Xpress Recovery2 -The Saga nearly ended!
Mickey Mouse
harddrive partitioned C:
I will post another re harddrive with multi partitions as the proceedure is
different.
When setting up XR2, there are a couple of considerations.
1. Are using a single physical Drive.
2. Is it going to have multiple partitions.
3 Are you going to install another physical Drive.
The proceedure is slightly different depending whether your going to use a
single or multiple partitioned physical Drive.
For the rank novice, remember, a physical hard drive is the machine inside
the box, as apposed to the number of partitions you're going to put into it.
It's also NOT memory as some refer to it. You really need to know the
difference between a harddrive, partion and memory before you go any
further.
It's also important to know the limitations of XR2, use the below link.
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/TechGuide_List.aspx?NewTechID=91
I'm going to use a sample pc with a...
a) Gigabyte Mobo. (There are a small number of Gigabyte mobo's that only
suport PATA harddrives with XR2, see link).
b) 1 only WD 750Gb harddrive, this harddrive will only be partitioned to
C:
c) Windows XP Pro
The system drive, usually C: must be in all cases Drive (0) not Drive (1)
If your only using one harddrive then it should already be Drive (0)
I don't know any other way to check this apart from installing windows and
checking Disk Management.
Start > rightclick My computer > manage > Disk Management
Finally, change your Bios to boot from CD.
Let's get started.
1. Insert Windows Installation Disk and boot the pc.
2. You will see shortly the 'Windows XP Pro Setup' screen.
3. Delete any and all partitions displayed to display all available space to
create your C: partition.
In this case it's showing me (and your numbers may differ) 715269MB
Unpartitioned Space.
4. Press C to create a partiton on this unpartioned space.
5. Now type in amount of MB you want C: to be. Use all the unpartitioned
space, less 20,000 MB (20Gb) and press enter.
Note: The 20Gb is for XR2's image file partition. The Gigabyte link above
refers to XR2 as a backup.
I believe though it's an image, (compressed file). We have alloted 20Gb
for this file here but since
we are using one drive, C: , 20Gb may not be large enough. If you are
only installing the system, drivers
and applications, then 20Gb may be enough. However, if you are also
going to use this C;drive as a storage
facility for lots of say, downloaded programs then you may need a lot
more than 20Gb. That's why it might
make sense to have another partition D: for storage. XR2 will only image
everything on C: the system partition.
6. Format the partition, I use quick format.
7. Continue installing XP until completely done.
8. Go back to Disk Manager and check all's well.
You should see...... Drive(0), C: appx. 678Gb and is a
Primary, Healthy (System)
You should also see........ appx. 20GB unallocated
9. Load all Drivers from the Mobo disk. After all drivers are installed and
the pc is running correctly leave the
mobo drivers disk in the cdrom and reboot.
10 Press F9 when you get the option while booting.
11. The XR2 will now install from the mobo disk. (In future, you can access
XR2 while rebooting (F9), you won't need the mobo disk.)
12. When XR2 is installed you will get an option to backup. Press Back up.
13 When the backup/image is done the pc will reboot, remove the disk from
the rom.
Before you do this, consider carefully how big you want the image partition.
That's all XR2 will have to play with.
100Gb for such a large drive is more practicle, maybe.
Xpress Recovery2 for the not so technical minded is ideal and it's not as
hard to do as this post is longwinded.
Sorry 'bout that, need to make as clear as posible.
Mickey
smlunatick
> For anyone interested, here's how to setup Xpress Recovery2 using one
> harddrive partitioned C:
>
> I will post another re harddrive with multi partitions as the proceedure is
> different.
>
> When setting up XR2, there are a couple of considerations.
>
> 1. Are using a single physical Drive.
>
> 2. Is it going to have multiple partitions.
>
> 3 Are you going to install another physical Drive.
>
> The proceedure is slightly different depending whether your going to use a
> single or multiple partitioned physical Drive.
>
> For the rank novice, remember, a physical hard drive is the machine inside
> the box, as apposed to the number of partitions you're going to put into it.
>
> It's also NOT memory as some refer to it. You really need to know the
> difference between a harddrive, partion and memory before you go any
> further.
>
> It's also important to know the limitations of XR2, use the below link.
>
This is a third separate thread. It seem to be orphaned since you did
not continue with the original post.
Daave
news:8D_cl.12546$cu....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Thanks for the research and effort, Micky, but the above hypothetical
should never be attempted in the real world. You are proposing the image
for C: appear on a different partition of the *same physical hard
drive*! If there is something physically wrong with the hard drive, the
image on D: won't do you any good!
If you have another physical disk in the PC, it would be better if the
image resided on it. Better yet, store the image on an *external* hard
drive.
Mickey Mouse
makes a lot of sense.
Unfortunately, XR2 gives no option to image elsewhere. I merely creates
it's own partition (albeit protected).
I the harddrive suffers a mechanicle breakdown then your screwed.
However, if you like me play with and or experiment with utilities that end
up scrambling your system or if a
virus or malicious type of file gets in or your system start behaving very
poorly then I think for the average non-literate
pc user with very little knowledge of how the system works XR2, would be
helpful.
Had to travel 14 miles the other night to help out a friend. She called me
and said my computer is not working can I help?
I said what's wrong, and she said she's getting a message 'Missing NTDLR'.
Well, you know how easy that is to fix but
she is one of those who are apparently only aquainted with the on button.
Well although the problem is an easy fix,
finding the cause of the problem may not be so easy. If she had a Gigabyte
system with XR2 installed I would have just
said to her to bootup and hit F9 and restore the backup.
Someone in this thread suggested DriveImage which I'm looking at. It
appears to be a cool free alternative, but for the rank
novice, I don't know. You need to learn how to use DriveImage, then you
need to learn how to create the BartPe disk and using and understanding the
required plugins that go with it. Remember who wer're talking about here,
Some usuers don't even know where Windows Explorer is, let alone how to
copy,paste and move a file. Yes, sad isn't it. lol.
Thanks for your kind comment re my research, as luck would have it,
Melbourne is putting up with a heatwave at the moment and that's made it
difficult sit sit in front of my machine. No airconditioning in my house.
I'm about to put together how to partition a harddrive with multiple
partitions to use with XR2 and I'm expecting it to get
to 37 degrees today. That's Celcius folks.
Also, I got my definitive how to from gigabyte. As in their previous
replies to me it was laughable. Who the hell is running
that company, laurel and Hardy? lol.
ok, back soon,
Mickey
"Daave" <dcwash...@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote in message
news:uKjoyyke...@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
Mickey Mouse
Ok, here's the last part, this time I'm going to use the same hypothetical
system as last time.
