V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yes, I know this is the Linux area, but this post is going to be a bit of both... I was able to purchase a brand new (sealed in box) Western Digital WD3200AAKS 320Gig SATA II drive for just $20 from eBay just a few minutes ago. I'm planning on putting in my new ericsbane07 system as a backup/mirror drive for my Seagate 320Gig Windows 7 OS/vfat storage. I normally use rsync (grsync) to backup my Slackware OS onto a backup drive. I like rsync because once you do the initial sync, the follow-ups only sync (or delete) files that have changed; meaning the process is usually quite fast, depending on how often you do you backups (every Sunday for me). Now that I'll have a working backup drive for my Win 7 drive, I need to know the best solutions for this. Yes, I can use Clonezilla, but I believe that it makes a complete new clone each time you use it; meaning extended time required and extensive write/re-writes on the drive. I want something like rsync, but usable for Windows (ntfs, fat32 partitions). I've read briefly about rsync in Windows using Cygwin, which I'm not very familiar with. I'll be doing some more reading on it shortly. Anyone know of any solutions to my dilemma here? Thanks... Additional reading: Windows 7 Enterprise backup solutions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 HA! Look what I found... http://www.brunolinux.com/10-General_Info/Backup_Windows_in_Linux.html Sadly, cp would be very slow, I'm afraid. Also, you'd have to clobber the old backup each time you made a new one. --- After some reading, I found that it's not practical to rsync ntfs or fat32 partitions because rsync does not handle Windows permissions/file names properly; making the rsync'd data unusable as a bootable copy. So, I'm thinking that I'll just bite the bullet and use the built-in Win 7 Enterprise backup apps. We'll see... I have time to do more research before the hdd gets here (a week or so). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Perhaps: http://www.aboutmyip.com/AboutMyXApp/DeltaCopy.jsp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yeah, saw that one. Thanks. However, I'm not wanting to run an app from Windows to backup Windows. I'm more interested in finding something that I can run from Linux to backup Windows. I boot to Windows only when absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 With Clonezilla you can backup individual partitions. You do not need to do full disk clones every time. If you fire up the Clonzilla cd you can do a dry run to see what options are available. http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/best-free-backup-software-11-programs-we-recommend-1137924 The best free backup software - a perfect balance of automatic protection and manual control Easeus Todo Backup Free is a full backup suite offering both imaging (with optional creation of a Linux-based boot disc) and file backup (full, differential or incremental). It's intuitively designed and packed with advanced features, making it our backup software of choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yup! Those are all Windows based, though. Win 7 Enterprise addition already has a robust backup app included, unlike standard Win versions, so if I'm gonna' be stuck backing up from within Windows, I'll just use their software, I s'pose. Thanks for the linky, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Yup! Those are all Windows based, though. Win 7 Enterprise addition already has a robust backup app included, unlike standard Win versions, so if I'm gonna' be stuck backing up from within Windows, I'll just use their software, I s'pose. Thanks for the linky, though. That Easeus stuff has an option to make a LINUX or Windows Live cd to run from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 I saw that, but I understood it to mean that it could make a Linux boot disk of your existing Linux installation, but whaddo I know? Have to go look at that one closer, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I saw that, but I understood it to mean that it could make a Linux boot disk of your existing Linux installation, but whaddo I know? Have to go look at that one closer, I think. I have never used the software but I had a quick read at their site. http://www.todo-backup.com/products/features/free-backup-software-winpe.htm Looks to me like you can make a basic Linux live cd to do simple clone and recovery. Or cd based on WinPE with more functions. Or run the software from within Windows. Looks like it would do what you want. I may have a looksee after I have moved as I need to backup my UEFI/GPT Windows 7 gaming rig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Got the new backup drive installed today, but having issues with backup methods. - rsync does not work with ntfs or vfat file systems. - Win 7's built-in backup is having issues. I will have to t-shoot further... or just try Clonezilla. - Win 7 cannot backup my vfat storage partition. I had to just use COPY/PASTE to back it up. Worked, but slooooowwww. And a new problem that I encountered today... - While snooping around in Windows, I noticed that my activation key had been invalidated when I installed the old drive on this new system. Figures. I have 30 days trial period to activate, but my volume license key is no longer any good (long story). So... I will just bump my trial period two more times to give me 90 more days to figure out what to do. I may have to *GASP!* buy Win 10 for this system. Well, it wasn't a productive day at all. Tomorrow is another day. YAY! G'night... I'm off to go watch Perry Mason, even though I've probably seen this episode a 100 or so times. The good thing about getting older is that even reruns are new again cuz you can't remember 'em anyway. