anyone have experience with using powerquest drive image on xp?

[john]

Then take it up with Powerquest not me!
I'm only speaking from experience. It 2002 worked perfectly for me - until
one day---- .

Powerquest says - quote -

"Drive Image 7 runs on Windows XP Home and Professional, as well as Windows
2000 Professional Desktop Version.
Drive Image 2002 is included for users of Windows 95c, 98, ME and NT 4.0
Workstation."

 

[john]

Then It's time they got their act together, so everyone knows what to use.
How can they EXPLICITLY say "it MAY work better" and "a POSSIBLE fix"?

 

[Picsou]

Hi Robert,

No I am not a Powerquest rep !

Why do I say that True Image is too complicated?
For the same reason I consider Drive Image 7 too complicated.

Both of them can create an image without leaving Windows: great.
For a restore I need however to boot my system with a floppy or a CD (for
both True & Drive Image).
This is exactly what I hate so much.

With Drive Image 6 (=2002) I can start the creation and the restore of an
image from within Windows.
My system is re-started into Dos for both of the actions, but frankly I
couldn't care less because there is not any intervention needed from my
side.
That is why I like this (older) version of Drive Image best, it's the
easiest one to use.

 

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

I reboot from from restored system drive images quite frequently
using di6.0. If that's the rigmarole I can expect using 7.0/7.01
then I certainly won't be upgrading.

As far as I can determine, the best reason to upgrade from 2002 to DI7 is for
the USB/Firewire support. After my last meltdown, I was determined to avoid it
happening again. I bought an USB external hard drive and then purchased Drive
Image 7 to make the images.

Like someone else mentioned, you have to have the original DI7 CD to boot, then
you can restore. You can make the backup image without the CD, but you have to
have the CD to restore.

Truly, it's been an easy solution for me and does what I need.

 

[davetest]

"Rock" non-sequetered:


He asked about DI 7.0, but moving right along...
Did you ever get an error message at the first bootup
of the resulting image:

"Windows could not start because the following file
is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>\System32\hal.dll
Please re-install a copy of the above file."?

I just did, and it's driving me batty. The hal.dll file is
there, but WinXP doesn't like it for some reason.


-\Stan/-

See this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330184&Product=winxp

apparently this is the message you get when boot.ini is bad....
Dave

 

[R. McCarty]

You can also receive this message if you "Restore" an image to a
PC and the BIOS settings related to ACPI are changed from what
was set when the image was created.

 

[john]

I seem to have become involved in several different discussions regarding
D.I., it was becoming a matter of one side opting for V7.0, the other for
2002, so I just rang PQ to find out exactly what was what.

Here are the results.

Powerquest web-site recommends V7.0 for XP - not 2002 (V6.0).

Drive Image 2002 is only for users of Windows 95c, 98, ME and NT 4.0
Workstation.

2002 works on a "boot-to-DOS" system, whereas V7.0 functions without having
to reboot.

2002 was tested on the FIRST release of XP and PRIOR to SP1, also it DOES
NOT support USB, USB2, DVD drives and some later drivers, so, if you use
2002 to image an OS with SP1 and the Critical Updates, you are asking for
trouble.

V7.0 was designed to support all these updates and does not go through the
"boot-to-DOS" process.
Additionally, it will get on with its imaging task in the background
allowing you in the meantime to continue with your normal work.

 

[john]

Addendum

A bit more I found about 7.0 which is not available on 2002 -

1. Backs up everything without leaving Windows

2. Creates drive letters for your backups

3. Saves to DVD

4. Saves to network and FireWire devices

5. Saves to network drives

 

[I'm Dan]

Powerquest says - quote -

"Drive Image 7 runs on Windows XP Home and Professional,
as well as Windows 2000 Professional Desktop Version.
Drive Image 2002 is included for users of Windows 95c, 98,
ME and NT 4.0 Workstation."

That doesn't mean DI 2002 doesn't work with XP, it means DI7 *doesn't*
work with 9x/NT. (I'm another of the many people who have no trouble
with DI 2002 on XP.)

