Is there a way to exclude a directory or file extension when using the one time back up? It looks like there is for file and folder backup, but I don’t see an exclusion list when backing up an entire hard drive or partition. TIA.
Seems like a hack, which it is, I was going to purchase this software but it is a deal breaker if I cannot exclude file extensions or folders when I make a disk image using the Ghost interface. I am wondering why this is not a feature, it is in most other competing drive image products, seems like an oversight by Symantec since you can do it when using file and folder backup but not a disk image.
Thanks for your answer, I will mark it as accepted if I get no other replies in the next few days.
Well, it sort of is a hack. Ghost is using this MS registry entry to exclude things in the backup image. In MY opinion, a disk image should be exactly that, an image of EVERY used sector on the disk. I don't think ANYTHING should be excluded. I do understand why they would want to skip pagefile.sys and hyperfil.sys to save space, but where do you draw the line on exclusions? System Restore points? History logs? Cookies? Temp files? Downloaded install files? Some people are not very happy to find out when you do a restore from Ghost (or Windows Backup and Restore included in Windows 7 as far as that goes), the Windows update history is gone. It's because of those registry keys.
I draw the line on any folder/file I wish to exclude, after all it is My computer, right?
I have a giant 60gig (and growing) folder that I use other methods to backup (mirrored backup enclosure), so I don't need it to be backed up again, but I do wish a disaster recovery image that does not include it.
What is wrong with the customer deciding what to back up in an image? Other imaging software has this ability in the settings, a nice feature in my opinion. Software like this does not have to be for dummies only.
I added the 2 registry entries to exclude my big folder, but it looks like it is backing up the folder contents anyways.
Imager wrote:I draw the line on any folder/file I wish to exclude, after all it is My computer, right?
Imager,
I'd make sure that folder wasn't in the operating system partition. Many of us choose to separate data files from OS files as it is more efficient to backup data using non imaging software.
This is an old web page but is still interesting...
Unfortunately I cannot do that, I already have 4 primary partitions from the Factory and do not want to eliminate one of them for that purpose, I just want an improvement in the Ghost software.
Maybe Norton can add this feature in a newer version someday, and make them more competitive in the market.
Thanks for your help.
Imager wrote:Unfortunately I cannot do that, I already have 4 primary partitions from the Factory
It can be done. I have 20 primary partitions on my hard drive. The four primary partition limit refers to the number of primary partitions in the MBR at any one time. You can have a different MBR each time you boot if you like.
What brand is your computer? What are the four partitions?
You need a solution now. You shouldn't wait for something that may not happen. Ghost is a sector based imaging backup, not a file based imaging backup. It copies sectors in use and restores them in the same relative position.
Acronis does what I need, I will stick with that, very flexible software unlike Ghost. I don't want to dink with my MBR, thanks.
I figured out what I did wrong in the registry, but is not very convenient if I need to add or delete items and won't work when using the rescue CD to make an image if needed.
I will wait for the product to mature.
I appreciate all your help.
I did manage to get the registry hack to work, so I will give you the solution. Thanks again for all your help.
Imager,
Nice work. What edits did you use in the registry?
Brian,
I haven't played with it much, but it seems like the files in the registry key...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToSnapshot
... are not included in the recovery points made as a hot image.
For example, look in the (Windows 7) folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\RAC\StateData and see if the files are in your recovery points. Mine are not..
Also compare C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution to what is in a recovery point. Mine are not the same.
Red,
I added a few text files to C:\Windows/ SoftwareDistribution and created an image. I'm pretty sure the text files were in the image. I'll do it again.
Imager,
Is there a difference in imaging time now that you have excluded the large folder?
Of course, even though your only allowed 4 primary partition entries per hard drive, one or more of them can be an extended partition and can contain as many logical drives as you want. Your really only limited by the letters in the alphabet from C to Z.
That exclusion is actually for Volume Shadow Copy. I'm not sure if Ghost always uses VSS or if it uses it only on locked files.
I know Ghost also has it's own service called SymSnap and I recall a couple options when creating hot images to use VSS or not.
First (In my opinion only). I think if you really don't want to be mirroring a drive into a folder on the system partition.
If your going to mirror a drive it really should be mirrored onto a seperate partition.
It would also be rather redundant to have volume shadow copy (system restore) monitoring that mirror in the first place.
To have system restore saving snapshots of a mirror of another drive is about as redundant is making backups of your backups.
That said, I confess I mirror a drive into a folder myself but not onto my OS partition, onto a partition that doesn't get imaged or backed up. A partition that only holds backups and images only.
Dave
Brian_K wrote:Red,
I added a few text files to C:\Windows/ SoftwareDistribution and created an image. I'm pretty sure the text files were in the image. I'll do it again.
Imager,
Is there a difference in imaging time now that you have excluded the large folder?
yes, it cut the time to almost half, and the image shrunk accordingly.
Brian_K wrote:Imager,
Nice work. What edits did you use in the registry?
I just added a multi-string value, named it something I would recognize, I added it to both places in the registry, was not sure which one I should add it to so I did both.
C:\somefolder\*.*
Is there a way to exclude a directory or file extension when using the one time back up? It looks like there is for file and folder backup, but I don’t see an exclusion list when backing up an entire hard drive or partition. TIA.