I'll create two partitions C:300Gb & D:430 and install XR2.
If your system has two physical drives then make sure that the drive which
will hold the system files C: is drive (0).
Mb or Gb numbers I show here are fitional, but close enough and doesn't
matter, they won't impact on this installation.
Make sure the bios is set up to boot from CD.
1 Insert the XP installation disk and power down.
2 Power up and boot from CD, when asked.
3. At the XP Setup Screen delete any and all partitions.
4. Unpartitioned space will be shown, press <C> to create a partition.
5. Enter the size in MB how large you want C: to be; here 300000Mb and press
<Enter>.
6 You will then see on the next screen the C: is 300000Mb & the rest
'Unpartitoned Space'.
You could now create a D: partition but we won't. Just press Enter on the
highlighted C: partition to install Windows.
7. On the next screen, format the partition. "Quick" if you want to save
some time.
XP will continue to install, let it install completely.
8. When XP is installed load and install your drivers including your VGA
driver if it comes on a seperate cd.
9. Remove the cd from the cdrom and reboot.
You now have an installed Windows XP system.
A look at the Disk Manager will show, C: Drive(0), appx. 300Gb Healthy
(system) and appx. 450Gb of unallocated space.
10. Insert your mobo disk and power down.
11. Power up and press F9 at the appropriate time to install XR2
The Xpress Recovery2 Screen will appear giving you the options to
'Backup','Restore', 'Remove' or 'Boot' or similar.
Do not 'Remove' - Press Backup! and it might ask to 'Overwrite the Existing
Image' - Say YES.
When you say YES you will see 'BACKUP NOW' on the screen. It is now
creating the image, and creating it's own
protected partition. When the image is created, (of your C: partition
including the system files) and saved into it's own partition
it will then reboot your system back to XP.
At this point you may remove your mobo disk and store it.
What you have done so far is created a C: partition, formatted it, installed
Win XP and installed Xpress recover2.
If this is your first time, then congratulations.
Now we need to create our D: partition.
In Windows go to the Disk manager: Start> right click 'My computer' >
manage > Disk management
You will see that Drive(0) is C: appx 300Gb and an amout of unallocated
space appx 446Gb. and another new partition of appx. 4Gb. This is your
image partition.
What we need to do now is to take some of that unallocated space and turn it
into D:, but leaving enough unallocated for XR2
to utilize when making further backups (to add to the already made image).
Having trouble? Read slower.
Ok, so we are in disk Management.
12. Left Click on the unallocated section and digonal lines will appear.
13. Now Right click it and select "New Partition" and "The Partition" Wizard
will appear.
14. Click 'Next', A screen 'Specify Partition Size' will appear.
"Remember now that XR2 requires some of the unallocated space, so leave some
of the unallocatted space after creating the D: partition.
Now our existing backup partition is appx 4 Gb, leave enough unallocated
space, say, 16Gb (16000Mb) after creating D: for XR2 to use. This gives
XR2 16Gb + the already used 4Gb to play with (20Gb). I my opinion, that's
more than plenty."
In step 14 above we specify 430000Mb (430Gb), Press Next
15. Assign it the next available drive letter (which depending on your
system may not be 'D' but doesn't matter). Press Next
16. 'Format Partition' Don't change anything here except select, 'Perform
Quick Format' and Press Next
17. Click 'Finish' on the 'Partition Wizard'
Now look again at the Disk Manager. You will have two partitions for your
use, some unallocated space and finally, the backup partition.
If you've made an error calculating the size of your 'New Partiton' and
haven't left enough unallocated space, then you can select the 'New
Partition' and delete it. This will put all the unallocated space back
together and you can start over from step 12.
This has been as much a learning experiance for me as I hope it's been for
you and hope you find it helpful.
It's wriiten with the newbie in mind.
Thanks to all those who inputed in this thread. I feel I've made some good
friends, for that, thankyou.
Mickey
Ps.
I could contact Laurel and Hardy (Gigabyte tech support) and show them how
to use
their own program, but a pie in the face would be too much of a temptation.
ushere
phew! i think i'm going to stick with acronis after all. xr2 looks like
it's the spruce goose....
great on paper but never intended to fly...
Mickey Mouse
>>
>
> phew! i think i'm going to stick with acronis after all. xr2 looks like
> it's the spruce goose....
> great on paper but never intended to fly...
>
My instructional was very longwinded, intended really for someone who hasn't
partitioned a drive before.
In fact it's very simple to install and very quick. I may have
unintentionally made it sound harder than it really is.
Since you choose to knock it, then you must be someone that's tried it and
chose not to use it. I'd hate to think that
you may never have heard of it or tried it, and just knocking it for the
sake of it.
Pity.
Edward W. Thompson
my case I am just about to 'upgrade my existing setup using a new Gigabyte
board. I intend to simply install the new hardware and plug in the existing
SATA HDDs (3) all loaded, run WINXP repair and with luck all should be well
(load all appropriate new software of course). Now if I want to use or try
XPR2, what do I do?
I have ample free 'space' on the HDD on which XP is installed (haven't
checked yet whether it is Drive (0)) but the drive is fully partitioned. I
assume I need to shuffle data around and create some 'unallocated' space on
that drive and proceed as you described. Does the unallocated space need to
be adjacent to the C: partition where WINXP resides or doesn't it matter?
Anna
"Edward W. Thompson" <thom...@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:%23UpCMh5...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Are you implying that XPR2 can only be installed on a new installation?
> In my case I am just about to 'upgrade my existing setup using a new
> Gigabyte board. I intend to simply install the new hardware and plug in
> the existing SATA HDDs (3) all loaded, run WINXP repair and with luck all
> should be well (load all appropriate new software of course). Now if I
> want to use or try XPR2, what do I do?
>
> I have ample free 'space' on the HDD on which XP is installed (haven't
> checked yet whether it is Drive (0)) but the drive is fully partitioned.
> I assume I need to shuffle data around and create some 'unallocated' space
> on that drive and proceed as you described. Does the unallocated space
> need to be adjacent to the C: partition where WINXP resides or doesn't it
> matter?
Edward (and Mickey if he's tuned in)...
