Some questions...

[m_r]

Just having installed RollBack Rx for about a good week, I just run into some questions:

(1)
(a) (My most important question)

When making a backup from my harddisk I have to remove it from my laptop, build it into my desktop and start my backup-program from CD, i.e. do NOT start Rollback RX before. So when I backup the desired directories: Is their content the one I appear to have, when the system is started with Rollback RX? Or is the contents seen from my desktop one of a former snapshot and the difference is stored somewhere else?

So, if wanted the current state with RollbackRx be also on the harddisk-contents seen from outside, what do I have to do? Removing my old baseline snapshot and setting current system as new baseline snapshot? Uninstalling Rollback Rx first?

(The question arised, when I tried to do a restore with my backup-program, because I changed something and the restore-program told me there was nothing to restore... But when I reinserted the Harddisk there were still files on it, I copied after the backup)

(b) In case I have managed (1a) did some things and finally wanted to do an external restore. So I restore all the files on my external system (without RollbackRx running). Now how to proceed? Connecting the harddisk with my laptop and rebooting it might RollbackRx confuse. The Manual says that changes being made from outside might result in unpredictable results (see 'Product limitations').

(c) What if I want to copy a supervised partition with a program like 'Paragon's Drive Copy' which tranfers all the data on a partition to another partition (on the same or another harddisk)? This should work, shouldn't it?

(2) As far as possible I have saved all the windows-stuff all on partition C: and the data on D:. Having been asked, which partition to supervise I entered 'C: and D:'. When trying to go back to a special snapshot in the past, perhaps because the tryout-program should be removed from my system - Rollback Rx automatically not also resets drive C: to it's former state, but also D:, right? Is there a way to make Rollback RX supervise both partitions, but only reset one drive?

So enough for now. Probably I should make my backup again, after figuring out, that there have been some other datas being backuped than expected.

Thank you,

M_R

[carfal]

M_R, I had to read your post several times but i think i got the jist of what your asking

Lets look at (1)(a) first

(1)
(a) (My most important question)

When making a backup from my harddisk I have to remove it from my laptop, build it into my desktop and start my backup-program from CD, i.e. do NOT start Rollback RX before. So when I backup the desired directories: Is their content the one I appear to have, when the system is started with Rollback RX? Or is the contents seen from my desktop one of a former snapshot and the difference is stored somewhere else?

So, if wanted the current state with RollbackRx be also on the harddisk-contents seen from outside, what do I have to do? Removing my old baseline snapshot and setting current system as new baseline snapshot? Uninstalling Rollback Rx first?

(The question arised, when I tried to do a restore with my backup-program, because I changed something and the restore-program told me there was nothing to restore... But when I reinserted the Harddisk there were still files on it, I copied after the backup)

You have Rollback installed on your laptop drive. You want to back up your laptop drive and in order to do this you have to remove the drive from the laptop and plug it into your desktop tower. From there you boot from a CD and run your backup program.

It would be easier to simply plug a USB HD to your laptop and run your backup program from your laptop but I'm assuming for whatever reasons this is not possible. That's fine. Getting back to your situation, you must UNINSTALL ROLLBACK from your laptop BEFORE removing its drive and plugging it into your desktop PC. Leaving Rollback installed is whats causing your confusion and conflicting results.

(b) In case I have managed (1a) did some things and finally wanted to do an external restore. So I restore all the files on my external system (without RollbackRx running). Now how to proceed? Connecting the harddisk with my laptop and rebooting it might RollbackRx confuse. The Manual says that changes being made from outside might result in unpredictable results (see 'Product limitations').

Because we've already established that Rollback must first be uninstalled from the laptop, this scenario will no longer be an issue. After you plug the drive back into your laptop simply REINSTALL ROLLBACK. And away you go!

(c) What if I want to copy a supervised partition with a program like 'Paragon's Drive Copy' which tranfers all the data on a partition to another partition (on the same or another harddisk)? This should work, shouldn't it?

Again, its probably less confusing to uninstall Rollback from the laptop, do your transfer and then reinstall Rollback.

(2) As far as possible I have saved all the windows-stuff all on partition C: and the data on D:. Having been asked, which partition to supervise I entered 'C: and D:'. When trying to go back to a special snapshot in the past, perhaps because the tryout-program should be removed from my system - Rollback Rx automatically not also resets drive C: to it's former state, but also D:, right? Is there a way to make Rollback RX supervise both partitions, but only reset one drive?

