Image backup using Drive SnapShot?

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

i had a problem creating a bart pe cd not long ago.
i have a oem windows xp cd i copied the contents of it to a folder added some plugins but the finished cd wouldnt work.
if i can succesfully create a bartpe cd with drive snapshot on it succesfully i will have no problems using drive snapshot.
lodore

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Hi lodore,

I also had problems the first time I tried to build BartPE. But thanks to some of the helpful members here, I persisted and finally succeeded.

I can offer you some suggestions based on my experience:

1. Download PEBuilder v3110a to the desktop... http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/download/ (choose the self-installing package). Run the installer, installing PE Builder to the default location or to a folder of your choosing.
   
2. Don't copy the contents of your WinXP CD to your hard drive. Simply direct PE Builder to your CD Drive, letting it find and extract the source files it needs from your WinXP CD.
   
3. If you own a copy of DS, you should replace the older (trial) version of DS that comes with BartPE (although Bart's DS worked ok in my restore test).
   
4. To do #3, select 'iso file' as the output in PE Builder and after it builds the iso, use an iso-editing program (I use UltraISO) to open the iso and copy your own snaphot.exe (in C:\Program Files\Snapshot) over the trial version of snapshot.exe in the iso's Programs folder.
   
5. I burned the iso using a slow burn speed (fwiw, I use Ashampoo Burning Studio).

From a 'cold start' on my laptop, BartPE takes almost 2 minutes to bootup to where I'm able to access DS. But the DS GUI loads fast and DS does its job efficiently, quickly and reliably.

Hope that helps!

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

appster,

That's a nice summary.

One comment. The expired snapshot.exe in the BartPE download does restore images but it won't create images. That shouldn't matter.

Instead of using UltraISO, I replace the old snapshot.exe in the plugin with a current version before I build the ISO. Just a different way of doing the same thing.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Brian, thanks for pointing that out. I just gave Bart's DS plugin a quick 'restore test' and it seemed to function ok, so I presumed it was fully functional. In any case, as I had already purchased DS v1.38 I replaced Bart's copy with my own snapshot.exe.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

If you download another fresh trial from DS website it will last till 2008 but i do recommend you buy it as well.

edit i meant to say november 2007

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

I installed BartPe in Returnils sys drive protection mode...Used a genuine XP pro install cd, Bartpe creates a folder on c drive with all choosen plugins in it prior to writing the .iso...just copy over your own drivesnapshot .exe to the drivesnapshot plugin directory created...Using returnil I made the BartPe CD and after reboot not a sign of the operation in question...Earlier I struggled with a Dell OEM win install CD and that was a real nightmare, impossible to get it working, constant errors...with genuine xp pro CD smooth as a woman thigh...

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Iodore,
here : https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=183952&page=5
it is explained ,with examples , how to use batchfiles with DS ,i use them all the time now to make a fast differential image using the switch " -L0 " which gives you an unsplit .sna file.

Lin

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Question: what happens if you use the switch "-L0" on a FAT32 drive with it´s 4gb file restriction ?

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Another DS question... After booting up with BartPE to backup a system partition, what's the correct/best setting for VSS Options (under Advanced Options)?

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

appster,

I wondered that too. I don't have an opinion but this page helps.

http://www.drivesnapshot.de/en/snapshot_vss.htm

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

no -L0 is not documented, before i knew this i did this -L9999999 but the -L0 looks far neater.

i lately been trying all the options, attempting a frontend for DS i am now understanding why nobody has done one, when you get down to it theres whole lotta options tucked away in there. i am trying to implement every option.

if you using DS for all RB snapshots, there is no need to restore the MBR head option. the maintenance mode is enough.

the $disk $date options only name your filename to 8 letters max in windows. i thought at first it was down to short filenames limit turned on in xp but no it can only use 8 letters for the filename.

@osapi -if you try to burn an image bigger than 4Gb DS won't know the drive isn't big enough.

@appster - the VSS is the best option --usevss but in some cases not - so experiment for your system

if you type snapshot --m it come up with a whole load more options.

i don't understand why users have difficulty making a BartPe unless you have an oem xp then i understand or missing drivers. for driver problems with it get a backup driver s/w like Driver Genius and all the entire driver folder throw into the scsi bartpe folder...all Bartpe uses is the c:\pebuilder folder. The BartPe cd default Start button and background is not very nice so you can easily customize it to remove that.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Say, I´m making an DS image with -L0 to my USB fat32 drive, the image is ~4.4 GB, will the single .sna file be accepted on the Fat32 ?

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Brian, after reading that and specifically....

...it doesn't seem that VSS offers any benefits (over DS' internal driver) for my system configuration and backup needs.

