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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : More Windows Woes
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OA47 Guru  Joined: 11/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1013 |
With all the talk about crashing windows on another thread it seems that a couple of my pc's have gone out in protest. The first to go yesterday was the cook's windows 7 laptop with a hard disk failure (which I can only put down to a hardware failure) but annoyingly my main pc, running windows 8.1 decided that it wanted to get into a blue screen type loop. This pc gets used for most of my day to day stuff and I am more than annoyed with the problem. I recently loaded a Garmin app as I needed to update the maps on a GPS unit and suspect that it has contributed to the issue. When I try to revert back to a restore point I can only see the one that was created by the app install but unfortunately it fails and I am not presented with any more to try. I religiously create an image backup on a separate partition of the hard disk (usually every couple of weeks) and when directed to restore from one of these backups the system tells me that it cant see any backup files. I think that all these so called data security methods leave a lot to be desired and you cannot rely on the inbuilt mechanisms to get around these issues. It reminds me of an issue I was faced with many years ago when I needed to restore one of the regular backups for a NT server. During the course of its life there had been a patch applied to increase the usable partition size which at the time must have seemed like a good idea. When it came to the point of restoring the system the os was in-operable so normal means would have been to get a skeleton version of NT working so that the backup could be restored. The only problem was that the system could not recognise the extended partition sizes to be able to accomplish the restore. OA47  |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9749 |
Slightly off-topic here, but what do you use to do your system images? Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| OA47 Guru Joined: 11/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1013 |
Grogs, I use the inbuilt windows 7 system image that is available on windows 8 and 10. (If that is not to confusing) OA47 |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9749 |
I did not know it had one.  Had not dug that deep in the settings. Will look.Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
Hey guys, protect your stuff!!!! Forget the windows system image. It doesn't restore reliably. Forget the restore points. They are broken. See error 0X80070091 and KB3213986. Do a weekly image backup to a USB disk with Macrium Reflect v7 free. It works. Make sure you make a rescue DVD using Macrium. It will use windows PE to boot and it works. It might even restore to different disk sizes. Do a daily file copy of the system disk to a USB disk using this: ROBOCOPY C:\file copies\ X: /XJ /XJD /XJF /MIR /R:0 /W:1 /NP /LOG:C:\bkm\bkCF.log Disconnect the USB drive when you're not actually doling a backup. When ransomware gets into your machine it won't be able to plug the USB drive in to mess with it. You can run both macrium and robocopy from batch files. Mine are attached for reference. Paul in NY 2017-11-05_101437_backup_files.ZIP |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Windows 7 system image backup (option under windows 10 setting-update/security) works perfectly fine for me as long as i have used it. Had to use a restore a few times after installing some funky cad software so i know the restore also works. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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atmega8 Guru Joined: 19/11/2013 Location: GermanyPosts: 727 |
Free Veeam Backup (online), automates backup to a dedicated (USB) Harddrive, f**k for wannacry etc... or open source clonezilla (ofline) |
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| Alastair Senior Member  Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
After an early experience with not being able to restore a backup after failure, I have used Acronis to do regular backups. I used to use Ghost but found it was slow to update. I have always made the effort when I get a new system to make a backup, master disk and then do a trial restore. I had a disk failure on my last laptop and was able to install a new one without drama. I also keep my backups of different systems on 2 devices, one a 6TB NAS and also an external usb hdd. The usb drive makes it easy to restore with a failed system, the NAS makes doing regular backups fast and easy. My logic is that Mr Murphy has always kept a close eye on me and if I am diligent he will stay away - or launch a major lightening event like happened to a friend and wiped out most of his electrical gear in one go. If that happens you just start from square one. ******************** He IS watching as a few minutes after this post a big thunder storm has started. Now going to shut down. I have a UPS etc but will play safe. ***************** Cheers, Alastair |
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| circuit Senior Member Joined: 10/01/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 290 |
After many years of backing up with various systems I eventually decided that the best way is to regularly clone my hard drive. I have a set of replacement Western Digital drives identical to my main drive and I just run the Western Digital Clone program (Acronis) regularly. I use a USB to SATA connector, as simple as that. I had a drive failure a couple of weeks ago and all I had to do was to pull out the failed primary drive, substitute the identical WD drive with the most recent clone and switch back on again! Drives are so cheap these days that this is the best way forward for me. |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
@circuit -- A clone drive is an excellent idea and I do that too with a second internal drive. The trouble is that if a virus starts encrypting files it will hit the second internal drive and it is not easy to disconnect an internal drive when you are not actually writing the clone. I'm more worried about ransomware than disk failure. I install a free program called Cybereason RansomFree. This thing is tricky. It was written by a bunch of Israeli counter spies. It creates numerous honeypots ... meaningless directories with meaningless files ... placed at the head and tail of each directory. If it detects ransomware encrypting these directories it terminates the process. Try it, you'll like it! @Alastair -- I used to run a paid version of Acronis. I quit using it when an update insisted on installing a bunch of crapware. I don't think a paid program should do this. Macrium Free works very well. I also have a paid version of Macrium which also works well. Paul in NY |
