XXCLONE
Version 0.58.0 Released 2007-02-07
- XXCLONE is a new product developed by the same software
development team who created the highly acclaimed XXCOPY.
- While XXCOPY was primarily targeted for professional and
advanced users, XXCLONE is designed with everyone in mind.
- Home Page:
http://www.xxclone.com
- XXCLONE is a trademark of Pixelab, Inc.
This section covers the following topics:
- What is XXCLONE
- How XXCLONE works
- Testimonials
- Theory of Operation
- XXCLONE Product Family
This page is derived from an HTML-style help file,
xxclone.chm.
It was flattened for optimal printing.
You may download the CHM file (in ZIP format) from
http://xxclone.com/xcln_chm.zip
for viewing as a local reference.
What is XXCLONE
Version 0.58.0 Released 2007-02-07
Here is a list of major features of XXCLONE.
- XXCLONE supports Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000 and XP.
- XXCLONE duplicates the Windows system volume and makes the target
volume self-bootable.
- XXCLONE can duplicate both the system volume and non-system volumes.
- XXCLONE can perform an Incremental Backup to cut down the time for
a periodic backup.
- XXCLONE can copy a source volume to a much larger volume.
- The target volume can even be smaller than the source as long as
there is enough space available to hold the volume.
- XXCLONE supports FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS partitions.
- Even though the current version of XXCLONE displays only English
text, it supports any non-English Windows system. Specifically,
Unicode-based file and directory names are fully supported.
- The source and the target volume need not be of the same file
system. I.e., You may copy a FAT volume into NTFS volume and
vice versa, and still make the target volume self-bootable.
- XXCLONE can repair a non-bootable Windows system volume and
make it self-bootable again.
- XXCLONE can be used on desktop computers and also on notebook
computers.
- XXCLONE can handle internal disks (IDE, SATA, SCSI) as well as
external disks (USB, Firewire).
- XXCLONE can copy the system volume to an external disk and
make the target volume self-bootable (when it is installed
as an internal disk).
- You may abort XXCLONE's lengthly backup operation in the middle
and later resume the operation from where you left off.
- XXCLONE can be run in the background while you use the
computer for regular usage (e.g., Web browsing, Email,
word processing, spreadsheet, etc.)
- You may throttle down the CPU usage of the background
XXCLONE operation so that your foreground tasks do not
become noticeably sluggish.
- When the target disk is created for the first time, the
volume will automatically become free of disk-fragmentation
even from a highly fragmented source volume.
- XXCLONE can be invoked completely from a batch file script
for automatic, unattended operations.
How XXCLONE Works
Here is how XXCLONE works.
- XXCLONE is an ordinary Win32 application program.
- The main backup engine of XXCLONE is based upon Pixelab's
flagship product, XXCOPY that has long been tested in
the field and well received by the market over a decade.
- XXCLONE performs the volume-copy operation one directory
and one file at a time accessing them using the standard
file I/O Win32 API.
- Unlike so-called "disk imaging" utilities that are used
for similar purposes, XXCLONE can skip files that have
not been changed since its previous backup operations
for a greatly superior performance using the proven
incremental backup technology that was cultivated by
XXCOPY's experience.
- XXCLONE's unique HyperSync option further improves the
performance of an incremental backup by skipping some
directories whose contents have not been modified since
the previous backup.
- Since XXCLONE copies files one at a time using logical
file access (as opposed to sector-by-sector accesses),
each file written to the target volume is positioned
in contiguous sectors. That is, the target volume
newly created by XXCLONE is automatically made for
optimum performance as if a disk de-fragmentation
procedure were performed. A "de-frag" operation by
itself is usually an extremely time-consuming procedure.
- XXCLONE's versatility and performance advantage are
a result of XXCLONE's unique approach to the common
goal of creating a backup system volume.
- XXCLONE performs all necessary disk initializations
in order to make the target volume self-bootable.
- XXCLONE's design is very simple. Even relatively
inexperienced Windows users can operate XXCLONE
within minutes, thanks to the intuitive user interface.
- XXCLONE can create a batch file script for a single click
of a mouse button. The user need not learn the
DOS/batch techniques in order to automate XXCLONE operations.
- By dropping the icon for the batch file script, one can
quickly set up a periodic system backup schedule.
- XXCLONE-Pro provides several backup options to maximize
the performance while maintaining its versatility.
- When a volume-cloning operation is over, the target
volume is ready for reboot on its own.
- Unlike other system backup utilities, the target volume
is made ready to take over the system boot responsibility
without any so-called "restore" procedure.
