CloneDisk

Hi Erwan,

The configuration file is excluding the unnecessary folders and files during a .wim backup session. Thanks for this new feature.

Hi Erwan,

I made successfully the backup of a Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 installation with CloneDisk 2.0.7 and vshadow. wimgapi.dll version = 6.1.7600.16385

I am attaching the x64 version of the volume shadow copy tool.

Trying to restore the .wim backup in the WinPE 1.x environment, CloneDisk displayed the following error message in the status bar :

1864 terminated with code 87

I restored the backup created by CloneDisk with imagex.exe version 6.1.7600.16385

Could you add also the check and verify options of imagex.exe to support the wim backup option of CloneDisk?

Hi Vortex,

Thanks for this feedback.

Error 87 means "The parameter is incorrect.". Was there an wimgapi.dll on your winpe 1.x? either in the system32 or next to the clonedisk.exe?

Winpe 1.x is based on XP/2003 right? Any particular constraint to stick to this "old" version?

WinXP thus should not be a problem (I tested it with wimgapi.dll 6.0.6001.18000).

Also, if the wimgapi.dll was missing, CloneDisk should explicitly gives an error about it.

Regards,

Erwan

Hi Erwan,

WinPE 1.x based on XP is light weighted and it can be modified easily. wimgapi.dll and CloneDisk are on the same folder.

Hi Erwan,

Using CloneDisk 2.0.7, I was able to restore the operating system in a Windows 7 PE SE session. As you mentioned, it must be an issue specific to WinPE 1.x

Edited by steom, 10 February 2014 - 07:36 PM.

 

Hi Erwan,

 

It would be GREAT if there could be an option to update a disk image with any new changes that occurred (thereby performing a Differential Backup).

Also permit the browse of the image for files restore.

 

Is not this possible with differencing VHD's or appended WIM's ?

I could for sure add support for this two features in CloneDisk.

For now CloneDisk can save to WIM (but not append) or create/attach VHD (fixed or dynamic).

Edited by steom, 10 February 2014 - 08:47 PM.

Following last thread from Steom around differential backup : CloneDisk 2.0.8 can now append to a wim file.

1-Backup your drive to a WIM file.

2-Make some changes to your drive.

3-Backup your drive again to the same WIM file.

CloneDisk will propose to delete or append the existing WIM file (choose append).

->Only the changes since last backup will be saved to the WIM image.

When restoring, use the last image index (#2 in the above scenario) to restore all datas+changes.

Full changelog for version 2.0.8 :

Regards,

Erwan

 

Hi Erwan

 

it will be possible to not append but to store the differential backup to another file?

 

and the WIM method requires you to handle the partitition attributes like : MBR, BS, Active... like a simple file copy?

 

Good questions.

->Use another wim file to store differential backup : I believe yes, these are called reference files (coming in next version).

->Wim is indeed a file copy: If you wish to skip the MBR, BS, etc items you will need to look at differencing VHD's (coming in next version)

Regards,

Erwan

Version 2.0.9

This version can deal with differencing VHD's.

-Create a first VHD (or turn a raw image into a VHD) : this our parent.

-Create and attach a second VHD specifying a parent (the one created in step 1) : this our child.

->We now have a differencing VHD.

You can later either delete the child VHD or merge it into the parent.

Beware, when you have a child VHD, you should not alter the parent VHD or you will lose the relationship between the parent and its child.

/Erwan

Version 2.1.0

Based on Steom's post "it will be possible to not append but to store the differential backup to another file?",  CloneDisk can now use alternative wim files (one could also call these differential WIM's ?).

1-Create a WIM file : this is our "master"

2-Make some changes to your source driver/folder

3-Create a second file specifying a reference (master) WIM file : this is our "child"

->You now have a "differencing" WIM file.

Note that this is different than appending datas to a WIM file.

Also, I could not find this option (alternate/reference file) using gimagex or dism ?

See attached screenshot for WIM Capture/Apply.

