Image For DOS: User Manual
Image For DOS: User Manual
Image For DOS: User Manual
User Manual
TeraByte Unlimited
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com
Revision: 2017-06-28
Copyright © 1996-2017 by TeraByte, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks
BootIt, BING, TBOS, PHYLock, TBScript, TBIMount and TBIView are trademarks of
TeraByte, Inc.
IBM, PC-DOS and OS/2 are registered trademarks of the International Business
Machines Corporation.
All other trademarks and copyrights referred to are the property of their respective
owners.
Notices
Image for DOS was compiled using Open Watcom, which can be found at
www.openwatcom.org.
* The Image for DOS home page, with software and documentation update
information, and support resources, can be found at
www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-dos.htm.
* A support knowledge base for all TeraByte Unlimited products, including Image
for DOS, can be found at www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb.
In all cases, TeraByte Unlimited reserves the right to refuse any communication
method that would incur a cost.
Ombudsman Statement
This program is produced by a member of the Association of Software
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works
for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP
member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products. Please contact the ASP
Ombudsman online at www.asp-software.org/omb.
* 32-MB RAM
Note: You can use a writable CD, DVD, or BD drive, but the external hard drive is
the preferred method.
You must disable the Windows Fast startup option or you risk corruption of your
partitions and data when the partitions are used outside of Windows (e.g. you boot
into Image for Linux after shutdown and save an image to a data drive).
To disable using Windows: Open the Control Panel and select Power Options.
Click the Choose what the Power buttons do from the links on the left. Click the
Change settings that are currently unavailable link and then remove the checkmark
from the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option under Shutdown settings.
To disable using BooIt BM: Boot into BootIt BM, click Partition Work on the
desktop, then select the Windows 8.x/10 partition and click Properties. Click the
Disable Fast Start button.
Because of the confusion that can result when these different data storage size unit
conventions are each referred to as “gigabytes”, the gibibyte (along with the
kibibyte, mebibyte, etc.) was established in 1998 by the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A gibibyte (abbreviated GiB) is a base binary
unit, so 1 GiB = 230 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes. The IEC retained the term
gigabyte to refer to base decimal, where 1 GB = 109 bytes = 1,000,000,000 bytes.
Image for DOS and this document will follow IEC recommendations, and will thus
use the terms megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), etc. to refer to base decimal, and
mebibytes (MiB), gibibytes (GiB), etc. to refer to base binary. So, when you read
about the data storage size convention used by Windows, the units will appear as
mebibytes (MiB) or gibibytes (GiB), even though Windows itself refers to the units
as megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
The snapshot backup created by Image for DOS is referred to as an image. You
can write the image backup to a set of files that you store in a different partition of
the hard drive you are backing up, on an external hard drive, on a network drive, or
directly to most USB 2, IEEE 1394, ATAPI CD-R/RW, or DVD/RW drives. Image for
DOS can also work with drives that make use of ASPI drivers, if you provide the
appropriate DOS-based driver.
When you create the image, the file system and files are backed up exactly as they
are stored on the sectors of your hard drive at the time you make the backup,
effectively taking a snapshot of your hard drive at the time you create the image.
Image for DOS does not examine the files on your hard drive to make decisions
about whether they should be backed up.
Note: See Appendix A: Understanding the Types of Backups on Page 178 for a
description of file-based backups vs. sector-based backups. Appendix B: Backup
Strategies on Page 179 describes the types of backup strategies you can use,
and the strategy you choose plays an important role when you need to restore a
backup.
When you create a backup using Image for DOS, you back up not only your data
files but also the operating system in its entirety. To understand the full impact of
having an image backup, suppose that you install a program to test it and discover
it is not what you expected. You attempt to uninstall it and it misbehaves. Before
you know it, the fully functional, well-behaved computer you fondly remember from
30 minutes ago is gone, and, in its place, you now have a devil child that won’t even
boot. If you restore an image backup taken before you installed the errant program,
you effectively remove all traces of the program—your computer returns to the state
it was in before you installed the errant program and life goes on as if the errant
program never existed on your hard drive. To understand the technical details of
how Image for DOS creates a sector-based image, see Appendix C: Introduction to
Hard Drive Storage on Page 182.
After backing up with Image for DOS, your computer is protected from crashes,
data loss, hardware problems, and malicious software (i.e. viruses), since you can
restore the snapshot image whenever necessary.
You can view individual files or folders from an image backup by using the free
TBIView and TBIMount add-ons. You can obtain these from
www.terabyteunlimited.com or, if you purchased a disk-based version of Image for
The images you create using Image for DOS are fully compatible with the other
TeraByte Unlimited Version 3 imaging programs, such as Image for Windows and
Image for Linux. For example, you can create an image using Image for DOS and
restore it using Image for Windows. The reverse is also true: Images created by
other TeraByte Unlimited imaging programs are compatible with Image for DOS.
Images created with the TeraByte Unlimited Version 2 imaging programs are also
fully supported.
* Local Usage: You can boot with your Image for DOS media (i.e. CD/DVD, USB
flash drive, or floppy diskette), and backup the operating system partition on
your hard disk. Store your image backups on a secondary hard drive partition,
on an external hard drive, or on CD/DVD/BD discs. Then, when you need to
restore, boot from your Image for DOS media again, and use Image for DOS to
restore using an Image for DOS image.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=277
Warning to Windows 8.x/10 Users: You must disable the Windows Fast startup
option or you risk corruption of your partitions and data. For instructions see
“System Requirements” on page 5.
To make a full backup of a drive or partition using Image for DOS, follow these
steps:
Note: For detailed steps on creating a full backup, see the section, “Creating
Backups with Image for DOS” on Page 26.
1. Create the boot media that contains Image for DOS using either the MakeDisk
utility that comes with Image for DOS or using an alternative method.
* To read about creating the Image for DOS boot media using the MakeDisk
utility, see the section, “Installing Image for DOS” on Page 12.
* To read about other ways to create the Image for DOS boot media, see the
section, “Installing Image for DOS Manually” on Page 101.
2. Boot the computer that you want to back up using the Image for DOS boot
media.
3. Using the Image for DOS menus, select a drive or partition to back up.
* For details on using the Image for DOS menus, see the section, “Navigating
the Image for DOS Interface” on Page 25.
4. Select the target location where you want to store the backup image file(s).
You can make a differential or incremental backup using the same steps; you
simply select the Changes Only option on the Image for DOS menu instead of the
Full Backup option. For details on backup strategies—that is, deciding whether to
make full backups or use a combination of full backups and differential or
incremental backups—see Appendix B: Backup Strategies on Page 179. For details
on creating a differential or incremental backup, see the section, “Creating a
Differential or Incremental Backup” on Page 48.
You can restore an Image for DOS backup using these steps:
1. Boot your computer using the Image for DOS boot media.
3. Select the source location that contains the backup image file that you want to
restore.
5. Select the target location that you want Image for DOS to overwrite with the
information contained in the backup image file.
* For details on available restore options when you are restoring an entire
drive, see the section, “Understanding Restore Options for an Entire Drive”
on Page 72.
* For details on available restore options when you are restoring an individual
partition, see the section, “Understanding Restore Options for an Individual
Partition” on Page 76.
You can validate a backup as you create it or, if you don’t have time to validate it
when you create it, you validate it later. Follow these steps:
Note: For detailed steps to validate a backup, see the section, “Validating
Backups with Image for DOS” on Page 82.
1. Boot your computer using the Image for DOS boot media.
3. Select the source location that contains the backup image file that you want to
validate.
* If you have not purchased Image for DOS, click here to download the
unregistered trial version.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-dos.htm
* If you have purchased Image for DOS, click here to display a product download
form for obtaining the registered version. You will need to provide your name,
email address, and Image for DOS order number.
https://terabyteunlimited.com/product-download.php
The file you download is a compressed file that contains at least these files:
About CDBOOT.F35
If you use the trial version of Image for DOS to create a bootable CD or DVD,
you will be able to restore that image for 30 days. After that time, you will only be
able to restore that image using a registered version of Image for DOS.
* ORDER.TXT is an order form for Image for DOS (included in the trial version
only).
Note: Image for DOS GUI can be installed as part of TeraByte’s BootIt Bare Metal
program. In this case, it can be run by booting into BootIt BM and selecting the Disk
Imaging icon on the desktop.
Computer systems that come from the manufacturer with Windows 8 or later
installed include a new BIOS interface known as the Unified Extensible Firmware
Interface (UEFI). This new BIOS interface boots media differently than a traditional
BIOS. Microsoft also requires these systems to use a feature of UEFI called Secure
Boot. When Secure Boot is enabled, the system will only boot items that have a
digital signature that is included in the system firmware. The manufacturers include
a digital certificate, provided by Microsoft, to boot Windows on their systems.
Secure boot can be disabled (on non-ARM systems) to allow you to boot other
operating systems and environments. Boot media must be specifically created for
UEFI to allow UEFI to boot from it. However, most systems also include the ability
to boot traditional boot media though a method or mode typically called Legacy or
BIOS.
When creating the boot media for a UEFI system it’s important to understand which
media will boot properly on the UEFI system. System settings may require changing
to boot Image for Linux or Image for DOS depending on the implementation of UEFI
on the system.
• TBWinRE and TBWinPE (the Image for Windows boot media) support
booting via CD or USB flash drive on UEFI systems. The BIOS can be in
either UEFI mode or Legacy mode. Secure Boot is supported for TBWinRE
created on Windows 8.x/10 systems and for TBWinPE created using the
Windows 8.x/10 ADK.
• Image for Linux (IFL) supports booting via CD or USB flash drive on UEFI
systems (Secure Boot is supported).
• Image for DOS (IFD) will not boot on UEFI systems configured in UEFI
mode. To boot on these systems Secure Boot must be disabled and you
must enable or use Legacy mode.
If you use Windows, you can create a bootable Image for DOS CD, USB flash
drive, or diskette using the MakeDisk utility, which is included with Image for DOS.
If you use an operating system platform that doesn’t support MakeDisk or if you
wish to control the contents of the bootable media that you create, see the
section, “Installing Image for DOS Manually” on Page 101 to create the bootable
media that contains Image for DOS.
Follow these steps to use the MakeDisk utility to create the bootable Image for DOS
media; the MakeDisk utility is included in the ZIP archive file along with Image for
DOS:
1. Extract the contents of the Image for DOS ZIP archive file to a folder of your
choice.
Note: If you are using a version of Windows that has a built-in compressed
folders feature (e.g. Windows Me, XP, or later), you can double-click the ZIP file
and then open the File menu and choose Extract All… in Windows Explorer to
extract the contents.
Selecting “Simple” will enable Simple Operations mode. This allows Image for
DOS to automatically handle most options for you. Backup, Restore, Validate,
and Copy operations are available in this mode. Refer to Using Simple
Operations Mode on page 97 for details.
5. If you are creating the Image for DOS (GUI) boot media or you’ve placed a
customized IFD.INI file in the directory with the MakeDisk files, the “Select the
optional components” screen will be displayed. Otherwise, the “Device and
Checkbox Options” screen will be shown (skip to Step 6).
* CD Boot Image Files – Depending on the boot media type being created (e.g.
floppy disk) you may need to exclude the CD Boot Image files to save space.
These files are needed to make any direct burned discs bootable (e.g. when
you save a backup image directly to a DVD).
* IFD.INI file from the local directory – The IFD.INI file was found in the
MakeDisk directory. If you select this option it will be included in the build. This
allows you to use an already customized version of the file (you will not be
prompted for IFD options/settings).
If using Image for DOS (CUI) skip to Step 6. The following options apply only
to Image for DOS (GUI).
The “Video Method” screen is displayed. Select the desired video method and
then click Next.
* VESA Video – Uses the VESA Video standard for the display instead of a
specific chipset implementation. Support is provided by the video card’s BIOS.
This is the recommended video method. Will fall back to Chipset Video if
VESA is not supported.
* Chipset Video – Attempts to access the video chipset directly for supported
chipsets. It is not recommended to select this option unless you know for
certain it is required (e.g. VESA doesn’t work or you’re instructed to use it by
TeraByte support). Will fall back to VESA Video if chipset detected is not
supported.
Note: While each video method should fall back to the other one if it fails, this
may not always happen. In this case, try the other video method.
The “Video Mode” screen will be displayed. Select the desired video mode and
then click Next. For the best viewing experience, it is recommended to select
800x600 or higher with 64K colors.
* ATAPI DMA (PATA) – If your PATA CD/DVD drive supports ATAPI DMA,
enabling this option dramatically speeds up the process of reading from and
writing to the CD/DVD drive. This option will not work with some drives;
therefore, if you enable this option and have problems using your CD/DVD
drive with Image for DOS, recreate the boot media and leave the option
disabled.
* Disable SATA – Image for DOS includes low level support for SATA when
the SATA controller is configured in AHCI mode. If the BIOS doesn’t provide
enough information to allow Image for DOS to identify the SATA drives
when Image for DOS takes control of the SATA drives, Image for DOS may
default to using the BIOS drive; in this case, the system will hang until the
BIOS returns control (if ever). If you experience hangs and/or the inability to
access a hard drive without an error message, recreate the boot media with
the Disable SATA checkbox checked.
* Correct USB Hang (1) – If you experience problems with USB devices
hanging, you can enable this option to attempt to correct it. This option can
degrade USB IO performance.
* Correct USB Hang (2) – If you experience problems with USB devices
hanging, you can enable this option to attempt to correct it. This option can
degrade USB IO performance.
* Disable Global Geometry - Check this box to disable the global geometry
settings and revert to using program defaults or drive specific overrides
equivalent to versions prior to version 2.52.
* Disable Align MBR for BIOS Auto Mode - The Align MBR for BIOS Auto
Mode option is enabled by default to prevent problems with unaligned
partitions on systems with their BIOS using Auto Mode. Many newer
* Use Source Host Geometry - This option is the global equivalent to the
individual Use Original Geometry override.
Note: The above options are also available in Image for DOS by clicking the
Settings button (IFD GUI) or selecting Global Settings (IFD CUI).
* Use Windows 9x MBR – Windows Vista and later tied the kernel loader to
the MBR code such that using previous MBR code may not allow Windows
Vista or later to boot on certain machines. Leave this option unselected (the
default) to have Image for DOS use the code base compatible with
Windows Vista or later. The new MBR code will continue to boot older
OSes with the exception of some (rare) configurations using Win9x on
FAT32.
* Retain Failed Backups – If you enable this option and a backup operation
fails, Image for DOS won’t delete the files from the failed backup.
* Disable Resize with Caching – Select to prevent Image for DOS from
using a cache to reduce the time required to resize a partition. By default,
the Resize with Caching option is enabled.
Note: The above options are also available in Image for DOS by clicking the
Settings button (IFD GUI) or selecting Global Settings (IFD CUI).
9. Click Next, and the “Additional IFD.INI Options” screen appears. Most of the
options you should set to use Image for DOS are set for you by default, but
you can use this screen to set additional options. For example, you might want
to use the TimeZone variable to identify your time zone for Image for DOS. Or
you might want the Scale to Fit option enabled by default to expand partitions
when restoring. Note that for non-global options (those not in the [Options]
section) you will need to specify the section (e.g. [Restore_Defaults]). See
image below for examples. For a complete list of available environment
variables, see the section, “Image for DOS Environment Variables” on Page
107.
10. Click Next, and the “License/Product Key” screen appears. If you own a
licensed copy of Image for DOS, supply your licensed name and product key.
11. Click Next, and the “Select Target” screen appears. Choose the target that
MakeDisk should use to create the bootable Image for DOS media.
* If you choose the “ISO File” option, also supply an ISO file name in the box
provided.
* If you select a USB flash drive (UFD), you also must select the USB Mode
to use: Normal, No Partition, Partition, or Partition Ex—whichever works on
your computer; your computer’s BIOS determines which option works.
By default, for data safety reasons, MakeDisk does not support UFD devices that
are larger than 64 GB in size. For that reason, devices larger than 64 GB will not
appear in MakeDisk. You can allow MakeDisk to support larger devices by
clicking the USB+ button or by specifying the /nousblimit parameter when it's run
(e.g. makedisk /nousblimit).
Note: More information on using UFD boot media can be found in this
TeraByte KB article
12. Click Finish, and respond to subsequent prompts as necessary. MakeDisk will
then create the boot media or ISO image. When it is done, the Success screen
appears, as shown below.
* If you selected the “3½ Floppy”, “CD/DVD”, or “USB/SD” option in Step 11,
you can now use that media to boot and run Image for DOS.
* If you selected the “ISO File” option in Step 11, you will have to use other
CD/DVD authoring software to create a bootable disc from the ISO file.
(TeraByte’s BurnCDCC utility can be used for this.)
Tip: Be sure to test your boot media to make sure that it works and you can see
backup images you made previously.
Image for DOS also makes wide use of accelerator keys. An accelerator key is an
individual letter that you can press (or press in combination with the Alt key) to
select an option or a menu item. In Image for DOS, accelerator keys appear in
yellow or are underlined.
How you use an accelerator key depends on the current location of the cursor; if it
is in the same section of the screen as the desired accelerator key, simply press the
applicable accelerator letter. If the cursor is in any other section, press and hold the
Alt key, and then press the applicable accelerator letter. For example, when the
Backup Options screen first appears in the console version of Image for DOS, the
cursor is in the Options section. If you want to enter a description, press and hold
the Alt key and then press the d key. Pressing just the d key would not work in this
case, because of the initial position of the cursor. However, when you press Alt+d,
the cursor jumps to and selects the text box in the Description section.
You can use the Esc key or click Back to move back to the previous menu. If you
use Esc/Back in this manner, Image for DOS remembers the selections you have
already made throughout the Image for DOS session, in the event that you return to
the same screen.
When using the GUI version of Image for DOS you can also use the mouse to
select controls, toggle options, click buttons, etc.
To boot from a CD/DVD or UFD, you may need to change the order in which your
computer selects boot devices. As your computer begins to boot, you should see a
message—before you ever get to Windows—that tells you what key to press to
enter Setup—typically the Delete key, F2, or F12. Once in the BIOS, you need to
follow the instructions provided in your BIOS to reorder the boot sequence to permit
your CD/DVD drive or UFD to be examined before your hard drive. If your system
starts by offering you the option to select a boot menu, you can use the boot menu
to identify the device you want to use to boot.
When you create a backup, you can create either a full backup, a differential
backup, or an incremental backup. A full backup is exactly what it sounds like—
Image for DOS backs up your entire hard disk. Differential and incremental backups
works in conjunction with a full backup—you create a full backup the first time and
then create differential or incremental backups, which contain only changes, for
subsequent backups. A differential backup will, initially, be smaller than a full
backup but, as you make changes on your hard drive, the size of the differential
backup will grow over time. And, because Image for DOS is a sector-based backup,
the smaller file size may not be as small as you expect. An incremental backup will
contain only the changes since the last full or incremental backup.
Before you make the decision concerning the type of backup you want to create,
read Appendix B: Backup Strategies for a detailed explanation of full, differential,
and incremental backups.
3. On the Backup From/Select Drive Interface screen that appears, select one
of the following options; these options refer to how Image for DOS should
attempt to access the drive that contains the partition you want to back up:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor. To get the most out of this option when creating an image, you
should select File (Direct)—rather than File (OS)—when selecting the File
Access Method of the target for saving the image. (This advice applies to
step 7 below.)
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
Delete – Press the Del key or click Delete to delete the selected partition. You will
be prompted to confirm the deletion.
For example, if you have a 250GB partition that contains 50GB of data and
requires 150GB of space to restore and you need to restore it to a 100GB
partition, you can compact the file system to under 100GB before imaging it
and then restore it to the 100GB partition.
* Single File Set – Select this option to create a backup that is comprised of
a single image, regardless of how many individual partitions you are backing
up. The first file created for the image set will be named <name>.TBI,
where <name> is a character string you supply. If Image for DOS creates
additional files, Image for DOS will name them <name>.1, <name>.2,
<name>.3, and so on. The number of files Image for DOS will create
depends on the overall size of the backup and the File Size setting you
choose when you set the options for the backup in a later step.
* Multiple File Set – Select this option to create a backup that is comprised of
one image for every individual partition that Image for DOS backs up. Image
for DOS names the first file created for the first image set <name>_0.TBI,
where <name> is a character string you supply. Image for DOS adds _0 to
identify the image file set. If Image for DOS creates additional files for the
same image set, they will be named <name>_0.1, <name>_0.2,
<name>_0.3, and so on. Image for DOS names the files of the second
image set (i.e. the second partition included in the backup) <name>_1.TBI,
<name>_1.1, <name>_1.2, <name>_1.3, and so on. Image for DOS will
name subsequent image sets accordingly with _2, _3, and so on, appended
to the file name.
* If you choose this option, each file Image for DOS creates represents
only a single partition and you won’t be able to completely restore a
drive with one menu option but will have to restore each partition
separately.
* The number of files Image for DOS will create for each image set
depends on the size of the corresponding partition and the File Size
setting you choose in a later step.
* File (OS) – This option appears only if you boot using a DOS boot disk that
you created using any method other than the MakeDisk utility and does not
appear in the figure below. Choose this option to use the operating system
file services to save the image files. You must use this option when saving
images to a mapped network drive.
* File (Direct) – This option allows you to save the image file(s) to a folder on
a hard drive that does not have a drive letter assigned to it by DOS.
Note: Do not save your image to the same partition you are backing up.
* File (CD/DVD) – This option allows you to save the backup file(s) to a CD,
DVD, or BD disc. The first disc created will automatically be made bootable
by Image for DOS.
Note: Image for DOS can automatically overwrite CD-RW, DVD+RW, and BD-RE
media. If you wish to use DVD-RW media, Image for DOS can format it, but the
process takes 1 hour per disc, so you may prefer to use fully formatted, fully
blanked, or brand new discs. To fully blank the DVD-RW media, use your burning
software’s “full erase” function. (The “quick erase” function will not work for this
purpose.)
If you chose File (Direct) in Step 7, you can choose one of the following
options:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor. To get the most out of this option when creating an image, you
should select File (Direct)—rather than File (OS)—when selecting the File
Access Method of the target for saving the image.
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
Note that a new virtual drive must be partitioned and formatted before you
can use it. However, you can restore an image or copy a partition into a new
virtual drive without needing to partition or format it first.
* RAW - Fixed Size – Creates a plain (raw) file as the virtual drive. Its size
is fixed and allocated with zeros on creation.2
* VHD - Fixed Size – Creates a VirtualPC Fixed Size virtual hard drive.2
* VHDX - Fixed Size – Creates a Hyper-V Fixed Size virtual hard drive.2,3
* VHDX - Fixed Size 4KiB Sector Size – Creates a Hyper-V Fixed Size
virtual hard drive with a sector size of 4KiB (4096 bytes).2,3
If you chose File (CD/DVD) in Step 7, you can choose one of the following
options:
* ASPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive will be accessed using
an ASPI layer. (You must supply the ASPI driver for this option to work.)
If your USB device does not appear at first, please try pressing the Esc key,
waiting a few seconds, and selecting the USB or USB2 option again.
You do not have to supply a file extension—just the path and file name itself;
Image for DOS will automatically add the .TBI extension. If you selected File
(OS), you must follow DOS naming conventions and use a file name that does
not exceed eight characters.
Note: To access drives using UNC paths, first map the drive using the “net use
x: \\server\share” command. Then, simply specify the path as usual (e.g.
“x:\folder\file”, where “x:” is the mapped drive).
13. When you select Start, the backup process begins, and a progress bar
appears on-screen. You can interrupt the backup and validation operations at
any time by pressing the F12 key or clicking Exit. Image for DOS will ask you
to confirm that you want to cancel before it interrupts the current operation.
When Image for DOS finishes, this message appears.
Note: If a message appears stating that the discs created will not be bootable
because the CDBOOT.INS file was not found or it contained invalid references,
please refer to the section, “Customizing CDBOOT.F35” for information on
setting up CDBOOT.INS.
After you press Enter, the main menu for Image for DOS reappears. Select Exit
and, when prompted, remove the Image for DOS boot media and press Enter to
reboot your computer.
Geometry Settings:
Disable - Check this box to disable the global geometry settings and revert to using
program defaults or drive specific overrides equivalent to versions prior to version
2.52.
Align MBR for BIOS Auto Mode - This option is enabled by default to prevent
problems with unaligned partitions on systems with their BIOS using Auto Mode.
Many newer systems use auto mode by default, and some even don't have an
option to turn it off. This is equivalent to enabling the individual overrides Align
MBR Ending HS and Align MBR HS when Truncated.
Assume Same Target System – Enable this option to prevent problems where
users restore an image from another system to a drive that will be put back in the
other system. For example, the hard drive from PC-A is backed up; PC-B is used
to restore to a new hard; that new drive is placed back in PC-A. Without this option
enabled, Image for DOS would setup the partition to properly boot on the hard drive
for PC-B which can sometimes (not always) be a problem when the hard drive is
going back to PC-A. This option solves that and is equivalent to the individual Use
MBR Geometry override.
Use Source Host Geometry - This option is the global equivalent to the individual
Use Original Geometry override.
Validate Geometry Before Use - This option is enabled by default and used to
ensure that the geometry from the MBR on the original system is aligned to known
standards before accepting it for use. It only applies when Assume Same Target
System is enabled.
Misc. Settings:
Simple Operations – Enable this option to have Image for DOS automatically
handle most options for you. You simply choose which physical drive you want to
back up and, if needed, which drive you want to save to – the target storage area is
automatically maintained and files are deleted as needed when it runs out of free
space. Backup, Restore, Validate, and Copy are available in Simple Operations
mode.