- Since the target volume is made self-bootable, a test run
to verify the bootability does not require time-consuming
restore and setup procedures. The simplicity and the
convenience encourage frequent testing of the backup volume.
- The use of the standard file I/O operations in most of the
XXCLONE operation makes possible the support of a wide
range of disk technologies such as IDE, SATA, SCSI,
as well as external disks with great confidence.
XXCLONE Testimonials
Here are early samples of what people were saying.
-
On fist attempt with the Beta version of XXCLONE.
My destination drive became a fully bootable disk.
What can I say. Brilliant work.
Pat H.
-
XXCLONE appears to be an excellent product and worked
flawlessly for me.
Louis L.
-
My first use of XXCLONE is completed. This was the
slickest thing I've used in years. In the past I have
cloned Win98 drives using XCOPY. I did clone this
drive by that method along with a lot of manual work
after the xcopy operation. Then I ran across XXCLONE
what a dream!!
Charley A.
-
I've tried other tools such as Norton Ghost and NTI's
DriveBackup and what a joy it is not to have to drop
down to DOS or endure lots of re-boots just to do a
backup.
Malcolm S.
-
I had tried various other "solutions" to replicate
my WinXP disk (hard drive failing, just wanted to copy
all to a new drive before disaster struck, and proceed)
but, besides being annoying and very slow, each one had
some fatal problem.
Ghost requires and annoying re-boot to dos, then it
crashed mysteriously. The Western Digital disk copy
routine spent 4 hours copying bit by bit then failed
(repeatedly, at the same point) because it couldn't
read some certain directly. etc. etc. etc.
But XXCLONE was very easy to use AND it work right
-- the first time.
Congratulations. Thanks for a job well done!
Brent H.
-
It did a perfect job of cloning my XP Pro installation.
A feature that I really like is the option to boot
into either the original or the copy installation....
I am going to keep the old drive as long as practical,
and use it for daily back-ups.
Thomas M.
-
Wonderful program!!!!!!!!!!!
My C: drive running WinXP Home had been making some clicking noises
lately, and was very slow to boot when cold - and fast when warm - not a
good sign. I bought a larger drive to replace it and decided to use the
MaxBlast software that came with the new drive. Couldn't even get an
image that would come close to booting, as WinXP reported the drive as
being 0 bytes after the transfer completed.
Next, I tried DriveImage 2002 and V7.0 - both failed to make a drive
that would boot. DI 2002 took over 4 hours and the resulting drive
would start to boot and gave an XP splash screen but quit there. Using
DI 7.0 gave the same results, although the wait was 'only' about 3 1/2
hours to generate the drive - but it wouldn't complete the boot.
I found your product through a Google search. Filled out the info,
received my password, and within a half hour, I had a new drive that
booted and ran flawlessly - and booted very quickly!
I'll recommend it to everyone!
Brian M.
Theory of Operation
There are a few competing products on the market;
Norton Ghost is probably the most notable one.
Some of the usages of XXCLONE shares the common objective
--- to clone a Windows disk.
However, XXCLONE has one very significant difference in
its approach to the problem of cloning a Windows disk
that makes it a class of its own.
XXCLONE views a Windows disk as a collection of files
and directories and with a few exceptions, its access
to data on the disk is carried out as a logical (file)
access operations using the standard Windows file I/O
Application Program Interface (API).
Whereas, nearly all of competing products on the market
that are designed for disk cloning operations access
the disk using physical, low-level (sector to sector)
device I/O technique.
In short, XXCLONE is a special purpose file-copy
utility with extra features to make the target volume
self-bootable (this portion of the operation still
requires low-level disk I/O). It is not a
disk-imaging tool that treats a disk as a collection
of sectors. Much of XXCLONE's advantages is
a result this fundamental difference to its competing
products.
Here is a list of contrasting characteristics in the
two approaches in the disk cloning problem.
- When a clone operation is performed for the first
time, all the files created on the target volume
will be stored in a contiguous region. Therefore,
the clone operation in full backup mode automatically
performs the so-called "de-frag" operations.
The competing products that are based on a
sector-to-sector duplication principle propagate
the same degree of fragmentation found in the
source volume to the target.
- When the same clone operation is repeated for a
regular volume backup, XXCLONE can skip files that
were unchanged since the previous backup. With
the use of the HyperSync option that enables XXCLONE to
skip some of unchanged directories for further improvement
in backup performance.
Disk-imaging products typically cannot perform an
efficient backup operation in incremental mode
(Note: some products do claim to skip unchanged sectors).
- You may operate XXCLONE in a regular Windows session
without stopping your routine use of the computers,
since XXCLONE acts as a regular Windows applications
for most of its operations.