As you may have seen from this continuing "saga", I indicated to Mickey that
I was planning to build a desktop machine this week using one of the newer
Gigabyte motherboards. So I would take the opportunity to install and work
with their Xpress Recovery2 program. Actually I've installed scores of
Gigabyte system boards but I never installed nor worked with that XR2
program. Primarily because (as I mentioned to Mickey when we were discussing
the Acronis & Casper programs) that I'm simply not comfortable with the idea
installing a backup-type program on the *same* physical HDD a user would be
planning to restore should that be necessary. The obvious question being
"What if the HDD involved becomes defective? What then?" Obviously there
would be no way to access the backed-up contents, right?
But setting that scenario aside, Mickey makes the point that the XR2 program
would be particularly valuable for a user who has no use, i.e., "desire", to
maintain a third-party backup system. That all they want is a simple
one-click operation (the "magic dust" solution) that will restore their
system to a bootable, functional state in the event of a corrupted OS that
results in an unbootable or otherwise dysfunctional system. So perhaps
Mickey is on to something here and this XR2 could prove useful to those
types of users (who I readily admit are plentiful!). This, even though I did
my best to convince Mickey of the simplicity of the Casper 5 disk-cloning
program.
Anyway, for what it's worth here's my experience with the XR2 program (at
least based upon "playing around" with the program for the first time...
1. As Mickey (and Gigabyte) recommend, when fresh-installing the XP OS the
user would set aside on his or her HDD 10 GB of unallocated disk space.
Should the XP OS been previously installed and the disk contains no
unallocated disk space (or considerably less than 10 GB of unallocated
space), the user could use a partition management tool such as Partition
Manager or that (freebie) EASEUS Partition Manager program to free-up the
suggested 10 GB of unallocated disk space.
2. Upon the next boot the user would then install/access the XR2 program by
simply pressing the F9 key during bootup and then click on the Backup
button. The program will then go through the process of backing up the OS.
3. Just to test the program, after fresh-installing the OS and adding a few
programs & other data to the HDD - the total data contents on the HDD came
to about 6.5 GB.
4. When the user desires to backup the OS at some later date, the user could
again press the F9 key to access the program and backup the current OS. It
took the XR2 program about 42 minutes to backup 5.6 GB of data (apparently
the OS files). Not exactly a speed demon! Keep in mind I was working with a
system with a high-end Gigabyte board, an Intel Quad-Core processor, and
four GB of RAM.
5. I deliberately corrupted and/or deleted a number of system files so that
the system could not boot.
6. To restore the system the user presses the F9 button and then selects the
Restore process. The restore process (in our example) took considerably less
time to complete compared with the backup operation - about 24 minutes -,
but we're not normally concerned with that time. The crucial point, of
course, is whether the restore process will be successful in returning the
system to a bootable, functional state.
7. After verifying that the system was indeed unbootable, I rebooted and
pressed the F9 key. Sure enough the system was returned to a bootable,
functional state and as far as I could tell all programs, data, etc. were
returned intact.
I tried the above twice, and both times experienced no problems with the
backup/restore operations (aside from the inordinate amount of time the
program needed to backup the OS).
Assuming the program is reliable, it may be the kind of backup program that
will prove useful to some users who desire only a simple backup program (as
Mickey has pointed out) to return their system to a bootable, functional
state when the OS becomes corrupted for one reason or another. Presumably
those users are uninterested in working with a more comprehensive backup
system that would be used with some degree of frequency. Or the program may
hold some allure for users who also want a secondary backup system involving
their OS. Since only a relatively few gigabytes are needed for the XR2
program this could be a consideration.
Anna
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
>
>>
> Are you implying that XPR2 can only be installed on a new installation?
> In my case I am just about to 'upgrade my existing setup using a new
> Gigabyte board. I intend to simply install the new hardware and plug in
> the existing SATA HDDs (3) all loaded, run WINXP repair and with luck all
> should be well (load all appropriate new software of course). Now if I
> want to use or try XPR2, what do I do?
You should be able to install and use XR2 on your system. The only concern
to you would
be the configuration of your haddrive and of course pre existing unallocated
space. read my tut. In my reserch of XR2 and testing, it installed
and worked fine many times. The only problem I've found since, is trying to
install it with two physical drives.
My two physical drives, one with one partition E, and one with two
partitions C: & D: XR2 didn't work.
The way I did get it to work was, my E: physical drive is drive(0) and my
physical system drive C: which also houses D: is drive (1)
It appears in this case your system drive must be drive(1) All partitions in
my system are primary.
Try it out on your not new system..lol the way I've got mine and it should
work. Worked for me (multiple trials)
Remember the big drawback, it uses the drive it finds the system on to make
it's own protected partition.
In a mechanical harddrive failure your screwed. XR2 is great for restoring
a badly misbehaving system due to perhaps damaged software etc..
Just hit F9 and your back to your fresh installation pronto.
There has been much discussion regarding Acronis, DriveImage& Casper etc...
and frankly these are much better and more versitile but not as easy to use.
(I'm gonna get whacked for saying that) So consider these before you make up
your mind. I'm sticking with XR2 for now, once installed it's a dream and
so simple.
I think anyone who uses XR2 will tell you that.
If you have trouble and wish to continue with XR2 , email me at
foto...@yahoo.com
and we can go over it step by step that way, instead of filling up this
newsgroup. I'd like to
not bore people anymore than I have been.
Mickey
>
> I have ample free 'space' on the HDD on which XP is installed (haven't
> checked yet whether it is Drive (0)) but the drive is fully partitioned.
> I assume I need to shuffle data around and create some 'unallocated' space
> on that drive and proceed as you described. Does the unallocated space
> need to be adjacent to the C: partition where WINXP resides or doesn't it
> matter?
Yep, same drive. Let me be clear, I'm no tech, little more than an
advanced novice perhaps only
wishing to assist in any way I can. You got people here like Anna, Daave,
Ken and others for the real tech
stuff.. They really know what they are doing, I think...lol
I don't think you can create unallocated space unless you can delete some
unwanted partition.
If you have a partiton, say, E: with some files on it, perhaps you can move
those file to another
partition, then delete the E: or whatever it is. you'll need enough
unallocalled to be sufficient.
My C: system drive partition is now loaded with all my inportant
applications.
The system, including drivers, Nero, Office2003, paintshop pro, and
hardware(printers, scanner)
and a few odds and ends all come to around 10gig installed. I've set aside
100gig unallocated and XR2 has only used
9 gig for it's backup/image. So depending on how much unallocated you need
depends on you, but even 50gig
would be more than enough.
Don't be afraid to ask, there is no stupid question. 15 luv and the balls
in your court!
