Page 1 of 2
Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 2:08 am
by n8chavez
In testing out my newly-built TBWinRE, I restored a full image I had just created 30 seconds prior. I used IFW's normal mode. It ran slow at the end but said it complete successfully. Then I rebooted, and couldn't boot into Windows or the RE MBR entry. Then tried again to restore it again, this time I used IFW's Automatic mode. Everything went fine. Everything booted just fine. That tells me there's mothing wrong with my ifw.ini, right? Any ideas what it could be?
Code: Select all
[Options]
PHYLockRAMUnusedOp=0
SeqVolID=1
SaveUEFIData=1
TextTree=0x1
ShowTBWinPE=1
GlobalGeoOrgGeo=1
GlobalGeoMBRGeo=1
GlobalGeoAlign2K=1
[PHYLock_Options]
UseVSS=1
PHYLockDisable=1
PHYLockMemory=0
[RESTORE_DEFAULTS]
SaveLog=0
Trim=1
UseMetaData=1
UseOrgHDNum=1
Reboot=4
WriteChangedSecsOnly=1
WriteMBR=1
[BACKUP_DEFAULTS]
NoTRIM=1
SaveLog=0
UseMetaData=1
CreateHash=1
Compression=12
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 6:57 am
by TeraByte Support
just a note, if your drives are non-deterministic trim, you wouldn't want to use WriteChangedSecsOnly=1 as a precaution of a trimmed sector returning data that looks like it's there.
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 7:41 am
by Brian K
I note in the ini there are...
Trim=1
WriteChangedSectsOnly=1
Is this combination "incompatible"? For example, if I restore a recent image and use WriteChangedSectsOnly=1 then less than 1 GB of data is written to the target drive. If I restore the same image and use both options then 20 GB of data is written. The image size is 16 GB.
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:17 am
by n8chavez
I'm confused, what's non-deterministic trim? I guess I was under the same impression as Brian K, where WriteChangedSectsOnly=1 enabled delta restores? Is that not the case? If it is the case, why have that option there and not be able to use it?
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:31 am
by Brian K
Nate, WriteChangedSectsOnly=1 has nothing to do with delta restores (Metadata restores). It writes changed sectors only as I mentioned in my example. It limits the restore writes to the target drive. It doesn't do fast restores like a metadata restore.
Non-deterministic trim is a drive not supporting DRAT. (Deterministic Read After Trim). You can check whether your SSD drive supports DRAT with HWINFO64.
Select your drive, Transfer Modes, Trim Command.
If your SSD is NVMe, it supports DRAT.
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:48 am
by n8chavez
Now I'm really getting confused, because both the literal name of the option (WriteChangedSectsOnly) and Brian K's example fit the exact definition of a delta restore. Restoring only the changed parts of a image is a delta restore, is it not? In any case, that's a moot point because my NVMe supports drat. So I can use WriteChangedSectsOnly=1.
I swear, Terabyte must get a kickback from Jack Daniels because this is so needlessly convoluted and needlessly complicated .
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 9:19 am
by Brian K
n8chavez wrote: Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:48 am
So I can use WriteChangedSectsOnly=1.
But it's being cancelled by Trim=1. It's not working for you.
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 9:31 pm
by TeraByte Support
Write changed sectors only, reads the sector and compares to what be written, if the same, doesn't write it.
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:51 pm
by Brian K
Nate, interesting tests with IFL. A 120 GB old SSD with two 60 GB partitions. 29.6 GB of data files (mainly apps collected over the years) was copied into the first partition. It took 8 minutes.
Booted into IFL. Backups were created into the second partition. Full backup was 28.6 GB.
Full backup (using /usemd and /hash ) of the first partition took 2:46 (2 minutes 46 seconds)
Full restore with /wco took 2:14
Full restore without /wco took 2:51
Full restore with /wco and /usemd took 0:10
Full restore with /usemd took 0:12
A differential image was created with /usemd. It took one second and was 44 kb in size.
A diff restore with no switches took 2:49
A diff restore with /wco and /usemd took 0:09
A diff restore with /wco took 2:15
Back in Windows, using IFW
Full restore with no switches took 2:49
Full restore with /wco and /usemd took 0:15
Full restore with /wco took 2:52
In TBWinRE using IFW
Full restore with no switches took 2:59
Full restore with /wco and /usemd took 0:15
Full restore with /wco took 3:07
Re: Restore Methods
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2024 3:54 pm
by kris455
Old one but I'll butt in here - Don't use the WinRE version unless you
really know what you are doing and know and
have tested that the RE on your Win is up to date
AND working correctly
as it has been changed by recent in updates over the last few months.
Very easy for RE to get wonky.
Use the bootable stick versions of IFL,W,U and be sure you back up everything - that is, click the box just above the first partition to be sure you get the boot and efi partitions. These will restore fully and correctly as I have done it many times.
To solve boot issues, boot to BIOS, set boot choice to boot to linux and see if grub will boot then do sudo update-grub. If not, set BIOS to boot to win and re-install grub.