Disk-Imaging tools typically force you to terminate
a Windows session and run in DOS mode.
- XXCLONE can clone a volume into another with a
different file system. That is, you may clone a FAT
volume into an NTFS volume or vice versa.
Disk imaging products require the same type of
file system between the source and the target volumes.
- With XXCLONE, the target volume's size need not match
that of the source. As long as the target volume has
the capacity to hold the files, it can even be smaller
than the source volume.
So far, we paraded the advantages of the logical access
technique used in XXCLONE over its competing products that
are based upon the physical (sector-to-sector) access.
Obviously, an objective comparison cannot be complete without
mentioning the drawbacks of one product.
- XXCLONE does not currently employ a brute-force
optimization in the cloning operation other than
the good programing technique of coding the program
as efficiently as any conscientious engineer does.
As a consequence, one may find a competing products
outperforming XXCLONE in the first full volume
cloning operation. However, XXCLONE's ability
to perform the incremental backup will more than
compensate for it.
- There may be cases where you need reinstallations of
application programs that are strict in the operating
environment.
- XXCLONE does not have a provision to undelete files.
When files are deleted from the Target volume, the result
will be final. We strongly suggest that the user
maintain two sets of backup copies for all important data.
It is our strong belief that one day most, if not all,
disk cloning tools will adopt the approach taken by XXCLONE.
Join us in the XXCLONE Revolution!!!
XXCLONE Product Family
XXCLONE comes in three flavors.
If you are a dealer, a reseller or a consultant who maintains clients'
computers, please sign up to become an XXCLONE dealer:
XXCLONE Beta Test Packages
- Aside from the regular release versions,
we also make available beta test versions to
those who are curious about the latest features.
- Freeware, TestDrive and Pro-Edition packages are
available for beta testing.
- Please visit the beta test site.
Acquisition and Installation
This chapter explains all the steps necessary to acquire and install
XXCLONE.
For XXCLONE-Pro, a Product Activation procedure need to be completed
before the first use on a computer.
- Downloading the latest version of XXCLONE
- Installing the XXCLONE package
- Product Activation for XXCLONE-Pro
Downloading the Latest Version
Installing XXCLONE
-
The Freeware version of XXCLONE is available at XXCLONE's home
page or from a number of third-party web sites in the ZIP format.
Since no other communication to the publisher (Pixelab) will be
made in the course of downloading, you are on your own.
No Email with installation help will be sent to you.
Unlike the Freeware version, the XXCLONE Pro packages (both
for the Test Drive version and a paid-for licensed version)
are prepared individually built-to-order. This practice
is aimed to simplify the installation and maintenance of XXCLONE
at the customer site, especially with multiple installations.
-
When the ZIP file is unzipped, you will find just one file,
the XXCLONE Installer Program which is typically named like
xclninst_1010.exe (the four digits encode the version number).
It is advised that you keep the installer program at safe place
because this program is always needed for the first-time
installation and subsequent re-installation. Future
updates are also sent in the form of XXCLONE Installer that
contains everything needed for new and repeated installations.
-
Here's a few facts that may be unique to XXCLONE:
-
The
XXCLONE.EXE program file should be kept in the
Windows system directory: %SystemRoot%\system32\,
(typically at \Windows\System32\).
The design of XXCLONE requires that the program file
be kept at the system directory rather than the more
common \Program Files\XXCLONE\ directory
(XXCLONE stores only its shortcut icon there).
This design allows for XXCLONE's automated invocation
after a clone operation without relying upon the
contents in the system registry.
-
The
XXCLONE.EXE program file is always generated by
the XXCLONE Installer program for the host computer.
Therefore, the first-generation XXCLONE.EXE file is NOT
portable from one computer to another (with exception of XXCLONE-Pro
with pre-activated package for multiple installations).
You should use the installer program to create the
XXCLONE.EXE file on each computer.
-
The status of your XXCLONE license is available in
the About dialog box by clicking the About
button in the running XXCLONE program.
-
XXCLONE-Pro has the following characteristics:
-
XXCLONE-Pro is sold in the form of a site license with
an explicit limit on the number of installations
(the Host Count). The license fee is based
upon the Host Count and the unit price decreases as the
quantity goes up.
-
When you install XXCLONE-Pro for the first time on
a computer that has never been installed with XXCLONE-Pro,
the installation procedure includes a Product Activation.
The XXCLONE web server maintains a database of user licenses
with the history of installations (Product Activation). When
an update version is issued to a licensed user, the download
file is custom-built using the most recent activation record
in the database that eliminates the need for repeated Product
Activations.