Mickey.
I got a sense of humor if nothing else.
ushere
i've attempted a few times, since i beleieved it looked simpler than
acronis (which is about as simple as it gets!). but no matter how i
tried (winxp, 2 xHD's both partitioned equally) all i ever got was the
error 'can't allocate space' or whatever it is - it's mentioned in this
thread.
i do not knock that which i do not know - but neither do i have the time
to waste trying to understand the unexplainable ;-)
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
"ushere" <removethis....@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:R2Odl.13198$cu....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Hi ushere,
Yes, it is simpler than setting up Acronis. The stupid damn thing has to be
setup it's way though.
See me screen shot in the message I just posted. My previous tutorial was
for a single drive system.
You have two drives, like me.
see the pic.
Hope it helps.
Mickey
ushere
> Hi ushere, Yes, it is simpler than setting up Acronis. The stupid
> damn thing has to be setup it's way though. See me screen shot in the
> message I just posted. My previous tutorial was for a single drive
> system. You have two drives, like me. see the pic. Hope it helps.
>
> Mickey
>
thanks mickey, you time and patience will hopefully be well rewarded,
though whether in this lifetime or not remains to be seen ;-)
i shall look into it on my next system since both my hd's are now not
only partitioned, but formatted with data...
again, thanks
leslie
Edward W. Thompson
"Anna" <myn...@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:OJM2toAf...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
While I am somewhat paranoid over backup, I think life is simply to short to
bother with XR2 when alternatives such as Acronis and others are so simple
and quick and provide better security, that is backing up to external and
other internal HDDs.
I appreciate the possible attraction to XR2 by those who are 'software
illiterate' but XR2 is only a part of the 'solution' if it is confined to
creating backups to the same drive to which the OS is installed.
Thanks to all contributors for a very interesting thread.
Anna
> thanks mickey, you time and patience will hopefully be well rewarded,
> though whether in this lifetime or not remains to be seen ;-)
>
> i shall look into it on my next system since both my hd's are now not
> only partitioned, but formatted with data...
>
> again, thanks
>
> leslie
leslie:
I don't know if you've seen my recent post of 1/21 where I went into some
detail re installing the Xpress Recovery2 program and how it's used for
backup & restore purposes.
I just wanted to mention (as I indicated in that post) that even though the
HDD you would want to install the XR2 program on presently contains no
unallocated disk space, you could still use a freely available program such
as the EASEUS Partition Manager program - see
http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm - to provide the necessary amount
of unallocated disk space.
And, of course if you have available the more-or-less commercial standard,
Partition Magic, you can of course use that program.
So that you should be easily able to shrink your present partition by 10 GB
in order to create that amount of unallocated disk space recommended by
Gigabyte's XR2 program. I might mention that in our tests the program
actually needed about 6 GB of disk space to back up the XP-SP3 OS. But it
probably would be wise to have 10 GB available for the program to anticipate
possible future data increases impacting on the OS.
Anna
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
It appears you have no trouble with setting up XR2. So glad to hear that
but please don't recommend 10Gb to anyone.
It's simply not enough! Instead, allocate 15Gb, much more practicle.
I'd really be interested in your thoughts as to how difficult it is to use
and how difficult it is to set up. I know it won't replace your
Casper, but I'm sure it will be at least a tempory alternative for some, I'd
be interested in your thoughts anyway.
I bought Acronis 9 some time ago when it was first released, I tried then to
get a handle on it but found it a little to difficult at that time.
I'm a little more savy now so I'm looking at it again although in reality,
XR2 does what I need..
Mickey
"Anna" <myn...@myisp.net> wrote in message
news:eOVXoGK...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
Anna
>> "ushere" <removethis....@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:DGTdl.13316$cu.1...@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>> thanks mickey, you time and patience will hopefully be well rewarded,
>>> though whether in this lifetime or not remains to be seen ;-)
>>>
>>> i shall look into it on my next system since both my hd's are now not
>>> only partitioned, but formatted with data...
>>>
>>> again, thanks
>>>
>>> leslie
>> "Anna" <myn...@myisp.net> wrote in message...
>> leslie:
>> I don't know if you've seen my recent post of 1/21 where I went into some
>> detail re installing the Xpress Recovery2 program and how it's used for
>> backup & restore purposes.
>>
>> I just wanted to mention (as I indicated in that post) that even though
>> the HDD you would want to install the XR2 program on presently contains
>> no unallocated disk space, you could still use a freely available program
>> such as the EASEUS Partition Manager program - see
>> http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm - to provide the necessary
>> amount of unallocated disk space.
>>
>> And, of course if you have available the more-or-less commercial
>> standard, Partition Magic, you can of course use that program.
>>
>> So that you should be easily able to shrink your present partition by 10
>> GB in order to create that amount of unallocated disk space recommended
>> by Gigabyte's XR2 program. I might mention that in our tests the program
>> actually needed about 6 GB of disk space to back up the XP-SP3 OS. But it
>> probably would be wise to have 10 GB available for the program to
>> anticipate possible future data increases impacting on the OS.
>> Anna
"Mickey Mouse" <out th...@inthevoid.com> wrote in message
news:b36el.13519$cu....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Hi Anna,
> It appears you have no trouble with setting up XR2. So glad to hear that
> but please don't recommend 10Gb to anyone.
> It's simply not enough! Instead, allocate 15Gb, much more practicle.
> I'd really be interested in your thoughts as to how difficult it is to use
> and how difficult it is to set up. I know it won't replace your
> Casper, but I'm sure it will be at least a tempory alternative for some,
> I'd be interested in your thoughts anyway.
> I bought Acronis 9 some time ago when it was first released, I tried then
> to get a handle on it but found it a little to difficult at that time.
> I'm a little more savy now so I'm looking at it again although in reality,
> XR2 does what I need..
"Mickey Mouse" <out th...@inthevoid.com> wrote in message
news:b36el.13519$cu....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Hi Anna,
> It appears you have no trouble with setting up XR2. So glad to hear that
> but please don't recommend 10Gb to anyone.
> It's simply not enough! Instead, allocate 15Gb, much more practicle.
> I'd really be interested in your thoughts as to how difficult it is to use
> and how difficult it is to set up. I know it won't replace your
> Casper, but I'm sure it will be at least a tempory alternative for some,
> I'd be interested in your thoughts anyway.
> I bought Acronis 9 some time ago when it was first released, I tried then
> to get a handle on it but found it a little to difficult at that time.
> I'm a little more savy now so I'm looking at it again although in reality,
> XR2 does what I need..