It may sound slick that DI7 can operate totally within Windows, but
that's not necessarily a desirable thing. For best results, operations
involving the OS partition itself are best done *outside* of the OS.
Then, it's simply a matter of copying sectors at the hardware level.
That's what makes DI 2002 better. Utilities that work from a boot
floppy can do their work in the most straightforward manner possible,
rather than a Rube Goldberg approach to work around the hardware access
constraints imposed by Windows. It amazes me how this simple concept
often eludes many people.

 

[I'm Dan]

MaxBlast only copies files (record by record), and not
byte-for-byte. That makes a non-bootable copy. Two Maxtor
tech reps have explicitly commented to me that their copying
software is not good, and have mentioned Drive Image and
Ghost for image copying.

In and of itself, file-copying doesn't mean a copy won't be bootable --
create a valid partition, make it active, install a valid partition boot
sector, copy all the files, and you'll have a bootable copy. Since
MaxBlast operates completely outside of Windows, there are no open files
or things actively being shielded by the operating system.

Nevertheless, I do prefer DI and won't argue whether or not MaxBlast (or
the similar offerings from other manufacturers) is very good. If OP has
DI or Ghost, he should use that, but if not, then it's still worth
giving MaxBlast a shot -- the software is free and there is nothing
installed in Windows to go awry. If it works, great, but if not then no
harm done, and move to Plan B.

 

[john]

DI 2002 is intended for all older OS's, but not for XP & will

That doesn't mean DI 2002 doesn't work with XP, it means DI7 *doesn't*
work with 9x/NT. (I'm another of the many people who have no trouble
with DI 2002 on XP.)

It may sound slick that DI7 can operate totally within Windows, but
that's not necessarily a desirable thing. For best results, operations
involving the OS partition itself are best done *outside* of the OS.
Then, it's simply a matter of copying sectors at the hardware level.
That's what makes DI 2002 better. Utilities that work from a boot
floppy can do their work in the most straightforward manner possible,
rather than a Rube Goldberg approach to work around the hardware access
constraints imposed by Windows. It amazes me how this simple concept
often eludes many people.

I seem to have become involved in several different discussions regarding
D.I., so I just rang PQ to find out exactly what was what.

Here are the results.

2002 works on a "boot-to-DOS" system, whereas V7.0 functions without having
to reboot.

2002 was tested on the FIRST release of XP and PRIOR to SP1, it DOES NOT
support USB, USB2, DVD drives and some later drivers, so, if you use 2002 to
image an OS with SP1 and the Critical Updates, you are asking for trouble.

V7.0 was designed to support all these updates and does not go through the
"boot-to-DOS" process.

Additional info -

Saves to DVD

Saves to network and FireWire devices

Saves to network drives

Improved network support – Previous versions of Drive Image required the use
of Boot Disk Builder to save some backups to a network.

In Drive Image 7.0, network support is built in, with no additional setup
needed. Drive Image 7.0 also supports saving backup images to a shared
network drive on a peer-to-peer network.

Hot backups – Previous versions of Drive Image sometimes used DOS to create
the actual backup images. Drive Image 7.0 creates backups “hot,” without
leaving Windows.

Ability to save backups to USB and FireWire drives and to DVD – With Drive
Image 7.0, you can save backups to USB and FireWire drives and to DVD—as
well as to a local drive, network drive, or other removable media (such as
CD-R, CD-R/W, Zip, or Jaz drives).

ImageExplorer renamed – With version 7.0, ImageExplorer has been redesigned
and renamed Backup Image Browser.

Operating system support – Drive Image 7.0 is not supported on Windows 9x,
Windows Me, or Windows NT 4.0 Workstation.

 

[JMB]

Thanks for all the replies. There's some conflicting opinion, but
that's better than all negative, I guess.

Wish me luck!

 

[Robert]

Hi Robert,

No I am not a Powerquest rep !

Why do I say that True Image is too complicated?
For the same reason I consider Drive Image 7 too complicated.

Both of them can create an image without leaving Windows: great.
For a restore I need however to boot my system with a floppy or a CD
(for both True & Drive Image).
This is exactly what I hate so much.

With Drive Image 6 (=2002) I can start the creation and the restore
of an image from within Windows.
My system is re-started into Dos for both of the actions, but frankly
I couldn't care less because there is not any intervention needed
from my side.
That is why I like this (older) version of Drive Image best, it's the
easiest one to use.