Thanks.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

no 4.4Gb wont go into 4Gb (4096) is your limit. sorry won't happen.

incidentally 4.7GB on a DVD is only 4.38GB which is 4482MB

this touches on what i been thinking about, that is exclude folders you don't need.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

if you backing up outside of windows then you don't need VSS - this buffer overflow looks like why imaging in windows sometimes fails. DS won't use VSS by default. VSS was invented to backup servers so they could keep them on all the time and not shutdown. DS uses its own.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Thanks for the confirmation (and explanation).

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

As I suspected...Thanks!

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Another thing: In BartPe you can backup to file but not to DVD which is in use...What about making it to a file then go out and in win burn the image to DVD...Is this reliable ?
------------------
added: meaning copy over back to disk if a restore will take place.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

yes you could do all that and will be reliable. i use nero in bartpe in fact nero lite, its just stopped production but v.6 is fast and light as long as it detects your writer. what would benefit you is putting BartPe on a usb stick so it frees up your writer. you can still use the cd writer anyways as the BartPe is running in ram. Ideal burn software is ones that let you right click the image file you want and select burn.

i think if you take your xp cd and stripped it down with nlite - burnt it to disk for your regular xp install + all your software - i can bet you alot it would fit well within 4GB what you wishing. in fact those dell oem cds come with aload of unnecessary software...but as you already have windows installed you can still reduce it further safely. deleting the uninstall folders in the windows folder is a good start. you won't ever uninstall updates.

heres some more stuff to delete on an existing windows and still be safe and stable.

c:\windows\system32\dllcache\ but do not delete the folder only the files inside

c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386\ again do not delete the folder only the files inside

c:\windows\cursors\

c:\windows\driver cache\i386\ if all your hardware is working fine, you can delete the files but do not delete this folder

c:\windows\help\ delete all files inside this but again.... dont delete the folder

c:\windows\media\

c:\windows\system32\restore\ turn off system restore and disable the service then you can delete this folder

c:\program files\msn

c:\windows\msagent

c:\program files\netmeeting\

c:\program files\online services\

and remove anything you don't need of course. go into add/remove and remove any unused components like msn explorer,games etc

then get a good cleaner like windows washer, privacy eraser or ccleaner

are you backing up a big folder of my documents? consider backing up your 'my documents' seperately and exclude from image. doing that might just get it on a dvd...

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

A fresh WinXP Pro install can be backed up to a 700 MB image. One CD. It takes a LOT of program installs before the backup image size is larger than 4482 MB. DVD size. Of course, you have to store your data files in another partition as we discussed in a separate thread.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

maybe i didn't explain so well. if he slims down his xp from 700mb to 350mb when he installs it will take up alot less room on the disk as alot will of gone already, (average xp is over 1.3gig after its installed) followed by his software. thats for the future. in that 4gig+ there will be a big windows folder full of unnecessary files so i suggeested deleting files folders on his existing windows but this won't be as good as making a nlite xp and stripping down his windows. if he still can't get that image onto dvd after deleting/cleaning as much as he can then its worth starting again and making a nlite cd.

the best way to get rid of temp files is to run ccleaner from BartPe because there's always locked in use using xp.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

here's the only free dos utility Avira NTFS4DOS Personal that both reads and writes to ntfs partitions. http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html - goto the bottom of that page and you see it. then you can back up your images to ntfs partitions. if you try it compare the speed to fat32. just get ntfs4dos it install into program files and stick it on your dos boot disk ready. of course you won't need this if you run IFD but try it out anyway combined with DS.

osipi if your image size is only going to be around 4gig then it might be just easier to do everything in dos and when you backed up the image have the dvd burning s/w run after and back up any images from a folder so it won't have to know the exact filename. theres bingburn terabyte to use in dos. a universal for dvd is this http://www.freeweb.hu/doscdroast/

best you use bingburn and in DS label any images ending in .img so you can use them with bing.

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

I guess it wouldn't work ,a retorical question though ,someone using DS ,using batchfiles and switches would be aware of the fat limitation.
Lin

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

Allright, thanks for useful info...I raised the question to be sure of the "span" theoretically...In fact I have Data drive NTFS and USB 2.0 FAT32, using mainly USB for the images...Noticed that I got a single .sna file under 4GB on NTFS without problem and yes I can burn it with a right click...So, USB drive is the main holder for images...Backing up to Data ntfs drive I will do when I feel for burning the image to a dvd for closet storage deep down in the wine/liquor cellar......
This community is really great!

 

Re: Image backup using Drive SnapShop?

I´m looking at Graham´s batch files...
"snapshot c: d:\dsbackups\$computername-$DISK-Full.sna -L0"

What do you have to add to get it in maintenance mode?