It is not possible to tell Rollback to unprotect a drive on the fly or to only Rollback this drive but not that one if they are both selected for protection. When Rollback is installed and you choose the custom option, Rollback asks which drives to protect. The drives you choose will be protected all the time. To unprotect it you must uninstall Rollback and reinstall chooseing not to protect it. In which case drive d: will be vulnerable just like any other unprotected drive.


I hope i've helped clarify some of your questions.

EDIT: Whenever you uninstall Rollback Make sure you choose "current system" if you want to keep everything the way you see it now!

[m_r]

Hello car_fal,

thanks for your answers.

Your understanding was right. I had to do this because my laptop has a strange heat-problem. Running in pure windows is not a problem, but when being in DOS-Mode it would run only few minutes. Also when doing some games in windows. I don't know what it is, the graphics-card perhaps. So I had to do the backup-stuff with my DOS-Mode Backup-program (BackMagic) from my Desktop.

(1a)
Uninstalling RollBackRx would remove my complete snapshots, wouldn't it? So after reinstalling it they are gone too. Right? B.t.w. can I backup the snapshots too? Manual says, they are installed not in a hidden drive, so are the RollBackRx-files are stored in a specific directory? So when doing my external backup (and I cannot use them anyway after an uninstall), I probably should exclude them from being backuped...

Instead of uninstall Rollback, couldn't I just redefine current state as new baseline? Wouldn't the files being seen from my external system not be the same as my current state? And if not, what what would be the difference? I really would appreciate this way, because (1) an external backup would go faster and (2) installing such difficile low-level tools like RollBack always come with some strange feelings... ;-)

(2) In the meantime I detected this exclude-files when doing a snapshot-rollback. So my idea was to just exclude an entire drive (e.g. D:\) from being restored. I tried it, but it was a little strange this did not work. But clicking on a subdir I could add this too the exclude-list.

Thanks,

M_R

[carfal]

1a)
Uninstalling RollBackRx would remove my complete snapshots, wouldn't it? So after reinstalling it they are gone too. Right?

Yes, uninstalling Rollback will remove all of your snapshots and make the snapshot you choose as your new system. This is why if you want to keep all of your current data or the system your working with at the time of uninstalling, you must choose "current system" as the snapshot to uninstall to.

B.t.w. can I backup the snapshots too? Manual says, they are installed not in a hidden drive, so are the RollBackRx-files are stored in a specific directory?

No, snapshots are not stored in any folder or accessible location on your drive. Rollback works at the sector level recording changes in the sectors and then saving them in its own table with the associated snapshot. This table cannot be viewed or backed up by convensional backup methods because Windows simply cannot see it. It is intensionally inaccessible by design. The only way to backup your drive intact with Rollback installed and all of its snapshots available would be to do a "raw sector image" of your drive from a boot disk. The limitations to this is that you can only restore to the original drive or a different drive thats exactly the same size. I have read that Acronis true image is the preferred backup software that is known to work with Rollback. I dont know if this means its able to do a raw sector image or if it simply does a Folder/File type backup of the current snapshot. Perhaps somebody with more experience with backing up with Rollback can add their input here.

So when doing my external backup (and I cannot use them anyway after an uninstall), I probably should exclude them from being backuped...

When you uninstall Rollback all snapshots are removed. Even if you did the backup with Rollback still installed, you still wouldn't be able to exclude snapshots because as already explained their hidden from all software by design.

Instead of uninstall Rollback, couldn't I just redefine current state as new baseline? Wouldn't the files being seen from my external system not be the same as my current state? And if not, what what would be the difference? I really would appreciate this way, because (1) an external backup would go faster and (2) installing such difficile low-level tools like RollBack always come with some strange feelings... ;-)

In theory, updating the baseline and then imediately doing an image would give you an image of the "currrent system" as you see it. However, because an image was taken with Rollback installed, you would find that when you restore that image Rollback will not work. The tray icon will be greyed out and may even disappear. To resolve this you will have to uninstall Rollback and then reinstall it. So it seems inescapable that one way or another, Rollback requires uninstall then reinstall. Remember that a "raw sector image" will not require this little dance.

(2) In the meantime I detected this exclude-files when doing a snapshot-rollback. So my idea was to just exclude an entire drive (e.g. D:\) from being restored. I tried it, but it was a little strange this did not work. But clicking on a subdir I could add this too the exclude-list.

I have no use for this feature because depending on how much data you need to syncronise, it takes too long to complete. I Rollback often and this is unacceptable for me. I use "Beyond Compare" as my "sync" program. After I rollback, i load the "scheduled snapshot" Rollback takes and compare my predefined folders I've setup in the program. Works a treat!