Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Restore"

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CyberSimian
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:13 pm

Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Restore"

Post by CyberSimian »

In BIBM's "Partition Work", the "Slide" and "Copy"/"Paste" actions allow the user to specify the free space before or free space after, when sliding or copying a partition to some free space. This is a useful feature.

Last week I wanted to restore a drive image to the END of some free space, but "Image for DOS" does not allow me to specify the space before, or space after. In the end I went to "Partition Work" and:

(1) Created a placeholder partition the same size as the image to be restored (to ensure that the alignment was correct), and in the location that I wanted (at the end of the free space).
(2) Created a filler partition in the remainder of the free space.
(3) Deleted the placeholder partition to create the free space for the drive image.
(4) Restored the drive image to the free space using "Image for DOS".
(5) Deleted the filler partition.

This rigmarole would not be necessary if "Image for DOS" supported "Free Space Before" and "Free Space After". Thank you.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by Brian K »

CyberSimian,

Have you tried the /last parameter?
CyberSimian
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:13 pm

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by CyberSimian »

Brian K wrote:
> Have you tried the /last parameter?

There does not seem to be any way to enter that option on the IFD "Restore" panels.

Also, for users who never use the command-line interface (and that includes me), the "free space before" and "free space after" settings ought to be fields on the panel, so that I can type the value that I want.

Although the ability to specify additional command line options would be a useful addition to the "Restore" panels, that should be for advanced users. I don't think that the desire to restore an image to a specific location in the free space is an advanced action, so I should be able to do it without having to know about the /LAST option.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by Brian K »

I just tried /last in IFD and it didn't work. I tried the parameter after /r and I tried it at the end of the line. There were no errors in ifd.log.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Does /last work for you?

CyberSimian, if you want some help with a command line restore, just ask. It is much easier than you expect as the command line will be created for you and you can use the script from the BIBM Run button. It is well worth knowing.
CyberSimian
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:13 pm

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by CyberSimian »

Brian K wrote:
> CyberSimian, if you want some help with a command line restore, just ask.

Thank you for the offer :) , but I don't want to investigate that at this time.

I actually favour command-line tools for tools that I use frequently (the file manager that I use is like this), but I prefer full-GUI tools for tools that I use only occasionally. Although I use the BIBM Boot Manager every time I power on the system, I use the imaging facilities much less often, and only for the OS. I back up my data files using an incremental, multi-generational tool that I wrote myself.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK
Bob Coleman
Posts: 785
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:58 pm

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by Bob Coleman »

CyberSimian wrote:

>
> (1) Created a placeholder partition the same size as the image to be
> restored (to ensure that the alignment was correct), and in the location
> that I wanted (at the end of the free space).
> (2) Created a filler partition in the remainder of the free space.
> (3) Deleted the placeholder partition to create the free space for the
> drive image.
> (4) Restored the drive image to the free space using "Image for
> DOS".
> (5) Deleted the filler partition.
>

Not that this addresses your main point, but couldn't you have restored to the "placehoder partitiion" without bothering with the "filler partition"?
CyberSimian
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:13 pm

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by CyberSimian »

Bob Coleman wrote:
> Not that this addresses your main point, but couldn't you have restored to the
> "placehoder partitiion" without bothering with the "filler partition"?

Possibly. But when copying partitions in "Partition Work", the destination always has to be free space. So I follow that convention when restoring partition images too.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Support "Free Space Before"/"Free Space After" for "Rest

Post by Brian K »

/last is working now. You have to choose a drive and not free space...

/td:w0 instead of /td:w0@0x82

I agree with Bob. I restore or copy into a partition if one is already present.
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