>
> Mickey
Mickey:
Well, as far as installing & using XR2, both operations were rather simple &
straightforward as I indicated in my post describing those operations.
Potential users should understand that this is a *Gigabyte-provided program*
that's included as a separate program with the Gigabyte motherboard
installation CD and, of course, oriented to that company's motherboards. I
do not know if this program is available as a standalone application from
any other source.
As I also indicated, while it may be useful for a body of users who just
want the simplest of backup-type programs in the event their OS becomes
corrupt and unbootable or the OS becomes dysfunctional for some reason or
other, this program may prove useful to that body of users. (I'm assuming
here that the program proves reliable in operation. I've used the program
only a few times for testing purposes.)
The program, however, has significant drawbacks (at least to my mind) when
compared with a comprehensive disk-cloning and/or disk-imaging program such
as the Acronis True Image or (as you know!) my particular favorite, the
Casper 5 program.
Probably the most significant negative is that the backup of the OS resides
on the same physical drive as the OS. So should the HDD become defective,
there's no way for the user to restore the system. That's a rather dramatic
negative to my mine. But as long as a user is willing to live with that
knowledge the program may have some appeal for him or her.
Then the backup operation of the OS is glacially slow at least based on the
few times I used the program to back up the OS as I described in my previous
post. It certainly isn't designed to be used as a routine OS backup program.
Most users would balk at using the program on any kind of a frequent basis
given the lengthy amount of time the program takes to back up just the OS.
But again, this might not be terribly important to many users who just want
to back up their OS on an infrequent basis.
Potential users should understand that XR2 is *not* a comprehensive backup
program. Unlike programs such as the Casper & Acronis ones which, in effect,
back up one's *entire* system, including the OS, all programs &
applications, all personal data, etc., XR2 is designed solely to back up
one's OS at a particular point-in-time. Again, that might be an acceptable
program for some users.
I'm not sure why you recommend setting aside more than 10 GB (which is
recommended by the program) for the "unallocated" disk space for the program
to install itself and house the backup data. As I indicated in my previous
post the program utilized just under 6 GB in backing up an XP-SP3 installed
OS. The program can apparently draw on any remaining unallocated disk space
should it need to, depending of course, on the original amount of
unallocated disk space the user made available. Obviously you must have a
reason for recommending the establishment of 15 GB of unallocated disk
space. What is it?
Anyway, assuming a user has a Gigabyte-system board and the XR2 program can
be installed on that system, then he or she may want to use that program as
a kind of secondary backup system since only a relatively few gigabytes of
disk space need be set aside to utilize the program. Frankly, I think a user
would be far better off using a more comprehensive backup program such as
the Casper 5 program that we previously discussed and one that a user could
routinely use simply, frequently & relatively quickly to back up one's
complete system. But surely the XR2 program is better than nothing as
regards a backup-type program.
Anna
ushere
>>> I went into some detail re installing the Xpress Recovery2
>>> program and how it's used for backup & restore purposes.
>>>
>>> I just wanted to mention (as I indicated in that post) that even
>>> though the HDD you would want to install the XR2 program on
>>> presently contains no unallocated disk space, you could still use
>>> a freely available program such as the EASEUS Partition Manager
>>> program - see http://www.partition-tool.com/personal.htm - to
>>> provide the necessary amount of unallocated disk space.
>>>
>>> And, of course if you have available the more-or-less commercial
>>> standard, Partition Magic, you can of course use that program.
>>>
>>> So that you should be easily able to shrink your present
>>> partition by 10 GB in order to create that amount of unallocated
>>> disk space recommended by Gigabyte's XR2 program. I might mention
>>> that in our tests the program actually needed about 6 GB of disk
>>> space to back up the XP-SP3 OS. But it probably would be wise to
>>> have 10 GB available for the program to anticipate possible
>>> future data increases impacting on the OS. Anna
>
> when compared with a comprehensive disk-cloning and/or disk-imaging
> program such as the Acronis True Image or (as you know!) my
> particular favorite, the Casper 5 program.
>
> Probably the most significant negative is that the backup of the OS
> resides on the same physical drive as the OS. So should the HDD
> become defective, there's no way for the user to restore the system.
> That's a rather dramatic negative to my mine. But as long as a user
> is willing to live with that knowledge the program may have some
> appeal for him or her.
>
> Then the backup operation of the OS is glacially slow at least based
> on the few times I used the program to back up the OS as I described
> in my previous post. It certainly isn't designed to be used as a
> routine OS backup program. Most users would balk at using the program
> on any kind of a frequent basis given the lengthy amount of time the
> program takes to back up just the OS. But again, this might not be
> terribly important to many users who just want to back up their OS on
> an infrequent basis.
>
> Potential users should understand that XR2 is *not* a comprehensive
> backup program. Unlike programs such as the Casper & Acronis ones
> which, in effect, back up one's *entire* system, including the OS,
> all programs & applications, all personal data, etc., XR2 is designed
> solely to back up one's OS at a particular point-in-time. Again, that
> might be an acceptable program for some users.
all good enough points for me to NOT even bother looking at it again.
i'm surprised that it backs up onto the same hd? if that's the case, oh
boy, someone wasn't thinking too clearly. if not, that's as it should be.
i also didn't realise it didn't back up 'everything', just os. same
comment as above....
i think i'll stick with acronis - better the devil you know....
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
> Probably the most significant negative is that the backup of the OS
> resides on the same physical drive as the OS. So should the HDD become
> defective, there's no way for the user to restore the system. That's a
> rather dramatic negative to my mine. But as long as a user is willing to
> live with that knowledge the program may have some appeal for him or her.
I appreciate your comment but I have a recurring thought.
In a hypothetical, If you use Casper for instance and backup to another
drive,
and that drive has a mechanicle failure, aren't you in the same boat?
Also, if your backup harddrive fails, would you know it before you need it?
Just a thought Anna.
>
> Then the backup operation of the OS is glacially slow at least based on
> the few times I used the program to back up the OS as I described in my
> previous post. It certainly isn't designed to be used as a routine OS
> backup program. Most users would balk at using the program on any kind of
> a frequent basis given the lengthy amount of time the program takes to
> back up just the OS. But again, this might not be terribly important to
> many users who just want to back up their OS on an infrequent basis.
I've backup my now system in just under 23mins, I don't consuder that slow,
but conpared to other programs such as Casper,Acronis etc. it may very well
be
slow. I'm prepared to wear 23mins though. I haven't rstored and hope I
don't need to,
but I believe the restoration is quicker.