-
A registered user can visit the XXCLONE web page:
and log in with password to review the activation log
of the license.
Product Activation for XXCLONE-Pro
-
The Product Activation procedure does not apply to the Freeware
version nor the Test Drive version (please skip this page).
The XXCLONE-Pro executable file is custom-built for each host
computer via a procedure called Product Activation. It is
somewhat analogous to Microsoft's license validation method for
Windows XP, except XXCLONE's method is much simpler (and transparent).
When the XXCLONE Installer program generates the executable file
(XXCLONE.EXE), the name of the computer (known as NetBIOS ID) and
a unique 10-digit Activation Key will be stamped on the file.
Acting as a wizard, the Installer program will assist the user
in acquiring the Activation Key through a six-step dialog.
All you need to do is to click a button to visit
Pixelab's
Product Activation web page with your web browser (e.g.,
Internet Explorer) and perform two-way copy-and-paste operations
between a box in the Installer page and another box in the browser
page.
-
Click the button next to Label (2) and the
XXCLONE Product
Activation page will appear in a browser window. You
should view the browser window side-by-side with the Installer
window rather than maximizing the browser window size.
-
While viewing both the Installer wizard page and the browser page,
perform a copy-and-paste operation of the contents of the License
Data box (1) in the Install Wizard page to the
corresponding box in the browser window (3).
-
Click the Request Activation Key button in the browser window,
and an Activation Key will appear in the Activation Key box
(4) within a few seconds.
-
Go to the next page in the Installer wizard, and perform
a copy-and-paste operation of the Activation Key from the
browser window (4) to the Installer wizard
(5).
-
Once the Activation Key is copied into the Installer's box
(5) and the Next button clicked,
the Installer wizard's actions will be straightforward.
It creates directories and files in the right places.
-
By default, a shortcut icon for the XXCLONE program will be added
to the Desktop.
More about Product Activation
-
The Activation Key is computed by Pixelab's web server using
a combination of Serial Number, License Code and the computer
name in accordance with a special hash algorithm. For every
combination of the three items, there exists a unique Activation Key.
The Pixelab web server maintains a database of user licenses with
history of Product Activation. Renaming the computer requires
a Product Activation with the new name.
-
When the XXCLONE Installer program finds it necessary to perform
a Product Activation procedure, it automatically inserts a six-step
procedure to help you transfer the values between itself
(the Installer Wizard) and Pixelab's Product Activation page
(the Web browser display).
-
In order to minimize the user inconvenience associated with the
Product Activation procedure, Pixelab's web server builds the Installer
module by incorporating the particular customer's previous
installation history (with the computer names and the activation keys).
When you download an update version of XXCLONE-Pro, the Installer
program will arrive pre-activated that precludes the Product
Activation procedure. This feature will be most convenient
for a user with a multiple-host license. One download for an
update will generate a "portable"
XXCLONE.EXE program that is
ready to run on any of the computers previously installed under the same
license.
-
The data transfer between your computer and the Pixelab's server
is performed strictly by your manual copy-and-paste operations
without hidden communications. Although it may look primitive,
this design ensures that the Product Activation procedure does not
infringe the user privacy beyond the minimal level of license-related
data exchange.
-
Corporate customers with a relatively large number of host count
may request a special version of XXCLONE-Pro download module
with pre-activated Installer program (a list of the computer names
is needed).
Volume Clone Operations
This section guides you through the common steps in the basic XXCLONE
operations.
- Invoking XXCLONE
- Command Line Syntax
- Selecting the Disk Volumes
- Selecting the Clone Mode
- Advanced Settings
Invoking XXCLONE
Command Line Syntax
This page covers the syntax of the XXCLONE command arguments.
If you are not familiar with the concept of controlling a program
through the command line, we suggest you skip this page.
The command line arguments provide mechanisms to preset certain
settings to reflect your preferences when the program is launched,
or, even fully automate XXCLONE's operations.
XXCLONE can be invoked with command line arguments with the following
syntax.
XXCLONE source target [ switches ... ]
where source Source volume (e.g., C:)
target Target volume (e.g., D:)
E.g., XXCLONE C: D:
Note: In both the source and the target specifiers,
you may append an optional label to the drive-
letter immediately following the colon which will
assert the correct match of the volume label.
E.g., XXCLONE C:mywinxp D:mybackup
In this example, if the source (C:) volume's label
and the target (D:) volume's label are not mywinxp
and mybackup respectively, then, XXCLONE will issue
a warning dialog. The label is case-insensitive.