Use New Windows MBR – Windows Vista and later tied the kernel loader to the
MBR code such that using previous MBR code may not allow Windows Vista or
later to boot on certain machines. Leave this option enabled (the default) to have
Image for DOS use the code base compatible with Windows Vista or later. The
new MBR code will continue to boot older OSes with the exception of some (rare)
configurations using Win9x on FAT32.
Automatic Scaling Restrictions – When enabled (default), small partitions will not
be scaled and will be restored at their original sizes. Unselect to have Image for
DOS scale small partitions when restoring a full drive image..
Automatic Boot Partition Updates – When enabled, Image for DOS will
automatically update the boot partition when restoring a full drive image.
Automatic Restore Drive Search – Select to enable Image for DOS to search for
the destination drive using the disk signature or GUID when performing an
automatic restore (USB, 1394, and virtual drives will not be searched). If a match
isn’t found or if this option is not enabled, the drive number of the backed up drive
will be used.
Retain Failed Backups – If you enable this option and a backup operation fails,
Image for DOS won’t delete the files from the failed backup.
Output Disk ID to Command Line – Select to enable command line output and
relevant log entries to use the Disk ID (NT Signature or GUID) instead of drive
numbers where the drive has an ID and the ID is unique. Specifying the Disk ID
instead of the drive number may be more stable (especially for setup of scheduling
backups) in situations where the drives may be reordered at boot.
Resize with Caching – Enable this option to reduce the time required to resize a
partition by using a cache.
Prefer Target Disk ID on Change – When enabled the Change Disk ID and
GUIDs option will attempt to use the existing target drive ID/GUID instead of
generating a random ID. This is useful when scheduling drive copy operations that
use the /csig option and use the disk ID to identify the drive instead of the drive
number.
Use Directory Data in Metadata Hash – Enable this option to have Image for DOS
look at the full contents of directories to calculate the metadata hash. This can
prevent validate byte-for-byte errors due to normal and safe changes in the
directory area, but requires more processing gathering information. When creating
the metadata hash it will be built in the mode indicated by this option. If you use a
hash file created in a different mode than the current setting, all directories are
considered changed (will be backed up or restored).
Validate – If you select this option, Image for DOS will perform internal consistency
checks on the backup file(s) after creating them. Enabling this option increases the
overall processing time, but can help ensure that the backup is reliable.
Validate Byte-for-Byte – If you select this option, Image for DOS will verify that
every byte in the source data was backed up correctly, ensuring 100% accuracy.
This option generally doubles the processing time of the overall backup operation,
but is advisable to use where maximum reliability is required. You can (but do not
need to) select the Validate option if you select the Validate Byte-for-Byte option.
Encrypt Data – If you select this option, Image for DOS will encrypt the backup
file(s) with 256-bit AES encryption prior to saving them to the target medium. If you
select the Encrypt Data option, you must also supply a password in the Password
text boxes. Enter the password in the first Password text box and retype it in the
second Password text box for verification.
Note: If you create a backup with the Encrypt Data option, you will need to
supply the password whenever you wish to validate the backup, restore it, or
open it in TBIView or TBIMount. If you lose and/or forget the password, you won’t
If you do not enable the Encrypt Data setting, Image for DOS will use the
Password text boxes to password-protect the image file without any encryption.
The maximum password length is 128 characters. Passwords are case sensitive
and may contain upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers, special
characters, spaces, and non-ASCII characters.
Omit Page File Data – If you select this option, the contents of page files
(pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys) that reside in the root directory of the source
partition will not be backed up and will not take up space in the backup image. If the
page files reside anywhere else on the source partition other than the root directory,
Image for DOS will back them up, regardless of this setting.
Omit Hibernation Data – If you select this option, the contents of the hibernation
file (hiberfil.sys) that resides in the root directory of the source partition will
not be backed up and will not take up space in the backup image. If
hiberfil.sys resides anywhere else on the source partition other than the root
directory, Image for DOS will back it up, regardless of this setting.
Ignore IO Errors – This option only affects how Image for DOS handles bad
sectors on the source drive, and it applies to both the back up phase and the
validation phase of the backup operation. Normally, if Image for DOS encounters a
bad sector on a source partition during a backup operation, it will notify you
concerning the read error and give you the option to continue or abort. If you select
this option, Image for DOS will ignore the error and continue. Generally, you should
select this option only if you need to back up a source partition on a drive you know
contains bad sectors. On some systems, if you select this setting and Image for
DOS encounters bad sectors, there will be a significant delay as the internal
retry/recovery routine of the drive attempts to handle the bad sector(s). In addition,
some systems may hang if the BIOS option is used to access the source drive. In
such cases, try using the BIOS (Direct) option instead.
Disable Auto Eject – This option prevents Image for DOS from automatically
opening the optical drive tray. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will
open the drive tray whenever a disc is needed and at the completion of the backup
operation.
Reboot When Completed – Use this option to automatically reboot your computer
after the backup finishes.
Shutdown When Completed – Use this option to automatically shut down your
computer after the backup finishes.
Log Results to File – Select this option to make Image for DOS log the details of
the backup operation. Image for DOS saves the log as IFD.LOG in the IMAGE.EXE
program directory. To be able to save IFD.LOG, Image for DOS must be running
from a writable medium such as a non-write-protected floppy diskette. You can use
the /logfile or LogFile options to specify an alternate location for IFD.LOG.
Note: This option will also create a special-use file with the .#_# extension. When
using the command line, this file can be used in place of the .TBI base image,
which may be located elsewhere (e.g. ftp, offsite), along with the hash file to create
a changes-only backup.
Use Metadata Hash Files – Select this option to have Image for DOS create a
hash file from the file system metadata to speed up creating a Changes Only
(differential or incremental) backup. This option is only supported for NTFS
partitions and relies on file system metadata to determine what gets backed up.
Using this option in conjunction with Create Sector Hash Files can greatly
decrease the time required to create the backup. This option is not supported when
creating an image that is being saved to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). By default, this
option is also ignored if the Backwards Compatible option is enabled. The hash file
will be limited to the max file size and have the same file name as the backup with
an extension starting at .@0 followed by .@1, .@2, etc. as needed. If the hash file
is deleted the backup will proceed as normal without it.
NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on backup and
restore operations.
Backup Unused Sectors – By default, if the file system(s) you are backing up are
one of the recognized types (i.e. FAT, FAT32, NTFS, Ext2/3/4, ReiserFS, XFS, or
HSF+), Image for DOS will back up only used sectors. If you select this option,
Image for DOS will include all used and unused sectors in the backup. This option
has no effect on partitions that do not contain a recognized file system; such
partitions will always be backed up in full, regardless of this setting.
NOTE: This option causes Image for DOS to ignore the Omit Page File Data and
Omit Hibernation Data options.
For entire drive backups this option causes a raw sector by sector backup (and later
restore) of the entire drive without regard to any partitions or adjustments.
Delete Hash Files Used – This option appears when you make a differential or
incremental backup (Backup, Change Only). Select this option to have Image for
Backwards Compatible – Current versions of Image for DOS may use a TBI
format that is not compatible with prior versions. Select this option to have Image
for DOS create the TBI file using a format that is compatible with version 2.50. If
desired, use the BackwardsCompatibleLevel INI file option to specify a more
current file version. Note that this option will not be available if the backup requires
a newer version to support it.
Validate Disk – If you store your backup on disc media (CD/DVD/BD), you can also
choose to validate each disc to ensure that no media errors occur while Image for
DOS stores the backup on each disc. If Image for DOS detects an error, it prompts
you to replace the failed disc at the time the error is detected. If you don’t enable
this option, Image for DOS notifies you of errors only after the backup process is
complete.
Limit Disk Usage – This option only applies when saving images to disc media
(CD/DVD/BD). If enabled, this option instructs Image for DOS to leave the last 10%
of each disc unused to help prevent data errors that are more common near the
edges of discs.
The Enhanced Size - A/B/C options provide greater compression, but the backups
may take considerably longer. The Enhanced Size - D/E/F options are faster than
their A/B/C counterparts, but offer slightly less compression. The Enhanced Speed
- A/B options offer decent compression with the emphasis on back up speed over
backup file size.
File Size – If you are saving the image to a hard disk, you may select this option to
choose the maximum size of the image files created by Image for DOS. The
available options are:
* Max – Automatically creates the largest file(s) allowed by the file system in use
on the target medium. For example, the largest files that may reside on FAT,
FAT32, and NTFS partitions are 2 GiB, 4 GiB, and (just under) 16 TiB,
respectively.
* 7.95 GiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to standard dual-layer
DVD disc(s).
* 698 MiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to 700-MiB CD disc(s).
* 648 MiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to 650-MiB CD disc(s).
* You can also type in the desired value in bytes, Kibibytes (KiB), Mebibytes
(MiB), or Gibibytes (GiB). Decimal values are supported (e.g. 2.5GiB).
Write Speed – This option appears in place of the File Size option if you chose to
save your image to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). We recommend that you use the
default setting for this option, which is “Optimal,” unless you encounter problems.
Description – You can use this text box to assign descriptive text to individual
backups. The description you enter will be visible in the file list that appears when
you are preparing to restore or validate a backup. You view the description by
selecting the backup and pressing F1 or clicking the Information button.
Save Defaults (IFD GUI) or F4 (IFD) – Click/press to save the settings you
establish. In the future, Image for DOS will display these settings automatically.
Note that the settings will not be saved if IFD is unable to write to the IFD.INI (or
BOOTITBM.INI) file.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a backup with the options you
selected in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the command line
to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by clicking the Save
to File checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be edited before
being saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
When you create an incremental backup, Image for DOS compares the condition of
the source partition or hard drive to the incremental backup (or full backup, if no
incrementals) you identify to determine what changes have occurred on the source
partition or hard drive since you created the specified incremental backup.
Both differential and incremental backups contain only the changed sectors. For
details on differential and incremental backups, see Appendix B: Backup Strategies
on Page 179.
The process for creating a differential or incremental backup is very similar to the
process for creating a full backup, and you set many of the same options during
both processes. When you analyze the steps you take, you’ll notice the following
differences:
* When you create a full backup, you identify the source drive you want to back
up.
* When you create a differential backup, you identify the full backup Image for
DOS should reference when creating the differential backup.
* When you create an incremental backup, you identify the incremental backup
(or full backup, if no incrementals) Image for DOS should reference when
creating the new incremental backup.
Tip: It’s always a good idea to validate your backup as you create it.
Insert your Image for DOS boot media into the appropriate drive or USB port and
boot your computer. On the Image for DOS Main Menu, select Backup. Then,
follow these steps:
* If you choose Single Pass, Image for DOS identifies the changes you have
made to the source partition since you created the existing backup and then
backs up those changes, all in one pass. You cannot use this option if the
associated existing backup spans multiple CD/DVD/BD discs.
* If you choose Multi Pass, Image for DOS compares the source partition
against the existing backup in one pass and then makes the
differential/incremental backup in a second pass. You must use this option if
the associated existing backup spans multiple CD/DVD/BD discs.
Note: The File (OS) option appears only if you boot using a DOS boot disk that
you created using any method other than the MakeDisk utility. Choose this option
to use the operating system file services to save the image files. You must use
this option when saving images to a mapped network drive.
If you chose File (Direct) in Step 3, you can choose one of the following
options:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor. To get the most out of this option when creating an image, you
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
* Virtual Drive – Use this option to select a virtual drive containing a backup
image. If the virtual drive containing the image doesn’t appear in the Select
File Drive list, you can click the “Add Virtual Drive” button or press F2 and
navigate to it to add it to the list.
If you chose File (CD/DVD) in Step 3, you can choose one of the following
options:
* ATAPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive is an ATAPI device and
none of the other selections apply. This is the most commonly selected
option.
* ASPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive will be accessed using
an ASPI layer. (You must supply the ASPI driver for this option to work.)
If your USB device does not appear at first, please try pressing the Esc key,
waiting a few seconds, and selecting the USB or USB2 option again.
5. On the Select Existing Backup File To Use/Select File Drive screen that
appears, select the drive that contains the existing backup.
* If the existing backup resides on CD/DVD/BD discs, insert the first disc in
the set and then select the corresponding optical drive from the list.
* If the existing backup resides on a hard drive or a virtual drive, select the
applicable drive from the list shown and then select the correct partition.
If you open a folder and want to navigate back to the parent folder, select the ..
list item and press Enter.
If you select a file that you created using the encryption or the password-
protect option, supply the correct password to continue.
Image for DOS will prompt for the locations of any backups in the selected
chain if it’s unable to locate them in the folder of the existing backup.
7. On the Backup To/Select File Access Method screen that appears, choose
File (OS), File (Direct) or File (CD/DVD) to identify the location where you
want to save the differential/incremental backup files.
Note: You do not need to store files from a differential or incremental backup in
the same location where you store full backup files. When you restore a
differential or incremental backup, Image for DOS will prompt you for the
locations of the full, differential, and incremental backup files.
9. On the Backup To/Select File Drive screen or the Backup To/Select Target
Drive screen that appears, select the target drive where you want to store the
differential/incremental backup. If appropriate, select the partition on which to
store the backup.
10. On the Backup To/File Name screen that appears, supply a name for the
differential/incremental backup file(s). Image for DOS suggests a filename that
includes identifying information. For example, in the default name shown in the
screen below, “d” stands for the Direct method (refer to Step 4), “0” represents
the drive being backed up, “chg” indicates that this backup will store changes
made since the full backup, and “$~YYYY$-$~MM$-$~DD$-$~HHMM$”
represent the date (in 4-digit year, 2-digit month, and 2-digit day format) and
time (in 2-digit hour and minute format) the backup started. If you opt to back
up a partition instead of an entire drive, the partition ID follows the drive
number. If you use the BIOS (Direct) method (refer to Step 4), Image for DOS
replaces “d” with “b.”
You do not have to supply a file extension—just the path and file name itself—
Image for DOS will add the extension automatically. If you are using the File
(OS) option, you must follow DOS naming conventions and use a file name
that does not exceed eight characters.
12. Select Next to display the Summary screen, which summarizes the
parameters of your backup.
13. When you select Start, the backup process begins, and a progress bar
appears on-screen. When Image for DOS finishes, a message appears to let
you know that the backup was successful. You can interrupt the backup and
validation operations at any time by pressing the F12 key or clicking Exit.
Image for DOS will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel before it
interrupts the current operation.
Note: If a message appears stating that the discs created will not be bootable
because the CDBOOT.INS file was not found or it contained invalid references
appears, please refer to the section, “Customizing CDBOOT.F35” for information
on setting up CDBOOT.INS.
After you press Enter to dismiss the message, the main menu for Image for DOS
reappears. Select Exit and, when prompted, remove the Image for DOS boot media
and press Enter to reboot your computer.
In the following example, a full backup has been created followed by five
incremental backups:
Consolidating Win10 Inc 5.tbi will combine all five incremental backups and the
base full into a new backup image. Restoring the new backup image would be the
same as restoring Win10 Inc 5.tbi.
Insert your Image for DOS boot media into the appropriate drive or USB port and
boot your computer. On the Image for DOS Main Menu, select Backup, then follow
these steps:
Note: The File (OS) option appears only if you boot using a DOS boot disk that
you created using any method other than the MakeDisk utility. Choose this option
to use the operating system file services to save the image files. You must use
this option when saving images to a mapped network drive.
If you chose File (Direct) in Step 2, you can choose one of the following
options:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
* Virtual Drive – Use this option to select a virtual drive containing a backup
image. If the virtual drive containing the image doesn’t appear in the Select
File Drive list, you can click the “Add Virtual Drive” button or press F2 and
navigate to it to add it to the list.
If you chose File (CD/DVD) in Step 3, you can choose one of the following
options:
* ATAPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive is an ATAPI device and
none of the other selections apply. This is the most commonly selected
option.
* ASPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive will be accessed using
an ASPI layer. (You must supply the ASPI driver for this option to work.)
If your USB device does not appear at first, please try pressing the Esc key,
waiting a few seconds, and selecting the USB or USB2 option again.
4. On the Select Existing Backup File To Use/Select File Drive screen that
appears, select the drive that contains the existing differential or incremental
backup.
* If the existing backup resides on CD/DVD/BD discs, insert the first disc in
the set and then select the corresponding optical drive from the list.
* If the existing backup resides on a hard drive or a virtual drive, select the
applicable drive from the list shown and then select the correct partition.
If you select a file that you created using the encryption or the password-
protect option, supply the correct password to continue.
Image for DOS will prompt for the locations of any backups in the selected
chain if it’s unable to locate them in the folder of the existing backup.
6. On the Backup To/Select File Access Method screen that appears, choose
File (OS), File (Direct) or File (CD/DVD) to identify the location where you
want to save the consolidated backup files. You can select a CD/DVD/BD
drive, an external hard drive, a virtual drive, or a partition other than the one
used by the source images.
7. The appearance of the screen that Image for DOS displays next depends on
the choice you selected in Step 6. See Step 3 for a description of your choices.
8. On the Backup To/Select File Drive screen or the Backup To/Select Target
Drive screen that appears, select the target drive where you want to store the
consolidated backup. If appropriate, select the partition on which to store the
backup.
9. On the Backup To/File Name screen that appears, supply a name for the
consolidated backup file(s). The suggested name is the same as the selected
image to consolidate with “-Combined” appended. You can accept the
suggested name or supply one of your own. You do not have to supply a file
extension—just the path and file name itself—Image for DOS will add the
extension automatically. If you are using the File (OS) option, you must follow
DOS naming conventions and use a file name that does not exceed eight
characters.
11. Select Next to display the Summary screen, which summarizes the
parameters of your backup.
12. When you select Start, the consolidation process begins, and a progress bar
appears on-screen. When Image for DOS finishes, a message appears to let
you know that the consolidation process was successful. You can interrupt the
operation at any time by pressing the F12 key or clicking Exit. Image for DOS
will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel before it interrupts the current
operation.
Note: If a message appears stating that the discs created will not be bootable
because the CDBOOT.INS file was not found or it contained invalid references
appears, please refer to the section, “Customizing CDBOOT.F35” for information
on setting up CDBOOT.INS.
After you press Enter to dismiss the message, the main menu for Image for DOS
reappears. Select Exit and, when prompted, remove the Image for DOS boot media
and press Enter to reboot your computer.
Validate – If you select this option, Image for DOS will perform internal consistency
checks on the backup file(s) after creating them. Enabling this option increases the
overall processing time, but can help ensure that the backup is reliable.
Delete Combined Files – Select this option to remove the combined files. The
original images files (those combined) will be deleted after the process has finished.
The combined image will assume the location in the chain – dependent image files
will still be valid. For example, if you have a chain of six images and combine the
first three, the fourth image will now be based on the new combined image.
Encrypt Data – If you select this option, Image for DOS will encrypt the backup
file(s) with 256-bit AES encryption prior to saving them to the target medium. If you
select the Encrypt Data option, you must also supply a password in the Password
text boxes. Enter the password in the first Password text box and retype it in the
second Password text box for verification.
Note: If you create a backup with the Encrypt Data option, you will need to
supply the password whenever you wish to validate the backup, restore it, or
open it in TBIView or TBIMount. If you lose and/or forget the password, you won’t
be able to open or restore from the backup. TeraByte Unlimited has no way of
recovering data from an encrypted backup with an unknown password.
The maximum password length is 128 characters. Passwords are case sensitive
and may contain upper-case letters, lower-case letters, numbers, special
characters, spaces, and non-ASCII characters.
Disable Auto Eject – This option prevents Image for DOS from automatically
opening the optical drive tray. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will
open the drive tray whenever a disc is needed and at the completion of the backup
operation.
Reboot When Completed – Use this option to automatically reboot your computer
after completing the consolidate operation.
Shutdown When Completed – Use this option to automatically shut down your
computer after completing the consolidate operation.
Log Results to File – Select this option to make Image for DOS log the details of
the consolidate operation. Image for DOS saves the log as IFD.LOG in the
IMAGE.EXE program directory. To be able to save IFD.LOG, Image for DOS must
be running from a writable medium such as a non-write-protected floppy diskette.
You can use the /logfile or LogFile options to specify an alternate location for
IFD.LOG.
Create Sector Hash Files – Select this option to have Image for DOS create a
hash file to speed up creating a Changes Only (differential or incremental) backup.
This option is only available when creating an image that is not being saved to disc
media (CD/DVD/BD). The hash file will be limited to the max file size and have the
same file name as the backup with an extension starting at .#0 followed by .#1, .#2,
etc. as needed. The actual speed increase realized when creating an image will
vary depending on the system. If the hash file is deleted the backup will proceed as
normal without it. To create a hash file for an existing image use the /hash
operation command line parameter.
Note: This option will also create a special-use file with the .#_# extension. When
using the command line, this file can be used in place of the .TBI base image,
which may be located elsewhere (e.g. ftp, offsite), along with the hash file to create
a changes-only backup.
Use Metadata Hash Files – Select this option to have Image for DOS create a
hash file from the file system metadata to speed up creating a Changes Only
(differential or incremental) backup. This option is only supported for NTFS
partitions and relies on file system metadata to determine what gets backed up.
Using this option in conjunction with Create Sector Hash Files can greatly
decrease the time required to create the backup. This option is not supported when
creating an image that is being saved to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). The hash file
will be limited to the max file size and have the same file name as the backup with
an extension starting at .@0 followed by .@1, .@2, etc. as needed. If the hash file
is deleted the backup will proceed as normal without it.
Validate Disk – If you store your backup on disc media (CD/DVD/BD), you can also
choose to validate each disc to ensure that no media errors occur while Image for
DOS stores the backup on each disc. If Image for DOS detects an error, it prompts
you to replace the failed disc at the time the error is detected. If you don’t enable
this option, Image for DOS notifies you of errors only after the backup process is
complete.
Limit Disk Usage – This option only applies when saving images to disc media
(CD/DVD/BD). If enabled, this option instructs Image for DOS to leave the last 10%
of each disc unused to help prevent data errors that are more common near the
edges of discs.
The Enhanced Size - A/B/C options provide greater compression, but the backups
may take considerably longer. The Enhanced Size - D/E/F options are faster than
their A/B/C counterparts, but offer slightly less compression. The Enhanced Speed
- A/B options offer decent compression with the emphasis on back up speed over
backup file size.
File Size – If you are saving the image to a hard disk, you may select this option to
choose the maximum size of the image files created by Image for DOS. The
available options are:
* Max – Automatically creates the largest file(s) allowed by the file system in use
on the target medium. For example, the largest files that may reside on FAT,
FAT32, and NTFS partitions are 2 GiB, 4 GiB, and (just under) 16 TiB,
respectively.
* 7.95 GiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to standard dual-layer
DVD disc(s).
* 4.37 GiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to standard single-layer
DVD disc(s).
* 648 MiB – Useful if the image file(s) will later be burned to 650-MiB CD disc(s).
* You can also type in the desired value in bytes, Kibibytes (KiB), Mebibytes
(MiB), or Gibibytes (GiB). Decimal values are supported (e.g. 2.5GiB).
Write Speed – This option appears in place of the File Size option if you chose to
save your image to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). We recommend that you use the
default setting for this option, which is “Optimal,” unless you encounter problems.
Description – You can use this text box to assign descriptive text to individual
backups. The description you enter will be visible in the file list that appears when
you are preparing to restore or validate a backup. You view the description by
selecting the backup and pressing F1 or clicking the Information button.
Save Defaults (IFD GUI) or F4 (IFD) – Click/press to save the settings you
establish. In the future, Image for DOS will display these settings automatically.
Note that the settings will not be saved if IFD is unable to write to the IFD.INI (or
BOOTITBM.INI) file.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a consolidate operation with the
options you selected in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the
command line to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by
clicking the Save to File checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be
edited before being saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
The size of the target location where you restore an image is important. The target
must be large enough to accommodate the data from the source partition. The
minimum amount of space required in the target location is determined by the
amount of space encompassed from the beginning of the source partition to the last
used area of the source partition. For example, if the source partition had 2 GB of
data, and the last part of that data ended 15 GB from the beginning of the source
partition, the target area needs to be at least 15 GB in size, regardless of the overall
size of the source partition.
If the target is larger than the source partition, there will be an area of free space
left over unless you use the “Resize Partition” option or perform the restore via
command line using the X parameter (as explained later in this manual).
* If your computer contains more than one CD/DVD/BD drive and you are
restoring using Image for DOS from disc media, please make sure that you
insert your Image for DOS bootable disc in one optical drive and no other optical
drive contains a bootable disc.
* Since the hard drive order during the boot process may be different than it is
while Windows is running, you may need to press a key when prompted to
access the Image for DOS menu that will allow you to select the appropriate
drive from which to restore.
* If you choose Automatic, Image for DOS attempts to choose the target
drive and options automatically using information stored in the backup
files. If Image for DOS cannot identify the target drive and options or you
don't accept the suggested target drive, Image for DOS will use the
Normal option and ask you to select the target drive and options.
Tip: Remember that you set the default values of many restore options
when creating the boot media. Enter the INI file options on the appropriate
page of the MakeDisk wizard. For example, if you wish the Automatic
Restore to expand your partitions (Scale to Fit) you would include the
Note: Performing an automatic partial restore will not change the disk type
(MBR/EMBR/GPT) of the destination drive if it doesn’t match the type of
the source drive.
* If you choose Normal, Image for DOS will ask you to select the target
drive and options.
Note: If you created a backup in Image for Linux or Image for Windows and
restore using Image for DOS, Image for DOS might not be able to use the
Automatic option because Image for DOS might not be able to match the disk
signature in the backup with the target disk on the machine to which you want to
restore. In this case, Image for DOS uses the Normal option, where you select
the target drive and options.