_______________

Hi, Picsou!
1) How do you "re-start into DOS" under Windows XP?
The DOS "foundation" as could be found in all 9.x versions of Windows
is no longer present in Windows XP (NT) systems.
2) Here are the True Image features as available on their site
(http://www.acronis.co.uk/trueimage/tifeatures.asp):

Acronis' Exclusive
Creates and restores disk images in Windows — no need to reboot to DOS
even when backing up system partitions.
Unique technology that allows you to continue to work in Windows while
imaging your hard disk drive
Mounts partitions stored inside an image as the logical drives in
Windows so you can explore the archive and/or restore separate files
The only imaging software available today that fully supports all
Windows and Linux file systems
Saves and restores an image from a network drive
The only product of its kind to support new USB 2.0 drives and burners
Extremely easy to use Windows XP-like wizard-driven interface
Key Features
Creates exact disk images for complete data insurance
Restores whole hard disk drives and separate partitions and/or replaces
lost or damaged files
Writes a disk image to CD-R / CD-RW, DVD-R / DVD-RW, DVD+R / DVD+RW,
ZIP®, Jaz® and other storage devices
Seamlessly clones hard disk drives to a new computer
Additional Features
Stores only necessary disk sector contents in minutes
Supports popular media drives and CD / DVD disc burners with IDE, SCSI,
USB, and PCMCIA interfaces
Offers user-defined compression levels
Allows users to divide archives into several volumes
Protects archives by password
Supports any size hard disks
Restores both data and system partitions
Creates a bootable diskette or CD-R(W) that can restore your computer's
usability even if your operating system fails
Changes partition type, file system, size, and disk location during
restoration*
Supports Windows FAT16/32 and NTFS, and Linux Ext2, Ext3, ReiserFS, and
Linux SWAP partitions
Fully supports Windows XP

What more could you want?

 

[Timothy Daniels]

.....I just rang PQ to find out exactly what was what.

Here are the results.

2002 works on a "boot-to-DOS" system, whereas V7.0 functions without having
to reboot.

2002 was tested on the FIRST release of XP and PRIOR to SP1, it DOES NOT
support USB, USB2, DVD drives and some later drivers, so, if you use 2002 to
image an OS with SP1 and the Critical Updates, you are asking for trouble.

V7.0 was designed to support all these updates and does not go through the
"boot-to-DOS" process.

I just got through imaging a Windows XP Pro SP1 system drive
with all the updates using Drive Image 2002. It does do a re-boot,
but it still continues to use a GUI dialog box in the process. This may
be a "boot-to-DOS", but it's subtle. The only problem I had was finding
out that I had to put both HDs on the same channel and how to edit
the boot.ini file. See my posting entitled "Mulit-booting Windows XP
without special software".

*TimDaniels*

 

[Picsou]

Robert,

It does not restore an image from within Windows !!!!!!!!!!
It can restore files from within Windows but not the complete image !!!!

That makes it equal to DI-7
That is why I hate both.

 

[Robert]

Robert,

It does not restore an image from within Windows !!!!!!!!!!
It can restore files from within Windows but not the complete image
!!!!

That makes it equal to DI-7
That is why I hate both.

_______________

Hi, Picsou!
I am sorry but you are mistaken when you write:

"My system is re-started into Dos for both of the actions, but frankly
I couldn't care less because there is not any intervention needed from
my side. That is why I like this (older) version of Drive Image best,
it's the easiest one to use."

As I wrote in my previous message, The DOS "foundation" as could be
found in all 9.x versions of Windows is no longer present in Windows XP
(NT) systems. So you simply CANNOT "re-start into Dos" under Windows
XP. You could under Windows 3.1, then 95/98/Me but you CANNOT "re-start
into Dos" under Windows XP.
For example, when you use the XP boot-up CD and format a HD, you are
NOT in any DOS mode. You are under Windows XP in a minimal system
configuration.
The same is true of the True Image bootable restore CD. It does not
reboot or boot into DOS at all. It boots into Windows XP in a minimal
system configuration allowing it to run True Image and restore drive
images onto the HD.
And the same is true of the more recent Drive Image versions. But this
is not a defect. It just CANNOT be otherwise! Simply because Drive
Image could NOT restart or reboot into DOS under Windows XP. There is
NO DOS foundation to reboot into in Windows XP!