A label with a embedded space needs to be surrounded
by a pair of double-quotes(e.g., D:"My Backup").
When the /start switch is present and the label does
not match, the program will terminate immediately.
You may add one or more of command switches as needed.
-- The following switches correspond the selections in Operation Mode --
/backup1 Backup Option #1 (Full Backup)
/backup2 Backup Option #2 (Incremental Backup)
/backup3 Backup Option #3 (Windows key directories Only)
/backup0 Registry Transfer (Without Backup)
Note: If none of the above is specified, /backup2 will
be chosen by default.
-- The following switches are for Advanced Settings functions --
/wp Configures the Target with the alternatative wallpaper.
/hyper Uses HyperSync algorithm in incremental backup.
/walkout Shuts down the computer after completion.
/log[:val] Creates a log file (D:\XXCLONE.LOG)
val specifies the types of entries in the log.
val Error Skip Delete Copy
----------------------------------------
0 no no no no
1 yes no no yes
2 yes no yes no
3 yes no yes yes
4 yes yes no no
5 yes yes no yes
6 yes yes yes no
7 yes yes yes yes
8 yes no no no
----------------------------------------
/log will be interpreted as /log:8.
/debug Creates a debug file (C:\XXCLONE.DBG)
/ni:val Inserts idle cycles (CPU throttle).
0: full speed .. 10: slowest
-- The following switches are useful in a batch file --
/start Starts automatically without pause.
/sys0 Suppresses the warning message that will
appear when cloning a non-system volume.
/hide0 Displays in normal mode (default)
/hide1 Displays in minimized mode.
/hide2 Hides XXCLONE's window
-- Special functions (no volume clone operations) --
/help Displays a summary of command switches.
/uninst Uninstalls XXCLONE from the current system.
/diag Creates diagnostic file (C:\XXCLONE.DAT).
Note: when this switch is specified,
no clone operations will take place.
Command line Example:
xxclone.exe c: d: /backup2 /wp /hyper /start
Tip:
You may create a shortcut on your Desktop with a command
line similar to the example above. You may click the icon
which automatically starts the action without another click.
Moreover, you may drag-and-drop the icon into the StartUp
directory, or into the Scheduled-Tasks (inside Control Panel)
for further automation.
Note:
The following switches are supported only with XXCLONE-Pro
(not with the Freeware version).
/backup2, /backup3, /backup0, /start, /hyper
Selecting the Disk Volumes
The most important selection in any XXCLONE operation is to select
the Source volume and the Target volume correctly. So, they
are displayed at all time whenever XXCLONE is running.
Since selecting a wrong volume would often result in a catastrophic
loss of files, we strongly recommend that you use the
Disk Management utility before every XXCLONE operation
and affirm that the volumes that you select indeed reside in the right
disk/partition. For your convenience, XXCLONE provides a one-click
button to invoke the Disk Management utility.
- The Disk Management Utility.
Since the use of XXCLONE often involves a drive-letter swap
as part of the cloning operation, the visual inspection
of the disk configuration is particularly helpful.
In addition to the graphic display of the disks and volumes,
the Disk Management utility plays a vital role in the
disk configuration and initialization operations (partitioning,
and formatting, etc.).
Caution: As of this writing, XXCLONE cannot determine whether
the disk configuration settings have been changed since
the invocation of the XXCLONE program. Therefore, if you
change the disk configuration setting in any way (e.g.,
partitioning, formatting, etc.), you must exit the XXCLONE
program once and launch the XXCLONE program again.
- Selecting the Source Volume.
For most common XXCLONE operation, the Source Volume should
be the "System Volume", the volume where the current Windows
system directory resides. In the standard Windows setup,
this is the C: volume.
You may sometimes select a non-system volume for the Source
Volume such as cloning a multi-volume system and duplicating
a volume that belongs to another machine (frequently on
an external USB-disk). In such cases, XXCLONE will issue
a "Non-system" warning. This warning dialog can be suppressed
via a command line switch (/sys0).
The Source Volume setting need to be properly set not only
in a volume cloning operation, but also in other operations
that are available in the Cool Tools page.
For example, with the Duplicate Vol. ID, operation,
the setting in the Source Volume box will determine in which
volume the Volume ID value is fetched.
- Selecting the Target Volume.
For most XXCLONE operations, the Target Volume should
be a non-system volume that will become the backup volume
of the Source Volume.
In some rare circumstances, you may choose the current
Windows system volume (typically C:) as the Target Volume.
In such a case, many files that are in use by the Windows
system will not be properly copied (overwritten).
(XXCLONE will issue a warning dialog).
