Drive Cloner image with RollBack Rx

[pvsurfer]

Hi Graham,

Thanks for conducting those tests - very much appreciated and quite interesting! Based on your results the 'restore rules' (of a normal hot-image) seem to have changed since v7.2.1 where restoring the imaged MBR often brought about corruption!

In your last paragraph were you restoring a normal hot DS image or a raw hot image using DS' auto-restart feature? I don't understand why the auto-restored system should be any different (insofar as validity) than a cold restored image without restoring the MBR. Would you mind elaborating on what you think is going on here (perhaps I'm reading too much into this)?

Regards,
pv

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by pvsurfer

In your last paragraph were you restoring a normal hot DS image or a raw hot image using DS' auto-restart feature? I don't understand why the auto-restored system should be any different (insofar as validity) than a cold restored image without restoring the MBR. Would you mind elaborating on what you think is going on here (perhaps I'm reading too much into this)?

Regards,
pv

I was referring to a normal hot DS image. The reason this is a bit odd is that you are restoring the image under the protection of RB. This is clearly a fairly space-inefficient way of going about things as RB is storing the entire system elsewhere on the drive but, it just struck me as interesting as you could image individual snapshots and then restore them in a sort of pick-n-mix way.

I wonder what would happen if you tried to restore a Windows XP image into a Windows 7 system?!! An instant train wreck, I would imagine!

Graham

[bgoodman4]

Thank you Graham for posting your finding, much appreciated,,,,,,one thing I would like to clear up though. You keep referring to DS, am I correct that you meant DC (DriveCloner) or are you in fact referring to Drive Snapshot which of course is a different program.

[bgoodman4]

Originally Posted by nexstar

One other oddity I fell across. If you start the DS restoration from within the functioning RB when it is booted up using DS' auto-restart feature, then it will restart and restore the image protected by RB. So you can then create a snapshot of your restored image. I feel sure that there must be a use for this 'feature' .

Graham

Say what? How could a restore of an image protected by Rx be done if there is no image that Rx is protecting? Surely you are not referring to the DC image, it is not being protected by Rx, its on a remote drive and as such is beyond Rxs reach. So what image is being referred to ,,,,,, or maybe its better that I not know and just keep it simple,,,,do a hot image with DC and if I need to restore do so instructing the program to restore the non-Rx MBR.

[pvsurfer]

Originally Posted by nexstar

...The reason this is a bit odd is that you are restoring the image under the protection of RB....

Not really Graham. DS' auto-restore is only initiated while running under RBRx's protection - DS reboots the system into DOS before actually performing the restore!

Originally Posted by bgoodman4

,,,,,one thing I would like to clear up though. You keep referring to DS, am I correct that you meant DC (DriveCloner) or are you in fact referring to Drive Snapshot which of course is a different program.

DS is not a typo. In his last few posts Graham is truly referring to Drive Snapshot (DS). His most recent test (post #29) is in response to my request (post #29) as to what would happen with an RBRx v9.1 system if he used DS to backup and restore a normal (standard) hot image without restoring the MBR (which I have done several times successfully using DS with my WinXP - RBRx v7.2.1 system).

pv

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by bgoodman4

Say what? How could a restore of an image protected by Rx be done if there is no image that Rx is protecting? Surely you are not referring to the DC image, it is not being protected by Rx, its on a remote drive and as such is beyond Rxs reach. So what image is being referred to ,,,,,, or maybe its better that I not know and just keep it simple,,,,do a hot image with DC and if I need to restore do so instructing the program to restore the non-Rx MBR.

Apologies for confusing the issue but as pv points out, this was in response to his query regarding Drive Snapshot in a similar scenario.

You are spot on with the simple approach you mention as that will boot you into your current snapshot with RollBack just needing to be uninstalled (if it wasn't already) and then reinstalled.

Graham

[nexstar]

Hi pv,

No, I understand how DS carries out its auto-restore but it just seems slightly odd to be restoring the image of the system under the existing protection of RollBack! If I restore an image of an OS then I normally expect the saved state of that OS to be what boots up...if you see what I mean . In this case, the whole image can become a single snapshot.

Graham

[pvsurfer]

Originally Posted by nexstar

...it just seems slightly odd to be restoring the image of the system under the existing protection of RollBack! If I restore an image of an OS then I normally expect the saved state of that OS to be what boots up...if you see what I mean . In this case, the whole image can become a single snapshot.

Sorry Graham but I just don't see what you mean - after DS restores the image the saved state (current snapshot) is what boots up...
....maybe after dinner your meaning will begin to penetrate my thick skull.

pv

[bgoodman4]

Originally Posted by pvsurfer

DS is not a typo. In his last few posts Graham is truly referring to Drive Snapshot (DS). His most recent test (post #29) is in response to my request (post #29) as to what would happen with an RBRx v9.1 system if he used DS to backup and restore a normal (standard) hot image without restoring the MBR (which I have done several times successfully using DS with my WinXP - RBRx v7.2.1 system).

pv

Thank you for clearing that up, I had assumed that since this was a thread on DC and Rx that that was what you were talking about.

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by bgoodman4

Thank you for clearing that up, I had assumed that since this was a thread on DC and Rx that that was what you were talking about.

Yes, mea culpa . Apologies again.

pv, I've sent you a PM about this so that I can revert to not monitoring the DC section again .

Graham