RestoreIT from Farstone

Hello


I am wondering if anyone here is using Farstone's RestoreIT or there TotalRecovery program and if so what are your thoughts?

Thanks

Bruce

 

My last system, running under XP, came with Restore-IT pre-installed by the OEM. While I rarely used it, it was quite handy on the few occasions I did need it. I was using about 20 gigs of the main 35 gig partition, and it did a full restore, including reboot, in about 5 minutes (to replace something I'd inadvertently uninstalled, much faster than downloading and re-installing). No longer available, unfortunately, it was replaced by a newer product (probably their TotalRecovery). I definitely would have recommended it back then. Never did try the newer one, so I can't comment on that one.

 

I am currently using RestorIT 2014 But wish I would have gone with their TotalRecovery 10 PRO which does way more for the same money.. I didn't know or research enought at the time.

Peter yes they do install a partition. I am guessing it is so you can do a recovery in a Pre OS situation. I get the screen you get when hitting F8 only with a new option to use the restore program. I am not going to list all the features but will list a few of TotalRecoverys features since TotalRecovery is tha way I would go and still might. This might be a good one for those products that don't contain GPT support?

•Full, Incremental, and Differential Backup
•All Windows Operating System Support
•Windows 2003/2008/2012 Server; 8/7/Vista/XP
•BIOS and UEFI/EFI systems
•MBR and GPT
•VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V
•P2V: Convert PC to Hyper-v; Convert PC to VMware
•V2P: Hyper-v VHD to physical PC; VMware virtual machine to physical PC
Military standard US DoD 5220.22-M compliant data shredder can completely erase all financial data, secret email and other sensitive files on a hard disk.

You can set compression rate low or high to save storage space

Total Backup Recovery offers the highest encryption standard (256 bit AES) similar to US Defense Department to prevent anyone from accessing your backup without your permission.

FarStone Recovery Manager can be used to boot your system from a DVD or a USB flash.

JUst a side not I see they have a pretty good sale going on. I think it is like 30 bucks for one Lic.

Also want you to know I am not affiliated with the company and am a pretty new user myself.

It does have the option to to mount and preview a snapshot and then unmount it..

I see a trial of TotalRecovery 9 Pro but not the new 10.

Anyway there is a small marquee at top saying new years sale 50% off.

 

Neither this or any other of the 'rollback' apps can be relied upon when your system crashes. Most of them modify the MBR (bad idea!) and store their snapshot on the system drive (bad idea!). The only exception to this (that I'm aware of) is AX64, but it still has some kinks to be ironed out.

Imho, the safest and most reliable way to restore your system is to use a tried and proven image-backup app (storing the image-file on an external drive)!

Wendi

 

Words of wisdom...

 

As I mentioned I should had started the thread with their TotalRecovery 10 Pro not RestoreIT which I bought.

I was using Dive Image before Norton bought it and so I am not new to Imaging software either.

One thing I can say about Norton is all the years I beta tested for them when Beta was done, they always sent a boxed version as a compliment. Even got a very nice letter opener once LOL
Never got that from any other company.



Personally I don't see anything wrong with moding the MBR if it is done right.

Here is what TotalRecovery 10 Pro offers for storage.

Broad Storage Support
•Local folders, local drives, network drive, FTP
•NAS, iSCSI, wireless storage
•USB hard disk and USB flash
•CD, DVD, Blu-Ray
Please notice it is NOT just the system drive.

I think I was one of the first using VMware here and bragged it up.
I like they support that also along with Solid State drives.

Here is what they say about a couple other venders LOL

All-in-one data backup solution
Total Backup Recovery is the only product honestly integrated with all powerful data backup and recovery features in one package. Other vendors such as Acronis and Symantec separate some features as add-ons, plug-ins, backup agents, and optional components; in order to charge more from their customers.

It would be best if you gom to their site and actualy read what it does and doesn't do.

Hey I can see the poll as to wut most use here.

Not ot brag but just to let you know even though Farstone software is a new rodeo for me, computers,this forum and the INTERNET are not...

 

It does not create any hidden partition at all just multiple parts of proprietary image files of VPART00X.RIT that reside on C: drive. Farstone website is grossly misleading.

View attachment 241088

I has been a long time user of its older version of TotalRecovery PRO v7 which came with RestoreIT integrated and found that RestoreIT is severely limited in its ISR technology such as incompatible with IE 9(Someone mentioned this was told by a support rep), Experienced Files & File system got corrupted after a successful restore to a snapshot points. It's totalrecovery imaging app causes damage to recovery partition, incomplete restore that's being shown as successfully restored.

The newer version of RestoreIT is quite buggy such as BSOD and unbootable pc when uninstalling.

It is advisable to stay away from farstone products which are mostly crap.

 

Jfi, right now, there is a giveaway going for TotalRecovery Pro 9 on this page
-http://dailysoftwaregiveaway.com/totalrecovery-pro-9-giveaway/

About 14 hours left...