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| Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
@Paul My Acronis is a paid version. I do not recall having any issue with updates. I agree that paid s/w should not do this. I run a paid version of Malawarebytes as well as McAfee LiveSafe. One of the reasons I use separate usb hdd for backup storage is so I can unambiguously have them disconnected. I do down the NAS but it also acts as a media server so is often on for extended periods. I know it is at risk if the main system gets infected. Cheers, Alastair |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
@Alastair I also have a paid version of Malwarebytes and my ISP, a cable company, provides the big McAfee system for free. I normally keep all data files on a separate internal disk not the system disk. I have a couple of big USB drives which store the Robocopy file copies and the images. I kill the wifi, then turn on the USB drive power, then trigger the batch files to make the backups, and go to bed. When I get back I kill the USB drive power before starting the wifi. I sometimes also wear a belt and suspenders. Paul in NY |
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| Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
Just be careful which part of NY you go walking in Cheers, Alastair |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
LOL. I'm 80 miles north of the city. There is a dairy farm with 120 milking Holsteins about 800 feet from my house. Care is needed to miss the meadow muffins when walking across those fields. The city itself is really very safe lately. Back in the 1970s parts of it were a little flaky but not much anymore. Paul in NY |
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| Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
Paul, I stayed in Brooklyn for a few weeks in the late 70s and was warned not to wander around on my own at night. Ok in the day but not in the dark. Have not been to NY since, only to the west coast for conferences etc. I like San Diego and San Fran but you can keep LA. Sounds like you are in a nice spot. I would much sooner skip through 'meadow muffins' then city streets. Cheers, Alastair |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
Alastair, Brooklyn has its good neighborhoods and its bad neighborhoods. It's the most populous of the five counties in NYC with about 2.2 million people. Until 2003 we were actually in a much nicer place in Port Washington on the north shore of Long Island. We moved up here because we didn't think that we could afford the real estate taxes of $24,000 per year in retirement. Up here in the boondocks we are paying $7,000 per year for a much bigger house. Sonja commuted into Manhattan until 2003 on a daily basis using a rail line on the east shore of the Hudson River which was built by Vanderbilt's NY Central Railroad back in the 1830s. It took 55 minutes to travel 75 miles. San Diego and LA are way too hot for me. San Francisco is a very nice place. What part of Oz do you hang out in? Paul in NY |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3466 |
"built by Vanderbilt" Ever take the Empire State Express? I understand "she's the rollingist baby on the New York Central Line" One of my favorite old slide guitar blues tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlBaHZsfsoA I saw Son House play this in Paris in 1967. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
@Paul, I have not really experienced the worst of the heat around LA but know that it can be bad. For 30+ years we lived on 5 acres at the foot of the blue mountains west of Sydney and I drove in for work. The driving time gradually got longer even though they supposedly improved the roads. The population growth and poor public transport just pushed more cars onto the road. Once we had done enough work and were finding looking after the place getting onerous, we built a new house at Werri Beach (Gerringong) about 2 hrs south of Sydney. We miss the space, animals and bush land but this is a nice area and life is much easier. We are both able to indulge our hobbies and travel. Cheers, Alastair |
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| Paul_L Guru Joined: 03/03/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 769 |
I see I am attracting the attention of the other geezers here. @lizby Ah ... the "Empire State" express, one of the named trains run by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. It was in service from 1890 until 1967 when the federal government took over the railroad in bankruptcy and killed the name. It was pulled by a unique 4-4-0 steam locomotive built by Vanderbilt's ALCO (American Locomotive Co) in Syracuse and numbered 999. In September 1891 it traveled 436 miles from NYC to Buffalo in 7 hours and 6 minutes at an average speed of 61.4 mph with a top speed of 82 mph. It eventually ran from NYC to Cleveland. Since I never wanted to go to Cleveland I never took this train. In the early 1960s however I did have to occasionally commute from NYC to Chicago while working for Bolt Beranek & Newman on the Twentieth Century Limited. It traveled the 958 miles in 15 1/2 hours at an average speed of 61.8 mph with a top speed of 100 mph. It too was abandoned by the federal government in 1967. Concerning Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. ... his music is a little too eclectic for my likes. He was a New York Central employee when he made this recording back around 1959. He played a very unusual resonator guitar the likes of which I have never seen. I'm glad you caught his act in Paris in 1967! @Alastair Public transportation infrastructure is vital anywhere near a metropolitan area. NYC is blessed with the inhereted good planning from the 1800s. Werri Beach, 65 miles south of Sydney, looks like a nice place to hang out. The houses along Pacific Ave look like they have a great ocean view if they have a second floor, and the beach is definitely not crowded if you're into that sort of thing. It looks like a great place to retire to. I assume that's what you're doing there. How long does it take to get into Sydney, assuming you'd ever want to go there? Paul in NY |
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| Alastair Senior Member Joined: 03/04/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
@Paul Yes nice place here. We go to Sydney for shows etc plus visiting family. There is a good road most of the way to the southern suburbs but once there it depends which parts and time of day. The traffic can be awful. 1.5 hrs to south, 2.5 to the north. Can be at the Opera house in 2 hrs. All by car. There is a train but again it depends where to. I have used it a few times and can be in the city in 2 to 2.5 hrs. I don't mind the above because it is the exception not the daily grind. Cheers, Alastair |
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