The most common case where you select the system volume
for the Target Volume is when you run
a System Restore operation
(in Cool Tools > Restore Points).
Like the Source Volume, the Target Volume setting need
to be properly set in some of the functions that are
available in the Cool Tools page.
For example, before selecting the Make Bootable function,
you need to correctly set the Target Volume for the operation.
Selecting the Clone Mode
XXCLONE is used predominantly for volume cloning operations either for
a one-time upgrade from the current system disk to a new (typically)
larger one, or for periodic system backup purposes.
This section describes the difference among the four distinct ways
to perform a cloning operation. The available
choices are displayed in the Operation Mode tab in the main
window in the following order.
- Full Volume Backup (
/BACKUP1)
In this mode, the Target Volume will always be completely
cleaned first. Then, the entire Source Volume will
be copied to the Target Volume. This is the most
time-consuming operations of all.
One notable advantage of this method over the Incremental
Volume Backup method (described below) is that every file
in the Target Volume will be written contiguously without
fragmentation. Furthermore, this is the most "reliable"
method of all to duplicate the volume faithfully.
The files that make up the system registry will be
transfered in this operation.
- Incremental Volume Backup (
/BACKUP2)
The end result of this operation will be logically equivalent
to that of the Full Volume Backup (described above),
In both cases, the contents of the Target Volume should become
the same as those of the Source Volume.
The difference between the two is that the Incremental
Volume Backup tries to reduce the work by identifying
and skipping the files that have not been modified since
the most recent backup operation whereas the Full Volume Backup
always copies everything.
In each directory in the Target Volume, XXCLONE scans
the contents for any extra file or directory whose counterpart
does not exist in the Source Volume. All such files and
directories will be deleted from the Target Volume.
Then, the directory in the Source Volume will be scanned for
files that need to be copied to the corresponding directory
in the Target Volume. All new files that do not exist
in the Target will be unconditionally copied. If the
same file exists in the Target Volume with identical size,
timestamp and file-attributes, then, the file will be skipped.
Otherwise, the file is considered modified since the previous
backup and will be copied.
The process continues recursively for each directory found
in the Source Volume. At the end, the Target Volume
will be made logically equivalent to the Source Volume in
theory.
There may be cases where the copy operation fails for various
reasons. We will discuss this topic in
the Failures in File Copy section.
After the entire volume is duplicated in the above mentioned
fashion, the files that make up the system registry will be
transfered.
In most Windows systems, the vast majority of files
in a volume remain unchanged in most day-to-day
operations. Therefore, an incremental backup
operation dramatically reduces the time it take to
perform a volume clone operation.
In conjunction with this mode of volume cloning, the
HyperSync option increases
the performence significantly.
This is the preferred operation for a periodic backup
using XXCLONE.
Note: the XXCLONE Freeware does not support this feature.
- Windows Key Directories Backup (
/BACKUP3)
Unlike the first two backup methods, this operation duplicates
only the two essential directories in the Windows system volume.
This operation is designed to create a target volume that
is at least self-bootable in a minimalistic way.
-
The Windows system directory (
%SystemRoot%
--- in most system it is at C:\Windows\).
This directory is the most important directory in any
Windows system. Therefore the contents of this
directory are copied in this operation.
-
The standard user-data directory (
\Documents and Settings\)
is also very important for Windows operations,
therefore, the contents of this directory are also
copied in this operation.
Some essential files in the root directory will also be backed
up by this operation. The files that make up the system
registry will also be transfered in this operation.
Many applications create their own directory inside the
\Program Files\ directory. However,
the absence of such directories is not critical for
a successful bootup process in most cases.
Therefore, the \Program Files\ directory
and all other directories in the root level will not
be duplicated in this mode of cloning.
You may use this method for the sake of troubleshooting
or a transition to more complicated disk management
operations.
Note: the XXCLONE Freeware does not support this feature.
- Transfer of System Registry (
/BACKUP0)
This operation does not perform any file backup.
Rather, it performs only the transfer of the system
registry from the Source Volume to the Target Volume.
You may use this feature in order to capture the current
state of the system configuration before installing
a new software package so that you may
restore the current system
registry when something goes wrong with the new application.
This operation is useful in conjunction with other
file backup utilities such as Pixelab's XXCOPY-Pro.
Note: the XXCLONE Freeware does not support this feature.
Note: The XXCLONE Freeware version supports only the Full Backup
(/BACKUP1) operation.
Advanced Settings
Additional control settings in volume clone operations are available in
the Advanced Settings tab in XXCLONE's main window.