 

According to the page accessed from the link provided by ruinebabine the file size is 539 MB.

Any idea why the file is so large ?

Similar applications that I am familiar with are nowhere that big.

 

Hi wtsinnc

The large file size is due to the inclusion of their boot media within the installation file. Their boot media is over 400MB in size if I recall correctly.

I have been unable to have good results with Total Recovery pro as it simply will not restore without making volume changes that are not necessary and I have never been able to get an answer as to why ANY changes are necessary when one is restoring an image to the original system. it has great potential, but I have yet to get it to perform or behave like an image product should...restoring exactly what was backed up, so I assume it is not a true sector based restore operation.

As far as RestoreIT 2014 goes, I have been using this now for over 2 months regularly, and I am very pleased with its quality. I have not had the problems so many have experienced, and the funny part is RestoreIT actually DOES perform a sector based restore, whereas their Total Recovery program seems to stumble about that. I have discussed this with support, and have yet to get a straight answer as to why Total Recovery takes the liberty of making volume changes that are not at all required. In some cases, the restore caused an increase in disk space usage after restore for no apparent reason, and this was a deal breaker for me.

RestoreIT 2014 I think is their best product and very competitive with other ISR style software. Just my opinion, because to me it is more manageable and easier to perform disk maintenance while simply disabling RestoreIT then enabling it after disk maintenance. This is a good feature. Of course, one will lose their snapshots when disabling, but this is not a problem if the system is stable. Others, you have to uninstall, then perform maintenance, then reinstall.

Hope this info helps.

Jim

 

Just thought I would post a picture of the settings in 2014.

At present I have 6 snapshots. (6 days)I have my restore area set for 11 gig and I still have almost 1 gig remaining. In the auto restore section if you check that you get two options , Entire hard drive or System Partition.

In the top section if you un check enable restoreIt functions, you do lose all your snap shots. I do not recommend unchecking this to install a new program. What I do is install the new program, then before reboot I create a new snapshot and just call it whatever program I am installing. Then after reboot I just restore to that snapshot.

I do like the option to set snapshot times and also being able to re size the hidden partition.

Also if the virtual partition is set low, RestoreIT will auto start deleting the oldest snapshot before creating the newest one. As an exxample, say you have 6 snapshots and are at your max virtual partition size, RestoreIt will eventualy have deleted all those snapshots while creating one at time new ones. I do acctualy like this feature. To get around it I have to either increase size of my virtual partition or stop making any new snapshots. I would like to and maybe it allows a person to keep snapshots from however far back as you want, like after a fresh OS install. For the most part I like it but still wish I would have gone Total Recovery Pro

 

I still want to know what is wrong with a hidden partition

Peter? anyone?


Bruce

 

Bare metal is the way to go .
If you have bad sectors Farstrone will still restore your boot and drive.

I personally am very happy with it.

 

It's not a hidden partition. It is a set of large files at the root of your C: drive. And if you also image your machine with differential or incremental images, then the backups get REALLY BIG!

 

MarkC

I think you are correct as to where the backup files go but before they go there, they go to a hidden virtual partition. And of course they have to modify the MBR to be able to boot before windows, right?

 

Controler, these days most "BOOT before Windows" applications are using the BOOT CONFIGURATION DATA Store (BCD) to do their thing and this functionality, I believe, does not require MBR modification (it's done in the PBR <Partition Boot Record> of the ACTIVE partition).

 

The claim is true simply because of the word "virtual". It's not a real partition. It is a set of large files at the root of C: that are mounted internally as a partition. However, remove the hair-splitting technical jargon and all you have are very large files at the root of C: that will balloon any incremental/differential backups.

 

...as well as some very expensive SSD space if you are so inclined.

 

Therollbackfrog

I think we be talking about their two different programs at the same time in this thread? RestoreIt does not use any incremental/differential backups, TotalRecovery Pro does. RestoreIT uses the Virtual partition how ever you want to say it, TotalRecovery Pro uses any backup storage, which as you said can take 10 min or hours and use up a lot of space.

Best thing you can do is look at their comparisons between the two please?

Also don't most of all the whoraaa programs talked about here support SSD and incremental/differential backups?

Compare page !!! http://www.farstone.com/software/restore-it.php

 

We know that, but one has an impact over the other. If one is security minded enough to use an ISR like RestoreIT, know the caveats in regards to also imaging your system (the other side of security minded).

To frog's point, RestoreIT is also wasting valuable SSD space if you're using one.

 

Nobody is attacking you.

 

Do any of you remember Drive Image? I was testing for that company before Norton bought it out, same with Quaterdecks Cleansweep and so I am not new to drive imaging programs, Just letting you know ok?

This is the version I used. The DOS version.. If I remember correct it was a floppy that booted to DR DOS.. I probably still have the floppy laying around. now that is sad ..

Then Bamn Norton strikes again LOL

What were all you using back then?

 

Drive Image could help if there was a HD failure. I'm afraid Farstone's RestoreIT can't help if the HD fails.