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More than 70% of Fortune 100 companies are using our software. Frequently Asked Questions about DriveImage XML
What files are created by DriveImage?
What Operating Systems are supported?
Can I restore the image to a smaller partition?
Can I write the data directly to a CD/DVD?
Are there any command line parameters?
What about command line parameters for restoring a drive?
How do I restore an image back to a working state?
How much does the software cost?
Why am I getting a VSS error when I try to backup a drive?
I restored my boot drive, why does it not boot?
I want to browse an image. Why is the screen empty?
Can I backup and restore a RAID?
Q. What are my support options?
A. Since DriveImage XML is a free program, we do not provide support. You should search the Internet for any problems you might have.
Q. What files are created by DriveImage?
A. It depends on whether you create a multi-file image or not. A multi-file image will have a .xml file and a .dat file and files beyond that are numbered .001, .002, .003,… until the end of the drive. If you do not create a multi-file image, there will be a .dat file and a .xml file.
Q. Where are these files stored?
A. You will be prompted for a location in the software and you can choose where ever you like, however the default location is My Documents.
Q. What Operating Systems are supported?
A. With the software installed on a PC, supported file systems are Windows XP, Windows Media Center, and Windows Server 2003. However you can create a BartPE CD with our software on it and boot from any of the Windows 9x or Windows 2000 machines and back them up as well.
Q. Can I restore the image to a smaller partition?
A. No, currently you can only restore your data to a partition that is exactly the same size or larger, regardless of the data size.
Q. Can I write the data directly to a CD/DVD?
A. No, you have to write the data to a hard drive first, then if you have chosen multi-file images, you can then burn those files to CD or DVD.
Q. Are there any command line parameters?
A. For the backup there are the following commands:
| /bx | Backup drive x, e.g. /bc |
| /tx | Write backup files to x, e.g. /td:\backups\drive_c |
| /r | Raw mode, e.g. /r or /r- |
| /s | Split image, e.g. /s or /s- |
| /c | Compressed, e.g. /c or /c- |
| /v | Try VSS first, e.g. /v, do not use with /l |
| /l | Try locking first, e.g. /l, do not use with /v |
Q. What about command line parameters for restoring a drive?
A. There currently are not any.
Q. How do I restore an image back to a working state?
A. Note that you must put the image into an existing partition. If necessary create a new partition with Windows Disk Management first. You do not need to format the drive. The size of the partition you create will determine the size of the drive - for example if you create a 20GB partition and then restore a 10GB size image to it, the size of the drive will still be 20GB.
To start Windows Disk Management click:
Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Disk Management
If Windows Disk Management does not start, you can use the following commands from the command prompt:
net start dmserver
net start dmadmin
diskpart
To restore an image to an existing partition, click Restore in the main program window.
Note on boot drives: If you want your computer to boot from the new partition you must set it to "active" with Windows Disk Management.
Q. How much does the software cost?
A. Currently the software is free to everyone. You can use the software on as many drives or computers as you wish.
Q. Why am I getting a VSS error when I try to backup a drive?
A. This error can occur if VSS (Volume Shadow Services) is not running properly on your system. This is not a DriveImage error. It is usually caused by poorly configured Windows systems.
Please verify in Settings->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services that the following services are enabled:
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
Volume Shadow Copy
Also make sure you are able to stop and start these services.
Possible reasons for VSS failures:
For VSS to work, at least one volume in your computer must be NTFS. If you use only FAT drives, VSS will not function. The required NTFS volume does not need to be identical with the volume you want to image.
You should make sure that VSSVC.EXE is running in your task manager. If the problems persist, registering "oleaut.dll" and "oleaut32.dll" using "regsvr32" might help.
Without VSS you still can make images with locking or without locking.
Q. I restored my boot drive, why does it not boot?
A. To boot from a drive:
If your drive still does not boot you can try to set a new "Disk ID". Windows remembers old drive letter assignments which can cause problems when trying to boot from a cloned drive. You can force the removal of old drive letter assignments by setting a new Disk ID. Click Tools->Set new Disk ID and read the instructions.
Q. I want to browse an image. Why is the screen empty?
A. The image was created in RAW format. In RAW format, DriveImage does not interpret the data. Thus it has no knowledge about individual files.
Q. Can I backup and restore a RAID?
A. You can backup a RAID volume, but you can usually not restore it back to the RAID. You can restore it to an individual drive, though.