These settings allow you to fine-tune a volume clone operation in a
way different from the default setting.
- Alternative Wallpaper
Displays XXCLONE's Alternative Wallpaper when the system is
booted using the Target volume.
- HyperSync in Incremental Backup
Speeds up an incremental backup by skipping dome directories
that have not changed since the previous backup.
- Automatic System Shutdown
Initiates a system shutdown after a clone operation.
- Log File
Creates a log file in the Target volume with file activity
records.
- Debug File
Creates a debug file in the Source volume with disk
I/O activities for reporting problems.
- Speed Control
Slows down the XXCLONE activities to improve the responsiveness
of other applications.
Alternative Wallpaper
You may enable the Alternative Wallpaper setting at the
checkbox in the Advanced Settings tab in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
-
The ultimate purpose of XXCLONE is to create a Target Volume
that resembles the Source Volume as closely as possible.
However, when you boot your system using the newly cloned
Target Volume for occasional testing purposes, a Target Volume
that is indistinguishable to the original creates some problem.
It has been many user's experience that you sometimes forget
that you are operating in the Target Volume for testing
purposes because of the identical look-and-feel in the
Target Volume.
For example, when you access your Emails inside the Windows
environment booted from the Target Volume and download the incoming
Emails from your mail server, the Email data in your main volume
will not be automatically updated. After a reboot using the
main volume, you may find the latest batch of Emails missing
in the In-box.
-
XXCLONE's Alternative Wallpaper is designed as a constant
reminder to the user that the current Windows session is
hosted by the Target Volume created by XXCLONE and the user
should refrain operations that might create inconvenience
later.
-
Example:
User's normal (source) Desktop
Alternate (target) Desktop
-
When the cloned environment becomes a permanent user environment,
the user should change the wallpaper setting at:
Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Background
HyperSync in Incremental Backup
You may enable the HyperSync in Incremental Backup setting at the
checkbox in the Advanced Settings tab in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
-
One of XXCLONE-Pro's popular usages is the periodic backup
operation. In the Incremental Volume Backup and the
Windows Key Directory Backup modes, XXCLONE speeds up the
clone operation by skipping files that are determined to be
the same since the previous backup operation.
When the HyperSync Algorithm is enabled, XXCLONE goes one step
further and tries to identify directories whose contents have
not been changed since the previous backup operation.
When a directory is determined to be unchanged, the examination
of the whole contents (member files) in the directory will be
skipped to save time. Directories that contain
a subdirectory will not be skipped.
The effectiveness of this scheme is most profound when
the amount of disk activities (i.g., the computer usage)
since the previous clone operation has been relatively small.
-
One notable use of this feature is to run a volume backup
operation in the incremental mode (
/backup2)
twice.
In the first backup operation, you may use the computer in
the normal fashion while XXCLONE operates in the background.
(Say, you browse the Internet, send Emails, edit a document, etc.)
By not terminating all active programs while XXCLONE is running
in the background, some files that are being accessed during this
period may not be properly backed up. After the first round
of XXCLONE operation completes, then, terminate all running programs
and run XXCLONE once again for a more complete volume backup.
The second run of the volume cloning operation will save the files
that failed to be backed up in the first run. In such a case,
the HyperSync algorithm makes an appreciable difference in the time
to complete the job.
Automatic System Shutdown
You may enable the Automatic System Shutdown setting at the
checkbox in the Advanced Settings tab in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
-
Many users prefer to run the system backup operation at
the end of the day. Since XXCLONE operation may take
some time, you may not want to wait for the completion
of the full XXCLONE operation.
-
When this setting is enabled, XXCLONE will initiate
the system shutdown operation at the end of its operation.
Log File
You may enable the Log File setting at the
checkbox in the Advanced Settings tab in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
/log[:n] where n a digit (0 - 8)
Debug File
You may enable the Debug File setting at the
checkbox in the Advanced Settings tab in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
-
When you enable XXCLONE's debug file option, XXCLONE's
file I/O activities are recorded in the Debug File.
The contents of the Debug File are very similar (and mostly
redundant) to those of the Log File.
Its primary purpose is for Pixelab's engineer to analyze
the XXCLONE activities for troubleshooting purposes.
The entries in the debug file are mostly cryptic and
serves little purpose for ordinary users.
Unlike the Log File, the Debug File will be saved in
the root directory of the system volume (usually at
C:\XXCLONE.DBG) and only the last XXCLONE
session will be recorded in the file.
Speed Control
You may enable the Speed Control (CPU Throttle) setting at the
slide control in the Advanced Settings tab, or any time
during a volume cloning operation in the main window.