3. From the Restore From/Select File Access Method screen that appears,
select between the following options, which refer to the location where Image
for DOS should look for the backup file you want to restore:
* File (Direct) – This option allows you to look for image file(s) in a folder on a
hard drive that does not have a drive letter assigned to it by DOS.
* File (OS) – This option appears only if you boot using a DOS boot disk that
you created using any method other than the MakeDisk utility. Choose this
option to use the operating system file services to restore the image files.
You must use this option when restoring images from a mapped network
drive.
* File (CD/DVD) – This option allows you to look for image file(s) on a
CD/DVD/BD disc.
4. On the Restore From/Select Drive Interface screen that appears, select one
of the following options. These options refer to how Image for DOS should
attempt to access the hard drive or CD/DVD/BD drive where your image is
stored:
If you chose File (Direct) in Step 3, you can choose one of the following
options:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor. In order to get the most out of this option when restoring an
image, you should select a File (Direct)—rather than File (OS)—for the File
Access Method of the image being restored.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
* Virtual Drive – Use this option to locate and access virtual drives containing
images. If the virtual drive containing the image you want to restore doesn’t
appear in the Select File Drive list, you can press F2 or click Add Virtual
Drive and navigate to it to add it to the list.
If you chose File (CD/DVD) in Step 3, you can choose one of the following
options:
* ASPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive will be accessed using
an ASPI layer. (You must supply the ASPI driver for this option to work.)
If your USB device does not appear at first, please try pressing the Esc key,
waiting a few seconds, and selecting the USB or USB2 option again.
5. Either the Restore From/Select File Drive screen shown in the following
figure or the Restore From/Select Target Drive screen appears, depending
on whether you are restoring from a hard drive or from CD/DVD/BD discs.
Select the target CD/DVD/BD drive or hard drive.
Note: If you select a hard drive, the Restore From/Select File Location on HD
screen appears. You can select a partition on the hard drive if it contains
partitions; otherwise, press Enter.
Note: If you select a differential or incremental backup to restore and Image for
DOS is unable to locate all of the base images, you will be prompted to locate the
required backup file(s). You will also have the option to restore in a single pass or
in multiple passes. If you stored your backup on CD/DVD/BD discs, select the
Multi Pass option.
8. On the Restore To/Select Target Drive screen that appears, select the hard
drive onto which you want to restore the image you selected in Step 6.
9. Select a partition on the drive you selected in Step 8 where you want to restore
the image. Image for DOS displays a warning that explains that the partition
you select will be deleted before Image for DOS restores the image.
From the screen where you select a partition, you can do the following:
* Select a free space partition and press the Insert (Ins) key or click Create
Extended to create an extended partition. You can then restore the backup
to that partition.
* Select a partition and press the Delete (Del) key or click Delete to delete
the partition. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
* Select a partition and press the F1 key or click Information to view the
number of MiB used, free, and needed to restore.
* Press F8 or click Change Disk to change the drive type. This allows you to
change the partitioning scheme used on the drive. MBR, EMBR, and GPT
drive types are supported.
10. On the Restore Options screen that appears, select the options you want to
use while restoring. For an explanation of each option, see “Understanding
Restore Options for an Entire Drive” on Page 72 and “Understanding Restore
Options for an Individual Partition” on Page 76.
11. Select Next to display the Summary screen, which summarizes the
parameters of the restore process you’re about to initiate.
12. When you select Start, the restore process begins and a progress bar appears
on-screen. When Image for DOS finishes restoring, a message appears.
After you press Enter, the main menu for Image for DOS reappears. At this point, if
you are finished using Image for DOS, select Exit, remove the Image for DOS boot
media, and press Enter to reboot your computer.
Note: Until you reboot, the operating system reflects the contents of the
drive/partition and file system in the state they were before you restored. Not
rebooting can cause data corruption. You can override the reboot prompt by
Geometry Settings
If you restore an individual partition, you can use this window to override geometry
settings stored in the backup file.
The Geometry Override settings allow you to set alignment options as well as
specific Cylinder (C), Head (H), or Sector (S) to use for a particular drive. In addition
to manually entering the values, you can enable the Use MBR Geometry to have
Image for DOS set the geometry based on the MBR entry of the first partition in the
backup. Or, you can enable Use Original Geometry to have Image for DOS use the
geometry from the backup image that represents the geometry from the
environment used to create the backup.
This CHS option is helpful when you need to specify geometry values that differ
from those assigned by the operating environment, and you use this option when
you attach a hard drive from another machine to the USB port of another machine
to restore the first machine’s image.
Use MBR Geometry – Use drive geometry based on the MBR entry of the first
partition in the backup file. This is useful when restoring to a drive on a machine
separate from where the drive will ultimately be booted.
Use Original Geometry – Use the drive geometry saved in the backup file that
represents the geometry from the environment used to create the backup file.
Align on End – Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align restored
partitions at the end of a cylinder, or when the Align on 1MiB Boundaries option is
enabled, at the end of a 1MiB boundary.
Align End by Resizing – Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align both
the beginning and end of a partition by resizing. This only affects partitions that
Image for DOS can resize.
Align on 1MiB Boundaries – Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align
restored partitions on 1MiB boundaries (drives with 512 byte sectors will be aligned
on 2048 sectors; drives with 4096 byte sectors will be aligned on 256 sectors).
Align MBR Ending HS – Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to force a
restored partition’s ending head and sector values in the MBR to match the current
geometry.
Align MBR HS when Truncated – Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to set
a restored partition’s head and sector values in the MBR to match the current
geometry when it is located outside the range of the current geometry.
Use Global Settings – Enable to allow global geometry settings to control the
drive.
Write Changed Sectors Only – Enable this option when restoring to write only the
changed sectors to the target drive (target will be read to compare). Useful in cases
where a large portion of the data is the same and it’s desirable to reduce wear on
the target drive (e.g. restoring to SSD drive). This option is unavailable if not
supported by the drive.
Scale to Fit – On FAT, FAT32, NTFS, or EXT 2/3/4 file systems, selecting this
option will make Image for DOS assume that the size of the original hard drive is
based on the location of the end of the last partition; Image for DOS then applies
the same scaling to the target hard drive. If any unpartitioned space existed at the
end of the source drive, that unpartitioned space won’t exist on the target drive after
you restore your image. This option has no effect on images restored to hard drives
using other file systems. You cannot use this option in conjunction with the Scale to
Target option. If you inadvertently enable both options, Scale to Fit will take
precedence.
Change Disk ID and GUIDs – This option only applies to full drive restores. It
allows you to change the NT Signature restored to the target drive. For target GPT
drives, the MBR NT Signature, the GPT Disk GUID, and the partition GUIDs will all
be changed. This can be useful if you plan on having both the original and restored
hard drive in the same computer at the same time; otherwise Windows may detect
the duplicate signature and modify it which may (depending on the OS) prevent the
restored hard drive from booting properly.
Validate Before Restore – If you select this option, Image for DOS will validate the
image file(s) prior to restoring them, will perform internal consistency checks on the
backup file(s). If Image for DOS encounters an error during validation, Image for
DOS will abort the restore operation without overwriting the partition. If you select
this option, the overall processing time Image for DOS takes to restore the image
will increase, but you can restore the image with greater certainty that the restored
image will be reliable.
Validate Byte-for-Byte – If you select this option, Image for DOS will verify that
every byte in the source backup image file was written back to the drive correctly,
ensuring 100% accuracy. This option generally increases the processing time of the
overall backup operation, but is advisable to use where maximum reliability is
required.
Write Standard MBR Code – If you select this option, Image for DOS will install
standard master boot code to the Master Boot Record (MBR) after completing the
restore operation. The other portions of the MBR (i.e. the partition table, disk
signature, etc.) will not be affected. Otherwise, Image for DOS will only install the
standard master boot code when it appears that there is no existing boot code.
Wipe Unused Sectors – This option will wipe (zero-out) unused sectors on the
restored drive. When restoring a full drive, the entire drive is wiped, including all
gaps between any partitions. Using this option provides an easy way to wipe a drive
and restore in a single operation (such as when deploying images to used
systems).
Remove Gaps on Restore – Select this option to remove any gaps (free space)
between partitions. Partitions will be restored adjacent to each other.
GPT Hidden From OS – Use this option when restoring to a GPT drive to indicate
that the operating system being restored will not see the destination drive as GPT
when booted. For example, an iMac using BootCamp or cases where the 0xEE
placeholder partition is missing from the MBR. Using this option prevents Image for
DOS from using GPT specific fix-up information on the drive after the restore.
Compact Data – Use this option to have Image for DOS compact
FAT/FAT32/NTFS partitions during the restore so they fit into the space needed to
Note: A clean file system is required. File system errors that prevent the resize from
succeeding will result in the destination partition being deleted (the data is not
usable).
Assume Original HD – If you select this option, which mainly applies to Linux
partitions, Image for DOS will keep references to the source hard drive number
intact within the partitions that have been restored to the target. If you do not select
this option and the target drive number differs from that of the source drive,
applicable drive references residing within the restored partitions will be updated to
reflect the new hard drive number.
This option has no effect if you are restoring to a target drive whose number
matches that of the source drive. If you are restoring to a target drive whose
number differs from that of the source drive, but you plan to subsequently move the
target drive so that its number matches the source drive again, enabling this option
can be beneficial.
Scale to Target – If you use this option when restoring an image, Image for DOS
restores the image proportionally to the target drive. For example, suppose that you
backed up a 250 GB hard drive and restored the image to a 500 GB hard drive. If
you use this option, you allow Image for DOS to double the size of the restored
image. This option only works for FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXT2/3/4 file systems
and has no effect on images restored to hard drives using other file systems. You
cannot use this option in conjunction with the Scale to Fit option. If you
inadvertently enable both options, Scale to Fit will take precedence.
Disable Auto Eject – This option prevents Image for DOS from automatically
opening the optical drive tray. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will
open the drive tray whenever a disc is needed and at the completion of the restore
operation.
Reboot When Completed – Use this option to automatically reboot your computer
after the restore finishes.
Shutdown When Completed – Use this option to automatically shut down your
computer after the restore finishes.
Change Volume SN – Select this option to change the file system volume serial
number of restored FAT//FAT32/NTFS/HPFS partitions and the UUID of Ext2/3/4
partitions.
Metadata Based Restore – If the backup image being restored has a metadata
hash file you can select this option to restore using the file system metadata of
supported partitions (NTFS). Depending on the system and the data being restored,
this type of restore may be considerably faster than a normal restore. Due to this
type of restore depending on the destination partition’s file system metadata being
valid, you would use it for undoing changes and not for recovering from file system
corruption (a normal restore should be used in that case). This option will be
ignored if Multi-Pass, Compact Data, or Wipe Unused Sectors is selected.
NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on restore
operations.
First Track Sectors – This text box allows you to specify how many sectors of the
first track of the hard drive should be restored. If you enter AUTO in this box, the
tracks needed for the EMBR will be restored. If you aren’t sure, type AUTO in this
box.
Save Defaults (IFD GUI) or F4 (IFD) – Click/press to save the settings you
establish. In the future, Image for DOS will display these settings automatically.
Note that the settings will not be saved if IFD is unable to write to the IFD.INI (or
BOOTITBM.INI) file.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a restore with the options you
selected in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the command line
to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by clicking the Save
to File checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be edited before
being saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
Set Active – If you select this option, Image for DOS will make the restored
partition the active partition after completing the restore operation. Otherwise,
Image for DOS will make the restored partition active only if no other partition is
active and the target drive is HD0.
Update BOOT.INI – When you select this option, Image for DOS updates all
partition(w) entries in the boot.ini file found in the restored location to point to itself.
This can be useful when restoring Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and
Windows 2003 operating systems to a new drive or location.
Write Changed Sectors Only – Enable this option when restoring to write only the
changed sectors to the target drive (target will be read to compare). Useful in cases
where a large portion of the data is the same and it’s desirable to reduce wear on
the target drive (e.g. restoring to SSD drive). This option is unavailable if not
supported by the drive.
Update Boot Partition - This option updates any references to the restored
partition in the active boot partition on the target drive. This is useful for situations
where the boot partition differs from the system partition. However, you typically
Write Standard MBR Code – If you select this option, Image for DOS will install
standard master boot code to the Master Boot Record (MBR) after completing the
restore operation. The other portions of the MBR (i.e. the partition table, disk
signature(s), etc.) will not be affected. Otherwise, Image for DOS will install the
standard master boot code only when it appears that there is no existing boot code.
Restore Disk Signature – This option applies when you restore a partition that had
been assigned a drive letter within Windows prior to being backed up. If you select
this option, Image for DOS will restore the disk signature associated with the source
partition. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will use the disk signature
already present in the MBR of the target drive; if none exists, Image for DOS will
create one. If you are restoring a partition that had been assigned a drive letter in
Windows and you wish to keep that drive letter assignment, select this option. For
GPT drives the disk GUID will not be changed.
Restore First Track – Whenever you back up any partition, Image for DOS also
backs up the first track of the source hard drive. If you select this option, Image for
DOS will restore the first track, which includes the master boot code and the disk
signature, enabling you to restore the MBR/EMBR. Restoring the first track may
also change the disk type (MBR/EMBR/GPT) of the destination drive if it doesn’t
match that of the source drive (the restore will abort if the change is required and
cannot be applied).
Validate Before Restore – If you select this option, Image for DOS will validate the
image file(s) prior to restoring them. If Image for DOS encounters an error during
validation, Image for DOS will abort the restore operation without overwriting the
target.
Change GUID – When restoring to a GPT drive, selecting this option will change
the GUID of each partition restored.
Validate Byte-for-Byte – If you select this option, Image for DOS will verify that
every byte in the source data was restored correctly, ensuring 100% accuracy. This
option generally doubles the processing time of the overall operation, but is
advisable to use where maximum reliability is required. You can but do not need to
select the Validate Before Restore option if you select the Validate Byte-for-Byte
option.
Wipe Unused Sectors – This option will wipe (zero-out) unused sectors in the
restored partition(s) or drive, depending on the type of restore performed.
When restoring single partitions or when restoring multiple partitions to a drive with
existing partitions, sectors located outside of the restored partition(s) are not wiped.
If a partition is resized during the restore, the wiped area for that partition is the final
size of the restored partition (not the size of the source partition).
Compact Data – Use this option to have Image for DOS compact the partition
during the restore so it fits into the space needed to hold the data
(FAT/FAT32/NTFS partitions only). This is useful when restoring to a smaller
partition and the source partition was not compacted beforehand.
Note: A clean file system is required. File system errors that prevent the resize from
succeeding will result in the destination partition being deleted (the data is not
usable).
Move to Original MBR Entry – If you select this option, Image for DOS will move
the partition table entry of the restored partition to the same location in the master
partition table as it had on the source drive. Image for DOS will also move the
existing partition table entry to another location rather than overwrite it. You may
want to enable this option if you use an environment that tracks master partition
table entries, such as Linux.
GPT Hidden From OS – Use this option when restoring to a GPT drive to indicate
that the operating system being restored will not see the destination drive as GPT
when booted. For example, an iMac using BootCamp or cases where the 0xEE
placeholder partition is missing from the MBR. Using this option prevents Image for
DOS from using GPT specific fix-up information on the drive after the restore.
Assume Original HD – If you select this option, which mainly applies to Linux
partitions, Image for DOS will keep references to the source hard drive number
intact within the partitions that have been restored to the target. If you do not select
this option and the target drive number differs from that of the source drive,
applicable drive references residing within the restored partitions will be updated to
reflect the new hard drive number.
This option has no effect if you are restoring to a target drive whose number
matches that of the source drive. If you are restoring to a target drive whose
number differs from that of the source drive, but you plan to subsequently move the
target drive so that its number matches the source drive again, enabling this option
can be beneficial.
Disable Auto Eject – This option prevents Image for DOS from automatically
opening the optical drive tray. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will
open the drive tray whenever a disc is needed and at the completion of the restore
operation.
Reboot When Completed – Use this option to automatically reboot your computer
after the restore finishes.
Shutdown When Completed – Use this option to automatically shut down your
computer after the restore finishes.
Log Results to File – Select this option to make Image for DOS log the details of
the restore operation. Image for DOS saves the log as IFD.LOG in the IMAGE.EXE
program directory. To be able to save IFD.LOG, Image for DOS must be running
from a writable medium such as a non-write-protected floppy diskette or UFD. You
can use the /logfile or LogFile options to specify an alternate location for IFD.LOG.
Change Volume SN – Select this option to change the file system volume serial
number of restored FAT//FAT32/NTFS/HPFS partitions and the UUID of Ext2/3/4
partitions.
Metadata Based Restore – If the backup image being restored has a metadata
hash file you can select this option to restore using the file system metadata of
supported partitions (NTFS). Depending on the system and the data being restored,
this type of restore may be considerably faster than a normal restore. Due to this
type of restore depending on the destination partition’s file system metadata being
valid, you would use it for undoing changes and not for recovering from file system
corruption (a normal restore should be used in that case). This option will be
ignored if Multi-Pass, Compact Data, or Wipe Unused Sectors is selected.
NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on restore
operations.
First Track Sectors – This text box allows you to specify how many sectors of the
first track of the hard drive should be restored. If you enter AUTO in this box, the
tracks needed for the EMBR will be restored. If you aren’t sure, type AUTO in this
box.
Resize Partition – Currently available only for FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXT 2/3/4
partitions, you can use this text box to specify a new size for the restored partition,
bound by the Minimum and Maximum values specified by Image for DOS. The
units used here are mebibytes, abbreviated MiB. (Please refer to the section titled
Data Storage Size Unit Conventions at the beginning of this manual for more
information.)
New Name – Enter the new volume name (label) for the restored partition. If left
blank the name will not be changed from its restored value.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a restore with the options you
selected in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the command line
to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by clicking the Save
to File checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be edited before
being saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
When you validate a backup, Image for DOS performs internal consistency checks
on the backup file(s), helping to ensure that the backup will be reliable if you need
to restore from it.
When you use the steps that follow to validate a backup, Image for DOS performs a
standard validation, not a byte-for-byte validation, which provides a more intense
scrutiny of a backup file. You can perform a byte-for-byte validation only as part of a
backup operation. See the section, “Understanding Backup Options” on Page 44 for
details on a byte-for-byte validation.
Validating a Backup
Insert your Image for DOS boot media into the appropriate drive or USB port and
boot your computer. Then, follow these steps:
1. On the Image for DOS Main Menu/Select Operation screen, select Validate.
2. On the Validate/Select File Access Method screen that appears, choose one
of the following options, which refer to the location where Image for DOS
should look for the backup to validate:
* File (OS) – This option appears only if you boot using a DOS boot disk that
you created using any method other than the MakeDisk utility. Choose this
option to use the operating system file services to save the image files. You
must use this option when saving images to a mapped network drive.
* File (Direct) – Select this option if the image file(s) you want to validate are
stored on a hard drive that does not have a drive letter assigned to it by
DOS.
* File (CD/DVD) – Select this option if the image file(s) you want to validate
are stored on CD, DVD, or BD discs.
3. On the Validate /Select Drive Interface screen that appears, select one of the
following options; these options refer to how Image for DOS should attempt to
access the hard drive that contains the image you want to validate:
If you chose File (Direct) in Step 2, you can choose one of the following
options:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
* Virtual Drive – Select this option if you want to validate a backup stored on
a virtual drive. Select your virtual drive from the list or, if your virtual drive
doesn’t appear in the list, press F2 or click Add Virtual Drive to add a virtual
drive to the list.
If you chose File (CD/DVD) in Step 2, you can choose one of the following
options:
* ASPI – Select this option if your CD/DVD/BD drive will be accessed using
an ASPI layer. (You must supply the ASPI driver for this option to work.)
If you select a differential or incremental backup to validate and Image for DOS
is unable to locate all of the base images, you will be prompted to locate the
required backup file(s).
9. When you select Start, the validation process begins and a progress bar
appears on-screen. When Image for DOS finishes validating the selected
backup, a message appears. You can interrupt the validation operation at any
time by pressing the F12 key or clicking Exit. Image for DOS will ask you to
confirm that you want to cancel before it interrupts the operation.
After you press Enter to dismiss the message that appears when Image for DOS
finishes validating, the main menu for Image for DOS reappears. At this point, if you
are finished using Image for DOS, select Exit, remove the Image for DOS boot
media, and press Enter to reboot your computer.
Disable Auto Eject – This option prevents Image for DOS from automatically
opening the optical drive tray. If you don’t select this option, Image for DOS will
open the drive tray whenever a disc is needed and at the completion of the restore
operation.
Save Defaults (IFD GUI) or F4 (IFD) – Click/press to save the settings you
establish. In the future, Image for DOS will display these settings automatically.
Note that the settings will not be saved if IFD is unable to write to the IFD.INI (or
BOOTITBM.INI) file.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a validation with the options you
selected in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the command line
to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by clicking the Save
to File checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be edited before
being saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
Note: Unless you copy an entire drive, Image for DOS does not automatically set
the copy as the active boot partition unless you select the Set Active option.
2. On the Copy From/Select Drive Interface screen, select one of the following
options; these options refer to how Image for DOS should attempt to access
the drive that contains the partition you want to copy:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor.
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives.
Delete – Press the Del key or click Delete to delete the selected partition. You will
be prompted to confirm the deletion.
For example, if you have a 250GB partition that contains 50GB of data and
requires 150GB of space to restore and you need to copy it to a 100GB
partition, you can compact the file system to under 100GB before copying it to
the 100GB partition.
5. On the Copy To/Select Drive Interface screen that appears, select one of the
following options. These options refer to how Image for DOS should attempt to
access the target hard drive:
* BIOS – Locates and accesses drives using the system BIOS. Please note
that any problems or limitations inherent to the system BIOS will apply.
* BIOS (Direct) – Attempts to locate the hard drive using the system BIOS,
but then attempts to access it directly, bypassing the BIOS. This can
sometimes be helpful in cases where performance with the BIOS option is
very poor.
Use BIOS (direct) when you are going to be accessing SATA hard drives and
CD/DVD/BD drives or using the BIOS (direct) option anywhere.
* USB – Examines the attached USB controller, if any, for available high-
speed hard drives. If your USB device does not appear at first, please try
pressing the Esc key, waiting a few seconds, and selecting the USB or
USB2 option again.
* Virtual Drive – Enables you to select a single file virtual drive on which to
store a copy. Note that a new virtual drive must be partitioned and formatted
before you can use it.
7. Image for DOS displays options you can select. See the “Understanding Copy
Options” section on page 93 for an explanation of each option.
8. Select Next. On the Summary screen that appears, click Start when you are
ready to begin the Copy process. A progress bar appears on-screen. You can
interrupt the operation at any time by clicking Exit or pressing the F12 key.
Image for DOS will ask you to confirm that you want to cancel before it
interrupts the operation.
When Image for DOS finishes, a message appears to inform you that the copy was
successfully created.
Write Changed Sectors Only – Enable this option when copying to write only the
changed sectors to the target drive (target will be read to compare). Useful in cases
where a large portion of the data is the same and it’s desirable to reduce wear on
Scale to Fit – On FAT, FAT32, NTFS, or EXT 2/3/4 file systems, selecting this
option will make Image for DOS assume that the size of the original hard drive is
based on the location of the end of the last partition; Image for DOS then applies
the same scaling to the target hard drive. If any unpartitioned space exists at the
end of the source drive, that unpartitioned space won’t exist on the target drive after
you restore your image. This option has no effect on copies made to hard drives
using other file systems. You cannot use this option in conjunction with the Scale to
Target option. If you inadvertently enable both options, Scale to Fit will take
precedence.
Align to Target – If you select this option, Image for DOS will force alignment to
the target drive regardless of the alignment used on the source drive. For example,
if the Align Partitions on 1MiB Boundaries global option is enabled the restored
drive will be aligned on 1MiB boundaries. If this option is not selected, the alignment
used on the target drive will be determined automatically based on the source drive.
Change Disk ID and GUIDs – This option only applies to full drive copies. It allows
you to change the NT Signature restored to the target drive. For target GPT drives,
the MBR NT Signature, the GPT Disk GUID, and the partition GUIDs will all be
changed. This can be useful if you plan on having both the original and restored
hard drive in the same computer at the same time; otherwise Windows may detect
the duplicate signature and modify it which may (depending on the OS) prevent the
restored hard drive from booting properly.
Validate Byte-for-Byte – If you select this option, Image for DOS will verify that
every byte in the source location was written to the target location correctly,
ensuring 100% accuracy. This option generally increases the processing time of the
overall operation, but we advise you use this option where maximum reliability is
required.
Write Standard MBR Code – If you select this option, Image for DOS will install
standard master boot code to the Master Boot Record (MBR) after completing the
copy operation. The other portions of the MBR (i.e. the partition table, disk
signature, etc.) will not be affected. Otherwise, Image for DOS will install the
standard master boot code only when it appears that there is no existing boot code.
Copy Unused Sectors – By default, Image for DOS copies only sectors in use. If
you select this option, Image for DOS will copy all sectors on a partition or drive,
regardless of whether they contain data. For entire drive copies, this option causes
a raw sector by sector copy of the entire drive without regard to any partitions or
adjustments. NOTE: This option causes Image for DOS to ignore the Omit Page
File Data and Omit Hibernation Data options.
Wipe Target Unused Sectors – This option will wipe (zero-out) unused sectors in
the copied partition(s) or drive, depending on the type of copy performed.
When copying single partitions or when copying multiple partitions to a drive with
existing partitions, sectors located outside of the copied partition(s) are not wiped. If
When copying a full drive or when copying multiple partitions to a drive with no
existing partitions, the entire drive is wiped, including all gaps between any
partitions. Using this option provides an easy way to wipe a drive and copy to it in a
single operation.
