Computer Users Group

[Lucille]

Everytime you restore your pc, you are wiping the drive before restoring the backup. Each time this happens the drive info changes slightly, so when DesignMaster is installed and it queries your drive to create your machineID it receives different info than it did last time it was installed, so the machineID is different.


The only way I can think of trying to improve on the situation would be to install DM and then use a 3rd party disk imaging tool like Acronis TrueImage to make a backup of your drive. That way, when you restore your drive from the TrueImage backup you are restoring an exact image of the drive, just as DM expects it to be, so your machineID stays the same.

Not the perfect solution but a way around at least.

Also, if anyone is looking for a perfect backup software, TrueImage is excellent and can bring you back from a complete drive failure or virus infection in minutes. I can't recommend it enough. It's another peice of software that I have used for years and couldn't be without.

I don't know much about these, but did consider using one when I had my problems, it occurred to me if you are doing an image of your hard drive isn't that going to include the nasties you are trying to get rid off and the * that accumulates from programs that you remove etc?

I am using a freebie at the moment called 'Syncback' which to keep it simple copies all the files and folders I have asked it to at 12pm every day on to an extra hard drive.

[BrianP]

I don't know much about these, but did consider using one when I had my problems, it occurred to me if you are doing an image of your hard drive isn't that going to include the nasties you are trying to get rid off and the * that accumulates from programs that you remove etc?

I am using a freebie at the moment called 'Syncback' which to keep it simple copies all the files and folders I have asked it to at 12pm every day on to an extra hard drive.

It has a few different features. You can back-up files aswell as full disk images.

The way I use it is;

When I get a new pc or I format and re-install windows, I use TrueImage to make a full disk image back-up on to DVD, so that if my harddrive ever dies I can install this image on the new drive.

I then set a section of my hardrive for use with TrueImage (TrueImage calls this the secure zone because only it can access it, windows has no access to it at all so it can't get corrupted or infected) and every month or so I clean, virus scan and defrag my hardrive and then make another disk image backup to the secure zone.

In the mean time I have TrueImage set to backup all important files (i.e. my documents etc) at a certain time once a day.

Using it this way means I only ever have to do a full re-format if I change PC. If I ever get infected or I install something that breaks the system, I only have to restore from the most recent image I created, meaning my system is up and running to a state of when I last cleaned and defraged it within 10mins - no matter what happened to it. Then once the system is up and running I just restore the daily file back-ups so all my recent work is back too.

That way, I can bring my PC back to a clean, defragged and working state in less time than it would take to format the drive, plus I never lose any important files.

[Lucille]

Thank you I must look at that, it took me forever to reinstall all the software and update drivers etc Zzzzzz

Just thought of something else, if it is an image does this take up as much space as the original? My backup HD is only half the size of my working one.

[BrianP]

Thank you I must look at that, it took me forever to reinstall all the software and update drivers etc Zzzzzz

Just thought of something else, if it is an image does this take up as much space as the original? My backup HD is only half the size of my working one.

The software has a few compression options; none, normal, high and max.

I have mine on high and it normally compresses my system drive (which is 22gb) down to about 4-5gb. It also has a feature called 'Incremental backup' which compares any previous image backups to your current computer state and then only makes a back-up of the things that have changed since that last full image. Then when you restore, it restores the full image and then the files changed from the incremental back-up.

It's a very neat piece of software.

[Lucille]

Thank you I will be looking at that later after doing a defrag, it's due for one.

[BrianP]

Here's a little something that might interest you ladies.

A new web browser from the people at google.

It's still a beta version but its very stable and it is very very fast.

It also imports all your bookmarks and passwords from Internet Explorer and FireFox, so you don't have to re-add anything.

http://www.google.com/chrome/

I have been using it since it was released last night and I really like it.

[Lucille]

Here's a little something that might interest you ladies.

A new web browser from the people at google.

It's still a beta version but its very stable and it is very very fast.

It also imports all your bookmarks and passwords from Internet Explorer and FireFox, so you don't have to re-add anything.

http://www.google.com/chrome/

I have been using it since it was released last night and I really like it.

I have been using this for a few days now and it is much faster than IE, BUT the thing I don't like is I can't open files on UKS any more I have to download them to look at them I have sent in a report about this in the hope they will be able to make changes.