Newbie ALMOST ready to commit... Q&A

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by Froggie

Greetings Owl! There is a feature under "Program Settings/Advanced Settings (last check box) that supposedly allows you to specify files ot folders that remain unchanged as you move between snapshots.

I don't normally use this to be honest as I always found it to be quite slow to do the job in the past. Maybe it has improved in more recent builds but I think it might be quicker to just update the AV's as required

Graham

[Owl]

Originally Posted by Owl

If I were to create a multi-boot environment, obviously it would be no good surplanting the RBRx MBR with the boot loader (eg XOSL) MBR because it would knock out RBRx. However, the RBRx MBR could be left in place with the XOSL MBR on a different partition, with the XOSL partition made the active boot, and then the Windows/RBRx partition boots from the XOSL menu. See any problems with that?

Originally Posted by nexstar

I don't do multi-boot but I seem to remember that RB has to be installed on all OS's on the protected drive (or something like that) so I suspect that this would not be possible in the way you describe. Someone else might be able to help out on this one.

I don't thinlk you've got that right. Different OSs would naturally be on different partitions, the multi-boot utility adds a layer to the boot process allowing the user to select which partition gets booted this time round (and optionally hides the others). Once the boot gets redirected to the required partition, that partition's MBR takes over and the multi-boot utility drops out. So if it was an RBRx-protected Windows partition to be booted then by this stage everything would be as normal. If I was booting Linux or something that would be on its own (non-RBRx) partition and would be no issue.

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by Owl

I don't thinlk you've got that right.

That doesn't surprise me . However, the KB article here should be right and provide you with better info.

Graham

[Owl]

I see what that article is saying, but it assumes Windows is in control of the multiboot and that the RBRx mini-OS has loaded first. Four measures used together sidestep this completely:

Using a seperate boot manager in a dedicated boot partition;
Keeping each bootable OS in its own dedicated partition;
Keeping shared files (non-OS) in their own non-RBRx partition;
Hiding each OS partition from the others.

The boot manager runs first (eg XOSL) because it inhabits the MBR in the primary partition (could be a very small partition dedicated to XOSL or shared with DOS). The user selects an OS to boot (or it defaults on timeout) and the boot is transfered to the MBR on another partition, which could be Win/RBRx. If so RBRx loads ahead of Windows and functions as normal - but note the user files are elsewhere and not RBRx protected.

If the user boots a Linux partition RBRx is not loaded (because it does not inhabit the MBR of the Linux partition), Linux runs normally and has access to the same user files, but is prevented from interfering with the RBRx-protected Windows OS partition because the boot manager hid that partition away before booting the Linux partition.

For the ultimate in no-fuss ultra secure multibooting, there is a lot to be said for having swappable hard drives (just bung in the one you want and fire up).

[nexstar]

Originally Posted by Owl

Hiding each OS partition from the others.

I guess that's the crucial one, you obviously don't want any writes to the RB drive that RB doesn't know about.

Originally Posted by Owl

For the ultimate in no-fuss ultra secure multibooting, there is a lot to be said for having swappable hard drives (just bung in the one you want and fire up).

Absolutely! I've got two systems here with removable caddies and it makes for a very versatile setup.

Graham