Omit Page File Data – Selected by default, this option eliminates page file data
from the copy process.
Remove Gaps on Copy – Select this option to remove any gaps (free space)
between partitions. Partitions will be copied adjacent to each other.
GPT Hidden From OS – Use this option when copying to a GPT drive to indicate
that the operating system being copied will not see the destination drive as GPT
when booted. For example, an iMac using BootCamp or cases where the 0xEE
placeholder partition is missing from the MBR. Using this option prevents Image for
DOS from using GPT specific fix-up information on the drive after the copy
completes.
Compact Data – Use this option to have Image for DOS compact
FAT/FAT32/NTFS partitions during the copy operation so they fit into the space
needed to hold the data. This is useful when restoring to a smaller drive or partition
and the source drive/partition was not compacted beforehand.
Note: A clean file system is required. File system errors that prevent the resize from
succeeding will result in the destination partition being deleted (the data is not
usable).
Assume Original HD – If you select this option, which mainly applies to Linux
partitions, Image for DOS will keep references to the source hard drive number
intact within the partitions that have been copied to the target location. If you do not
select this option and the target drive number differs from that of the source drive,
applicable drive references residing within the restored partitions will be updated to
reflect the new hard drive number.
This option has no effect if you are copying to a target drive whose number
matches that of the source drive. If you are copying to a target drive whose number
differs from that of the source drive, but you plan to subsequently move the target
drive so that its number matches the source drive again, enabling this option can be
beneficial.
Scale to Target – If you use this option when copying a disk or partition, Image for
DOS copies the image proportionally to the target drive. For example, suppose that
you want to copy a 250 GB hard drive to a 500 GB hard drive. If you use this option,
you allow Image for DOS to double the size of the copy. This option only works for
FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXT 2/3/4 file systems and has no effect on copies made
Reboot When Completed – Selecting this option tells Image for DOS to reboot the
computer after completing the copy operation.
Shutdown When Completed - Selecting this option tells Image for DOS to shut
down the computer after completing the copy operation.
Log Results to File – Select this option to make Image for DOS log the details of
the copy operation. Image for DOS saves the log as IFD.LOG in the IMAGE.EXE
program directory. To be able to save IFD.LOG, Image for DOS must be running
from a writable medium such as a non-write-protected floppy diskette or UFD. You
can use the /logfile or LogFile options to specify an alternate location for IFD.LOG.
Change Volume SN – Select this option to change the file system volume serial
number of copied FAT//FAT32/NTFS/HPFS partitions and the UUID of Ext2/3/4
partitions.
Set Active – If you select this option, Image for DOS will make the copied partition
the active partition after completing the copy operation. Otherwise, Image for DOS
will make the copied partition active only if no other partition is active and the target
drive is HD0.
Update BOOT.INI – When you select this option, Image for DOS will update all
partition(w) entries in the boot.ini file found in the target location to point to itself.
This can be useful when copying Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and
Windows 2003 operating systems to a new drive or location.
Update Boot Partition – This option updates any references to the copied partition
in the active boot partition on the target drive. This is useful for situations where the
boot partition differs from the system partition. However, you typically wouldn't want
to use this option if you're creating a copy of an existing partition you want to keep,
unless the target drive will be independent of the original drive. For this to be useful,
the active boot partition should already be on the target drive or part of the same
copy operation. Note: This option is not displayed when copying a full drive if the
Automatic Boot Partition Update global option is enabled (the default).
Copy Disk Signature – This option applies when you copy a partition that had
been assigned a drive letter within Windows. If you select this option, Image for
DOS will copy the disk signature associated with the source partition. If you don’t
Copy First Track – If you select this option, Image for DOS will copy the first track
of the source hard drive, which includes the master boot code and the disk
signature. This enables you to restore the MBR/EMBR. Copying the first track may
also change the disk type (MBR/EMBR/GPT) of the destination drive if it doesn’t
match that of the source drive (the copy will abort if the change is required and
cannot be applied).
Change GUID – When copying to a GPT drive, selecting this option will change the
GUID of each partition copied.
Move to Original MBR Entry – If you select this option, Image for DOS will move
the partition table entry of the copied partition to the same location in the master
partition table as it had on the source drive. Image for DOS will also move the
existing partition table entry to another location rather than overwrite it. You may
want to enable this option if you use an environment that tracks master partition
table entries, such as Linux.
Resize Partition – Currently available only for FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXT 2/3/4
partitions, you can use this text box to specify a new size for the copied partition,
bound by the Minimum and Maximum values specified by Image for DOS. The
units used here are mebibytes, abbreviated MiB. (Please refer to the section titled
Data Storage Size Unit Conventions at the beginning of this manual for more
information.)
New Name – Enter the new volume name (label) for the copied partition. If left
blank the name will not be changed from its copied value.
Save Defaults (IFD GUI) or F4 (IFD) – Click/press to save the settings you
establish. In the future, Image for DOS will display these settings automatically.
Note that the settings will not be saved if IFD is unable to write to the IFD.INI (or
BOOTITBM.INI) file.
Show Command (IFD GUI) or F6 (IFD) – Click/press to display the command line
you would type at a command prompt to start a copy with the options you selected
in Image for DOS. When using IFD GUI, you can save the command line to a batch
file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by clicking the Save to File
checkbox and then clicking OK. The command line can be edited before being
saved.
Save Command (IFD) F8 – Press to open a window where you can edit the
command line (if desired) and then save it to a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file. To
save the command line using IFD GUI, use the Show Command option (above).
Creating a Backup
To create a backup of a drive you simply choose which physical drive you want to
back up and, if needed, which drive you want to save to.
1. Select Backup this computer to an alternate drive on the main window and
click Next.
2. Select the drive you wish to back up and then click Next. The drive letters
shown are as assigned by the first Windows installation found on the system.
3. Select where you want to save the backup and then click Next.
Note: If a store already exists for the drive being backed up you will not be
prompted to select one (the existing store will be used).
4. Select the partition on the target drive to use for the backup store and then click
Next.
Restoring a Backup
1. Select Restore a backup to this computer on the main window and click Next.
2. Select the backup you wish to restore and then click Next.
Validating a Backup
1. Select Validate a previous backup to check its integrity on the main window
and click Next.
2. Select the backup you wish to validate and then click Next.
4. If the selected destination drive is not large enough, but the source data can be
compacted to fit, a warning will appear. Click Yes to continue and compact the
source data or No to select a different drive.
5. If the selected destination drive has existing partitions a warning will appear
showing the drive and the partitions that will be deleted. Click Yes to continue if
everything looks correct.
1. Extract the contents of the Image for DOS ZIP archive file to a folder of your
choice.
Note: If you are using a version of Windows that has a built-in compressed
folders feature (e.g. Windows Me, XP, or later), you can double click the ZIP file
and then use the Extract all files link shown in the left pane of Windows
Explorer (or in the File menu) to extract the contents.
* A bootable DOS floppy diskette, using the instructions provided in the next
section or using the distribution available from the FreeDOS site.
3. Copy the files IMAGE.EXE and CDBOOT.F35 from the folder of Step 1 to the
bootable DOS floppy diskette, or the bootable CD/DVD compilation.
Note: If you are using the GUI version of Image for DOS you also need to copy
the bootitbm.dat or ifd.dat file. To copy any custom settings or license
information, also copy the bootitbm.ini or ifd.ini file.
* The bootable floppy diskette or CD/DVD disc can now be used to boot from
and run Image for DOS.
* If you are creating a bootable CD/DVD, proceed with the creation of the
bootable disc at this point.
5. Click Start.
IMAGE.EXE
Save this file using the name AUTOEXEC.BAT and place it on your floppy disk.
Note: If your diskette already has an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on it, use Notepad to
open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, start a new blank line at the end of the file, and
add the line above.
On your Windows Desktop, right-click the shortcut and follow these steps:
You can now double-click the shortcut to run Image for DOS.
If you don’t have Windows NT 4 Server, you can download DSK3-1.EXE and
DSK3-2.EXE from the Microsoft ftp site to obtain the Microsoft Network Client for
MS-DOS (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/clients/MSCLIENT/) to create your own
network boot diskettes. You may have to search for a DOS driver for your network
card.
If you experience very slow network speeds, try using the IOBS=A environment
variable, as explained later in this document.
Customizing CDBOOT.F35
As long as CDBOOT.INS points to CDBOOT.F35 and CDBOOT.F35 is in the current
directory, Image for DOS will create a bootable CD/DVD/BD when creating a
backup image and storing it on CD/DVD/BD discs. However, the bootable disc
Image for DOS creates will restore only from an ATAPI CD/DVD/BD drive on one of
the IDE controllers or SATA controllers in ATA mode or combination PATA/SATA
mode. If you would like to restore from another device, you will need to create your
own bootable diskette with the appropriate ASPI drivers and AUTOEXEC.BAT file to
restore the image.
Used primarily by OEM vendors, IT shops, and advanced users, CDBOOT.INS and
CDBOOT.F35 are files you can use to customize the content and configuration of
bootable CD/DVD discs created by Image for DOS. By customizing CDBOOT.INS,
you can create a bootable CD/DVD disc that runs MS-DOS, FreeDOS, or your own
batch file(s). For example, you can create a batch file that runs Image for DOS and
automatically restores an image stored on the bootable disc.
The default copy of CDBOOT.INS included with Image for DOS is configured to use
CDBOOT.F35.
* Target File – Relative path and file name to be assigned to the boot file once it
is copied to disc by Image for DOS. If this parameter is omitted, the boot file will
be placed in the root of the disc and will retain the source file name.
* Cache Code – If set to C, the boot file contents will be cached in memory. If
omitted (or set to anything other than C), it will be read from the disc.
* Emulation Code – Type of emulation to be used for the boot file, according to El
Torito standard:
0 – No emulation
0x00 – Normal
0xEF – UEFI
Each boot file specification must go on its own line, and at least one line with a non-
zero Load Sectors value is required. If you supply more than one boot file
specification with a non-zero Load Sectors value, only the first one will be used,
and any others will simply be copied to the disc.
CDBOOT.F35,,C,2,1
* Place the boot file in the root directory of the disc, with the name CDBOOT.F35.
Image for DOS does not change the SID of Windows systems. If you are using
Image for DOS for deployment purposes and want to change the SID for Windows
you should use the MS Sysprep utility.
You may want to set up the base machine so that the last partition ends at one
track less than the actual end of the hard drive (around 8 MB less) to leave room for
different brands or models of the same size hard drive.
See the following links for more information on how to prepare for the deployment
of Windows:
Windows 10
Deploy Windows 10
Windows 8.x
Windows 7
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=608
If you run Image for DOS using the menu interface as described earlier in this
manual, Image for DOS sets all options using IFD.INI, and you can customize
IFD.INI. If you also want to set environment variables, store them in a batch file
that you run prior to running Image for DOS.
If you run Image for DOS from the command line as described in the section,
“Running Image for DOS from the Command Line,” Image for DOS processes the
command line switches and uses IFD.INI to process global default options (but
ignores all other options in IFD.INI) and finally processes any environment
variables you set. So, environment variables take precedence over IFD.INI.
Settings you specify in IFD.INI need to be placed under a section name. For
details on the settings available, refer to Tables 1 to 10 in the section, “Running
Image for DOS from the Command Line.” A typical backup IFD.INI file might look
like this:
[Options]
SeqVolID=1
TimeZone=PST8PDT
[License]
ProductKey=nnnn-nnnn-nnnn
[BACKUP_DEFAULTS]
PostValidate=2
[HD0]
UseOrgGeo=1
SET IFD=option1:value;option2:value;option3:value
You can display a list of currently set environment variables from the command line
by typing the set command with no parameters. To remove an environment
variable, type the set command, the variable name, and an equal sign (=) followed
by no value. For example, to clear the IFD variable, type the following:
SET IFD=
Note: By default, Image for DOS will only pull global options from the IFD
environment variable. If you wish to also pull operation options from the variable
you will need to specify the /ue option before the operation parameter. For example,
if creating a backup: image /ue /b …
Date/Time:
Disk:
Partition:
The partition variables can include a number suffix (beginning with 0) to indicate the
index of the partition. If no index is specified the first included partition is used. For
entire disk images, the partitions are indexed in the same order as those on the
disk. For multi-partition images, the index number is the index of the partition as
specified for the backup and not necessarily the index of the partition on the disk.
For example, if you include partitions 0x2 and 0x4 (e.g. /d:b3@0x2,0x4) in the
backup, you would specify the labels as part of the file name by using $~PN0$ and
$~PN1$.
Note: When creating entire disk images, extended partition containers are not
indexed and not available using the partition variables (the partition is skipped and
the index continues with the volumes it contains).
Misc.:
Examples:
The following variables would embed the 4-digit year, 2-digit month, and 2-digit day
in the image file name:
“Backup on $~YYYY$-$~MM$-$~DD$”
Create the file name using the disk signature and partition labels of the first two
partitions:
image /?
When using the console version, press Enter to advance through the screens.
When running Image for DOS from the command line, you might need to include
references to hard drive numbers and/or partition IDs. To determine the correct
hard drive number or partition ID, complete Steps 1 through 5 in the section
“Creating a Full Backup,” making sure that you select the hard drive whose number
and/or partition IDs you need to obtain. The hard drive number will then appear in
the format “HDn” (e.g. “HD0” or “HD1”). The partition ID appears in parenthesis in
the middle of each partition description and consists of either two or four characters.
Note: Under certain configurations, hard drive numbers may be different in DOS
than they are in Windows or other environments.
You can also view and save the command line for an operation directly from Image
for DOS. To do this, proceed normally through the steps of the desired operation
until you reach the options screen (just before the Summary screen). Click the
Show Command button (IFD GUI) or press F6 (IFD CUI) to display the information
you would type at a command prompt to start the operation with the options you
selected as you displayed the various screens in Image for DOS. You can use this
information to create a batch file or TBScript (.TBS) file that runs Image for DOS by
selecting the Save to File option. The command line can be edited before being
saved. (In IFD CUI use the Save Command option to save the command line to a
file.)
The basic format for running Image for DOS from the command line is:
R Restore
Copy Copy
V Validate
When you specify command line options, you precede each option by typing the /
(slash) character.
For example, you might type the following at the command prompt to create a
backup using Image for DOS. The command specifies the source drive and
partition, the target drive and partition, and the backup filename.
The first parameter, /b, identifies that you want to perform a backup.
The second parameter, /d:0, identifies the drive to back up. This example backs
up Hard Drive 0.
The next part of that parameter, @0x01, identifies the partition to back up on the
selected hard drive; this example backs up the first partition. If you want to back up
the entire drive, simply omit the part of the parameter that identifies the partition.
The third parameter, /f, identifies that you are about to specify where to store the
backup file. 1 identifies the target drive and @0x01 again identifies the partition; in
this example, Image for DOS will store the backup file on Hard Drive 1 in the
partition with ID 0x01. The information after @0x01 represents the path and file
name where you want to store the backup file. In this example, Image for DOS
stores the backup file in \mypath\filename.
image /l /d:0
In this example, /d:0 identifies hard drive 0 as the drive for which you want to list
partitions.
In Table 1, you find the global parameters you can set for Image for DOS
regardless of the action you set (backup, restore, validate, or copy).
Example using the /ue global option and /a2k device option when restoring:
image /ue /a2k /r /d:w0 /f:mybackup
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
is available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an
INI file, place these parameters in the [Options] section except as otherwise noted.
/seq SeqVolID=1
Instructs Image for DOS to assign ID numbers to volumes in sequential order rather than
random order.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will assign ID numbers to the volumes in random
order.
/cb:n CheckBoxes=n
Determines if check boxes are used for partition selection.
0 = No
1 = Yes
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses checkboxes.
/con N/A
Instructs Image for DOS to run in console (text-only) mode, rather than the CGUI
(character graphical user interface) mode.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS runs in CGUI mode.
/nocan NoCancel=1
Tells Image for DOS not to permit canceling the backup, restore, validate, or copy
operation once it has begun.
Default if omitted: You can cancel the current operation.
/vn:filename,cr,type,sizeinmb Vn=filename,cr,type,sizeinmb
Makes a virtual drive available for use by Image for DOS. n is a number between 0 and
9 you use to represent any of 10 virtual drives. If you reuse a number, Image for DOS
will replace the prior definition for that virtual drive.
You must define the virtual device before using it with other command line parameters
using one of two formats:
a) Just include the filename of an existing virtual drive.
Example: /v0:"D:\VHD Files\myvirtualdisk.vhd"
b) Provide additional parameters after the filename using commas as shown in the
sample above and the following example:
/v2:myvirtualdisk.vmdk,r,vmdks,2048
For the cr parameter, use the letter C or the letter R:
C Tells Image for DOS to create a new virtual drive if one doesn’t exist.
R Tells Image for DOS to recreate the virtual drive even if one already
exists. Note that Image for DOS gives no warning before recreating a
virtual drive.
For the type parameter, the following values are supported:
raw A plain raw file that is allocated as the virtual drive
vhdd VirtualPC Dynamic Expanding file
vhdf VirtualPC Fixed file
vhdxd Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Dynamic Expanding file*
vhdxf Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Fixed file*
vhdxd4 Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Dynamic Expanding file with a
sector size of 4KiB (4096 bytes)*
vhdxf4 Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Fixed file with a sector size of
4KiB (4096 bytes)*
vmdk VMWare Monolithic Sparse IDE file
vmdks VMWare Monolithic Sparse SCSI file
*For Windows caching reasons, it is highly recommended to create partitions within a
VHDX file that are aligned on at least a 1MiB boundary. That is either 2048 sectors for
/ivdfs IgnoreVirtDevFileSize=1
Use this option to have Image for DOS ignore the safety check on ensuring the virtual
drive (/v0, etc.) is aligned on the smallest sector size of 512 bytes.
Default if omitted: The safety check will be performed.
/kfb KeepFailedBackups=1
Prevents Image for DOS from deleting the backup created when the backup operation
fails.
Default if omitted: The backup created is deleted if the backup failed.
/recover
Attempts to access image files that are reported as incomplete and suppresses the data
loss message/clearing of boot sector data on a failed validation during restore. If you
obtain an “ABORT: Data corruption was encountered” or “FAIL: Data did not pass
validation” error message using this option the restored file system should not be
trusted. You should attempt to obtain the files you need (which may not be valid) then
reformat the partition or restore a good image.
Default if omitted: An incomplete image is reported when opened and boot sector data is
not updated or cleared on a restore that fails.
/logmax:n LogMaxSize=n
Ensures the log file doesn't grow beyond the size n given. Once n is reached the data
from the top of the file is purged. Because of this, you typically don't want a large n
value. n can be bytes, KiB, or MiB. Decimal values (e.g. 2.5MiB) are supported.
For example: /logmax:32768 or /logmax:32KiB
/logl:n LogLevel=n
Causes less or more information to be output to the log file. Use level 1 for errors only, 2
for warnings, 3 for status, 4 for information, 9 for debugging, 10 for debugging with flush.
For example, use /logl:3 to specify status level logging.
Default if omitted: Informational level logging is performed.
/ctf CreateTagFiles=1
Use this option to cause a file named #TBTAG# in the root of any copied or restored
partition with information about what program was used and when it was restored or
copied. Note that if this option was enabled during a restore or copy then later backed
up and restored with tagging disabled, the old tag file remains on the partition. In other
words, with this option off, it doesn't delete tag files on restored or copied partitions.
Default if omitted: No tag file is created.
/of:8 OFlags=8
Setting this bit oriented option to 8 will cause single partition and multiple partition
backups created to have the "restore first track" and "write standard mbr code" options
restricted. This is not an option for normal use.
Default if omitted: No restrictions are set.
/exo ExtOpen=1
Tells Image for DOS to try using the Extended DOS Open function. The Extended DOS
Open function allows DOS to work with files up to 4GiB instead of 2GiB, however it is not
supported correctly in all the DOS versions nor when accessing network drives.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not use the Extended DOS Open function.
/lowmem LowMem=1
Tells Image for DOS to use smaller buffers. This allows use of Image for DOS in a
system with as low as 4MiB of RAM provided the "File (OS)" option is used for accessing
the image file. Otherwise 16MiB+ is still required.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will require 16MiB or more of memory.
/relax:n RelaxedMatching=n
Use this option when performing a differential or incremental backup to instruct Image
for DOS to relax some of the criteria it uses to determine the drive you used as the
source during the corresponding full backup. This option has no effect during full backup
operations. Use one of the following values in place of n:
1 – Enable relaxed criteria. Disk signature must match.
/quit N/A
Use this option to cancel any operation before it occurs. Anything prior to the operation
beginning still occurs. This is useful for processing a global command line option without
bringing up the user interface. Image for DOS will return 1 if no error. Otherwise, an error
code for the failure will be returned.
Default if omitted: The operation is not canceled.
/po:n PerfOpt=n
This option is used to manually control various file IO options of Image for DOS. The
settings can have an impact on the overall performance. The values for n can be as
follows and combined using addition:
32 Use smallest alignment
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the values as it sees fit.
/bgp BGProgress=1
Use this option to enable updating the progress and elapsed time in the background.
When you enable background updating, Image for DOS can update the elapsed time
even if the program is waiting for a device to respond.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS updates the progress and elapsed time directly, rather
than in the background. (This is the default behavior because some systems lock up
when background updating is enabled.)
/npata NoPATA=1
Use this option to prevent Image for DOS from directly accessing PATA controllers.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS can access PATA controllers.
/nsata NoSATA=1
Use this option to prevent Image for DOS from directly accessing SATA controllers.
Use this option if you are experiencing system hangs or drive access problems when
using Image for DOS. These issues arise when Image for DOS cannot match a SATA
drive to a BIOS drive and defaults to using the BIOS drive. When Image for DOS
accesses the BIOS drive, the BIOS will hang the system until it times out (if ever). While
the ShareSATA=1 option (as explained below) would allow a BIOS to share the devices,
you might still find it necessary to use this option to disable low level SATA support
altogether. Disabling this option only affects access of SATA CD/DVD drives; the hard
drives would continue to be accessible via the BIOS.
/ssata ShareSATA=n
This option determines how Image for DOS uses the SATA AHCI controller. The valid
values for n are:
0 – Image for DOS takes control of the controller.
1 – Image for DOS employs a minimally evasive method of accessing the controller.
2 – Command Line Only – Use method one but do not force BIOS (direct).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS takes control of the controller.
/sataign:n SATAIgnoreMask=n
Use this option to prevent access to certain SATA AHCI host controllers. To ignore the
first SATA controller, use /sataign:1, and to hide the second SATA controller, use
/sataign:2. To hide the third SATA controller, use /sataign:4. To hide both the first and
second SATA controllers, use /sataign:3.
Note: Use a basic Bit Mask numbering scheme.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS takes control of all SATA AHCI host controllers.
/cata:0 CheckATA=0
Instructs Image for DOS to honor the BIOS interface and not check the ATA interface
even if the BIOS reports a drive as being a SATA device instead of ATA.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS checks the ATA interface even when the BIOS reports
the drive as SATA.
/csata:0 CheckSATA=0
Instructs Image for DOS to honor the BIOS interface and not check the SATA interface
even if the BIOS reports a drive as being an ATA device instead of SATA.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS checks the SATA interface even when the BIOS
reports the drive as ATA.
/bmbrm:0 BIOSMBRM=0
Use this option to disable the special matching routine Image for DOS will use if the
system BIOS doesn’t provide a method for Image for DOS to match SATA drives to
BIOS drives. This option is only useful if SATA support is enabled.
Default if omitted: A special matching routine is used when needed.
/atapidma:n AtapiDMA=n
Use this option to have Image for DOS use a higher performance method of accessing
ATAPI devices. Examples of ATAPI-type devices include CD and DVD drives. The
assigned value (n) determines the controller to which this setting applies:
1 – PATA
2 – SATA
/pataq:n PATAIRQ=n
Use this option to control drive IRQ options. It may be useful if you find that the BIOS
option of accessing (PATA) hard drives hangs after using BIOS (direct) or CD/DVD
drives. The value of n is a bitmask which has the following meanings:
0 – No change
1 – Disable device IRQ Generation when IFD starts command
2 – Enable device IRQ Generation when IFD starts command
4 – Disable device IRQ Generation when IFD completes command
8 – Enable device IRQ Generation when IFD completes command
Valid combinations: 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10.
Useful combinations: 6 or 9
Default if omitted: No change.
/biosata BIOSATA=1
If you don’t supply any modifier for the hard drive via the command line, this option tells
Image for DOS to use the BIOS (Direct) access method. In this mode, Image for DOS
detects the source and target drives using the system BIOS, but then Image for DOS
bypasses the BIOS and accesses them directly. Using this option might improve
performance on some systems.
Default if omitted: If you don’t supply any modifier for the hard drive, Image for DOS
uses the BIOS access mode, which permits the system bios to both detect and access
the source and target drives.
/tz:AAAnBBB TimeZone=AAAnBBB
This option sets the time zone that Image for DOS uses. When you save images to
NTFS partitions or CD/DVD discs, using the correct time zone will ensure that the
date/time stamps of the image files will be correct when they are viewed within Windows.
AAA and BBB are three letters you supply to represent the time zone. The characters
don’t mean anything to Image for DOS and are for your use.
n is a number that indicates the offset from UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), and may
be either positive or negative.
For example, you might use a time zone setting such as PST8PDT or EST5EDT.
Please refer to http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=260 for more
information.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not establish a time zone.
/usblio USBLIO=1
Using this option might help in cases where you experience lockups with certain USB
2.0 devices. This option can degrade USB IO performance.
/usbco:n USBCO=n
Using this option might help in cases where you experience lockups with certain USB
2.0 devices. The possible values for n are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. To help prevent lockups
with a USB device, use the value 4. For example, /usbco:4.