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Hello, Perhaps the robocopy utility included with Windows? Other possibilities might include Centered Systems' Second Copy, 2BrightSparks' SyncBack, Code Sector's TeraCopy, Pixelab's XXCOPY, etc. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon James Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Got the new backup drive installed today, but having issues with backup methods. - rsync does not work with ntfs or vfat file systems. - Win 7's built-in backup is having issues. I will have to t-shoot further... or just try Clonezilla. - Win 7 cannot backup my vfat storage partition. I had to just use COPY/PASTE to back it up. Worked, but slooooowwww. And a new problem that I encountered today... - While snooping around in Windows, I noticed that my activation key had been invalidated when I installed the old drive on this new system. Figures. I have 30 days trial period to activate, but my volume license key is no longer any good (long story). So... I will just bump my trial period two more times to give me 90 more days to figure out what to do. I may have to *GASP!* buy Win 10 for this system. Well, it wasn't a productive day at all. Tomorrow is another day. YAY! G'night... I'm off to go watch Perry Mason, even though I've probably seen this episode a 100 or so times. The good thing about getting older is that even reruns are new again cuz you can't remember 'em anyway. LuckyBackup has a checkbox to backup to ntfs partitions, which does not copy over owner/group settings. I believe this also works on FAT, as I know one of my backup drives in this house is FAT formatted. Might wanna check rsync flags, options and/or switches to figure out how to accommodate ntfs/fat on command line. Be careful before you spend good money on Win10. I had a Win10 "Insider Preview" copy (in a VirtualBox VM, where I needed it to be!) that had been activated, with everything working as expected. But I built a new machine last month and restored all my backups (including VirtualBox VMs) to the new machine and continued on my merry way with no hiccups whatsoever...until I loaded up my Win10 VM, when I discovered that Win10 had detected new hardware and de-activated itself back to an Insider Preview build. I have jumped through hoops trying to regain my activation but, to make a long story short, I have learned that Win10 is a digital ID now, tied to your hardware. When hardware changes, you must reactivate by going through a "My hardware has changed" troubleshooter. Perhaps this is no biggie with a new hard drive, or extra hard drive, or something similar.....but when the motherboard changes, you cannot reactivate on that machine without paying for a new license. Another one of MS small "under-the-radar" changes in licensing. And since I only use Windows in VMs now, I see no reason to waste money on purchasing a license/digital ID that I cannot move forward to my current machine of choice. I can understand MS checking to ensure my license has only been used once, but I have a real problem with them holding me hostage to purchase a new license simply because I changed the hardware equation. Just wanted to give you a heads up before you spend money on Win10. Not telling you to NOT purchase it....just to consider your personal use scenario before you pull out your wallet! I resolved my issue by downloading another Insider Preview ISO and loading it up in a VM. I just can't activate my digital ID without pulling out my wallet, and I can't change themes or personalize Win10 to my liking. Everything else seems to function just fine, as long as I keep my Preview updated, although it's only been about 45+ days....so I can't say with 100% confidence yet. But so far, so good.... It seems you can still join the Insider Preview program and provide MS valuable feedback for their precious Windows. I would recommend you do that before you get out your wallet, as you can always pull out your wallet later on, and pay your ransom. I would also recommend you download the Preview ISO that matches the Win10 you previously had activated. 32bit vs 64bit and Home vs Pro editions....match them up precisely, and go through the hardware troubleshooter....if your hard drive is the only change, there's a good chance you can get your authorization back from the process. If you cannot, do you really care if you can't theme Win10 to your liking? If not....screw MS....always looking for a new way to extort their users.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Blimey everything I find out about W 10 makes me glad I stuck with W 7. I'm hoping that linux gaming will have evolved to cover all games by the time W7 stops getting updates. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Thanks everyone. I'm working on finding some solutions. I have a year's worth of bumping trial periods in Win 7, so no hurry. As to the backup issue... I'm looking for a way to just clone the entire drive over to the new drive, but have it be bootable. The reasoning is that if the primary drive fails, I can just boot into the secondary drive and continue on as normal. I would eventually get another backup drive to clone the secondary to it. I don't really know much about Clonezilla or these other options some of you mentioned above, so I'm going to have to do a bit of reading, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Oh, and Erik... I don't give a rat's posterior area about updates because my Windows does not access the Internet. It's a closed system with no networking activated. I ONLY use it to play games. My MS Updates are disabled. I do occasionally turn on networking to update Ccleaner, MS Essentials, and MalwareBytes. I use them