Changes-only restore

[Brian K]

set TBIParms=
It doesn't need /wait

/wait is in the TeraByte code further down the page.

[n8chavez]

Could the partition alignment be preventing change-only restores? What's best to use, 1m, 2k, or, Align MBR for BIOS Auto Mode?

[Brian K]

I use this...

IFW, Settings, Geometry tab

Align Partitions on 1 MiB Boundaries
Align MBR for BIOS Auto Mode

Can you try this? Using your latest full image, create a Changes Only backup. Do it manually with the IFW GUI. Then restore the Changes Only backup manually. Boot from a UFD and run IFW.

[n8chavez]

I tried that. It didn't make a difference. I created a changes-only backup and restarted right away. There were no changes between the disk and the image, yet the restore took 2:27. The alignments were already as you suggested.

[Brian K]

, yet the restore took 2:27.

Where was the image stored? You mentioned the OS was on a NVMe.
What size is the image?

[n8chavez]

The image was on an HDD, and my OS is on a NVMe. The diff image was 386,968 KB.

[Brian K]

Is that a Hard Drive, not a SSD?

What size is the full backup?

[n8chavez]

Correct; the image is not stored on the SSD but a 20TB spindle-hdd. The original full image is 26.6 GB.

[Brian K]

Nate, that's your problem. The HD is the weak link. Your NVMe won't make the restore any faster.
2:27 is quite reasonable for a 26.6 GB image with your hardware.

A SSD instead of your HD would make the restore faster. Also a faster backup.

[n8chavez]

But if it's a changes only restore why does the size of the original image matter? It's not as though the entire image was being restored. I can recall a very similar situation where Macrium Reflect would only take about 20 seconds to restore. Is that because IFW is not service based and relies on drat and hashes, wheras Reflect does not? If that's a reasonable IFW total, can I assume that the majority of that time is spend reading/comparing?