Default if omitted: The option is enabled as USBCO=1.
/usbcot:n USBCOT=n
When using /usbco:4 this option sets the additional wait time used by that option. The
value is given in microseconds.
Default if omitted: The option is set as USBCOT=25.
/usbeasd:n USBEASD=n
When using /usbco:1 this option sets the internal delay loop used in microseconds.
Default if omitted: The option is set as USBEASD=1.
/usbign:n USBIgnoreMask=n
Use this option to hide certain USB host controllers. For example, if you have a USB
keyboard, Image for DOS might disable the keyboard when it takes control of the USB2
host controller. Using this option, you can hide the host controller of that USB keyboard
and attach the USB keyboard to a different controller. It usually takes some
experimentation to determine which controller to hide, but the two USB ports next to
each other are usually controlled by the same host controller. To hide the first USB
controller, use /usbign:1, and to hide the second USB controller, use /usbign:2. To hide
the third USB controller, use /usbign:4. To hide both the first and second USB
controllers, use /usbign:3.
Note: Use a basic Bit Mask numbering scheme.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS takes control of all detected USB2 host controllers.
/cbs:0 ClearBootStatus=0
Use this option to prevent Image for DOS from forcing Windows to assume a clean
shutdown on Windows 2008 R2/Vista and Windows 7/8.x/10. This applies to copy and
restore only.
Default if omitted: Windows 2008 R2/Vista and Windows 7/8.x/10 boot status is cleared.
/phc:n PageHiberClear=n
This option is used to control how the default page file (pagefile.sys), swap file
(swapfile.sys), and hibernation file (hiberfil.sys) are treated after being restored
or copied when they have been omitted from the backup/copy. The values are bit based
and can be one of the following values or a combination of the following values added
together:
1 – Clear first 4096 bytes of the page file.
/uggs:0 UseGlobalGeoSettings=0
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter to disable the use of the global geometry settings for this individual
drive. This applies to interactive use of global geometry settings.
Default if omitted: Global geometry settings apply to the drive.
/npt NoPartTable=0x10000
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to treat the selected drive as a drive that
doesn’t use a partition table. If you use this option on the command line, you must place
it before the /d option. It stays in effect until you disable it using /npt:0. You may want to
disable this option if you use additional options to select a device/partition such as the
/f:0@0x1:\filename option. Note that the .ini file value is not used on command-line
based operations.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS treats the selected drive as a drive that uses a partition
table.
/anpt AssumeNoPartTable=0x40000
Place under the [HDx] section
/nptrm NPTOptRemMedOnly=0x80000
Goes under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to apply the npt or anpt options on removable
media only. If you use this option on the command line, you must place it before the
device is specified. Note that the .ini file value is not used on command-line based
operations.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS applies the npt or anpt option to all drives..
/geodis GlobalGeoDisable=1
Use this to disable the global geometry settings and revert to using program defaults or
drive specific overrides equivalent to versions prior to 2.52. This option only applies to
interactive sessions; it does not apply to command line restores.
Default if omitted: Global geometry options are not disabled.
/geoah GlobalGeoAlignHS=1
When this option is enabled Image for DOS will prevent problems with unaligned
partitions being restored to systems with BIOS Auto Mode enabled. Many newer
systems use auto mode by default, and some even don't have an option to turn it off.
This is equivalent to enabling the individual overrides Align MBR Ending HS and Align
MBR HS when Truncated. This option only applies to interactive sessions; it does not
apply to command line restores. To disable use /geoah:0
Default if omitted: This option is enabled.
/geoa2k GlobalGeoAlign2K=1
This option provides a convenient way to enable 1MiB partition alignment for all drives
(drives with 512 byte sectors will be aligned on 2048 sectors; drives with 4096 byte
sectors will be aligned on 256 sectors). This is popular with users of SSD type drives. It
is the equivalent to enabling the individual overrides Align on 1MiB Boundaries, Align
MBR Ending HS, Align MBR HS when Truncated, and disabling Align on End. This
option only applies to interactive sessions; it does not apply to command line restores.
Default if omitted: This option is disabled.
/geoav:n GlobalGeoAlignVal=n
This option allows you to specify a custom partition alignment value for all drives. For
example, to align partitions on 2MiB boundaries, use /geoav:2M or
GlobalGeoAlignVal=2M. Invalid sizes will be ignored. This option overrides the other
interactive alignment options. This option only applies to interactive sessions; it does not
/geombr GlobalGeoMBRGeo=1
This option is used to prevent problems where users restore an image from another
system to a drive that will be put back in the other system. For example, the hard drive
from PC-A is backed up; PC-B is used to restore to a new hard; that new drive is placed
back in PC-A. Without this option enabled, Image for DOS would setup the partition to
properly boot on the hard drive for PC-B which can sometimes (not always) be a
problem when the hard drive is going back to PC-A. This option solves that and is
equivalent to the individual Use MBR Geometry override. This option only applies to
interactive sessions; it does not apply to command line restores.
Default if omitted: This option is disabled.
/geombrv GlobalGeoMBRGeoValidate=1
This option is used to ensure that the geometry from the MBR on the original system is
aligned to known standards before accepting it for use. It only applies when /gemombr
(GlobalGeoMBRGeo) is enabled. This option only applies to interactive sessions; it
does not apply to command line restores. To disable use /geombrv:0
Default if omitted: This option is enabled.
/geoorg GlobalGeoOrgGeo=1
This option is the global equivalent to the individual Use Original Geometry override.
This option only applies to interactive sessions; it does not apply to command line
restores.
Default if omitted: This option is disabled.
/nos:size NoScale=size
This option offers a way to prevent scaling of small partitions when scaling to a larger
drive. Partitions that are size (in bytes) or smaller will not be scaled. For example:
200m would not scale partitions that are 200MiB or smaller. Note that the .ini file value
is not used on command-line based operations.
Default if omitted: All partitions are scaled when scaling is used.
/uhci:1 UHCI=1
Enables supports for most built-in USB 1.1 controllers (typically found on older
computers).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not recognize UHCI USB1.1 controllers.
/ue N/A
This option instructs Image for DOS to pull both global and operation options from the
IFD environment variable. You must specify this option before the operation parameter
on the command line. For example, if creating a backup: image /ue /b …
/u N/A
Use this option to cause Image for DOS to not display the completion message on
success of the operation. A message will still be displayed if success with bad sectors or
an error occurred. This allows the rest of the user interactive prompts to continue to work
normally whereas with /uy or /un they would be auto-answered.
Default if omitted: The completion message will be displayed on success.
/un N/A
Use this parameter to perform an unattended backup and tell Image for DOS to assume
the answer to all Yes/No prompts is No and the answer to all OK/Cancel messages is
Cancel. Image for DOS then aborts the backup process when the first Yes/No prompt
appears.
Place this option just after the action parameter (/b /r /v) to ensure this parameter is in
effect for prompts that may occur in other command line options.
This option is disabled when additional media is needed (file not found) and /um is not
specified.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not run an unattended backup.
/uy N/A
Use this parameter to perform an unattended backup and tell Image for DOS to assume
the answer to all Yes/No prompts is Yes and the answer to all OK/Cancel messages is
OK.
Place this option just after the action parameter (/b /r /v) to ensure this parameter is in
effect for prompts that may occur in other command line options.
This option is disabled when additional media is needed (file not found) and /um is not
specified.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not run an unattended backup.
/ui N/A
Use this parameter when performing an unattended backup to tell Image for DOS to
assume the answer to all Abort/Retry/Ignore prompts is Ignore. Use this parameter in
conjunction with uy or un.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS assumes the answer to all Abort/Retry/Ignore prompts
is either Yes or No, depending on whether you set uy or un.
/um N/A
During an unattended backup using CD/DVD discs, use this parameter to tell Image for
DOS to ignore the first request for media. This option helps you start the backup if you
have already inserted a disc and a prompt appears asking for the disc. This option works
only for the first prompt—you need to respond to other prompts for media unless you
/up N/A
Use this parameter when performing an unattended backup to tell Image for DOS to not
prompt for a password if one is needed and not provided or is provided and is incorrect.
Instead, the program will just exit with an error code.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will prompt for a password if one is needed.
/asr:0 AutoScaleRestrict=0
Use this option to prevent small partitions from being automatically scaled when
restoring or copying a full drive. All partitions will be scaled normally (per scaling option
selected) to fit the destination drive unless a minimum size is specified using the /nos
option.
Default if omitted: Partitions with a size of 15GiB or 1/8 the drive size (whichever is less)
or smaller will not be scaled when restoring a full drive image or copying a full drive. This
provides an automatic method to avoid scaling system reserved, recovery, and utility
partitions to larger sizes when upgrading to a larger drive.
/aubp:0 AutoUpdateBootPart=0
Use this option to prevent Image for DOS from automatically updating the boot partition
when a full drive image is restored or a drive is copied.
Default if omitted: The boot partition (including an EFI system partition) will automatically
be updated when a full drive image is restored or a drive is copied.
/sar:0 SearchOnAutoRestore=0
When performing an automatic restore, limits Image for DOS to using the drive number
of the backed up drive to determine the destination drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will search for the destination drive when performing
an automatic restore (virtual drives will not be searched). The search includes checking
the disk signature or GUID, drive size, and empty drives. If a match isn’t found the drive
number of the backed up drive will be used.
/odid OutputDiskID=1
Use this option to enable command line output and relevant log entries to use the Disk
ID (NT Signature or GUID) instead of drive numbers where the drive has an ID and the
ID is unique. Specifying the Disk ID instead of the drive number may be more stable
(especially for setup of scheduling backups) on systems where the drive order may
/ca CompletionAlarm=1
Use this option to enable an audible alarm upon completion of an operation, errors, or
when user interaction is required (insert media, etc.).
Default if omitted: The alarm will not be used.
/cr:0 CacheResize=0
Use this option to disable using a cache to reduce the time required to resize a partition.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use a cache to speed up resizing a partition.
/dwdl:0 DisableWinDL=0
Use this option to disable searching for Windows drive letters when using the Simple
Operations mode of Image for DOS. Drive letters will not be displayed when selecting a
drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will search for the drive letter mapping of the first
Windows installation found.
/eoo EjectOpticalOnly=1
Use this option to have Image for DOS only eject optical media. Other types of
removable media will not be ejected when another media is required. This option applies
only when the /noej (NoEject=1) option is not used.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will eject both optical and other removable media as
required.
/simple Simple=1
Use this option to enable the Simple Operations mode. Image for DOS will automatically
handle most options for you. For example, to back up a drive you simply choose which
physical drive you want to back up and, if needed, which drive you want to save to.
Backups are saved to a store on the destination drive (e.g. \TeraByte_TBI_Backups).
The storage area is maintained automatically with backups being deleted as needed
when space runs out.
Only Backup, Restore, Validate, and Copy operations are available in this mode. When
using the command line only backing up is supported.
To use Simple Operations mode when backing up from the command line, use the /d
parameter to specify the drive to back up and, optionally, use the /f parameter to specify
the storage drive path (must be root path and use direct access, not a drive letter). Do
/mi:n MaxIncrementals=n
Use this option to specify the maximum number of incremental backups in each chain
when using Simple Operations mode (/simple). When the specified number is reached a
new chain will be started.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS limits each chain to six incremental backups.
/ict IncrementalChainThreshold=1
When creating an incremental backup, this option specifies the maximum number of
images that can exist in the chain before Image for DOS will warn you to consolidate the
chain or start a new one. The warning is displayed on the Summary screen and in the
log file.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will warn if the new incremental image depends on
more than 30 images.
/ddm DisableDepMatch=1
Use this option to disable searching for dependent image files when deleting images.
For example, if you have a full image and four incrementals and you select to delete the
full image, by default, Image for DOS will also delete the four incrementals since they
are dependent on the full being deleted. If this option is used, Image for DOS would just
delete the full image.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will search for dependent image files when deleting
images.
/ds DisableSettings=1
Use this option to disable access to global settings within the program. The Settings
button will be removed or the Settings key will be disabled (depending on the interface
used).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will allow normal access to global settings within the
program.
/bcl:n BackwardsCompatibleLevel=n
Use this option to specify the TBI file version to use when creating a backup using the
/bc (BackwardsCompatible) option. Valid values are 0 (version 2.50) and 278 – 299
(versions 2.78 through 2.99). Any value lower than 278 is considered 0.
Default if omitted: When /bc (BackwardsCompatible) is used, Image for DOS will create
the backup using the 2.50 TBI file version.
/iocf:0 IOCacheFlags=0
Use this option to configure when to use small cache I/O for accessing the main image
files. The values are bit based and can be one of the following values or a combination
of the following values added together:
0 – Disabled
1 – Read File
2 – Write File
For example, to use a small cache for reading and writing the main image files, use the
value 3 (/iocf:3).
This option can be useful in cases where Image for DOS is slower than previous
versions or there are I/O errors due to too large an I/O request (e.g. buggy hardware).
Actual speed differences may be negligible and depend on the system being used.
Users accessing RAID 0 or RAID 5 drives may see a benefit from not using the small
cache (/iocf:0).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use 1 (a small cache will be used for reading the
main image files).
/fddc:n FDDevCache=n
Use this option to configure cache settings used for file direct access. The values are bit
based and can be one of the following values or a combination of the following values
added together:
0 – Disabled
1 – Enable Device cache
2 – Enable lazy write
4 – User larger cache
For example, to use the device cache and lazy writes, use the value 3 (/fddc:3).
Depending on the system, this option may decrease the time required to perform
operations that use file direct access.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use 1 (device cache enabled).
/tsecs:n ThrottleSeconds=n
Specifies the number of seconds over which to send the /tmbps value. Valid values for n
range from 1 to 1800 (30 minutes).
This option only applies if /tmbps (ThrottleMbps) is used. See /tmbps for examples.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use 1 for the option value.
/tintv:n ThrottleIntervals=n
Specifies the number of intervals for the /tsecs option. Valid values for n range from 1 to
1000.
This option only applies if /tmbps (ThrottleMbps) is used. See /tmbps for examples.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use 1 for the option value.
/csigut ChangeSigUseTarget=1
Use this option to retain the existing signature of the target disk when restoring or
copying a drive and /csig is used. For example, this is useful when scheduling a drive
copy where /csig is used and you need to specify the target disk by its signature (drive
number not used since it could change).
Default if omitted: When /csig is used the target disk signature will not be retained.
/stdout:filename N/A
Use this option to redirect program output that would normally be displayed in the
console to the specified file. For example:
image /l /d:0 /stdout:output.txt
The output from the /l operation will be saved to the file output.txt.
/alm AutoLoadMedia=1
Use this option to allow Image for DOS to continue automatically after a removable
media change (CD/DVD, UFD, etc.). When a media change is required a prompt will be
displayed until the new media is detected, at which time the operation will continue (user
input is not required). If necessary, the operation can be canceled when the prompt is
displayed by using the Cancel button.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will require user input to continue when it prompts for a
media change.
/cdf CDCloseOptions=1
You can use this option when saving images to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). Forces media
to be finalized when closed. No further writing to disc is allowed.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not finalize the disc when closed.
/vblba VolBPBLBA=1
Specify this option to use the actual LBA in a volume’s BPB instead of the L-LBA (LBA
offset from the EBR) of the volume.
Default if omitted: The volume’s L-LBA will be used in the volume’s BPB.
/wcoa WCOAvail=1
Assumes the /wco (WriteChangedSecsOnly) is okay to use when the device cannot be
communicated with.
Default if omitted: Assume /wco is not okay to use unless the drive reports otherwise.
/imdsf IgnoreMDSpecialFiles=1
Use this option to prevent special processing of certain files when using metadata.
Certain known files may be updated or changed without updates to the file’s metadata
and are considered changed regardless of the metadata. This option disables that
special processing which means the metadata is relied upon for changes.
Users can add user defined special files to consider changed regardless of the metadata
by using a section in the INI file named [mdspecialfiles]. The entries in the INI file
use the normal var=data layout; however, only the data is used to specify the files.
The var name to the left of the equals character must exist, but its name doesn't matter.
The files provided can include normal wildcard characters (* or ?). In addition, the path
can use the * wildcard to include any named subdirectory.
Example:
[mdspecialfiles]
File1=\Data\*
File2=\Users\*\Documents\Key*
File1 one will treat all files in the \Data directory as special. File2 will treat all files that
begin with “Key” in any user’s Documents folder as special.
/vba:n ValidateB4BAdjust=n
When enabled, if the source drive does not support DRAT (or equivalent) and the /vb
option (Validate Byte-for-Byte) is specified, it is changed to /v (normal validation) to
prevent a byte-for-byte validation failure that would occur if the drive returned
inconsistent data.
Valid values for n are:
0 – Disable
1 – Enable for Simple Operations
2 – Enable for all
Default if omitted: Value 1 is used (enable for Simple Operations).
/mdudd MDUseDirData=1
Use this option to have Image for DOS look at the full contents of directories to calculate
the metadata hash. This can prevent validate byte-for-byte errors due to normal and safe
changes in the directory area, but requires more processing gathering information. When
creating the metadata hash it will be built in the mode indicated by this option. If you use
a hash file created in a different mode than the current setting, all directories are
considered changed (will be backed up or restored).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not look at the full contents of directories to
calculate the metadata hash.
/efdc:0 ExFileDevCache=0
Disables using a cache when processing exclude files. Use this option if the system runs
out of memory during the exclusion phase of a backup operation.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use a cache when processing exclude files.
/usnrf:0 USNRollBackFix=0
Disables any attempt at notifying Windows Active Directory that the system has been
restored.
Default if omitted: Attempts to notify Windows Active Directory that the system has been
restored.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
is available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an
INI file, place these parameters in the [Backup_Defaults] section.
/d N/A
Use when performing a full backup to identify the source hard drive and partition. For
most users, the partition ID will be a number from 1 through 4. For partition IDs of 9 or
below, you can use a single digit in place of hexadecimal notation (e.g. 1 is equivalent to
0x1, and 5 is equivalent to 0x5).
The volume ID will be a number formatted as 0xPVV, where P is the extended partition
and VV is the volume number in hexadecimal from 01 to FF.
If you are not sure what the partition or volume ID is, run Image for DOS using the
interface, choose the Backup option, and click Next. The screen that lists the partitions
and volumes also will display the ID in parentheses as a hexadecimal number. You
should prefix that number with a 0x on the command line.
/d:d@p d is the source hard drive number
/d:bd@p
p is the source partition or volume ID (hex
/d:ad@p
or decimal notation), depending on
/d:ud@p
whether you are referring to a partition or
/d:fd@p
a volume.
/d:sd@p
/d:od@p # – NT Disk Signature Follows
/d:#ntsig {GUID} – GPT Disk GUID
/d:{GUID}
You can use device modifiers as needed.
When you use them, you must place
them after the /d: and before the source
hard drive number:
b – BIOS access method
d – BIOS (Direct) access method
a – ATA/ATAPI access method
u – USB device
f – IEEE 1394 device
s – Use ASPI
v – Virtual drive
The /d option cannot be used with the
/base option.
/f N/A
Use this option to specify the target drive letter, path, and file name for a backup file.
The above options are required when you perform a backup using Image for DOS
from the command line. In Table 3, you find a list of the optional backup parameters
you can use when you run Image for DOS from the command line.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the options are available; in other cases, only one is
/sch:“path” N/A
Use this parameter to specify the search paths Image for DOS uses when looking for
base images in the backup chain. path can use the d@p:\path format to specify the drive
and partition id.
This option can be used multiple times to specify multiple search paths (e.g. when the
images in the backup chain are not all stored in the same folder).
Examples (commands should be on one line):
image /b /v /hash /base:"E:\Backups\Win8System - Inc C"
/f:"E:\Backups\Win8System - Inc D" /sch:"E:\Backups"
/sch:"E:\Backups\Archive"
image /b /v /hash /base:"b1@0x2:\Images\WinXP Drive - Inc D"
/f:"b1@0x2:\Images\WinXP Drive - Inc E" /sch:"b1@0x2:\Images"
/sch:"b1@0x2:\Images\Full"
Default if omitted: Image for DOS searches only the folder of the specified image for
base images in the backup chain.
/te TermEmulation=1
Instructs Image for DOS to terminate floppy emulation mode after booting from a CD or
DVD. This can help rectify certain compatibility issues caused by floppy emulation, but if
you use te, the virtual floppy diskette drive will be unavailable while Image for DOS is
running.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS doesn’t terminate BIOS (EL Torito) floppy emulation
mode.
/bc BackwardsCompatible=1
Current versions of Image for DOS may use a TBI format that is not compatible with
prior versions. Enable this option to have Image for DOS create the TBI file using a
format that is compatible with version 2.50. If desired, also use /bcl
(BackwardsCompatibleLevel) to specify a more current file version.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the current TBI format.
/md MakeDir=1
This option causes Image for DOS to always create the target path if doesn't exist.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS doesn't attempt to create the target path.
/mp MultiPass=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use Multi Pass mode when creating a
differential or incremental backup. In Multi Pass mode, Image for DOS compares the
source partition against the full backup in one pass and performs the backup in a second
pass. This setting is not applicable when performing a full backup. This option must be
used if the applicable full backup resides on removable media.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses Single Pass mode, identifying changes and
backing up in one pass.
/cdws:n CDWriteSpeed=n
Use this setting to specify the maximum disc writing speed that Image for DOS will use
when burning to disc media (CD/DVD/BD) and force a lower writing speed than that
automatically used by the optical drive’s firmware. Slower writing speeds may increase
reliability.
n should be a positive integer (e.g. 2, 4, 16, etc.).
The maximum writing speed that Image for DOS actually uses is determined by
whichever is lower: The /cdws:n value you specify or the speed deemed appropriate by
the drive’s firmware, according to the disc media in use. For example, if you are using
media that is rated at 8X for burning, the maximum writing speed will be no more than
/raw RawMode=1
Set this parameter to force Image for DOS to use raw mode, which backs up all sectors,
rather than just used sectors, even for recognized file systems.
For entire drive backups this option causes a raw sector by sector backup (and later
restore) of the entire drive without regard to any partitions or adjustments.
Note: This option is not applicable when creating a differential or incremental backup.
Instead, the new backup will use the setting as specified when the base image was
created.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS backs up only used sectors backed up for recognized
file systems and uses raw mode automatically for unrecognized file systems.
/skp:0 SkipPageFile=0
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to include the contents of the page files
(pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys) in the backup.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not include the contents of the page files in the
backup.
/skh:0 SkipHiberFile=0
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to include the contents of the hibernation
file (hiberfil.sys) in the backup.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not include the contents of the hibernation file in
/v PostValidate=1
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to perform a standard validation of the
image file(s) as part of the backup operation.
To set the INI value, use PostValidate=1
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not validate the backup image after creating it.
/vb PostValidate=2
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to perform a byte-for-byte validation of the
image file(s) as part of the backup operation. This also performs a standard validation.
To set the INI value, use PostValidate=2
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not validate the backup image after creating it.
/ivbe IgnoreB4BError=1
Use this option to ignore byte-for-byte validation errors. The backup operation will
continue instead of aborting (errors will still be logged).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will abort the backup operation if a byte-for-byte
validation error is encountered.
/vpd ValidateDisk=1
You can use this option when saving images to a CD or DVD drive. This option ensures
that the discs containing image files are readable and verifies that the data on the discs
appears to be the same as the data that Image for DOS used to create the discs. Per-
disc validation can detect media errors that may have occurred during the disc writing
process. If Image for DOS detects an error, Image for DOS will prompt you to recreate
the failed disc.
Default if omitted: If you do not enable this option, Image for DOS will notify you of errors
only after the backup process completes, and you will need to recreate all discs in the
backup.
/ldu LimitDiscUsage=1
You can use this option when saving images to a CD or DVD drive. This option leaves
the last 10% of the disc unused which tends to encounter more data errors.
Default if omitted: If you do not enable this option, Image for DOS will use the entire disc.
/comp:n Compression=n
Specifies how Image for DOS should compress backup files as they are created. Valid
values for n are 0 through 15. The equivalent n values for the GUI compression options
are as follows:
0 – None
1 – Standard
2 – Enhanced Size - A
/noej NoEject=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS never to automatically open the optical drive
tray.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will automatically open the optical drive tray whenever
a new disc is needed and at the completion of the backup operation.
/cdrs:n CDReadSpeed=n
Use this setting to specify the maximum disc reading speed that Image for DOS will use
when reading disc media (CD/DVD/BD) during the validation phase of a backup
operation, with n being a positive integer (e.g. 2, 4, 16, etc.). This setting may be used to
force a lower reading speed than that automatically used by the optical drive’s firmware.
Slower reading speeds may increase reliability.
n should be a positive integer (e.g. 2, 4, 16, etc.).
/iobs:n IOBS=n
Include this option to try to improve I/O performance in cases where network or USB
device performance is poor. Provide n as the letter A to automatically try to determine
the best value, otherwise try a value such as 1, 2, or 3.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not use this option.
/err AllowErrors=1
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to ignore read/write errors caused by bad sectors
on the source drive during the backup operation. Image for DOS will also ignore errors
during the validation phase. This parameter does not apply to bad sectors on the target
drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will notify you concerning the error and give you the
option to continue or abort.
/mf N/A
Instructs Image for DOS to use Multiple File Set mode. Select this option to create a
backup that is comprised of one image for every individual partition that you back up.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses Single File Set mode and creates a single
image, regardless of the number of individual partitions you back up.
/desc:mydescription N/A
Use this option to specify the descriptive text you want Image for DOS to associate with
the backup, up to 511 characters (note that command line length limits may not allow a
maximum length description). If your descriptive text includes spaces, surround it with
quotation marks: /desc:“my description”
Default if omitted: Image for DOS doesn’t add any descriptive text.
