, first restores from inside windows and at the end reboots the system...

Panagiotis

 

Interesting, thanks. Might test it soon.

 

Hi dressel & Welcome to Wilder's!

Interesting stages there that you experienced per Windows 8 x64. I have identical specs on a new gateway sata spinner laptop with GPT and anxiously waiting for that compatibility myself Isso. mentioned. will be upcoming in a future upgrade.

I'm needing to do a Win 8 refresh not the full reset due to some VSS problem its currently experiencing unrelated.

Once complete i like to try to duplicate your switch from v.1.967 then to the latest because its clearly indicated in v.1.996 as you also noticed that it's not yet supported but are you confirming (at least on your system) that from the supposedly unsupported version 1.996 that you now (since you did already have a v.1.967 image made on GPT) that it's working ok with GPT?

Regards Easter

 

Hi Michael, thank you! I'm happy to hear it works well for you.

Isso

 

guest,

Thank you - interesting experiment! Please see here for some information on how to operate those two programs together (carfal did a big research a while ago). Thank you

Isso

 

Hi Pandlouk

Yup, was thinking hat the space issue/RB Rx defragging was not pertinent given the free disk space I have. But it is always go to consider and if not pertinent to discard.

I have been thinking that b. may be a real possibility but not sure how I check that other than make the drive internal and connect with SATA rather than eSATA. I am still running RB Rx v9.1, by the way, but one of the latest versions.

Perhaps I have to go for the internalisation of the drive, on a temporary basis, just to check it out.

Anyway, again...thanks for the suggestions and attempts to help.

Much appreciated.

Regards



Balders

 

Hi Balders,

Sorry that I wasn't able to help you with this problem. Panagiotis, Forggie, Kent - thank you for your help with this issue.
When Balders first contacted me I made sure that his hardware operates properly - I'm sure that there are no problems with his HDDs or drivers.

For software - I was thinking that might be a problem, but still I wasn't able to find any solution.
Balders, how much time a backup operation normally takes for you now? For a clean experiment please do 2-3 manual backups in a row. Thank you

Isso

 

MerleOne,

The data used to revert to PC to previous state is the same as disk image. I.e. AXTM takes incremental disk images, and uses them to revert the system to previous state. There is no separation between imaging/snapshotting - it's the same operation. Hope this makes sense

Isso

 

An "on-line" RESTORE is done through the LIVE Windows you're running, not a Recovery Media, and it will reBOOT when complete.

 

Hi Chuck,

The reason I've disabled GPT support in latest version is that we figured out there is a problem in restoring the backup to a new empty disk (i.e. in situation where your HDD fails, or "bare metal restore"). As long as your HDD works, there are absolutely no problems with backup and restore, so you can use old version 967 (or do the upgrade trick to 996 as you did).

We'll release a new version that fixes "bare metal restore" problem soon, and I'll enable GPT back.

Isso

 

Hi Easter,

That's right, you can use version 967 to setup your source/destination drives, and then upgrade to 996 - it will work fine. The only problem that I've mentioned in my previous post is the bare metal restore.

Isso

 

Hi Balders! Wow... lots of interest in your problem.

From the FWIW dept... while doing some XP testing for Isso during Alpha phase, I experienced some horrible bandwidth using an eSATA-based drive (that used to be very fast), about the same numbers you've been getting. For testing purposes I quickly switched the snapshot partition over to a secondary on my main system drive just for a quick test... what a difference. I haven't gotten back to that system to find out if it was the eSATA dock or the drive, just been moving on.

Will find out soon...

 

Yes, thanks. The added bonus I see is that restoration can be performed online, if I understood correctly, then the PC reboots and the previous configuration is restored.

Just another question : does AX64 monitors changes in real time or is it done only when a snapshot is taken ?

Thanks.

 

Re restoration - that's absolutely right.

For monitoring changes - good question. Right now the changes are monitored in real-time. However we have plans to change it to be done upon taking snapshot. This will add several seconds to snapshot time, but will make the program simpler and more robust.

Isso

 

Hi Isso

Absolutely nothing to apologise for. Far from it...I am very appreciative of the time that you have spent trying to find the issue & provide a solution.

As I have said before...I am sure that this is something specific to my set up & not an AXTM issue...otherwise you would have had lots of other beta testers (and now users) reporting the same or similar issues...but you do not have.

I just have to work through the various possibilities and hope that one of them turns out to be the cause.

I will be looking to try out some of the further things that Pandlouk has suggested, plus changing the connection to the back up drive...and will certainly do 2-3 manual backups in a row...and then advise back on the results.

Regards and respect


Balders

 

Hi Froggie

Yup, that is how good the members at Wilders are and why it is THE BEST forum ever.

As for the FWIW...that is really, really helpful in that it would suggest that the issue is due to what I have been suspecting is the case all the long...the connection of the backup drive.

I will, as soon as I have a moment 'internalise' the drive and connect it, as per the main drive (that I am looking to secure with AXTM) via proper SATA. Hopefully that will resolve the issue on a temporary basis...and then hopefully when you manage to find out what was the cause of the issue is re. your system, that might give me a pointer that will allow me to move back to an externalised back up hard drive.

Appreciate that you experienced the issue under XP but I do think that eSATA is the common link here.

Keep me posted on what you find and I will certainly advise you & Isso further to my investigations.

Again, thanks for the very interesting FWIW.

Regards


Balders

 

Forggie... <jeeeeesh...> I work for the guy as his "unofishul" PR VP and this... he forgets my name.

Hmmmmm... may he'll remember it if I change it to Fisso, yea, that's what I'll do!

---Fisso <ribbit!>

 

What a perfect sight! Well, for corporate consistency Fisso is much better

EDIT: fixed. I like Froggie actually

 

Forggie's actually kinda cute... my grandaughter likes it!

 

OK, I changed it back, I'm sure everybody will agree that your grandaughter's preference is a priority over yours

Isso

 

Hi Isso,

I tried AX64 on a multi-boot test computer today. BootIt BM is the boot manager and there are over ten OS on HD0. I made CD and USB boot media in WinXP and Win8 but none of the media are bootable. Is this a problem with BIBM?

 

Hi Brian,

I am surprised that you didn't beta test AXTM as being one of the experts on Wilders' Security being "Imaging Specialist".

I believe I have to be blamed for this, and being almost senile at my advanced age, I forgot to forward your name to Isso at the incest of beta testing. My apologies for that.

Anyhow, I will let Isso to answer your above question, or someone with more experience with BootIt BM.

My respects and regards,

Mohamed

 

some more steps:

5- took a snapshot with RX, it was smooth as usual, used the built-in snapshot defragmenter.
Had my system frozen after toying with too many softs at same time ^^, hard shutdown had to be done
6- took a snapshot with AXTM (system size: ~21Gb, snapshot size 3.3Gb, duration: ~16 minutes, longer than usual as said AXTM console due to the hard shutdown), no issues.
7- added some softwares (Photoshop, etc..)
8- took a snapshot with RX, it was smooth as usual, used the built-in snapshot defragmenter.
9- took a snapshot with AXTM (system size: ~25Gb, snapshot size 1.9Gb, duration: ~7.30 minutes), no issues.

primary observations:

- for the moment , there is no issues observed between RX & AXTM, since it is just continuous snapshots, no rollbacks done since i have no reason to do it yet.


Note: Thanks Isso for the link to Carfal tests, it will gave me valuable inputs when i will need to rollback.

 

Mohamed,

At that time I was involved in beta testing another product. I found the experience quite unrewarding and I didn't want to be involved in another beta test. But I've been impressed with the open way Isso has handled this thread and I chose the wrong beta test.