35 replies to this topic

[Lex Luthor]

I'm still playing with DriveImage XML under VistaPE. I do not have the VSS running. But I have some more information.

So are you saying, you can backup, no problem, because you are volume locking when backing up inside Vista, but if you try to use VistaPE to restore, it might not restore properly beacuse it's not locking properly because those files aren't included in VistaPE.

Or are you saying something else?

Also, last time I tried a XP based boot CD, probably BartPE, I was unable to see my SATA drive because I guess it didn't have the correct SATA drivers.

Has that situation improved any? Any suggestions?

So, if I could get an XP based boot CD to recognize by drive and get DriveImage XML installed under it, I should have no problem restoring my Vista based system?

[JonF]

So are you saying, you can backup, no problem, because you are volume locking when backing up inside Vista, but if you try to use VistaPE to restore, it might not restore properly because it's not locking properly because those files aren't included in VistaPE.

No.

I'm saying that right now there's no reliable method for making a DriveImage XML backup of an NTFS partition under VistaPE, because it will not be possible to lock the volume and nobody has figured out how to get VSS going in VistaPE. So you should make your backups in your regular booted-from-the-hard-disk environment.

AFAIK nobody's really tested restoring under VistaPE. How to do that is a really interesting question because, if you do need to restore your usual boot drive, you must do it while booted into some other system, and VistaPE is a very convenient platform for that (as you know, it's especially convenient for those with SATA drives, which are pretty durned common nowadays). But I think that there may be issues there due to lack of volume locking, and those issues may be avoidable if you preformat the drive as FAT32. I hope to test that in the near future. But right now restoring from VistaPE is untested and iffy.

If you have Vista Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise it has a facility for making a complete image-type backup. Some others and I just got the facilities for restoring such backups running under VistaPE 12 (it probably works under 11 also), and I can post it if you are interested. Perhaps you have to build from a Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise source to get that restoring facility, and restoring is untested; but IMHO it's pretty likely to work. (It also can do a system restore on the target system, and that probably works with any Vista DVD build source)

Also, last time I tried a XP based boot CD, probably BartPE, I was unable to see my SATA drive because I guess it didn't have the correct SATA drivers.

Has that situation improved any? Any suggestions?

It hasn't changed any ... but you never reported on any attempt to use the BTS Driverpacks. That's allowed me to see many a SATA drive from BartPE. Have you tried that? I can help if you are having difficulty getting it going.

So, if I could get an XP based boot CD to recognize by drive and get DriveImage XML installed under it, I should have no problem restoring my Vista based system?

Certainly should. I haven't restored a Vista system, but I've restored several XP systems.

[JonF]

OK, I just did a restoration test. Using Virtual PC 2007, in a full Vista VM I made an image of the NTFS boot drive on a second virtual hard disk. In a VistaPE VM I attempted to restore the image.

As I suspected, in the VistaPE VM DriveImage XML was unable to lock the target partition, even though there was no apparent reason why it couldn't -- it was Transactional NTFS kicking in. DriveImage offered to go ahead and try to restore anyway. I don't know if this would have been successful. I canceled the attempt.

I opened the Disk Manager that came along with the MMC script and right-clicked the target partition and formatted it as NTFS (clicking through a warning about the drive being in use and having to force a format). Still DriveImage XML was unable to lock the drive.

I then formatted the target partition again, but this time as FAT32. Success! DriveImage XML locked the partition and restored it (as an NTFS partition), and the resulting virtual disk booted into Vista just fine (although it did display the "Windows did not shut down normally" warning at the beginning of the boot).

So the news is good; you can use DriveImage XML in VistaPE to restore a partition, although for NTFS target partitions you should first format them as FAT32 (and be sure to choose quick format ... it's going to be undone when you restore). This is most conveniently done by including the MMC.



Creating images is still best done while booted into the full OS.

[Lex Luthor]

Jon,

Thanks for that testing. That's great information.

One last question. If I used a BartPE (XP) with DriveImage XML plugin and the mass storage plugins, would I be able to restore my Vista installation without going through the step to change it to FAT32 first?

DriveImage XML plugin under BartPE does support vss locking, correct?

I did try to create a BartPE CD with the DriveImage XLL and mass storage plugins last week, but I must have botched it because I couldn't see any drives at all when booted in BartPE. I'll try again when I have some more time.

[was_jaclaz]

So the news is good; you can use DriveImage XML in VistaPE to restore a partition, although for NTFS target partitions you should first format them as FAT32 (and be sure to choose quick format ... it's going to be undone when you restore). This is most conveniently done by including the MMC.

Wouldn't just changing the partition identifier in the MBR be enough?

jaclaz

[JonF]

Wouldn't just changing the partition identifier in the MBR be enough?

Probably. You try it and report back .

[JonF]

One last question. If I used a BartPE (XP) with DriveImage XML plugin and the mass storage plugins, would I be able to restore my Vista installation without going through the step to change it to FAT32 first?

It certainly should, although I haven't tested it.

DriveImage XML plugin under BartPE does support vss locking, correct?

It does support locking NTFS partitions. VSS is another kettle of fish, useless for restoring.

[was_jaclaz]

Probably. You try it and report back .

No Vista here, and although the emoticon that should be appropriated in this context is this one:


I'll use the one that better represents my feelings:






jaclaz

[kaysun]

Hi to all. I am a new member.

I have been following VistaPE forum for sometime now and in particular VistaPE and Driveimage XML. I could not get Driveimage XML running under VistaPE. However, like many members I have used Driveimage XML under BartPE XP without any hitch. I have used an older version of Driveimage XML to restore a Vista Home Premium partition with boot issues which were solved by "bcdedit" under command prompt from BartPE XP. Details are given in Runtime Software web page. Later I had used the current version of Driveimage XML with "Fix Vista Boot Problem" option as well which in fact did what it claimed. I always use full backup using external boot media and not "on the fly hot image" backup.

Since I could not get Driveimage XML running under VistaPE I explored "imagex" available in Vista WAIK - a freebie from MS!. I found it to be good except that it is only command line, backs up only to an NTFS partition, cannot split the image but the compression is better than Driveimage XML and can exclude files/directories specified in a config file. Image splitting is possible after the image has been created.

The machine that I used is Intel Centrino Duo T5600, 1.8GHZ, 1GB of memory. The XP partition which I used to back up and restore is 20,062MB(18.6GB). The compressed image under "maximum" option is 8,379MB(7.99GB) compared to 12GB of Driveimage XML under compression option "Good". The backup took about 2 Hrs - supposed to be less with other compression option - and the restore 16mts. I do not use backup

Winbuilder VistaPE apparently does not seem to include imagex.exe. There are 3 different types of imagex.exe. For Intel and AMD processors and a 64bit version as well. I included all the files in respective directories under custom folder to be included in VistaPE DVD. In fact a bare VistaPE boot CD/DVD is good enough to run imagex but will be missing other frills.

[was_jaclaz]

I found it to be good except that it is only command line, .....

Hmmm,

looky here:
http://www.msfn.org/...ls-t107920.html

And search around for GimageX and Wimmaster.....

jaclaz

[kaysun]

Hi jaclaz,

Thank you. I'll try that.