/purge:n Purge=n
Use this option to delete image files that are n days old or older. You can think of it as
the number of days to retain images. It’s only used during a command line backup and
/filetpl:"filename" FileTemplate=filename
Sets the default file name offered during interactive use of the program during backup
operations.
Default if omitted: The program uses a name that includes the date.
/hash CreateHash=1
Use this option to have Image for DOS create a hash file to speed up creating a
Changes Only (differential or incremental) backup. This option is only available when
creating an image that is not being saved to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). By default, this
option is also ignored if the /bc (BackwardsCompatible) option is enabled. The hash file
will be limited to the max file size and have the same file name as the backup with an
extension starting at .#0 followed by .#1, .#2, etc. as needed. The actual speed increase
realized when creating an image will vary depending on the system. If the hash file is
deleted the backup will proceed as normal without it.
This option can also be used to create a hash file for an existing image. For example:
/hash /f:"e:\backups\win7full.tbi"
Note: When creating a backup, this option will also create a special-use file with the .#_#
extension. When using the command line, this file can be used in place of the .TBI base
image, which may be located elsewhere (e.g. ftp, offsite), along with the hash file to
create a changes-only backup.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not create the hash file during a backup
operation.
/usemd UseMetaData=1
Use this option to have Image for DOS create a hash file from the file system metadata
to speed up creating a Changes Only (differential or incremental) backup. This option is
only supported for NTFS partitions and relies on file system metadata to determine what
gets backed up. Using this option in conjunction with Create Sector Hash Files can
greatly decrease the time required to create the backup. This option is not supported
when creating an image that is being saved to disc media (CD/DVD/BD). By default, this
option is also ignored if the Backwards Compatible option is enabled. The hash file will
be limited to the max file size and have the same file name as the backup with an
extension starting at .@0 followed by .@1, .@2, etc. as needed. If the hash file is
deleted the backup will proceed as normal without it.
NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on backup and
restore operations.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not create the metadata hash file during a
backup operation.
/exlist=filename N/A
IMPORTANT NOTE: This option is used at your own risk. Please make sure to create
standard backups of important data.
This option allows you to specify a file which contains a list of paths and/or files to
exclude from the backup image. The file must be ANSI text and located on the local file
system. FAT, FAT32, and NTFS file systems are supported (the option will be ignored
for other file systems).
The data of the excluded files is essentially compressed to zero. When restored, the files
will either be deleted or truncated (depending on the options selected). Note that even
though excluded, the data will still affect the minimum restore size (just as if it wasn’t
excluded). Additionally, the excluded files and folders will still show up in TBIView and
TBIMount. Excluded files extracted from the image using TBIView or TBIMount will be
full of zeros. An exception to this are very small files on NTFS (the contents of those files
will be intact).
When creating a differential or incremental backup using a base full image created with
the /exlist option, the list from the base image will be used (a new list specified for the
backup will be ignored). Otherwise, the specified exclusion list will be used for the
backup.
Each line in the exclusion file should be in the following format:
[options]path >
Valid options are:
f - Exclude files only. Do not delete folders. If not specified, folders will be
deleted.
t - Truncate files instead of deleting them. Folders will not be deleted. Files
are restored with a size of zero bytes.
k - Keep the base folder (instead of deleting it) when recursion is used and the
entire contents are excluded.
The path can be complete to exclude a specific folder (e.g. \Games) or you can use
wildcards (*, ?) to specify matching files. When excluding a folder, use a trailing
backslash ( \ ) to indicate a folder is specified (otherwise, a search will be made for
matching files). Do not surround the path with quotes even if it includes spaces. Do not
specify a drive letter.
To also exclude files from subdirectories (apply recursion), include the > (greater than)
character after the path.
Examples:
[t]*.jpg - exclude all *.jpg files in the root folder, files will be truncated
/log:0 SaveLog=0
Disables logging.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS logs during a backup operation.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
is available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an
INI file, place these parameters in the [Restore_Defaults] section, unless as noted
otherwise.
/d N/A
Use when restoring a backup to identify the target hard drive and partition. Image for
DOS will restore the image to the same hard drive number and physical location on the
drive that you backed up unless you override this setting.
If the target partition was a volume and no extended partition now exists at the original
location, Image for DOS will attempt to create the original extended partition. If Image for
DOS cannot create the extended partition, Image for DOS will restore the image as a
/f N/A
Use this option to specify the target drive letter, path, and file name for a backup file.
/f:x:\filename x:\ is target drive letter
/f:x:\mypath\filename mypath or my path is path to filename
/f:”x:\my path\file name" filename is target file name for image
Or: Or:
/f:d@p:\filename Specify target device, partition, path, and
file name:
/f:d@p:\mypath\filename
d is target hard drive number
/f:"d@p:\my path\filename”
p is target partition ID (hex or decimal
/f:#ntsig@p:\mypath\filename
notation)
The above options are required when you restore a backup using Image for DOS
from the command line. In Table 5, you find a list of the optional restore parameters
you can use when you run Image for DOS from the command line.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the options are available; in other cases, only one is
available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an INI
file, place these parameters in the [Restore_Defaults] section, unless as noted
otherwise.
/clr N/A
/rb:n N/A
Use this option to specify what Image for DOS should do after restoring an image. The
value n can be one of the following:
0 – No reboot
1 – Reboot with all prompts
2 – Reboot with completion message, but without reboot message (error does not
cancel reboot)
4 – Reboot without completion message or reboot message (error cancels reboot)
8 – Shutdown
64 – Exit program
Default if omitted: Image for DOS attempts to determine if the computer needs to be
rebooted after restoring and, if so, prompts you to reboot.
/sp:p N/A
Use this option to specify an individual partition ID to restore from a full backup. p is the
source partition ID (in hex or decimal notation).
Default if omitted: If you supply a backup of an entire hard drive as the source for
restoring, Image for DOS will restore all partitions contained in the backup.
/sig ReplaceNTSig=1
This option applies when you restore a partition that had been assigned a drive letter
within Windows prior to being backed up. If you select this option, Image for DOS will
restore the disk signature associated with the source partition. If you are restoring a
partition that had been assigned a drive letter in Windows and you wish to keep that
drive letter assignment, select this option.
Note: The source Windows drive letter assignment will only be kept if it was previously
assigned on the Windows system where the restored partition is used and the drive
letter is not currently in use by another partition.
Note: The disk GUID of a target GPT drive will not be changed.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use the disk signature already present in the MBR
of the target drive; if none exists, Image for DOS will create one if necessary.
/csig ChangeDiskSigGUIDs=1
When performing full drive restores, this option allows you to change the NT Signature
restored to the target drive. For target GPT drives, the MBR NT Signature, the GPT Disk
GUID, and the partition GUIDs will all be changed. This can be useful if you plan on
having both the original and restored hard drive in the same computer at the same time
while running Windows; otherwise Windows may detect the duplicate signature and
modify it which may (depending on the OS) prevent the restored hard drive from booting
properly.
/chgvsn ChgVolSN=1
Use this option to change the file system volume ID/serial number of restored
FAT//FAT32/NTFS/HPFS partitions and the UUID of Ext2/3/4 partitions.
Default if omitted: The file system volume ID/serial number or UUID is not changed.
/nvn:"name" NewVolumeName=name
Use this option to specify the new volume name (label) for the restored partition. If
multiple partitions are being restored they will all be set to the specified name.
For example:
image /r /d:b3@0x4 /f:"H:\mybackup" /sp:0x4 /nvn:"Win8 Copy"
Default if omitted: The volume name will not be changed from its restored value.
/ohd UseOrgHDNum=1
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to keep references to the source hard drive number
intact within the partition after Image for DOS has restored the partition to the target
drive. This option is primarily used for Linux partitions.
Default if omitted: If the target drive number differs from that of the source drive, Image
for DOS will update applicable drive references residing within the restored partition to
reflect the new hard drive number.
/a SetActive=1
Use this parameter to make the partition you restore active.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not make the restored partition active unless no
other partitions are active and the restored partition is HD0.
/t WriteMBR=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS install standard MBR code after completing
the restore operation. Standard MBR code is the code that boots the active partition.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not write standard MBR code unless the MBR is
empty.
/e UseSameMBREntry=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS move the partition table entry of the restored
partition to the same location in the master partition table as it appeared on the source
drive. Image for DOS will move the existing partition table entry to another location
rather than overwriting it.
/ms:n N/A
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS move the partition table entry of the restored
partition to a given slot in the MBR. The value n is 0 to 3. This option is only applicable
when restoring a single partition.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not move the partition table of the restored
partition.
/embrid:n N/A
This parameter is used to set a specific ID value to the restored partition if an EMBR
exists. The ID is only used if not already in use by another partition. To assume the
same ID as a partition being overwritten, use the value zero for n.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the restored partition’s original id.
/gpt N/A
Instruct Image for DOS to create a GPT on the target drive. Note that restoring first
track overrides this option. This is mainly used with the /clr option to ensure the full size
of the drive that is greater than 2TiB is accessible. You can also provide an option
/nomsr if the GPT to be created should not have a Microsoft Reserved Partition created
on it.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not create a GPT on the drive.
/rft RFT=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS restore the first track when it restores the
partition. Restoring the first track may also change the disk type (MBR/EMBR/GPT) of
the destination drive if it doesn’t match that of the source drive (the restore will abort if
the change is required and cannot be applied).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not restore the first track.
/fts:n RFTS=n
Use this option to specify how many sectors of the first track of the hard drive Image for
DOS should restore. Use 0 to indicate the entire track
Default if omitted: Image for DOS determines the number of tracks needed to restore.
/stt Scale=1
For NTFS/FAT/FAT32/EXT 2/3/4 partitions, use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to
resize each restored partition proportionally, so that each partition takes up the same
relative amount of space on the target drive as it did on the source drive. Unpartitioned
free space that existed on the source drive at the time of the backup will still exist at the
end of the target drive after Image for DOS completes the restore operation.
This option only applies when you restore an entire hard drive;
/x Expand=1
For NTFS/FAT/FAT32/EXT 2/3/4 partitions, when restoring to a target that is larger than
the source partition, use this parameter to have Image for DOS expand the partition after
completing the restore operation.
This option is equivalent to the “Scale to Fit” option for fully restoring drives.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not expand the partition, and free space will
remain after Image for DOS completes the restore operation.
/kf:n KeepFree=n
Use this parameter if you also use either /x or /stt to specify the amount of space, in
MiB, Image for DOS should leave free.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will fill the entire available area.
/m FirstFit=1
When restoring a partition, use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to choose the target
area automatically, based on the first area of available free space large enough to
accommodate the partition you want to restore.
When restoring or copying a full drive, this parameter will remove any gaps (free space)
between partitions, restoring them adjacent to each other.
Note: For Simple Operations restores using the user interface, the value of this setting
will apply.
Default if omitted: You must explicitly specify the target area when restoring a partition.
Gaps may exist between restored partitions when restoring or copying a full drive.
/last LastFit=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS place the restored partition at the top of the
last free block large enough (e.g. restore to the end of the drive). This option is valid only
when restoring a single partition and doesn’t support resizing.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will restore the partition normally toward the start of
the drive or free space area.
/cd CompactData=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS compact FAT/FAT32/NTFS partitions during
the restore so they fit into the space needed to hold the data. This is useful when
restoring to a smaller drive or partition and the source drive/partition was not compacted
beforehand.
A clean file system is required. File system errors that prevent the resize from
succeeding will result in the destination partition being deleted (the data is not usable).
For Simple Operations restores using the user interface, the value of this setting will
apply.
/usemd UseMetaData=1
If the backup image being restored has a metadata hash file you can use this option to
restore using the file system metadata of supported partitions (NTFS). Depending on the
system and the data being restored, this type of restore may be considerably faster than
a normal restore. Due to this type of restore depending on the destination partition’s file
system metadata being valid, you would use it for undoing changes and not for
recovering from file system corruption (a normal restore should be used in that case).
This option is not applicable if /mp (Multi-Pass), /cd (Compact Data), or /wipe (Wipe)
is used.
NOTE: You should only use this option if you understand its impact on restore
operations.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not use the metadata hash file during a restore
operation.
/rp:n N/A
This option is intended for use when restoring multiple partitions from a backup image
located on a recovery partition to the drive containing the recovery partition. All partitions
on the drive except the partition indicated by the ID value n will be deleted prior to the
restore. Typically this option would be used with /x /rft or /x /m /rft. Scaling of the
restored partitions will operate as if a full drive image were being restored.
This option is only supported when restoring multiple partitions and cannot be used
when restoring an entire drive image.
Due to the way this option functions and scaling is performed, placing the recovery
partition at the start of the drive is recommended. This allows easy scaling to different
size drives when restoring.
Example: A Windows drive contains the following four partitions:
ID 0x1 Recovery Partition
ID 0x2 System Reserved
ID 0x3 Windows
ID 0x4 Data
The Recovery partition contains a backup image of partitions 0x2, 0x3, and 0x4. A
restore of those partitions that would scale to a different size drive would be performed
by running the following command:
image /r /d:w0 /f:w0@0x1:\Recovery.tbi /sp:0x2,0x3,0x4 /x /rft /rp:0x1 /ubp
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not support scaling a multi-partition restore.
/v PreValidate=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS perform a standard validation on the image
file(s) before restoring them.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not validate the image files before restoring
/vb PostValidate=2
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS check that each byte from the source image
file was restored to the drive properly.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not validate the restored data.
/ivbe IgnoreB4BError=1
Use this option to ignore byte-for-byte validation errors. The restore operation will
continue instead of aborting (errors will still be logged).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will abort the restore operation if a byte-for-byte
validation error is encountered.
/sch:“path” N/A
Use this parameter to specify the search paths Image for DOS uses when looking for
base images in the backup chain. path can use the d@p:\path format to specify the drive
and partition id.
This option can be used multiple times to specify multiple search paths (e.g. when the
images in the backup chain are not all stored in the same folder).
Examples (commands should be on one line):
image /r /f:"E:\Backups\Win8System - Inc D" /sch:"E:\Backups"
/sch:"E:\Backups\Archive"
image /r /f:"b1@0x2:\Images\WinXP Drive - Inc E"
/sch:"b1@0x2:\Images" /sch:"b1@0x2:\Images\Full"
Default if omitted: Image for DOS searches only the folder of the specified image for
base images in the backup chain.
/noej NoEject=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to never automatically open the optical drive
tray.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will automatically open the optical drive tray whenever
a new disc is needed and when Image for DOS finishes restoring.
/cdrs:n CDReadSpeed=n
/iobs IOBS=1
Include this option to try to improve I/O performance in cases where network or USB
device performance is poor.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not use this option.
/err AllowErrors=1
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to ignore read/write errors caused by bad sectors
on the target drive during the restore operation. This parameter does not apply to bad
sectors on the source drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will notify you concerning the error and give you the
option to continue or abort.
/ubi UpdateBootIni=1
This option only applies if a copy of boot.ini exists in the root directory of the restored
partition. If you enable this option, Image for DOS updates all partition(n) references in
the restored partition's boot.ini file to accommodate a partition layout that differs from
that of the original drive. Image for DOS will set all partition-based entries in the
applicable boot.ini to point to the restored partition (but will not change file-based
entries). This option has no effect when doing a full drive restore.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not try to update the boot.ini file.
/ubp UpdateBootPart=1
This option updates any references to the restored partition in the active boot partition on
the target drive. This is useful for situations where the boot partition differs from the
/igpt OSIgnoresGPT=1
Use this option when restoring to a GPT drive to indicate that the operating system being
restored will not see the destination drive as GPT when booted. For example, an iMac
using BootCamp or cases where the 0xEE placeholder partition is missing from the
MBR. This option prevents Image for DOS from using GPT specific fix-up information on
the drive after the restore.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use GPT specific fix-up information on GPT drives.
/wipe Wipe=1
This option will wipe (zero-out) unused sectors in the restored partition(s) or drive,
depending on the type of restore performed.
When restoring single partitions or when restoring multiple partitions to a drive with
existing partitions, sectors located outside of the restored partition(s) are not wiped. If a
partition is resized during the restore, the wiped area for that partition is the final size of
the restored partition (not the size of the source partition).
When restoring a full drive or when restoring multiple partitions to a drive with no existing
partitions, the entire drive is wiped, including all gaps between any partitions. Using this
option provides an easy way to wipe a drive and restore in a single operation (such as
when deploying images to used systems).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not perform any wiping of unused sectors.
/mp MultiPass=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use Multi Pass mode when restoring a
differential or incremental backup. In Multi Pass mode, Image for DOS restores the full
backup in one pass and then restores the differential backup in a second pass or
incrementals in multiple passes. This setting is not applicable when restoring a full
backup. You must use this option if the applicable full backup resides on removable
media.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses Single Pass mode, restoring the full backup and
the differential backup or incremental backups in one pass.
/cds N/A
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to query all available CD/DVD/BD drives when
trying to locate the appropriate source backup.
Default if omitted: You must explicitly specify the CD/DVD/BD drive that contains the
source backup.
/mo N/A
Instructs Image for DOS to display the following message immediately upon running:
Press the <space bar> for the menu interface or wait for the restore to start...
If you press the space bar while this message appears, Image for DOS will switch to
interactive mode and wait for you to initiate the restore operation via the menu interface.
Default if omitted: The Press the <space bar>… message is not displayed and the
restore operation proceeds using the command line.
/att AlignToTarget=1
When restoring a full drive image, use this option to instruct Image for DOS to force
alignment to the target drive regardless of the alignment used on the source drive. For
example, if the /a2k option is also specified the restored drive will be aligned on 1MiB
boundaries.
When restoring a single partition, specifying this option will instruct Image for DOS to not
adjust the alignment (1MiB partition alignment will be used if the target has it already or
not if it doesn’t and a partition already exists).
Default if omitted: The alignment used on the target drive will be determined
automatically based on the source drive.
/n2ka N/A
Normally, Image for DOS will automatically use 1MiB partition alignment on command
line restores when the backup contains 1MiB aligned partitions. Use this option to
instruct Image for DOS not to automatically override normal cylinder based alignment.
If this option is disabled and Image for DOS determines that 1MiB partition alignment is
needed, then both Align2048 and AlignEndHS options are enabled for the restore.
Note: This option has been deprecated, but will remain supported for backwards
compatibility. The /att option should be used instead.
Default if omitted. Alignment is automatically determined when restoring from the
command line. When a single partition is being restored and /a2k is not used, Image for
DOS will use 1MiB partition alignment if the destination drive contains a 1MiB aligned
partition or cylinder alignment if the drive contains a partition which is not 1MiB aligned.
Otherwise, the alignment used is obtained from the image being restored.
/aoe:n AlignOnEnd=n
Place under the [HDx] section
/a2k Align2048=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align restored partitions based on 1MiB
boundaries (drives with 512 byte sectors will be aligned on 2048 sectors; drives with
4096 byte sectors will be aligned on 256 sectors).
If this option is enabled then you will normally want to enable the AlignEndHS (/ahs)
option and disable the AlignOnEnd (/aoe:0) option.
Default if omitted. Alignment is automatically determined when restoring from the
command line. When a single partition is being restored and /a2k is not used, Image for
DOS will use 1MiB partition alignment if the destination drive contains a 1MiB aligned
partition or cylinder alignment if the drive contains a partition which is not 1MiB aligned.
Otherwise, the alignment used is obtained from the image being restored.
/av:n AlignVal=n
Place under the [HDx] section
This option allows you to specify a custom partition alignment value for restored
partition(s). For example, to specify that partitions should be aligned on 2MiB
boundaries, use /av:2M or AlignVal=2M. Invalid sizes will be ignored. This option
overrides the other device alignment options.
Default if omitted. This option is not set (a custom alignment value will not be used).
/ahs AlignEndHS=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to force a restored partition’s ending head and
sector values in the MBR to match the current geometry.
Default if omitted. The actual ending head and sector values are used.
/ahst AlignHSOnTrunc=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to set a restored partition’s head and sector
values in the MBR to match the current geometry when it is located outside the range of
the current geometry.
Default if omitted. The actual ending head and sector values are used.
/mg UseMBRGeo=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Set this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use the geometry based on the MBR entry of
/mgv UseValidMBRGeoOnly=1
Place under the [HDx] section
This option is used to ensure that the geometry from the MBR on the original system is
aligned to known standards before accepting it for use. It only applies when /mg
(UseMBRGeo) is used.
Default if omitted: This option is disabled.
/og UseOrgGeo=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Set this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use the original geometry of the source drive
based on the environment used when the backup was created.
Default if omitted: The geometry of the target drive is used.
/c=n c=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /h and /s to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you restore a backup image. This parameter
specifies the last cylinder, and n is a number you supply.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the BIOS-reported values of the drive.
/h=n h=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /c and /s to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you restore a backup image. This parameter
specifies the last head, and n is a number you supply.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the BIOS-reported values of the drive.
/s=n s=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /c and /h to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you restore a backup image. This parameter
specifies the last sector, and n is a number you supply.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the BIOS-reported values of the drive.
/gc GeoCalc=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Determine how a devices' geometry is obtained or calculated.
0=Default, 1=LBA, 2=Large, 3=Normal, 4=Bit-Shift, 5=Device Bit-Shift.
Default if omitted: Default method is used.
/exlist:n ExcludeList=n
This option will override the method used when excluded files/folders are restored (the
backup image being restored must have been created with an exclusion list).
The following values for n are supported:
0 – Excluded files are restored with their actual sizes, but contain whatever data is
already on the drive (files are not wiped or zero-filled).
1 – Excluded files are deleted. Folders will not be deleted.
2 – Excluded files are truncated (files will exist, but all have a size of zero bytes).
3 – Excluded files and folders are deleted. This option does not delete base folders
specified to keep in the exclusion list.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS truncates or deletes the excluded files as specified in
the exclusion list.
/wco WriteChangedSecsOnly=1
Use this option when restoring to write only the changed sectors to the target drive
(target will be read to compare). Useful in cases where a large portion of the data is the
same and it’s desirable to reduce wear on the target drive (e.g. restoring image to SSD
drive).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will write all restored sectors normally.
/log:0 SaveLog=0
Disables logging.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS logs during a restore operation.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
is available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an
INI file, place these parameters in the [Validate_Defaults] section, unless as noted
otherwise.
/f N/A
Use this option to specify the target drive letter, path, and file name for a backup file.
/f:x:\filename x:\ is target drive letter
/f:x:\mypath\filename mypath or my path is path to filename
/f:”x:\my path\file name" filename is target file name for image
Or: Or:
/f:d@p:\filename Specify target device, partition, path, and
file name:
/f:d@p:\mypath\filename
d is target hard drive number
/f:"d@p:\my path\filename”
p is target partition ID (hex or decimal
/f:#ntsig@p:\mypath\bkup
notation)
# – NT Disk Signature Follows
{GUID} – GPT Disk GUID
mypath or my path is path to filename
filename is target file name for image
Device modifiers may be used as needed.
When used, they must be placed after the
/f: and before the target hard drive
number:
b – BIOS access method
d – BIOS (Direct) access method
a – ATA/ATAPI access method
u – USB device
f – IEEE 1394 device
s – Use ASPI
v – Virtual device
o – Optical drive (when you combine this
option with any of the options mentioned
above, this option must come last).
Whether using drive letter or
device/partition, you may specify any path
desired. Paths and/or file names with
imbedded spaces require the use of
In Table 7, you find the command line parameters that you might want to use with
Image for DOS when validating an image.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
is available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an
INI file, place these parameters in the [Validate_Defaults] section, unless as noted
otherwise.
/cdrs:n CDReadSpeed=n
Use this setting to specify the maximum disc reading speed that Image for DOS will use
when reading disc media (CD/DVD/BD) during validation, with n being a positive integer
(e.g. 2, 4, 16, etc.). This setting may be used to force a lower reading speed than that
automatically used by the optical drive’s firmware. Slower reading speeds may increase
reliability.
n should be a positive integer (e.g. 2, 4, 16, etc.).
This setting is only applicable when you are validating an image stored on disc media.
The maximum reading speed that is actually used is determined by whichever is lower:
The /cdrs:n value that you specify, or the speed deemed appropriate by the drive’s
firmware, according to the disc media in use. For example, if you are using media that is
rated at 32X (for reading), the maximum reading speed will be no more than 32X,
regardless of the setting you choose here. Similarly, if you supply a value that is invalid
for or beyond the drive’s design limits, the drive will automatically use the next-highest
speed supported by both the drive and the media in use.
DVD speeds are approximately 1/8 CD speeds, so if you are using DVD discs, multiply
the desired speed by 8 to determine the value to use here. For example, to obtain a
maximum reading speed of 4X with a DVD, use /cdrs:32, since 8 × 4X = 32.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the Optimal speed setting.
/iobs IOBS=1
Include this option to try to improve I/O performance in cases where network or USB
device performance is poor.
/mp MultiPass=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use Multi Pass mode when validating a
differential or incremental backup. In Multi Pass mode, Image for DOS validates the full
backup in one pass and the differential backup in a second pass or incrementals in
multiple passes. This setting is not applicable when validating a full backup. This option
must be used if the applicable full backup resides on removable media.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses Single Pass mode, validating in one pass.
/base N/A
Note: This parameter is optional when validating a differential or incremental backup and
should normally be omitted. Instead, use the /sch option if it’s necessary to specify the
location of any of the base images.
Use when validating a differential or incremental backup to identify the base backup
Image for DOS should use to validate the backup.