I don't believe also that it's designed to be used on a frequent basis. For
me and my needs
I simply install the OS and important Apps and back up. Then I'm fairly
confident that if
need be I have a backup/image to restore if my system corrupts.
>
> Potential users should understand that XR2 is *not* a comprehensive backup
> program. Unlike programs such as the Casper & Acronis ones which, in
> effect, back up one's *entire* system, including the OS, all programs &
> applications, all personal data, etc., XR2 is designed solely to back up
> one's OS at a particular point-in-time. Again, that might be an acceptable
> program for some users.
This comment sounds like it only backs up the OS. I may be mis-reading it.
It does backup/image the OS plus the installed App. therefore the WHOLE
partition. XR2 does not however have all the bells and whistles, and is not
as you say
'comprehensive' such as the others, which in effect makes them the better
programs.
I understand this, and accept it for what it's worth.
>
> I'm not sure why you recommend setting aside more than 10 GB (which is
> recommended by the program) for the "unallocated" disk space for the
> program to install itself and house the backup data. As I indicated in my
> previous post the program utilized just under 6 GB in backing up an XP-SP3
> installed OS. The program can apparently draw on any remaining unallocated
> disk space should it need to, depending of course, on the original amount
> of unallocated disk space the user made available. Obviously you must have
> a reason for recommending the establishment of 15 GB of unallocated disk
> space. What is it?
'recommended by the program' Hmm, my chinese friends, Laurel and Hardy at
Gigabyte
also in thier correspondance recommend 10Gb of unallocated space.
I do have a reason for suggesting more.
I've installed my OS and drivers, Microsoft updates, printer drivers and
software, scanner
drivers and software, modem and software, Nero7, Paintshop pro, office 2003.
Looking at Disk manager indicates my XR2 has used 9.1 gb.
Now I haven't even installed Dreamveaver yet let alone what else I'm going
to install.
I imagine my next backup image may be over 10gb. XR2 will only operate if
their is
sufficient unallocate. If there is only 10gb unallocated then that's all it
can use.
> But surely the XR2 program is better than nothing as regards a backup-type
> program.
> Anna
>
Yeah, I think so.
Mickey
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
.
>
> all good enough points for me to NOT even bother looking at it again.
>
> i'm surprised that it backs up onto the same hd? if that's the case, oh
> boy, someone wasn't thinking too clearly. if not, that's as it should be.
>
> i also didn't realise it didn't back up 'everything', just os. same
> comment as above....
>
> i think i'll stick with acronis - better the devil you know....
Ushere,
It's unfortunate that people like myself have endure your comments.
This is the second posting of yours and I do agree that you should stick
with Acronis, it is afterall the better program.
Your postings have neither been helpful, informative, enquiring, positive
or open minded.
This whole thread has been a discussion from open minded people with a lack
of the narrow
mindedness that you exhibit.
Please reconsider your negativity before you post another, your not helpful
and not appreciated.
My intension is not to insult you, but at times things need to be said.
Mickey
oldgit929
I think I have the solution to the problem of using Xpress Recovery2 on
Gigabyte motherboards. I use it for quick re-installs of the OS and all
my other programs to save re-installation each time. 6 hours or 12
minutes? You decide. Also, to find out how much space you need,
right-click 'My Computer', select 'properties', and the amount USED on
that partition is the size of the backup. Double it to be safe in the
future. Anyway, here's my story!
I installed Windows XP SP2, loaded all required motherboard drivers,
and performed any and all Windows Updates. I installed all the programs
I usually load from scratch, and any useful new ones I found on the
internet. When I was happy, I tried running XPress Recovery2.
It failed to run, saying there was not enough room on the HD. Like
most people getting the same message, this confused me, as I was using a
500GB drive, but only 40GB was being utilised as the system disk, as I
have found this is plenty. With the 200GB Data partition I had set up, I
was using 240GB which left 225GB unallocated. Not enough space on the HD
was just silly, so I started to look elsewhere.
I disconnected my second HD (another 500GB) and my second CD/DVD
drive. I even unplugged my card-reader from it's USB port, and tried
again. Same message.
This is no longer silly, I thought, Just plain stupid. I know it
CAN work, as I built a system for my stepson and that worked first time.
What was different? We used an IDE CD/DVD RW on his system, with a 160GB
Sata HD. Then I had THE brainwave.
I went into the bios and found the SATA CD/DVD drive was showing as
SLAVE on IDE 0.
The SATA HD was showing as MASTER on IDE 0. I moved the CD/DVD's
cable over to another Sata port (MASTER on IDE 2 it turned out) and
re-tried the backup. IT WORKED.
I deleted the backup I'd just made (loopy, but I was incensed by
now!) using the REMOVE option of Xpress Recovery2, and tried again with
all the drives re-attached, BUT KEEPING CLEAR OF 'SLAVE ON IDE 0'. IT
WORKED AGAIN.
I deleted this backup (!!!), and tried the CD in my second CD/DVD
drive (Slave on IDE 1), but I then pressed F9 by mistake during POST
instead of waiting for the 'Run From Disk' prompt. It worked OK again,
so the CD was no longer needed, but I wanted to run it from the CD to be
sure so I deleted it (again!!!). This time I ran it from the CD/DVD
drive. It worked again, but I cannot be sure if it actually ran from the
CD or not. Anyway, I was fed up by this time, so I left the backup on my
drive and made a second Data partition of 200GB on the first HD,
labelled E:.
So as it stands, I have a SATA 500GB main drive partitioned as...
C: 40GB Windows & Installed Programs
D: 200GB Data Disk1
E: 200GB Data Disk2
25GB Unallocated of which just under 10GB is used by Xpress
Recovery2 at the moment, which leaves 15GB spare in case of future
requirements.
A second SATA 500GB HD partitioned as...
F: 195GB Data Disk3
G: 270GB Data Disk4
Two SATA CD/DVD RW H: and I:, 1 Card Reader (USB) showing as
J:,K:,L:, & M.
Pendrives and camera tag on the end as and when needed.
I tried the backup out by re-formatting the C: directory by
connecting the drive into my Stepsons system, then re-connected the
drive to my PC then turned it on (I HAD TO KNOW!!!).
I pressed F9 during POST, selected INSTALL and 12 minutes later I
had a system up and running complete with all my programs and settings
intact. (12 MINUTES!!!).
