Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   With the roll-out of the Anniversary Update for 10 starting today, it doesn't make sense for me to more fully test the software -- over the next week I'll try multiple installations, backups, check the bootable media etc. as I get non-Insider installs updated, try switching off previews in a few copies that have insider previews turned on & so on. The reason I'm posting this is that the new software is out there now, & might show up on the giveaway sites soon, & there are a few things to report you might want to bear in mind.

   The setup files as usual include installations of Microsoft C/C++ runtimes -- those installations run 1st, then the actual setup msi file is unpacked & run. The C/C++ runtime files are out of date -- there's a security patch once you get them installed, if you choose to install them.
   support[.]microsoft[.]com/en-us/kb/2467173

   Myself, I run setup in a VM, then copy the msi file from the user temp folder before closing the setup dialog window. You should be able to do the same thing running something like Time Freeze & then running setup, copying the msi file to a non-protected partition, then abandoning all changes, i.e. with Time Freeze, re-starting. You should also be able to get the msi file using Universal extractor. Running the msi file installs the software normally -- you just skip the extra runtimes which you probably don't need anyway, & if by chance you do, might as well get the current downloads from Microsoft.

   The setup process itself is slightly different -- instead of entering a key to unlock the installation, you enter the key when the app's 1st started. I do not know yet if that limits the number of installations.

   The software's interface or GUI is a lot different, much simplified. The Program Files\ Paragon Software\ Backup and Recovery 16\ layout.ini file includes a lot of settings I did not see in the GUI itself, but you'd have to test any changes to make sure it took hold -- they may have re-used that file from earlier versions, so not every option may do anything.

   Backup and Recovery 16 is notably faster -- it takes less time to complete a image backup -- but it also seems it may be a bit buggy. I had trouble canceling in progress backups, & had a problem where changing the default settings did not change the way backups happened -- it only took hold after I stopped trying to run a single backup & created a recurring job. Backing up the same partition using the old version 15 & the new 16, version 16 produced slightly smaller files when compression was set to normal [all other setting were also the same].

   A couple of times the backup progress showed 100% in 16, it said a few seconds were remaining, and Task Mgr. showed no activity -- once closing the software showed a warning that data might be lost. I found something that I've never checked before, & will have to do more testing... I found that backups of the same 2ndary partition were a slightly different total size using v.16. It could be because I initiated the backup different ways [I wasn't testing for this], & it could be that earlier versions [e.g. 15] did this too [I never looked]. And it could mean an error, or it could mean nothing at all.

   Like earlier versions, Paragon Backup & Recovery 16 lets you create the backup image archives in several different virtual hard drive formats. I did not fully test Microsoft's VHD or VHDX yet, but the estimated time to completion before I quit was well over 1.5 hours, for a backup it managed using the Paragon pvhd format in slightly over 12 minutes.

   Finally, I came across something new using both versions 15 & 16... As a matter of course I check Task Mgr. once the backup's running to make sure security software isn't slowing the process down. Yesterday Bitdefender was slowing down 15, & McAfee LiveSafe was slowing down v.16. My guess is that someone(s) uploaded a definition or definitions to VirusTotal that both security software companies incorporated, quite possibly without much or any testing [it's normal to want to get the protection out there ASAP]. Everything was fine once I added exceptions for the Paragon software in the security software, but I wanted to mention it in case you wanted to take a look, if/when you ran Paragon apps.

   Posted 8 years ago #
2. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   The market for backup software has changed... There are the issues like booting to a USB stick I talk about [probably too much]. There are issues with backing up files & folders stored in the cloud. There are issues with biz using VMs. Issues with the most popularly selling external drives have become more well known. Microsoft switched its focus from backing up to restoring or refreshing Windows instead -- their pitch is that software from their store is easily reinstalled, & your files should live online, so what happens with your device is irrelevant to them. Those changes are felt by the companies making & selling backup software -- it effects Paragon just like it does EaseUS & Acronis etc.

   I mention that because I'm trying to not make any of my experiences seem more important than they are.

   Maybe the biggest change for me personally with Backup & Recover 16 is the new activation model Paragon uses. I'll know more if/when Paragon releases their giveaway versions, & I can do more monitoring in a VM. The Home version license I have is good for one installation, & it may be released, so it can be used with another install, a total of 5 times -- I assume the old install deactivates once its use of the license has been released.

   I found out about it when I went to activate a copy in win10 Pro 64 bit -- I had previously installed it in 10 Pro 32 bit, but lost that when I had to install Windows 10 fresh [because the old version wouldn't upgrade]. After installing the software, B&R 16 opens an activation window when you 1st start it -- you either activate it or close the window, along with B&R 16 [IOW it won't run unactivated]. I did not read about that -- I logged into a Paragon account to report problems with that activation window not being able to connect to their servers, & while I was there, noticed the dialog to release my license.

   Until version 16, the key you got from Paragon let you install the software, but it wasn't recorded anywhere else, so you could install the program as many times as you wanted. You could also use Universal Extractor on the .msi file, skipping installation entirely. Assuming that any future giveaways work the same way as the retail version, that will no longer be possible -- if there is a future giveaway you'll probably need to get a separate license for each & every planned installation.

   Because I'm limited to one copy right now, I could only create a 64 bit bootable USB stick with the software. I 1st downloaded & installed the necessary components of the Windows 10, Anniversary Edition ADK from Microsoft -- it was updated along with Windows 10. B&R 16 however looked for the 8.1 version of the ADK by default, & didn't find what it was looking for when I browsed to the new folder with the ADK... I wound up trying each folder as I drilled down to the winpe.wim, then starting over at the top folder, & that's when it finally saw what it needed, letting me proceed.

   Unfortunately I need the 32 bit version of the USB stick to really test it -- my tablet with it's 32 bit UEFI bios is the most challenging device I have when it comes to booting, & it's low power CPU means that the efficiency is immediately apparent. So until there's a giveaway so I can get my hands on more copies, I can't give a good idea on how fast P&R 16 is, or how compatible it is booting. I can just say that running it in Windows it's faster than v.15

   I had discovered earlier that B&R 16 created slightly different sized backup archives -- I didn't know if this was something B&R had always done, or if it was new to v.16. I tested this with versions back to 14 [the earliest I have installed], & consecutive partition image backups of the same inactive partition, with no changes made to that partition, resulted in slightly different total sizes for the archive files. It could be something innocent like the time fields being different, but I really don't know -- I can say that I've never had a restoration fail, so whatever it is apparently isn't critical.

   Posted 8 years ago #
3. 

   mikiem2
   Moderator

   Paragon is now giving away Backup & Recovery 16 for just short of 2 months [54 days].
   paragon-software[.]com/home/brh/download.html

   Activation requires an account -- you sign in the 1st time you run the app, & a serial number is generated and the software is activated at the same time... to see the new serial number, should you want to record it yourself, you have to log into your account. Setting up an account was not as smooth as I was expecting, plus required visiting a link in an email, so I'd humbly suggest setting up an account or making sure your existing account works before trying to activate Backup & Recovery 16. Activation does seem to work well enough, but it's a bit of a pain because I had to type in the email address & password -- copy/paste would not work in 10 -- so maybe bear that in mind when you set your password for the Paragon account.

   The version I downloaded & installed today is identical to the copy of Backup & Recovery 16 Home that was the basis for everything I've written about v. 16 so far. IOW I wouldn't expect any bug fixes. It does install next to Backup & Recovery 15 Home or Compact versions, while Paragon's PVHD archive format is compatible with Paragon software at least back to v.14.

   Posted 8 years ago #

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