/base:x:\bkup x:\ is source drive letter
/base:x:\mypath\bkup mypath or my path is path to bkup
/base:"x:\my path\bkup" bkup is name of existing base backup
(omit file extension)
Or:
Or:
/base:d@p:\bkup
Specify source device, partition, path, and
/base:d@p:\mypath\bkup
file name:
/base:"d@p:\my path\bkup"
d is source hard drive number
/base:#ntsig@p:\mypath\bkup
p is source partition ID (hex or decimal
/base:{GUID}@p:\mypath\bkup notation)
# – NT Disk Signature Follows
{GUID} – GPT Disk GUID
You can use device modifiers as needed.
When you use them, you must place
them after the /base: and before the
source hard drive number:
b – BIOS access method
d – BIOS (Direct) access method
a – ATA/ATAPI access method
u – USB device
f – IEEE 1394 device
s – Use ASPI
v – Virtual device
/sch:“path” N/A
Use this parameter to specify the search paths Image for DOS uses when looking for
base images in the backup chain. path can use the d@p:\path format to specify the drive
and partition id.
This option can be used multiple times to specify multiple search paths (e.g. when the
images in the backup chain are not all stored in the same folder).
Examples (commands should be on one line):
image /v /f:"E:\Backups\Win8System - Inc D" /sch:"E:\Backups"
/sch:"E:\Backups\Archive"
image /v /f:"b1@0x2:\Images\WinXP Drive - Inc E"
/sch:"b1@0x2:\Images" /sch:"b1@0x2:\Images\Full"
Default if omitted: Image for DOS searches only the folder of the specified image for
base images in the backup chain.
/log:0 SaveLog=0
Disables logging.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS logs during a validate operation.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the parameter are available; in other cases, only one
/sd N/A
Use this option to identify the source hard drive and partition. For most users, the
partition ID will be a number from 1 through 4. For partition IDs of 9 or below, you can
use a single digit in place of hexadecimal notation (e.g. 1 is equivalent to 0x1, and 5 is
equivalent to 0x5).
The volume ID will be a number formatted as 0xPVV, where P is the extended partition
and VV is the volume number in hexadecimal from 01 to FF.
If you are not sure of the partition or volume ID number, run Image for DOS using the
interface, choose the Backup option, and click Next. The screen that lists the partitions
and volumes also will display the ID in parentheses as a hexadecimal number. You
should prefix that number with a 0x on the command line.
/sd:d@p d is the source hard drive number
/sd:bd@p
p is the source partition or volume ID (hex
/sd:ad@p
or decimal notation), depending on
/sd:ud@p
whether you are referring to a partition or
/sd:fd@p
a volume. Use this parameter only if you
/sd:sd@p
are copying an individual partition.
/sd:od@p
/sd:vd@p # – NT Disk Signature Follows
/sd:#ntsig@p {GUID} – GPT Disk GUID
/sd:{GUID}@p
You can use device modifiers as needed.
When you use them, you must place
them after the /sd: and before the source
hard drive number:
b – BIOS access method
d – BIOS (Direct) access method
a – ATA/ATAPI access method
u – USB device
f – IEEE 1394 device
s – Use ASPI
v – Virtual device.
/td N/A
Use this option to identify the target hard drive and partition. For most users, the partition
ID will be a number from 1 through 4. For partition IDs of 9 or below, you can use a
The above options are required when you perform a copy using Image for DOS
from the command line. In Table 9, you find a list of the optional copy parameters
you can use when you run Image for DOS from the command line.
The table shows you both the command line option and the INI file variable. In
some instances, both forms of the options are available; in other cases, only one is
available. When one form of an option isn’t available, N/A appears. To set up an INI
file, place these parameters in the [Copy_Defaults] section.
/skp:0 SkipPageFile=0
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to include the page files (pagefile.sys,
swapfile.sys) in the copy.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS skips page file data.
/skh:0 SkipHiberFile=0
Set this parameter to instruct Image for DOS to include the hibernation file
(hiberfil.sys) in the copy.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS skips the hibernation file data.
/o N/A
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to overwrite the target without first prompting for
confirmation.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS prompts before overwriting the target.
/clr N/A
Use this option to have Image for DOS clear the MBR and EMBR prior to copying.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not clear the MBR and EMBR.
/rb:n N/A
Use this option to specify what Image for DOS should do after the copy operation. The
value n can be one of the following:
0 – No reboot
1 – Reboot with all prompts
2 – Reboot with completion message, but without reboot message (error does not
cancel reboot)
4 – Reboot without completion message or reboot message (error cancels reboot)
8 – Shutdown
64 – Exit program
Default if omitted: Image for DOS attempts to determine if the computer needs to be
rebooted after copying and, if so, prompts you to reboot.
/sig ReplaceNTSig=1
Use this option if you are copying a partition that Windows had assigned a drive letter
before you copied the drive. If you use this option, Image for DOS will copy the disk
signature associated with the source partition.
Note: The disk GUID of a target GPT drive will not be changed.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will use the disk signature already present in the MBR
of the target drive, or, if none exists, Image for DOS will create one.
/chgvsn ChgVolSN=1
Use this option to change the file system volume ID/serial number of copied
FAT//FAT32/NTFS/HPFS partitions and the UUID of Ext2/3/4 partitions.
Default if omitted: The file system volume ID/serial number or UUID is not changed.
/nvn:"name" NewVolumeName=name
Use this option to specify the new volume name (label) for the copied partition. If multiple
partitions are being copied they will all be set to the specified name.
For example:
image /copy /sd:b0@0x3 /td:b3@0x4 /nvn:"Win8 Copy"
Default if omitted: The volume name will not be changed from its copied value.
/ohd UseOrgHDNum=1
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to keep references to the source hard drive number
intact within the partition after Image for DOS has copied the partition to the target drive.
This option is primarily used for Linux partitions.
Default if omitted: If the target drive number differs from that of the source drive, Image
for DOS will update applicable drive references residing within the copied partition to
reflect the new hard drive number.
/a SetActive=1
Use this parameter to make the partition you copy active.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not make the copied partition active unless no
other partitions are active and the target partition is on HD0.
/t WriteMBR=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS install standard MBR code after completing
the copy operation. Standard MBR code is the code that boots the active partition.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not write standard MBR code unless the MBR is
/e UseSameMBREntry=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS move the partition table entry of the copied
partition to the same location in the master partition table as it appeared on the source
drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not move the partition table of the copied
partition.
/ms:n N/A
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS move the partition table entry of the restored
partition to a given slot in the MBR. The value n is 0 to 3. This option is only applicable
when restoring a single partition.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not move the partition table of the restored
partition.
/embrid:n N/A
This parameter is used to set a specific ID value to the copied partition if an EMBR
exists. The ID is only used if not already in use by another partition. To assume the
same ID as a partition being overwritten, use the value zero for n.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the copied partitions original id.
/gpt N/A
Instruct Image for DOS to create a GPT on the target drive. Note that restoring first
track overrides this option. This is mainly used with the /clr option to ensure the full size
of the drive that is greater than 2TiB is accessible. You can also provide an option
/nomsr if the GPT to be created should not have a Microsoft Reserved Partition created
on it. While Image for DOS supports a GPT, it does not currently officially support an
EFI based system.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not create a GPT on the drive.
/rft RFT=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS copy the first track when it copies the
partition. Copying the first track may also change the disk type (MBR/EMBR/GPT) of the
destination drive if it doesn’t match that of the source drive (the copy will abort if the
change is required and cannot be applied).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not copy the first track.
/fts:n RFTS=n
Use this option to specify how many sectors of the first track of the hard drive Image for
DOS should copy. Use 0 to indicate the entire track
Default if omitted: Image for DOS determines the number of tracks needed to copy.
/x Expand=1
For NTFS/FAT/FAT32/EXT 2/3/4 partitions, when copying to a target that is larger than
the source partition, use this parameter to have Image for DOS expand the partition after
completing the copy operation.
This option is equivalent to the “Scale to Fit” option for fully copying drives.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not expand the partition, and free space will
remain after Image for DOS completes the copy operation.
/kf:n KeepFree=n
Use this parameter if you also use either /x or /stt to specify the amount of space, in
mebibytes (MiB), that Image for DOS should leave free.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will fill the entire available area.
/m FirstFit=1
Use this parameter to tell Image for DOS to choose the target area automatically, based
on the first area of available free space large enough to accommodate the partition you
want to copy.
Note: For Simple Operations copies using the user interface, the value of this setting will
apply.
Default if omitted: You must explicitly specify the target area.
/last LastFit=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS place the copied partition at the top of the
last free block large enough (e.g. restore to the end of the drive). This option is valid only
when copying a single partition and doesn’t support resizing.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will copy the partition normally toward the start of the
drive or free space area.
/cd CompactData=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS compact FAT/FAT32/NTFS partitions during
the copy operation so they fit into the space needed to hold the data. This is useful when
copying to a smaller drive or partition and the source drive/partition was not compacted
beforehand.
A clean file system is required. File system errors that prevent the resize from
/vb PostValidate=1
Use this parameter to have Image for DOS check that each byte from the source drive
was copied to the target drive properly.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not validate the copied data.
/ivbe IgnoreB4BError=1
Use this option to ignore byte-for-byte validation errors. The copy operation will continue
instead of aborting (errors will still be logged).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will abort the copy operation if a byte-for-byte
validation error is encountered.
/err AllowErrors=1
Use this option to tell Image for DOS to ignore read/write errors caused by bad sectors
on the source or target drive during the copy operation.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will notify you concerning the error and give you the
option to continue or abort.
/ubi UpdateBootIni=1
This option only applies if a copy of boot.ini exists in the root directory of the copied
partition. If enabled, this option instructs Image for DOS to update all partition(n)
references in the restored partition's boot.ini file, to accommodate a partition layout that
differs from that of the original drive. Image for DOS will set all partition-based entries in
the applicable boot.ini to point to the copied partition (but will not change file-based
entries). This option has no effect when doing a full drive copy.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS does not try to update the boot.ini file.
/wipe Wipe=1
This option will wipe (zero-out) unused sectors in the copied partition(s) or drive,
depending on the type of copy performed.
When copying single partitions or when copying multiple partitions to a drive with
existing partitions, sectors located outside of the copied partition(s) are not wiped. If a
partition is resized during the copy, the wiped area for that partition is the final size of the
copied partition (not the size of the source partition).
When copying a full drive or when copying multiple partitions to a drive with no existing
partitions, the entire drive is wiped, including all gaps between any partitions. Using this
option provides an easy way to wipe a drive and copy to it in a single operation.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will not perform any wiping of unused sectors.
/n2ka N/A
By default, Image for DOS automatically uses 1MiB partition alignment when you copy
from the command line and the source contains 1MiB aligned partitions. Use this option
to instruct Image for DOS not to automatically override normal cylinder-based alignment.
If you don’t enable this option and Image for DOS determines that 1MiB alignment is
needed, then Image for DOS enables both the Align2048 and the AlignEndHS options
for the restore.
Note: This option has been deprecated, but will remain supported for backwards
compatibility. The /att option should be used instead.
Default if omitted. Alignment is automatically determined when copying from the
command line.
/aoe:n AlignOnEnd=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align copied partitions at the end of a
cylinder, or when the Align2048 option is enabled, end of a 1MiB boundary.
0 – Disable align on end
2 – Align on end by resizing
Default if omitted: Normal alignment (/aoe:1) is used.
/a2k Align2048=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to align copied partitions based on 1MiB
boundaries (drives with 512 byte sectors will be aligned on 2048 sectors; drives with
4096 byte sectors will be aligned on 256 sectors).
If this option is enabled then you will normally want to enable the AlignEndHS (/ahs)
option and disable the AlignOnEnd (/aoe:0) option.
Default if omitted. The alignment is based on cylinders.
/av:n AlignVal=n
Place under the [HDx] section
/ahs AlignEndHS=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to force a copied partition’s ending head and
sector values in the MBR to match the current geometry.
Default if omitted. The actual ending head and sector values are used.
/ahst AlignHSOnTrunc=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this option to instruct Image for DOS to set a copied partition’s head and sector
values in the MBR to match the current geometry when it is located outside the range of
the current geometry.
Default if omitted. The actual ending head and sector values are used.
/mg UseMBRGeo=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Set this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use the geometry based on the MBR entry of
the first partition on the source drive.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the geometry of the target drive or the
UseOrgGeo option.
/og UseOrgGeo=1
Place under the [HDx] section
Set this parameter to tell Image for DOS to use the original geometry of the source drive
based on the environment being used to copy.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the geometry of the target drive.
/c=n c=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /h and /s to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you copy. This parameter specifies the last
cylinder, and n is a number you supply.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the BIOS-reported values of the drive.
/h=n h=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /c and /s to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you copy. This parameter specifies the last
/s=n s=n
Place under the [HDx] section
Use this parameter in conjunction with /c and /h to manually specify the cylinder, head,
and sector values for the target drive when you copy. This parameter specifies the last
sector, and n is a number you supply.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS uses the BIOS-reported values of the drive.
/rs:n N/A
Use this parameter to resize a partition after copy. n is the size in MiB’s that you want to
establish for the copied partition. If you try to use this parameter in conjunction with /x,
the Expand option, /x overrides /rs.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS copies the partition without resizing.
/exlist=filename N/A
IMPORTANT NOTE: This option is used at your own risk. Be aware that you’re not
getting a complete image copy.
This option allows you to specify a file which contains a list of paths and/or files to
exclude when copying. The file must be ANSI text and located on the local file system.
FAT, FAT32, and NTFS file systems are supported (the option will be ignored for other
file systems).
The data of the excluded files is not copied – the files will either be deleted or truncated
(depending on the options selected). Note that even though excluded, the data will still
affect the minimum space required to copy (just as if it wasn’t excluded).
Each line in the exclusion file should be in the following format:
[options]path >
Valid options are:
f - Exclude files only. Do not delete folders. If not specified, folders will be
deleted.
t - Truncate files instead of deleting them. Folders will not be deleted. Files
will have a size of zero bytes.
k - Keep the base folder. If not specified, the base folder will be deleted.
The path can be complete to exclude a specific folder (e.g. \Games) or you can use
wildcards (*, ?) to specify matching files. When excluding a folder, use a trailing
backslash ( \ ) to indicate a folder is specified (otherwise, a search will be made for
matching files). Do not surround the path with quotes even if it includes spaces. Do not
specify a drive letter.
To also exclude files from subdirectories (apply recursion), include the > (greater than)
character after the path.
/wco WriteChangedSecsOnly=1
Use this option when copying to write only the changed sectors to the target drive (target
will be read to compare). Useful in cases where a large portion of the data is the same
and it’s desirable to reduce wear on the target drive (e.g. copying partition to SSD drive).
Default if omitted: Image for DOS will write all copied sectors normally.
/log:0 SaveLog=0
Disables logging.
Default if omitted: Image for DOS logs during a copy operation.
/d:n N/A
Specifies the drive for which you want to list the partitions, where n = the drive number.
Default if omitted: All drives and partitions are listed.
/opt N/A
List optical drives. Includes drive number and name. Hard drives will not be listed.
Default if omitted: Optical drives are not listed.
/fs N/A
Include “free space” available for each partition in listing. This option has no affect when
used with /all or /f.
Default if omitted: The amount of “free space” is not listed.
/all N/A
Specify to produce a more detailed report. In addition to the basic information, it
includes:
• Hard drive BIOS Device number, number of Sectors, Sector Size, and CHS
values.
• Partition Start LBA, End LBA, FS ID, PE Flag, Free Sectors, Used Sectors, Last
Used Sector, MBR Entry number, MBR End CHS, and MBR Flag.
• When used with /f, additional “Data Info” is listed, the base image filename is
listed for differential/incremental images, and the file exclusion list (if any) is
listed.
Default if omitted: Only the basic information is listed.
/f N/A
List backup image drive and partition information from the specified backup image file.
Use with /all to obtain more details. It is not necessary to include the .TBI extension with
the file name. The image file description is listed if one exists.
When /all is not specified, no drive information is displayed and the partition information
is limited to the name, size, file system, and ID.
Example:
image /l /all /f:"e:\backups\my backup" /stdout:output.txt
In this example, detailed drive and partition information from the backup image file
e:\backups\my backup.tbi will be saved in output.txt.
Default if omitted: Physical drives and partitions are listed.
/base N/A
This parameter specifies the starting image file to combine. All image files in the chain
/del:n N/A
Use this option to remove the combined files. After the combine process has finished,
the original image files will be deleted. Use /del:1 (or /del) to delete all the original image
files. Use /del:2 to delete all except the base (full) image file.
Default if omitted: The original image files will not be deleted.
N/A
Troubleshooting
If you should encounter any problems while running Image for DOS, please visit our
on-line support page at http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/support-image-for-
dos.htm.
File-Based Backup
When you create a file-based backup, you copy files from one storage location to
another using a third-party software package, the built in Microsoft backup utility or
by dragging-and-dropping files and/or folders using Windows Explorer.
Creating a file-based backup is simple, and you can back up or restore only certain
files or folders. But, a file-based backup it has drawbacks. For example, files that
are in use may not be backed up. And, restoring a file-based backup can be tricky
since files in use cannot be restored. Additionally, if the required operating system
environment and software is not installed and accessible, you will first need to
install it before you can restore any data.
Sector-Based Backup
A sector-based backup, also called imaging, differs from file-based backup because
imaging operates on the entire partition, including all files and the operating system
itself. This is the method of backup employed by Image for DOS.
When you create a sector-based image as your backup, you back up not only your
data files but also the operating system, in its entirety. If you restore a sector-based
backup, your computer returns to the state it was in when you created the image.
Image for DOS places all information on the target drive in the exact location where
it appeared when you created the image.
* Restore individual files, if you want, using the free TBIView or TBIMount add-
ons.
* Full Backups
* Incremental Backups
* Differential Backups
In this section, you will find information that explains each of these backup
methods. The backup method you choose actually affects you most when you need
to restore the backup; some backups are easier to restore than others.
Note: Be sure to use a fire-proof safe designed for media because, while paper
doesn't burn until 451 degrees Fahrenheit, media will melt. Computer media may
be damaged at temperatures above 125 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity.
Full Backups
A full backup, as the name implies, involves backing up all specified data.
We hear this question a lot, and there is no right answer. Instead, there is the
answer that works best for you. To figure out how often to back up, ask yourself,
“How much data am I willing to re-enter?” because, once you restore your latest
backup, you will need to re-enter all information since you made that backup.
Many people do not want to re-enter any information, so they back up daily.
Others feel their computer usage is such that they are willing to back up once
each week and re-enter up to seven days worth of data. Decide how much data
you are willing to re-enter and set your backup schedule accordingly.
Incremental Backups
Incremental backups include only data that has changed since the most recent
backup was performed—whether the most recent backup was a full backup or a
previous incremental backup. To use this backup method, you perform a full backup
at an interval of your choice—say every two weeks. In between full backups, you
For example, suppose that you are relying on file-based backups, and you perform
a full backup that includes FILE1, FILE2, and FILE3. Then, you change FILE2, and
you perform an incremental backup. This incremental backup will include only the
data of FILE2, since you did not change the other files in the most recent full
backup. Then, if you change FILE3 and add FILE4 and make another incremental
backup, the latest incremental backup will include only data from FILE3 and FILE4.
If you are relying on sector-based backups, you perform a full backup at an interval
of your choice and, in between, you perform incremental backups. But, an
incremental sector-based backup is not based on files that have been added or
changed. Instead, an incremental sector-based backup looks for and includes
newly allocated sectors and changes to the contents of any sector since the last
backup. Suppose that you move a file without changing its contents. In a sector-
based backup, the sector reallocation caused by moving the file is a change that
will be included in the next incremental backup, even though you didn’t change the
file itself.
Note: Although defragmenting the file system does not change file content, it can
lead to many sector-level changes because defragmenting files moves them from
one disk location to another.
Differential Backups
Differential backups include only data that has changed since the most recent full
backup was performed. To use this method, you make a full backup at an interval of
your choice. In between full backups, you perform differential backups, which
include all data that has changed since the last full backup. If you need to restore
your entire system, you need to restore the latest full backup followed by the latest
differential backup (unless the backup program being used supports a complete
restore in one restore procedure). Unlike incremental backups, which rely on every
other incremental backup in the chain, a differential backup relies only on the full
backup.
For example, suppose that you are relying on file-based backups and you perform a
full backup that includes FILE1, FILE2, and FILE3. Then, you change FILE2, and
you perform a differential backup. This differential backup will include only the data
of FILE2, since the other files in the most recent full backup have not changed. If
A differential sector-based backup includes any sector that has changed or been
allocated since you created the last full backup.
Differential backups are easy to manage during disaster recovery because you
need to restore only the last full backup followed by the last differential backup
(some programs will restore both the full and differential backup in one restore
procedure). You don’t run as much risk of discovering that a backup is damaged or
missing, and since you only need to restore two backups (at most), you are not as
likely to restore them in the wrong order.
By its nature, the size of a differential backup grows over time. If you wait long
enough between full backups, your differential backup could become almost as
large as a full backup, and take almost as much time to create.
Internal view of a hard drive in operation. The arm appears blurred due to its rapid movement.
Photo courtesy of Michael Blessenohl
When you set up a hard drive, you can create logical partitions. A logical partition is
simply a conceptual division on the hard disk. You can use different file systems in
different partitions, and many users partition hard disks so that they can store
different operating systems or segregate data on the same hard drive. If you set up
different partitions so that you can use different operating and file systems, you can
Formatting is the process that prepares a partition on the hard disk to accept data
by creating an empty file system that is organized into clusters. A cluster, a logical
grouping of contiguous sectors, is the smallest logical unit of storage that you can
allocate to hold a file’s data.
Figure 1
The location of this last cluster at the time that you create an image determines the
minimum amount of free space that must be available on the hard drive to which
you intend to restore—called the target drive.
Note: If you are restoring a partition with an image created using raw mode, or if
the partition uses an unrecognized file system, the target drive needs to be equal
to the full size of the source partition, regardless of cluster allocation.
Figure 2 shows the same number of clusters in use, but the last cluster in use is
located in the fifth row, rather than at the very end of the partition:
Figure 2
Note: You can use the Compact and Compact Data features of the Terabyte
Unlimited imaging programs to reduce the size required when restoring or
copying.
Figure 3 shows the same number of clusters in use, but the clusters are arranged
optimally, with no unused clusters interspersed.
Figure 3
Although the used cluster arrangement of Figure 3 might be most ideal, you
generally can’t easily arrange clusters in this way.
• Moving the OS partition to a faster drive (e.g. going from a 1TB hard drive to a
256GB SSD)
• Segregating the OS from data (e.g. splitting a single 950GB partition into a
100GB OS partition and a 850GB data partition).
• Splitting a RAID 0 setup into single drives
• Migrating to a new physical system or to or from a virtual system
• Emergency recovery using parts on hand
• Testing recovery scenarios
Procedure Summary
The basic steps are as follows:
If the source partition contains more data than can fit on the new smaller partition
it will be necessary to delete files or move files to a different drive.
When moving an entire drive to a smaller drive, you will need to check space
requirements for each partition on the source drive.
Run chkdsk /f on the source partition(s) to check for file system errors. Errors
can cause compacting and resizing to fail. Note: You may want to run
MEMTEST86 before chkdsk if RAM integrity is unknown.
Checking the file system isn’t an option if you will be restoring from an existing
image using the Compact Data option. In that case, just be aware that any errors
may prevent the resize from succeeding.
b. Perform a normal copy operation using the Compact Data* option to resize
the partition(s) during the operation (no need to compact the source partitions
first).
c. Use the compact feature in the imaging programs to reduce the minimum
required size or use BootIt BM to resize the source partition smaller. In either
case, use a size less than that of the new smaller partition.
When moving an entire drive to a smaller drive, you may need to compact or
resize multiple source partitions.
Once the source partition or drive is ready (files moved, partitions compacted, file
systems checked, etc.), create a backup image.
When restoring, specify the desired new smaller size. Or, if restoring a drive
image, use one of the scale options (e.g. Scale to Fit).
If you are planning on copying the source partition(s) to the smaller drive you can skip
Step 4 and perform the copy instead of Step 5.
For more specific details on restoring to a smaller drive or partition as well as several
example scenarios, please continue reading.
As an example, you may be moving from a 500GB Windows drive to a 128GB SSD. You
plan to delete many gigabytes of files you won’t need and uninstall several large
programs. However, you would also like to preserve the data on the 500GB drive. One
way to do this is to create a backup image of the drive and then make the desired
changes. A new backup image can then be created and restored to the SSD (or the
drive could be copied). Once the SSD is ready for use, the original drive image can be
restored to the 500GB source drive, returning it to its original state.
When you set up a hard drive, you can create logical partitions. A logical partition is
simply a conceptual division on the hard drive. You can use different file systems in
different partitions, and many users partition hard drives so that they can store different
operating systems or segregate data on the same hard drive.
Formatting is the process that prepares a partition on the hard drive to accept data by
creating an empty file system that is organized into clusters. A cluster, a logical grouping
of contiguous sectors, is the smallest logical unit of storage that you can allocate to hold
a file’s data.
Table A depicts the layout of files within clusters on a hypothetical partition. 44 clusters
contain data, with the last cluster in use (the cluster closest to the end of the partition)
being located 75% into the partition.
Table A Table B
By default, the location of the last cluster at the time that you create an image
determines the minimum amount of free space that must be available on the hard drive
to which you intend to restore. In this example, assuming the partition size was 100GB,
you would not be able to restore it to a space smaller than 75GB.
Table B is a representation of the partition after being compacted. It contains the same
number of used clusters with no unused clusters interspersed. As a result, an image of
this partition can be restored to a much smaller destination.
Compacting and resizing are both operations that allow you to relocate the data in the
partition while maintaining its integrity. Compacting leaves the partition size unchanged
and moves the data so it fits the smaller specified size. Resizing a partition smaller is
similar to compacting, but also reduces the size of the partition.