If you have a version of Drive Image (or any other software for that
matter) that is "restarting into DOS" to restore drives, this can only
mean that you are using it with an OS that is NOT NT-based such as
Windows NT or Windows XP (or even Windows 2000). Windows NT systems
have no DOS foundation to reboot into.

If you want to use the DOS environment at all costs under Windows XP,
you have to use such utilities as NTFSDOS Professional. Here is a
description from the site at
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdospro.shtml:
"NTFSDOS Professional runs on MS-DOS and mounts NTFS drives so your
MS-DOS applications can use them. It takes the files and drivers that
compose NTFS from an existing Windows NT/2000/XP installation and
simulates the environment they normally run in, allowing them to run
inside of MS-DOS. This approach allows NTFSDOS Professional to access
your NTFS volumes using the same Microsoft drivers that Windows
NT/2000/XP uses, ensuring compatibility with your NTFS drives
regardless of the version and Service Pack of NT you happen to use."

As you must have realized, this is for expert professionals with very
specialized needs and requirements. And in any case it only "simulates"
a DOS environment to work with Windows XP.

Ordinary end-users are much better off sticking to simple applications
such as True Image. Honestly I cannot see what's so complicated booting
up from a CD.

 

[t@k]

Hi "Robert" <>,

In microsoft.public.windowsxp.general you remarked...

big snip!

Hi, Picsou!
I am sorry but you are mistaken when you write:

"My system is re-started into Dos for both of the actions, but frankly
I couldn't care less because there is not any intervention needed from
my side. That is why I like this (older) version of Drive Image best,
it's the easiest one to use."

As I wrote in my previous message, The DOS "foundation" as could be
found in all 9.x versions of Windows is no longer present in Windows XP
(NT) systems. So you simply CANNOT "re-start into Dos" under Windows
XP. You could under Windows 3.1, then 95/98/Me but you CANNOT "re-start
into Dos" under Windows XP.
For example, when you use the XP boot-up CD and format a HD, you are
NOT in any DOS mode. You are under Windows XP in a minimal system
configuration.
The same is true of the True Image bootable restore CD. It does not
reboot or boot into DOS at all. It boots into Windows XP in a minimal
system configuration allowing it to run True Image and restore drive
images onto the HD.
And the same is true of the more recent Drive Image versions. But this
is not a defect. It just CANNOT be otherwise! Simply because Drive
Image could NOT restart or reboot into DOS under Windows XP. There is
NO DOS foundation to reboot into in Windows XP!

If you have a version of Drive Image (or any other software for that
matter) that is "restarting into DOS" to restore drives, this can only
mean that you are using it with an OS that is NOT NT-based such as
Windows NT or Windows XP (or even Windows 2000). Windows NT systems
have no DOS foundation to reboot into.

If you want to use the DOS environment at all costs under Windows XP,
you have to use such utilities as NTFSDOS Professional. Here is a
description from the site at
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdospro.shtml:
"NTFSDOS Professional runs on MS-DOS and mounts NTFS drives so your
MS-DOS applications can use them. It takes the files and drivers that
compose NTFS from an existing Windows NT/2000/XP installation and
simulates the environment they normally run in, allowing them to run
inside of MS-DOS. This approach allows NTFSDOS Professional to access
your NTFS volumes using the same Microsoft drivers that Windows
NT/2000/XP uses, ensuring compatibility with your NTFS drives
regardless of the version and Service Pack of NT you happen to use."

As you must have realized, this is for expert professionals with very
specialized needs and requirements. And in any case it only "simulates"
a DOS environment to work with Windows XP.

Ordinary end-users are much better off sticking to simple applications
such as True Image. Honestly I cannot see what's so complicated booting
up from a CD.

Doesn't DriveImage use something called Caldera DOS? That's what I notice
at reboot when I initiate a 'create' or 'restore' from within XP.

 

[t@k]

Hi "Robert" <>,

In microsoft.public.windowsxp.general you remarked...