to clean up and check on files downloaded in Linux and brought over to Windows; mostly game mods and carp like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 Well, I Clonezilla'd my Win partition and my FAT storage partition just a few minutes ago. YAY! All went well. CloneZ is pretty simple to use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedon James Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 (edited) Thanks everyone. I'm working on finding some solutions. I have a year's worth of bumping trial periods in Win 7, so no hurry. As to the backup issue... I'm looking for a way to just clone the entire drive over to the new drive, but have it be bootable. The reasoning is that if the primary drive fails, I can just boot into the secondary drive and continue on as normal. I would eventually get another backup drive to clone the secondary to it. I don't really know much about Clonezilla or these other options some of you mentioned above, so I'm going to have to do a bit of reading, I think. Clonezilla is the tool you want for this task. FWIW, you could even convert the Clonezilla *.img file into an *.iso file and boot it in a VM! In a perfect world, based on your scenario, I think I'd want to have Win on disk1 and Data on disk2; however, I'd clone disk1 OS to disk3 and backup/rsync disk2 Data to disk4. Might not be practical, but it'd be ideal. JMO... EDIT: Nevermind....I see you did use Clonezilla. Excellent, congrats on getting it sorted out! Edited December 14, 2016 by Hedon James 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrat Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 To rsync vfat filesystems to ext or other Linux , this will help - --modify-window When comparing two timestamps, rsync treats the timestamps as being equal if they differ by no more than the modify-window value. This is normally 0 (for an exact match), but you may find it useful to set this to a larger value in some situations. In particular, when transferring to or from an MS Windows FAT filesystem (which represents times with a 2-second resolution), --modify-window=1 is useful (allowing times to differ by up to 1 second). I used --modify-window=2 last time I actually had a vfat partition and it worked fine. You could also use -c to compare content instead of modify times but that would be much slower. I never used rsync for ntfs as my Win OS partitions never changed much so just did an occasional partclone with Clonezilla. I should look into it as my new rig has a ntfs data partition, still rarely used though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 Just to be clear, I'm not trying to run rsync in Windows nor am I trying to rsync ntfs and vfat partitions to linux formatted file systems. It seems that everyone on Google is trying to do one or the other of those things. What I'm trying to do is make an rsync backup (using a portable Linux - Porteus booted from CD) of an Windows 7 ntfs partition to an identical ntfs partition on another internal drive... same for the vfat (FAT32) partition. The problem seems to be that the wonderful super-dooper ntfs file system cannot be rsync'd without it screwing up permissions, date stamps, symlinks, etc. I've often wondered WHY... WHY has MS continued to utilize that carpy ntfs even as their OS has improved drastically over the past versions. I liked Win 7. I thought it was a surprisingly easy-to-use and reliable version of Win. It would be so much better if it could be installed on ext4, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securitybreach Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Another good reason to use exfat if you need window's operability... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 So, anyway... I decided to use Clonezilla, as I posted above. It'll work for now, but an entirely new image (30 mins to image C and D drives) each time is a bit of a drag. I'll probably only do it once a month, unlike my SlackSync, which I do every week on Sundays. Oh, and MS Win 7 ENT is legit again. YAY! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) So, anyway... I decided to use Clonezilla, as I posted above. It'll work for now, but an entirely new image (30 mins to image C and D drives) each time is a bit of a drag. I'll probably only do it once a month, unlike my SlackSync, which I do every week on Sundays. Oh, and MS Win 7 ENT is legit again. YAY! I believe you can set it running and have it turn of the pc when finished. Tried to find some info for you and came up with this, I made a bootable USB stick using the method above and then modified the default menu option in the syslinux.cfg file in the syslinux folder as shown below. This stick will automatically boot and image the drive and then shutdown the computer - the shutdown sequence asks you to remove the USB stick during its run but you would want to do that anyway so that is the only prompt you get. https://sourceforge.net/p/clonezilla/discussion/Clonezilla_live/thread/85725e88/?limit=25#1fd8 Though that shows you still need operator input. A little more searching may throw up a good solution ? Edited December 21, 2016 by abarbarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) Yeah, you can set it to auto-shut off, but that's not the problem. The problem is that those 30 mins or so are time that I have to endure before I can reboot into Slack and get my real computing done. Maybe I should do the Clonezilla thing on the Win partitions just before I shutdown for good on Sundays? . Edited December 21, 2016 by V.T. Eric Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 just before I shutdown for good on Sundays? . Top notch idea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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