[Download] Vista Hide 'n Seek BETA

[Coolname007]

There are many programs that can image partitions and/or complete HDDs, and then later restore those images.
It is up to you to find the imaging program that is best for you.

Google "partition image", and you'll find some solutions.

[Terry60]

I don't image whole partitions. I figure the OS and the apps are easy enough to restore by reinstalling (and since I got broadband, it only takes a little while to download every Windows Update (a process that took me 24 hours last time I fresh-installed XP over a dial-up link)
But my user data is another matter. That's mirrored to a second HDD daily,(or immediately if I've just uploaded the contents of my Camera) and the mirror is backed up to External HDD monthly, and the ext HDD is archived to multiple DVD-RW generations, stored away from the PC. (not that I'm paranoid of course)
Since the advent of digital photography, those little quantum packets of magnetic ones and zeros are fantastically valuable (emotionally at least), and need to be jealously safeguarded.
I'm a great fan of the freeware EZBackitup, which does a great job of mirroring all changes to nominated resources, and has a great advantage over MS backup (and most other archival software I've tried) in that the mirror is not in some propriatory format that needs special software to effect a restore, (only to find in some cases that it's corrupted when you try), but is a real, readable copy of everything you value which can be restored over a damaged original with a simple drag and drop.

[JustinW]

I'd recommend Acronis True Image if you can afford it. If not, there are a few free solutions like Macrium Reflect or Easeus Disk Copy.

[la-dee-da-dee]

So then my real question is will the partition imaging software like Acronis (or any of the others listed) restore entire systems running more than one operating system? Especially if you have hidden partitioned drives....?

I have spent 3 days getting my computer back to a state where I can be productive on it. I don't want to have rack my brains on it again, so I'm just being cautious here before I make my next move against a machine that, up till now, has been way too high maintenance.

Thanks All

[Coolname007]

Yes, any good partition imaging software (such as Terabyte's IFW - Image For Windows) can backup the entire HDD (not just the partitions with OSes installed to them). However, you would need to unhide any hidden partitions first before the software would be able to see it (at least on a normal setup). With IFW, though, you can backup any partitions (even ones that are not currently in the MBR partition table), just as long as they exist in the EMBR (an extended partition table used only by Terabyte's other software, BING).

[davidm71]

Hi,

I don't understand exactly what 'Hiden Seek' is? Is it a bootloader replacement? My multiboot setup consists of this:

Previous Version (aka winxp)
Win Vista
Win 7
Win XP Pro (redundant listing as 1st)

How would Hide n seek help me?

Thanks.

[Terry60]

HnS is a custom version of Grub4Dos with a GUI front-end/installer.
It uses grub to boot each system, but the GUI creates hide/unhide commands as part of the menu.lst, so whenever you boot XP it will hide Vista and W7 drives. When you boot V/W7, it unhides them again.

If you use this XP registry hack (and it works for you ), you don't need HnS. (The registry hack doesn't work in all circumstances)

[Coolname007]

HnS is a custom version of Grub4Dos with a GUI front-end/installer.
It uses grub to boot each system, but the GUI creates hide/unhide commands as part of the menu.lst, so whenever you boot XP it will hide Vista and W7 drives. When you boot V/W7, it unhides them again.

If you use this XP registry hack (and it works for you ), you don't need HnS (It doesn't work in all circumstances)

"It" being HnS or the XP registry hack? Just to clarify (don't want readers getting confused)...

[Terry60]

clarified for posterity.

[la-dee-da-dee]

Yes, any good partition imaging software (such as Terabyte's IFW - Image For Windows) can backup the entire HDD (not just the partitions with OSes installed to them). However, you would need to unhide any hidden partitions first before the software would be able to see it (at least on a normal setup). With IFW, though, you can backup any partitions (even ones that are not currently in the MBR partition table), just as long as they exist in the EMBR (an extended partition table used only by Terabyte's other software, BING).