I then realised a potential problem in the future, and so made
drive D: my Documents location by right-clicking the 'MY DOCUMENTS'
icon, selecting 'PROPERTIES' and typing 'D:\My Documents' into the
'TARGET' box, then clicking on 'MOVE'. No-one else uses my PC, but if
they did they would need to move their 'MY DOCUMENTS' folders also,
using the same method.
By storing everything important in the 'MY DOCUMENTS' folder on
another partition or drive, (using suitably named sub-folders of
course), that data stays safe even when you re-install the system. It
also makes backing up your files to a separate drive or DVD very simple.
I then deleted and remade the backup (Yet Again !!!) using Xpress
Recovery2 so the 'MY DOCUMENTS' icon points to the correct location when
re-installed.
You, of course, would do this BEFORE your first and only time of
creating your backup, especially after reading this tale of woe.
Et Voila!! Job Done.
The actual backup took only 15 minutes for 9.75GB.
I think this is because my drives are SATA II.
SATA I or PATA drives by definition must run slower.
--
oldgit929
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Anna
"oldgit929" <oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com...
oldgit...
Let me make it clear at the outset that if you believe this Xpress Recovery2
program fulfills your needs in terms of a establishing & maintaining a
comprehensive backup & recovery program...so be it. Each user must determine
for himself/herself which type of backup/recovery program best meets their
particular needs.
My comments that follow are based on my recent (limited) experience with
that XR2 program when I had occasion to build a system with a Gigabyte
motherboard. I've built or worked on a considerable number of Gigabyte-based
systems over the years but except for a brief acquaintance with the XR
program some years ago (I think it might have been the original XR program)
I've really never worked with it until now. The only reason I now did so was
because of the comments of "Mickey Mouse" who also touted the program during
some posts we exchanged concerning comprehensive backup/recovery programs. I
believe you also had an exchange of posts with "Mickey". You've probably
come across my posts in which I'm particularly partial to the Casper 5
disk-cloning program for the great majority of users who are looking for a
comprehensive backup type of program.
I'm not commenting on the initial difficulty you apparently had in setting
up the XR2 program. I really can't understand how the Master/Slave settings
or the installation of secondary HDDs and/or other storage devices impacted
on the installation problem you encountered. Obviously the program is
designed to be installed on the boot volume and I'm assuming your SATA HDD
containing the OS was (is) connected to the motherboard's first SATA
connector.
1. First of all potential users should understand that this is a program
designed (integrated) for Gigabyte motherboards. The program is installed
through the Gigabyte motherboard's installation CD. I doubt that the program
is available as a standalone program that can be used in non-Gigabyte based
systems but I don't know that for sure.
2. The user must set up "unallocated" disk space in order for the program to
function. This can be accomplished when the XP OS is fresh-installed during
the setup process or later through a disk management type of program, e.g.,
Partition Magic, EASEUS Partition Manager, etc. Upon the user invoking the
backup process the program will backup the contents of the boot volume to
this unallocated space creating a non-standard "EISA Configuration"
partition in the process.
3. While the program recommends that (initially) 10 GB of unallocated disk
space be available for the program, it's actually necessary for the user to
take account of the programs/data he or she has installed on the program
following the installation of the XP OS. And even possibly project what
future needs will be in terms of disk space necessary to store future
backups.
4. So, as an example, let's say that following the installation of the OS,
the user had installed various programs, data, etc. so that the volume
contains 20 GB of total data. The user would might then set up say, 25 GB of
unallocated disk space.
5. The XR2 program would be installed via the Gigabyte installation CD.
Backing up those 20 GB of data (using a fairly high-end system) would take
about 1 hour 25 minutes based upon my experience. (Backing up a number of
systems we averaged about 170 MB/minute data transfer speed). It's an
extremely slow backup process compared with other disk-cloning/disk-imaging
programs.
6. The program utilizes whatever disk space is needed to contain the
backed-up contents within the unallocated disk space. So in this example
since the data contents of the initial backup total 20 GB a partition of
that size would be created and the remaining 5 GB would still be unallocated
disk space.
7. So let's say that by & by the OS becomes corrupted for one reason or
another and the system is unbootable. The user would then boot to the system
and at the Gigabyte splash screen presses the F9 key which triggers the XR2
program and the recovery process. The program would utilize the stored
backup data to restore the system as of the time of that backup data.
In my view there are some serious drawbacks in using this XR2 program as
one's routine backup program.
1. Probably the most serious is that the program is installed on the same
drive that will need to be restored. So the obvious question is "What if the
HDD fails. How can the data be restored?" Obviously it can't since the
backup program & its data is incorporated on the same drive.
2. The backup process is slow - excruciatingly slow. It's hard to imagine a
user would be encouraged to back up his/her system on a routine frequent
basis knowing that the process will take an inordinately long time to do so.
3. During the backup process the program creates a (non-standard) partition
that is sufficient in size *only* to hold the actual contents of the backup
data. So, for example, if the user originally set up 25 GB of unallocated
disk space and the backup data totals 18 GB of data, then the backup
partition will be created as an 18 GB partition. The remaining portion of
the original unallocated disk space would be 7 GB.
4. Thus it would be necessary that assuming the user desires a backup system
that's reasonably up-to-date in terms of his/her existing system, every time
program/data modifications are made to the system, e.g., installation of new
programs, manipulation of personal data, modification of system data,
additions, deletions of data, etc., etc., to back up the system at that
particular point-in-time. And given the time it takes for the XR2 program to
complete this process it's not something the average user would look forward
to undertaking in my view.
5. There would also be the probable future need for the user to change the
amount of unallocated disk space that the program requires to house the
backup data. If, for example, 25 GB of unallocated disk space was originally
established and now, because of program/data additions, the system contains
28 GB of total data, then the user would not be able to backup the existing
28 GB contents of the system. The user would need to set aside (at least) 28
GB of unallocated disk space to store the new amount of backup contents.
Thus the existing partition originally created by the XR2 program would need
to be deleted (along with its backup contents); the unallocated disk space
increased to at least 28 GB, and of course, a new backup would have to be
created . Making matters more complicated, the "EISA Configuration"
partition set up by the program to store the backup contents cannot be
deleted via the usual XP Disk Management snap-in utility. It would be
necessary to invoke the Diskpart (DOS) command accessed via the Command
window in order to do so and then establish the (new) necessary unallocated
disk space to hold the contents of the new backup (and project what disk
space will be needed to store future backups).