/Erwan

Edited by steom, 16 February 2014 - 06:14 PM.

Hi Steom,

In the past I had implemented RAW+GZ but it was not very useful : super slow/cpu intensive.

Note that I have also dropped "used NTFS clusters" backup for now (I will re use the principle with dynamic VHD).

When one wants to prioritize space, WIM is a better option.

Soon, I will indeed implement direct VHD backup (next to RAW & WIM) although you can already turn a RAW image to a (fixed) VHD with clonedisk.

A future version will implement dynamic VHD backup thus allowing space optimisation.

What you can do already with CloneDisk is create a dynamic VHD and clone your disk to this dynamic VHD.

Not intuitive as direct backup to dynamic VHD but a possible workaround thus

About WIM, I use XPRESS for now but I could propose it as an option in the future.

About command line, yes, it is still there.

About ODIN, yes I know this one : very good software.

About xz compression, can you tell me more?

Regards,

Erwan

Call and the exe from the command line and it will display the help on the console.

About xz, if there is a pascal unit out there, I could give it a try.

But about compression, I might look on devio / proxy side (from ImDisk package).

I am not sure ODIN developpement is other and I am not sure either CloneDisk can be seen at its legacy : it covers different areas (even if areas are crossing).

Hello Erwan and thanks for the development!

I would like to suggest:

A surface check with possibility of remap, including reversal check (end to start; similar to Victoria for Windows 4.3, http://www.majorgeek...r_windows.html)

A reversal cloning mode (from end to start) to help overcome some bad hard drives; (similar to what DataRescue's DD does; http://www.datarescu...ue/v3/drdd.htm)

Regards

Hello Erwan and thanks for the development!

 

I would like to suggest:

 

A surface check with possibility of remap, including reversal check (end to start; similar to Victoria for Windows 4.3, http://www.majorgeek...r_windows.html)

A reversal cloning mode (from end to start) to help overcome some bad hard drives; (similar to what DataRescue's DD does; http://www.datarescu...ue/v3/drdd.htm)

 

Regards

Hi David,

There is a typo in your first link : http://www.datarescu...cue/v3/drdd.htm .

About cloning from end to start, I shall be able to propose that feature without too much efforts.

About bad hard drives, CloneDisk can deal with bad sectors : it will skip bad blocks and replace it by 0-filled 64k blocks.

About re maping: it deviates a bit from CloneDisk original purpose : at best could I reproduce what a chkdsk /r command does today.

Regards,

Erwan

erwan your software is good....but where is compression ? How can we compress image while creating it and decompressing while restoring !

Hi Bhushan,

Today you can use WIM files within CloneDisk for logical drives : it will use LZX compression transparently.

If you are ok with backuping your logical drives (i.e datas only), then this is best deal.

For physical drives (as opposed to logical drives), for me the priority was to keep a format that can be mounted afterwards.

Hence there is no compression today.

In a mid term future, I am planning on offering dynamic VHD which will help one to save disk space.

Some alternatives I am considering (but time is lacking for now) : use 7z compression, use compression thru a imdisk proxy.

I like the imdisk proxy idea as we could still then mount the compressed image.

Regards,

Erwan

Hello Erwan, 

I would like to add that the reverse mode could be useful not only on cloning but also on image creation. This really helps extract data from some bad drives.

Would be possible to have on Offline Registry session an option to detect SATA controller and install (inject it) on the offline system? Maybe searching from http://devid.drpsu.com/?l=en.

Would be a great feature, since a OS migration to different hardware usually gives us errors regarding missing disk controller.

(Or exists any other tool to do the job on a offline/online system?)

 

(Or exists any other tool to do the job on a offline/online system?)

 

 

Here:

http://www.911cd.net...hp?showforum=43

http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=22523

http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=22313

DriverInjection GUI + MSSTmake (that makes two of them).

Wonko

Thank you Wonko! but:

DriverInjection is not updated since 2010 and sometimes it does not work;

MSSTMake is a command line tool. I prefer a GUI tool;