More information on this subject can be found in Appendix C: Introduction to Hard Drive
Storage.
When determining the minimum space required to restore a partition it's important to
understand that, by default, the TeraByte imaging programs restore the partition image
The minimum space required to restore a partition can be determined from the source
partition, from the image file, or by attempting to restore the partition image. Keep in
mind that the actual minimum space required depends on the method used to perform
the restore or copy operation. If doing a normal restore or copy the MIB/GIB to Restore
value is required. If doing a restore or copy using the Compact Data option the MiB/GiB
Used value is required. Please note that these values represent the data only –
operating systems may require an additional minimal amount of free space in order to
function correctly.
1. Start the TeraByte imaging program of your choice and select to create a
backup.
2. Proceed though the steps until you get to the screen where you select which
partitions to include.
3. Highlight the partition and click the Information button in Image for Windows,
Image for DOS GUI, and Image for Linux GUI, or press F1 in Image for Windows
(Console), Image for DOS, and Image for Linux.
4. Along with other details, the number of MiB/GiB Used and MiB/GIB to Restore
are displayed.
1. Start the TeraByte imaging program of your choice and select to restore a
backup.
2. Proceed though the steps until you get to the screen where you select which
partition(s) to restore.
3. Highlight the partition to check and click the Information button in Image for
Windows, Image for DOS GUI, and Image for Linux GUI, or press F1 in Image for
Windows (Console), Image for DOS, and Image for Linux.
4. Along with other details, the number of MiB/GiB Used and MiB/GIB to Restore
are displayed.
Run the TeraByte imaging program of your choice from the Command Prompt and
specify the /L, /ALL, and /F options. Program output can be redirected to a file for easy
reference.
• Using Image for Windows, Image for Windows (Console), or Image for DOS
If using Image for Windows (Console) or Image for DOS you can view the
output onscreen by not redirecting it. For example:
imagewc /l /all /f:"e:\backups\my backup"
1. Boot to the IFL CD. If necessary, mount the partition or network share
that contains the backup image file. Use the Mount Network Shares
menu option or exit to the Command Prompt and use dpmount.
2. Select the Exit To Command Prompt menu option. By default the
current path is the one which contains imagel (/tbu).
3. Run the command:
imagel -l --all --f "mnt1/backups/my backup" > output.txt
Use Shift-PgUp and Shift-PgDn to scroll through the output. If the console
buffer is too small to let you view all the information you will most likely
need to redirect it to a file.
Examine the output and find the details of the partition you’re going to restore. The Last
Used Sector value determines the minimum space required to restore the partition if the
Compact Data option is not used. The Used Sectors value is the minimum space
required for just the data.
For additional information on using this method, please see the corresponding TeraByte
KB article.
Once you have determined the space that will required to restore or copy to the new
smaller drive or partition, you’ll know how much data will need to be removed to allow it
to fit. In many cases, this will require deleting large data files (archives, ISO downloads,
installers, videos, music, etc.). You may also need to uninstall certain programs,
planning to reinstall them to a different partition when needed.
It should be noted that deleting files from a partition may not lower the minimum required
size to restore the partition if compaction Is not used since data may still exist at
previous furthest “in use” location on the partition. Check the space required after
deleting files to determine the current size.
If moving to an extremely small drive (like a small SSD), you will likely need to remove
almost everything that isn’t part of the standard Windows installation. In these cases,
you may want to consider the option of installing Windows to the new drive and starting
over fresh.
Whether restoring to a smaller drive or to a smaller partition, file system errors on any of
the source partitions can cause numerous errors, including failure to resize or compact
chkdsk c: /f
Note that checking some partitions, such as the Windows partition, may require
Windows to restart. In the case of multiple partitions needing to be checked it may be
advantageous to check them from WinPE (e.g. TBWinRE or TBWinPE) – since Windows
isn’t running and no partitions are locked, restarts will not be required.
Also note that you can’t compact a partition that’s in use (for example, you can’t compact
the booted Windows partition). You would need to boot to Image for DOS, Image for
Linux, or Image for Windows in WinPE.
To compact a partition:
To resize a partition:
The time required to compact or resize a partition depends on the amount of data that
must be moved and the speed of the system.
Examples
Several examples of restoring to a smaller drive or partition are shown below:
For more details and an additional method (using “robocopy”), please see the
corresponding TeraByte KB article.
Unless otherwise stated, the examples below are using the following base system
configuration:
• The source drive is 500GB with a single 465GB partition containing Windows and
150GB of programs and data.
• The source drive’s required space for restore is 220GB.
• A backup image of the source drive has been created (SOURCE.TBI).
• The destination drive is either a 128GB, 180GB, or 256GB SSD.
For the purpose of this text, a “normal restore” is one which requires no compacting,
resizing, or special steps to accomplish prior to restoring. This type of restore can be
used any time the required space for the restore is less than the available space on the
destination drive – even if the source partition is actually much larger.
Using the example configuration, SOURCE.TBI can be restored normally to the 256GB
SSD since it requires only 220GB. It would not be possible to do a normal restore to the
128GB SSD due to insufficient available space.
When restoring an OS partition or disk image (entire drive), any standard options
necessary to ensure proper booting would also apply here (Set Active, Update
BOOT.INI, Update Boot Partition, Restore First Track, etc.). Additionally, when restoring
a disk image and the source drive was larger than the destination, the Scale to Target or
Scale to Fit option must be selected. Otherwise, the program will report that there’s not
enough space on the destination drive even if there is.
This type of restore is just like the normal restore in Example 1 except the Compact Data
option is used.
Using the example configuration, SOURCE.TBI can be restored to the 180GB SSD
since it requires only 150GB for the data. It would not be possible to do a restore to the
180GB SSD without using Compact Data since that would require 220GB of space.
When restoring an OS partition or disk image (entire drive), any standard options
necessary to ensure proper booting would also apply here (Set Active, Update
BOOT.INI, Update Boot Partition, Restore First Track, etc.). Additionally, when restoring
a disk image and the source drive was larger than the destination, the Scale to Target or
Using the example configuration, restoring an image of the 465GB partition to the
128GB SSD could be performed as follows:
Using Compact:
1. Move 100GB of data files to a USB drive to bring the total used space down to
around 70GB.
2. Boot to Image for Linux and select to create a backup.
3. Select the 465GB Windows partition.
4. Make sure the 465GB Windows partition is highlighted and use the Compact
option (press F3).
5. Specify a size of 100GB.
6. After the compaction completes, continue with creating the image of the partition.
7. Restore this image to the 128GB SSD, specifying to resize it to use all available
free space. When restoring an OS partition, any standard options necessary to
ensure proper booting would also apply here (Set Active, Update BOOT.INI,
Update Boot Partition, etc.) – just as with a normal restore.
Using Resize:
1. Move 100GB of data files to a USB drive to bring the total used space down to
around 70GB.
2. Use a partitioning program (such as BootIt BM) and resize the 465GB partition to
100GB.
3. Boot to Image for Linux and select to create a backup.
4. Select the 100GB Windows partition and create an image of it.
5. Restore this image to the 128GB SSD, specifying to resize it to use all available
free space. When restoring an OS partition, any standard options necessary to
ensure proper booting would also apply here (Set Active, Update BOOT.INI,
Update Boot Partition, etc.) – just as with a normal restore.
Either method will accomplish the same results. You may end up compacting some
partitions and resizing others depending on the particular need at the time.
Once a partition has been compacted or resized an alternative method would be to copy
it directly instead of imaging and restoring.
Partition
A unique area of a hard drive that is allocated for use by a file system. A hard drive
can contain many partitions.
File System
An organized structure that allows data to be stored and accessed by a filename.
You can basically think of it as the filing system used by the operating system to
store and retrieve your data. On a hard drive, the file system almost always resides
in a partition.
Volume
Generally, a volume is considered to be any file system or device that is used to
hold data, but, when using Image for DOS, it also represents a specific partition that
resides in an extended partition.
Extended Partition
A special type of partition that is divided in to one or more partitions called volumes.
Drive Letter
A single letter that represents a file system in Microsoft operating systems. Since a
file system on a hard drive is almost always in a partition or volume, it also
represents a partition or volume.
Logical Drive
A term used in Microsoft operating systems to describe the specific drive letters that
point to volumes. In practical terms, it is the same thing as a drive letter.
Target
When backing up, “target” refers to the location on a storage medium (usually
CD/DVD discs, a hard drive partition, or an external hard drive) where you want to
store a backup. When restoring, “target” refers to the location on a hard drive where
you want to restore a backup you previously created. A restore target can either be
an area of free space or a partition. In the latter case, the partition—and any
information it contains—will be deleted immediately prior to the restore.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. Because you can try
shareware before you buy, you can easily determine if a particular piece of software
will fill your needs. Also, because the overhead is low, prices are low. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee—if you don't use the product, you don't pay
for it.
Please read the license terms and conditions below. If you do not agree to all of the terms and conditions, then do not
use, copy, transmit, distribute, or install the trial version computer software and documentation accompanying this license
Agreement.
TeraByte, Inc., dba TeraByte Unlimited ("TeraByte") and/or its suppliers own the Evaluation Software and its
documentation, which are protected under applicable copyright, trade secrets, and other laws. Your rights and license to
use the programs and the documentation are limited to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth below.
1. LICENSE:
(i) YOU MAY: use the Evaluation Software for evaluation purposes in your own computer, for a period not to
exceed thirty (30) days after your first installation or use of the Evaluation Software. You may not re-install or additionally
install the Evaluation Software for additional evaluation periods.
(ii) Not "Free Software". This Evaluation Software is not "free software", but a software copy with limited
license rights, as set forth in this Agreement.
(iii) Temporary Evaluation Use Only. You may use this Evaluation Software without charge for a limited time
only, and solely to decide whether to purchase a paid license for the software from TeraByte. If you wish to use the
Evaluation Software after the thirty (30) day evaluation period, then you must purchase a Full Use license for the software
from TeraByte. You can visit TeraByte's web site at www.terabyteunlimited.com, for further information.
(iv) NO CONTINUED USE WITHOUT REGISTRATION. Unregistered use of the Evaluation Software after the
thirty (30) day trial period is an infringement of TeraByte's legal and equitable rights, including but not limited to copyright
and trade secret rights, under U.S. and international laws.
(v) Notwithstanding the above, should you use, install, copy, or download the Evaluation Software for a
particular purpose, and should the Evaluation Software successfully accomplish that particular purpose, such use shall
not be considered evaluation purposes. In such case, you shall immediately obtain the appropriate end user license.
(i) IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL, YOU MAY: distribute copies of the Evaluation Software to your friends or
associates, provided that you charge no fees nor request any donations for this service, and that you convey only a
complete and unaltered copy of the original Evaluation Software files, in the exact form that they were downloaded from
www.terabyteunlimited.com.
(ii) ALL OTHER DISTRIBUTION is allowed only under the terms set forth by TeraByte, if any, at the
www.terabyteunlimited.com web site. TeraByte may, at its sole discretion, append a data record to the distribution files
for the Evaluation Software, in which event such data record shall be automatically incorporated by reference. Any
distribution satisfying all of the distribution requirements expressed at the web site or in that data record, if any, is hereby
authorized; all other distribution requires TeraByte's advance written approval.
(iii) Each individual, and each vendor, wishing to distribute the Evaluation Software package must
independently satisfy all terms of the limited distribution license.
(iv) You may make as many copies of this Evaluation Software as you need, for purposes of the limited
distribution permitted in this Agreement.
(i) permit others to use the Evaluation Software unless they are properly licensed by TeraByte, either under this
Agreement or another agreement from TeraByte;
(ii) modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or create derivative works based on, the
Evaluation Software;
(iv) distribute the Evaluation Software, bundle it with other products, rent, lease, sell, grant a security interest in,
or otherwise transfer rights to, or possession of, the Evaluation Software or any copy thereof, except as may be expressly
provided in this Agreement;
(v) remove or alter any proprietary notices, labels or legends on any copy of the Evaluation Software; or
(vi) ship or transmit (directly or indirectly) any copies of the Evaluation Software or their media, or any direct
product thereof, to any country or destination prohibited by the United States Government.
(d) RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. All rights and licenses not expressly granted by TeraByte in this Agreement are entirely
and exclusively reserved to TeraByte.
2. TERM AND TERMINATION: This Agreement shall remain effective until this Agreement is terminated, provided that in
no event shall your evaluation rights hereunder extend beyond the thirty (30) day period set forth in Section 1 above. You
may terminate it at any time by destroying the distribution media together with all of your copies of the Evaluation
Software in any form. This Agreement will also automatically terminate, without notice, if you fail to comply fully with any
term or condition of this Agreement, or if your normal business operations are disrupted or discontinued for more than
thirty days by reason of insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, or business termination. Upon termination of this
Agreement, you must destroy all copies of the Evaluation Software in any form.
3. OWNERSHIP AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: TeraByte or its licensors own the Evaluation Software under
copyright, trade secret and all other laws that may apply. All product names, designs, and logos associated with the
Evaluation Software are trademarks of TeraByte. The source code of the Evaluation Software and all information
regarding the design, structure or internal operation of the Evaluation Software are valuable trade secrets of TeraByte or
third parties with which TeraByte has licensing arrangements ("Confidential Information"), provided however, that
"Confidential Information" shall not include information which otherwise would be Confidential Information to the extent
that such information was publicly known or otherwise known to you previously to the time of disclosure, which
subsequently became known through no act or omission by you, or which otherwise became known to you other than
through disclosure by TeraByte. You shall not sell, transfer, publish, disclose, display or otherwise permit access to any
Confidential Information by any third party, nor may you use any of the Confidential Information, except strictly as part of
the Evaluation Software in the form originally distributed by TeraByte.
4. LIMITED WARRANTY: THE EVALUATION SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ENTIRELY "AS-IS". TERABYTE MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE EVALUATION SOFTWARE, ITS
MERCHANTABILITY, OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. TERABYTE DOES NOT WARRANT
THAT THE EVALUATION SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE
EVALUATION SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY
FOR SELECTING AND USING THE EVALUATION SOFTWARE, AND THAT IF YOU USE THE EVALUATION
SOFTWARE IMPROPERLY OR AGAINST INSTRUCTIONS, YOU CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR FILES,
SOFTWARE, DATA OR BUSINESS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE
EVALUATION SOFTWARE IS BORNE BY YOU. THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL
PART OF THE AGREEMENT. Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusions of an implied warranty, so this disclaimer may
not apply to you and you may have other legal rights that vary by jurisdiction.
7. RESTRICTED RIGHTS - COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE. The parties acknowledge and agree that: (a) any
and all products covered by this Agreement are, and shall be, deemed "commercial computer software" for all purposes in
relation to U.S. government acquisition laws, rules and regulations, and (b) all use, duplication and disclosure by, for, or
on behalf of the U.S. Government is subject to all conditions, limitations and restrictions applicable to "commercial
computer software" as set forth in FAR section 12.212 and in DFAR sections 227.7202-1, 227.7202-3, and 227.7202-4.
8. GENERAL.
(a) ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and TeraByte in regard to the
subject matter herein, and supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications,
written or oral between you and TeraByte. No amendment of this Agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing and
signed by duly authorized representatives of both parties.
(b) NON-WAIVER. Waiver by TeraByte of any violation of any provision of this License shall not be deemed to waive any
further or future violation of the same or any other provision.
(c) LAW AND JURISDICTION. This License and any dispute relating to the Evaluation Software or to this License shall
be governed by the laws of the United States and the laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to U.S. or Nevada
choice of law rules. You agree and consent that jurisdiction and proper venue for all claims, actions and proceedings of
any kind relating to TeraByte or the matters in this License shall be exclusively in courts located in Las Vegas, Nevada. If
a court with the necessary subject matter jurisdiction over a given matter cannot be found in Las Vegas, then jurisdiction
for that matter shall be exclusively in a court with the proper jurisdiction as close to Las Vegas as possible, and within
Nevada if possible.
(d) SEVERABILITY. If any part or provision of this License is held to be unenforceable for any purpose, including but not
limited to public policy grounds, then you agree that the remainder of the License shall be fully enforceable as if the
unenforceable part or provision never existed.
(e) NON-ASSIGNMENT. You may not assign this License without the prior written consent of TeraByte, except as part of
a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of your business.
(f) NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES. There are no third party beneficiaries of any promises, obligations or
representations made by TeraByte herein.
(g) HEIRS AND ASSIGNS. This Agreement shall be binding on and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors,
administrators, successors and assigns of the parties hereto, but nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as a
consent by TeraByte to any assignment of this agreement except as provided hereinabove.
(h) SURVIVAL. The provisions of paragraphs 1(a)(iv), 1(c)(ii) and 3 of this Agreement shall survive any termination or
expiration of this Agreement.
PLEASE READ THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE UPGRADING, COPYING, INSTALLING OR
USING THE ACCOMPANYING SOFTWARE PROGRAM (the “Software”).
THIS AGREEMENT SETS FORTH THE STANDARD FULL-USE LICENSE FOR USE OF THE SOFTWARE ON YOUR
COMPUTER SYSTEM. IN ORDER TO USE THE SOFTWARE UNDER THIS FULL-USE LICENSE, YOU MUST
PURCHASE, OR HAVE PURCHASED, EITHER:
a) ONE OR MORE COPIES OF THE SOFTWARE WITH FULL-USE LICENSE RIGHTS, FROM TERABYTE OR
A TERABYTE-AUTHORIZED LICENSING AGENT, OR
b) FULL-USE LICENSE RIGHTS FROM TERABYTE OR A TERABYTE-AUTHORIZED LICENSING AGENT FOR
ONE OR MORE TIME-LIMITED "EVALUATION VERSION" COPIES OF THE SOFTWARE ALREADY IN
YOUR POSSESSION.
THERE MAY BE AN ACTIVATION PROCESS DESCRIBED IN THE SOFTWARE, PURCHASE RECEIPT OR IN
TERABYTE DOCUMENTATION THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED OR YOUR USE OF THE SOFTWARE MAY BE LIMITED
OR PREVENTED.
If you do not agree to all of the terms and conditions of this License Agreement as set forth below, then: (a) do not
install, upgrade, copy or use the Software, (b) if you received any registration codes or serial numbers, do not copy, use,
retain or disclose any of those registration codes or serial numbers, and (c) if you purchased packaged copies of the
Software with full-use rights, you may return the complete package, unused, to your place of purchase within fifteen (15)
days after purchase for a refund. The exercise of any or all of the rights set forth below constitutes acceptance of
all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement. Where you have received a signed Agreement directly from
TeraByte, any discrepancy between that signed Agreement and an unsigned Agreement shall be controlled by the signed
Agreement.
As further set forth below, TeraByte Inc., dba TeraByte Unlimited ("TeraByte") and/or its suppliers own the Software and
its documentation, which are protected under applicable copyright, trade secrets, and other laws. The Software is
licensed, not sold. Your rights and license to use the Software and the documentation are limited to the terms and subject
to the conditions set forth in this Agreement.
1. LICENSE:
(a) YOU MAY:
(i) (Single Copy License) if you paid for a single copy license, use the Software on a single computer that
you or your organization owns or controls (“Computer System”), as further described in 1(c) below;
(ii) (Multiple Copy License) if you paid for a multiple copy license, make and use the number of Software
copies for which you paid, provided that you may only use each copy of the Software as described in (i)
above;
(iii) (Transfer of Installation) physically transfer any installed, licensed copy of the Software from one
Computer System (the “Old System”) to another Computer System (the “New System”), provided that that
copy may be installed on only one Computer System at a time, and further provided that when you make
the transfer, you must uninstall and remove any and all copies of the Software from the Computer System
from which the programs are transferred. Where uninstalling from the Old System is impossible due to
such Old System being damaged or otherwise non-functional, the requirement for such uninstall and
removal shall be waived unless and until such Old System becomes functional. Such transfer shall be
permitted (a) when the New System is a replacement for the Old System, or (b) with written approval from
TeraByte. Unless otherwise authorized by TeraByte, in writing, each licensed copy of the Software shall
be licensed for one and only one Computer System. Such shall be the case whether or not the Software is
installed on a disk drive permanently attached to the Computer System for which the Software may be
licensed. Specifically, installation upon portable media including without limitation flash drives and CDs
shall not circumvent the requirement of maintaining a license for the Software on each Computer System
on which the Software may be used, although it is permissible for Software installed upon a portable drive
or other drive accessible from multiple Computer Systems to be executed upon more than one such
system, provided that licenses are maintained for each Computer System on which such Software may be
executed;
(iv) (Backup Copy) make a copy of each licensed copy of the Software solely for purposes of backup;
(v) (Images) create and keep "per computer" Images, as described in paragraph 1(e)(i) below, if the Software
product, as licensed, provides imaging functionality; and
(vi) (Image Deployment) if you paid for additional “Image Deployment” license rights, create and distribute
additional Images as described in paragraph 1(e)(ii) below.
Your rights to create and distribute Images are based on the Software licensed and the type of license you
purchased (as may be indicated on your sales receipt or comparable sales documentation received by you from
TeraByte):
(i) "PER COMPUTER" IMAGE LICENSE: Each licensed copy of the Software includes, without extra charge, a
"per computer" license to create and keep Images for the same Computer System(s) on which you are licensed
to use the Software itself; those Images may not be distributed to, or used in any manner with, any other
computers (except for direct replacements for such systems as provided in subsection 1(a)(iii) above), nor may
you create or retain images for additional Computer Systems unless the previously created images are
destroyed, or you purchased additional licenses to cover such Computer Systems. You may create and keep
an unlimited number of Images for each licensed Computer System. For example, if you purchased a license
for five (5) copies of the Software, then you may create and keep an unlimited number of Images for up to five
Computer Systems with which you properly use those 5 Software copies as described in 1(a)(i) and 1(a)(ii)
above, but you may not distribute those Images to, or use them with, any other Computer System.
(ii) ”IMAGE DEPLOYMENT” LICENSE. If, in addition to the standard Software license, you purchased an
“Image Deployment" license (as indicated on your sales receipt from TeraByte), then: (A) you may make an
(f) PARTITION MANAGEMENT LICENSING. If the Software’s functionality, as licensed, includes the ability to
create, resize, slide or otherwise manage partitions on a hard drive, or otherwise to control or repair system
boot parameters, then the use of each such reparation or partition management change is likewise subject to all
of the conditions and restrictions of this Agreement, including without limitation, restriction of use of such
reparation or partition management change to Computer Systems licensed hereunder.
2. TERM AND TERMINATION: This Agreement, and your license rights hereunder, remain effective until this
Agreement is terminated.
(a) Termination by You. You may terminate it at any time by destroying the distribution media together with all of
your copies of the Software in any form.
(b) Termination for Breach. This Agreement may be terminated by TeraByte upon notice, at its sole discretion, if
you fail to completely remedy any breach by you of any term or condition herein within ten (10) days after notice
of such breach is delivered by TeraByte to you,
(c) Automatic Termination. This Agreement will automatically terminate without notice if your normal business
operations are disrupted or discontinued for more than thirty days by reason of insolvency, bankruptcy,
receivership, or business termination. Upon termination of this Agreement, you must destroy all copies of the
Software in any form.
3. OWNERSHIP AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: TeraByte or its licensors own the Software under copyright,
trade secret and all other laws that may apply. All product names, designs, and logos associated with the Software
are trademarks of TeraByte. The source code of the Software and all information regarding the design, structure or
internal operation of the Software are valuable trade secrets of TeraByte or third parties with which TeraByte has
licensing arrangements ("Confidential Information"), provided however, that "Confidential Information" shall not
include information which otherwise would be Confidential Information to the extent that such information was
publicly known or otherwise known to you previously to the time of disclosure, which subsequently became known
through no act or omission by you, or which otherwise became known to you other than through disclosure by
TeraByte without violation of any party's obligations to TeraByte. You shall not sell, transfer, publish, disclose,
display or otherwise permit access to any Confidential Information by any third party, nor may you use any of the
Confidential Information, except strictly as part of the Software in the form originally distributed by TeraByte.
4. LIMITED WARRANTY: TeraByte Unlimited warrants that for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of purchase,
the Software will perform in conformity with the user documentation supplied by TeraByte, provided that your
EXCLUSIVE REMEDY under this warranty shall be to return the Software to TeraByte in exchange for repair,
replacement, or a full refund of your purchase price (at TeraByte's option) within forty-five (45) days after the date of
purchase. In addition, the above warranty does not apply to the extent that any failure of the Software to perform as
warranted is caused by the Software being (a) not used in accordance with the user documentation, or (b) modified
by any person other than authorized TeraByte personnel. EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTY GRANTED
IMMEDIATELY ABOVE, TERABYTE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO
THE SOFTWARE, ITS MERCHANTABILITY, OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU
ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU HAD FULL OPPORTUNITY TO USE AND TEST THE SOFTWARE
BEFORE PURCHASE. TERABYTE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET YOUR
REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR
FREE. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTING AND USING THE SOFTWARE, AND THAT IF
YOU USE THE SOFTWARE IMPROPERLY OR AGAINST INSTRUCTIONS, YOU CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO
YOUR FILES, SOFTWARE, DATA OR BUSINESS. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND
PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS BORNE BY YOU. THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES
AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE AGREEMENT. Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusions of an implied warranty, so
this disclaimer may not apply to you and you may have other legal rights that vary by jurisdiction.
5. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. ANY LIABILITY OF TERABYTE WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT
REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE. IN ADDITION, IN NO EVENT WILL TERABYTE, NOR ANY
OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF THE
SOFTWARE, BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF INCOME, USE OR INFORMATION, RELATING