Anyway, if a user could live with the above limitations (at least
limitations as I view them), then he or she might want to install & use the
XR2 program in a Gigabyte-based system. Frankly I find the program wanting
in so many respects that I would be loathe to recommend it to the average
user. Especially since other comprehensive backup/restore/recovery programs
are available to users which I believe are substantially superior to the XR2
program.
On the other hand I suppose (as "Mickey Mouse" has pointed out) that there
are PC users who simply will not use a backup/recovery-type program of
virtually any type on any routine basis no matter how relatively simple that
program might be to use. Perhaps that type of user (assuming he or she has a
Gigabyte-based system) might be enticed to use the XR2 program after some
friend or acquaintance first installs the program and instructs the user
about pressing the F9 key to access the program for backup/recovery
purposes.
Anna
oldgit929
Hi Anna.
You seem to have missed the point of this program completely.
It is not meant to be used as a backup program as you think of it, it
is purely a means of re-installing the OS and any programs that you
would normally install from scratch every time you reformat your drive
for whatever reason.
I don't know what you consider a fast system, but as I stated
previously I backed up my system and all the essential programs (to me)
which in total was 9.75GB, in 15 minutes, and it installed onto my
system in 12 minutes.
It takes me longer than that sometimes to find all the disks containing
all the programs, never mind installing them.
It takes me 20+ minutes to just install windows, so I do not accept the
fact that it is a slow method of re-installing everything.
The idea behind this program is roughly the same as when you buy a
system and find there is no recovery disk, the recovery program is run
from the onboard HD. Except that YOU get to choose the other programs
that get installed, not the supplier of the system.
If you expect too much from this program, you will be let down.
If you get a viral infection or some other form of malware, it is
quicker to just re-install the system rather than try to get rid of the
problem, which if unsuccessful, or just to be certain, would probably
mean a re-install anyway.
Like I said before, 6 hours for a normal install with all the programs
needed, or 15 minutes to get back to the same position.
I'll take the 15 minutes any day.
I still perform backups of my DATA, which is the only part of my system
that changes on a regular basis. This is all backed up onto my other HD
daily, and monthly onto DVD.
My system, by the way, is an Intel E8400 @ 3.6ghz, 2GB Corsair XMS2
6400 C4 DDR2, Gigabyte EP45-DS3R, Windows XP PRO SP2, Geforce 8400 GS
256mb @ 650/600 GPU/Mem and yes it is quite a fast system, but by no
means exceptional. If you find it slow then you are not using SATA II
Drives.
It does the job it is meant to do, not what other people think it
should do.
It comes bundled free with the motherboard. It is far more useful than
some software that is bundled, or as I call it, got rid of, with some
motherboards.
I do not work for Gigabyte, by the way, I just hate to see a very
useable and indeed quite useful (in context) program get slammed, which
could put off potential users who would benefit from it. Yes, this time
I had a bit of a job getting it to work, but last time I used it, on my
stepsons PC, it worked a treat. My system is quite a bit more
complicated than his, and his is more representative of the sort of PC
(and owner) this program is aimed at. If I had only installed one HD and
one CD/DVD RW, then I would probably not have had a problem at all.
Anyway, whatever anyone else thinks, this is purely my own opinion. I
say, let people try things for themselves and come to their own
conclusions. They'll either like it or loathe it. And if they get stuck,
they can come here on this forum, and be helped by informed people to
sort themselves out.
Nice talking to you, and sorry for going on a bit. Old age can do that
to you, wait and see.
TTFN
Oldgit.
there@inthevoid.com Mickey Mouse
I agree with you. However, I've had to learn Acronis due to the amount of
pc's I come into
contact with that don't have Gigabyte Mobo's. XR2 is ideal for people who
don't want to learn
about Secure Zones, incremental etc.. Acronis is easy to use, but to be
familiar with all it's facets,
then there is quite a learning curve.
There really is no learning curve with XR2 as there is with programs like
Acronis. XR2's only real
drawback is that it uses the system drive for it's partition.
If you buy an HP system, or similar system that don't offer cd's for mobo
drivers and the drive fails,
well, you're in the crapper there too. If you're prepared to cop a failed
drive then XR2 is ideal for many.
I'm wondering if XR2 can be installed on a non-Gigabyte mobo, I haven't
tried?
Mickey
"oldgit929" <oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com...
>
Anna
"oldgit929" <oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com> wrote in message
news:oldgit92...@DoNotSpam.com...
>
Oldgit:
As you probably know from previous posts I'm a strong proponent of the
Casper 5 disk-cloning program. I've worked with a fairly large variety of
comprehensive backup programs over the years and I find that program
superior for the large majority of PC users in terms of simplicity of use
(there's virtually no learning-curve), general effectiveness, and perhaps
most of all...speed of backup operations when the program is used (as it
should be used) on a routine frequent basis so that a user's system is
always or nearly always backed up on a current basis.
You mentioned that using the XR2 program you were able to back up 9.75 GB of
data in 15 minutes. Using the Casper 5 program (again, on a routine basis)
it would probably take you two (2) minutes or less to perform that backup.
Surely this is a great incentive for a user to undertake frequent backups of
his/her system knowing that the process will take only a modest amount of
time.
In my previous post I laid out my reasons why I believe that by & large the
XR2 program is a poor choice as a comprehensive backup program for most PC
users (notwithstanding that the program is designed solely for
Gigabyte-based systems). Obviously this is my opinion based upon my
experience with the program.
I am not trying to "slam" the XR2 program. As I indicated at the beginning
of my last post describing my experience with the XR2 program each user has
to determine for him or herself what best meets their backup needs. If you
or anyone else feels this or that program is "right" for you, so be it.
Anna
oldgit929
Anna,
Thanks for your comments/opinions. I agree with what you say, each to
their own.
Mickey,
Hello, it was through your thread that I found this forum, so thanks
for that.
About trying XR2 on other machines, I'm afraid I think it's a no-go, as
the program is specific to Gigabyte boards. There is no way that I can
see to...Hold on, it might, because it runs from the CD, and as far as I
can see it places itself on the HD to run during Post. If it is linux
based or suchlike, then it may install the program needed to run it
whatever the system or motherboard.
I have an old system here (no sata though, just IDE) that I try linux
on every now and then, if I get time I'll try installing windows on it
and then use XR2.
I'll let you know how I get on. And yes, Anna, I know I could just use
Casper or suchlike, but where's the fun in that?
Why climb a mountain when a helicopter can get you there
quicker/easier? It's called a challenge, and some people thrive on
them. I can't climb mountains, but I can mess about with computers 'till
I've blown them all up.