So what if I use IFW to make an image of the Partitions and I don't have BING but am using EasyBCD.... Am I screwed?

I don't mind paying for backup imaging software like Acronis (even though when I look into Acronis; seems as though more have questions than they do answers about it.) I just don't want to pay for something and then not have it work with EasyBCD because EasyBCD is what I have learned and also what I have already donated to....

I am down to these 3.
Acronis - The giant toolbox with some things that may even do more harm than good if not used properly. Advantageous in that is has features that allow you restore images on a different machine. Not sure about EASYBCD compatibility. Not sure about restoring images to partitions of different sizes either.

Macrum - Seems good but not sure about compatibility with EasyBCD - doesn't have a simple way to restore images onto different sized partitions.

IFW - Seems above average in that it allows you to restore images onto different sized partitions but Im concernted about getting roped into buying their BOOTIT software after I have another crash and have to start this whole miserable process of reinstallation again. Seems like the EMBR is something that is different from what EASYBCD has.

Can someone please do an editorial on this post?

[Coolname007]

So what if I use IFW to make an image of the Partitions and I don't have BING but am using EasyBCD.... Am I screwed?

No, not at all. In this case, IFW functions just like any normal disk/partition imaging software. It'll let you image/restore any partition you have on any disk.
There will just be no EMBR to read from, only the standard MBR.

I don't mind paying for backup imaging software like Acronis (even though when I look into Acronis; seems as though more have questions than they do answers about it.) I just don't want to pay for something and then not have it work with EasyBCD because EasyBCD is what I have learned and also what I have already donated to....

I am down to these 3.
Acronis - The giant toolbox with some things that may even do more harm than good if not used properly. Advantageous in that is has features that allow you restore images on a different machine. Not sure about EASYBCD compatibility. Not sure about restoring images to partitions of different sizes either.

Macrum - Seems good but not sure about compatibility with EasyBCD - doesn't have a simple way to restore images onto different sized partitions.

IFW - Seems above average in that it allows you to restore images onto different sized partitions but Im concernted about getting roped into buying their BOOTIT software after I have another crash and have to start this whole miserable process of reinstallation again. Seems like the EMBR is something that is different from what EASYBCD has.

Can someone please do an editorial on this post?

You're right. First of all, EasyBCD is NOT a boot manager, but BootIT is. EasyBCD is only a tool for manipulating the Vista/7 BCD, and use it to boot other systems on the same computer. 3rd party boot managers such as BootIT install their own bootloader to the MBR, so it is what is in control of the boot process (NOT Windows), which is much better in my opinion. The EMBR is an extended master boot record that can hold up to 255 primary partition entries, though you obviously wont need as many as that. It extends the capabilites of the standard MBR by holding any additional primary partitions you have on a given HDD, in the EMBR, and loads 4 of them into the standard MBR when a particular boot item is selected, and chosen to boot. The beauty of BING is you can have multiple boot items in the menu, each configured differently (i.e. each set to load different combinations of partitions in the MBR partition table, so you can utilize as many partitions as you have on that - or any other - HDD). It also has another neat cool features on the side, ranging from username/password protection for any boot entry, its own built-in partition manager (which I found, in some cases, to be faster than Gparted), its own built-in imaging software, and other things which, although may never be needed, are still cool to have in case you ever do need them. It has all of this in a single easy-to-understand GUI, which will be loaded once pressing the "Maintenance" button at the BING boot menu, and pressing the appropriate button (such as "Partition Work") on the BING desktop.

As for the others, they're all "compatible with EasyBCD" since EasyBCD is not a partition or imaging software. Its a tool for manipulating the Vista/7 bootloader, that's about it. It does nothing that would impede or interfere with the process of imaging any partition.

[JustinW]

Not sure about Reflect but Acronis does allow you to do it.

[Nobleone]

Is link working?

[Terry60]

It's working fine.
Are you logged on with "keep me logged on" ticked ?
Lack of tick can cause download problems.

[Nobleone]

That worked, thanks