And the same is true of the more recent Drive Image versions. But this
is not a defect. It just CANNOT be otherwise! Simply because Drive
Image could NOT restart or reboot into DOS under Windows XP. There is
NO DOS foundation to reboot into in Windows XP!

If you have a version of Drive Image (or any other software for that
matter) that is "restarting into DOS" to restore drives, this can only
mean that you are using it with an OS that is NOT NT-based such as
Windows NT or Windows XP (or even Windows 2000). Windows NT systems
have no DOS foundation to reboot into.

Snipped from di2002/6.0 help files...

About Drive Image 2002

Welcome to PowerQuest Drive Image 2002, a disaster recovery and backup
solution. It is easy to install and use, with an interface created for
Windows that has the look and feel of a web site. Easy-to-use wizards guide
you through creating an exact copy (called an image) of your partition or
drive, restoring an image, or copying a disk.
Drive Image 2002 helps you

· Decide where you want to store your backup images, or create a
partition to store your backup image

· Create a backup image of your hard disk and store it to the backup
location

· Schedule automated backup sessions

· Restore your system to the state it was in when you created the image

Drive Image 2002 gives you a full backup and disaster recovery solution.
You can create a regular backup (daily, weekly, and so forth) for the
purpose of easy system recovery, and you can create an archive backup (done
to network or removable media to recover from total hard drive failure).
From the location of your backup, you can restore this image to this disk
or another disk, and disaster recovery is complete.
Drive Image runs as a native Windows application on Windows 9x, Windows NT
4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. When going into boot mode, Drive Image
runs in DOS. The rescue disk version runs on DOS as well.

 

[Picsou]

You are right t@k, and that is what I was indeed refering to.

If I BOOT whatever computer (with whatever OS on it's hard-disk) from a
floppy or a CD or a RAM-disk that I created before to reboot then I do not
even get to the OS on the hard disk.
If there is on top of that a DOS-OS on the above mentioned floppy, or CD or
RAM-disk, then your machine will boot into that DOS-OS.

And that is why I am so sure that DI-6 reboots in Caldera DOS for the
creation of an image as well as for the restoration of one..
It is moreover also clearly described this way in the user-manual of DI-6.

But it is Ok with me if Robert wants to believe the opposite.
There is no way that he will convert me however.

 

[Robert]

Hi "Robert" <>,

In microsoft.public.windowsxp.general you remarked...

Snipped from di2002/6.0 help files...

About Drive Image 2002

Welcome to PowerQuest Drive Image 2002, a disaster recovery and
backup solution. It is easy to install and use, with an interface
created for Windows that has the look and feel of a web site.
Easy-to-use wizards guide you through creating an exact copy (called
an image) of your partition or drive, restoring an image, or copying
a disk. Drive Image 2002 helps you

· Decide where you want to store your backup images, or create a
partition to store your backup image

· Create a backup image of your hard disk and store it to the backup
location

· Schedule automated backup sessions

· Restore your system to the state it was in when you created the
image

Drive Image 2002 gives you a full backup and disaster recovery
solution. You can create a regular backup (daily, weekly, and so
forth) for the purpose of easy system recovery, and you can create an
archive backup (done to network or removable media to recover from
total hard drive failure). From the location of your backup, you can
restore this image to this disk or another disk, and disaster
recovery is complete. Drive Image runs as a native Windows
application on Windows 9x, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows
XP. When going into boot mode, Drive Image runs in DOS. The rescue
disk version runs on DOS as well.

_______________

Hi!
OK. I stand corrected (in a way).

BUT (and this is a BIG "BUT"), CALDERA DOS is not a Microsoft product
nor is it part of any Windows system. I personally would not trust such
a non-proprietary DOS emulation to help me restore safely a Microsoft
system. And maybe there were problems indeed since you say that the
CALDERA DOS approach has now been discontinued in the latest versions
of Drive Image.

CALDERA DOS is sometimes used by hard drive manufacturers for the
creation of boot-up floppies and the cloning of old drives. But often
there ARE problems with Windows systems. The cloned drives are not
recognized (properly) by Windows.

It is always best policy to stick to Microsoft products and procedures.