New User and Fast change only backups

[Gavin]

From IFW 4.05 PDF manual (June 2025)

Note: p.32 it shows 'Use Metadata Hash Files' unchecked



Program Options > General Settings > Use Metadata Hash Files

Select this option to have Image for Windows create a hash file from the file system metadata to speed up creating a Changes Only (differential or incremental) backup. This option is only supported for NTFS partitions and relies on file system metadata to determine what gets backed up. Using this option in conjunction with Faster Changes Only Backups can greatly decrease the time required to create the backup. This option is not supported when creating an image that is being saved to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). By default, this option is also ignored if the Backwards Compatible option is enabled. The hash file will be limited to the max file size and have the same file name as the backup with an extension starting at .@0 followed by .@1, .@2, etc. as needed. If the hash file is deleted the backup will proceed as normal without it.

When creating backups in Windows using this option, it’s highly recommended to use VSS.

NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on backup and restore operations



May be in an update of the manual, the impact on backup and restore of this option can be elaborated on.

It left me avoiding it like the plague LOL!

[Brian K]

Metadata backup/restore is interesting.
I was able to restore a 400 GiB data partition image in 11 seconds.

[Gavin]

The full backup is not changed.

A simpler way of putting it is if any of the incremental (changes-only) backups is corrupted or missing, it results in incomplete data recovery.

Incremental is nice for backups, but restores take longer, since the original full backup, and the incrementals all have to be restored...in order.

Incremental Backups (PDF manual, p.241)

... If you need to restore your entire system, you need to restore the latest full backup followed by each of the incremental backups you performed since that full backup (unless the backup program being used supports a complete restore in one restore procedure).

And

Differential Backups PDF manual, p.241)

... If you need to restore your entire system, you need to restore the latest full backup followed by the latest differential backup (unless the backup program being used supports a complete restore in one restore procedure).

I haven't tested this yet, but does IFW, and I’d presume IFD, IFL and IFU have the ability of restoring in one smooth step?

[TeraByte Support]

I haven't tested this yet, but does IFW, and I’d presume IFD, IFL and IFU have the ability of restoring in one smooth step?

It's the only way you can do it.

[Bob Coleman]

I haven't tested this yet, but does IFW, and I’d presume IFD, IFL and IFU have the ability of restoring in one smooth step?

If you are asking given a full backup and a differential backup (or a series on incremental backups) based on it, can you restore in one step, yes. You specify to restore from the latest backup involved. IFW, etc. finds all the other ones needed and processes them all in one step.

[Gavin]

Thanks TB and Brian for your reply. That’s good to hear.

I'm still getting used to IFW and I'm getting through IWF’s PDF manual. Next it will be IFD and BootIt.

As a newbie, and being away from computer hardware/software for 15 years, there's a lot to go through and a lot to read but I'm enjoying it.

I haven’t come across such thorough manuals and how-to-dos as I have from TBU.

I'm done PartWork, which is almost perfect and has a beautiful GUI as does IFW.