Alternatively, you may enable the option with the following command
line argument:
/ni[:n] where n is a number (0 - 10)
-
When XXCLONE is run in the background, it is often
desirable to run the XXCLONE task at less than the
full speed for improved performance for the foreground
and other tasks.
-
You may set the slide control or enter a numeric value
to control the processor usage.
A value of 0 (fastest) through 10 (slowest) may be entered
in the box next to /ni.
-
When the speed control parameter is 1 or larger, then,
XXCLONE will insert an idle period of varying length
during its clone operation between file and directory
accesses to control the task's demand to the processor.
-
Unlike other options in Advanced Settings tab, the
speed control setting can be changed at any time during a clone
operation.
Cool Tools
In addition to the main feature, the volume clone and backup operations,
XXCLONE provides other disk management functions that supplement
the clone operations. They are grouped as Cool Tools
in the third tab in the XXCLONE main window.
Since most of the tools implicitly reference the Source Volume and
the Target Volume settings in the main window that cannot be changed once
you enter the dialog box for a Cool Tool, you must set the
volume selection first.
- Make Bootable
Makes the Target Volume Self-Bootable.
- Duplicate Volume ID
Copies the Volume ID from the Source Volume to the Target
Volume.
- Add Test Boot
Adds an entry in the boot menu saved in the BOOT.INI file
of the Source Volume to select the Target Volume for
testing purposes.
- Make QBD
Creates a Quick Boot Diskette (QBD) which is handy to boot
a volume that may not be self-bootable.
We suggest that everyone creates a Quick Boot Diskette.
- Make Batch File
Saves the current settings for clone operation into a
batch file.
- Restore Points
Enters the Restore Points dialog where you can change
the Restore Points retaining schedule or perform
a system restore operation from a restore point.
Making the Target Self-Bootable
This function is available in the Making the Target Self‑Bootable
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Make Bootable
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Making the Target Self-Bootable dialog box
-
There are three essential data items on the hard disk that
make the Target Volume self-bootable:
-
The Master Boot Record (MBR)
It is the first physical sector of the disk.
-
The Boot Sector
It is the first logical sector of the volume (partition).
-
The BOOT.INI file
It is a text file stored in the root directory of the
volume. It provides the Boot Menu in the boot
process that specifies the disk number and the partition
number where the boot volume resides.
The purpose of this dialog box is to initialize these
data items in order to equip the Target Volume self-bootable.
-
In many cases, the Target volume will become self-bootable
after the first volume clone operation using XXCLONE without
further steps. In such a case, there is no need to use
this feature since all of the three boot control items are
already initialized properly.
However, a re-initialization of a volume that is already
self-bootable does not hurt.
-
When the target volume is newly partitioned and formatted,
it is advised that the three boot items be initialized
at least once. You may perform this operation either
before or after the first volume clone operation.
-
This function is also useful to repair a volume that has
lost the self-bootability. For example, if you suspect
that any of the elements may have been corrupted by
a computer virus, you may use this function to regain the
self-bootability.
-
For a typical (standard Windows default) disk configuration,
it is safe to select all three boot items (check all three).
However, when a third-party boot control tool (such as
Boot Magic) is used, some or all of the boot control items
may be disabled to avoid a conflict with the third-party tool.
-
Even without the use of a third-party tool, if you want to
retain full control of the BOOT.INI file in the Target Volume,
you should leave the BOOT.INI selection unchecked.
In such a case, it is your responsibility to properly
initialize the BOOT.INI file.
-
When there is only one entry in the boot menu (i.e., one
line in the BOOT.INI file's [Operating Systems] section),
then, the boot process skips the boot menu entirely since
there will be no choice to make in the boot menu.
This characteristic may be exploited if you want to eliminate
the display of the boot menu by removing the lines in the
BOOT.INI file that correspond to unused selections.
-
After selecting one or more of the three items, you must
click the Start button in the dialog box in order to
perform the initialization of the selected boot control items
on the Target disk.
-
The combination of the three boot control items is
represented by a single numeric parameter (0-7) that
can be used in the parameter of the
/bc:n
switch which can be specified as a command line argument.
When a /BC:n switch is present in the
command line, XXCLONE will initialize the specified boot
control item(s) at the end of a volume clone operation
(after files are copied and the system registry transferred).
Duplicating the Volume ID
This function is available in the Duplicating the Volume ID
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Duplicate Vol. ID
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Duplicating the Volume ID dialog box
-
Some installed applications use the Volume ID (a 32-bit value)
as a key to verify the proper installation of the software,
supposedly for piracy prevention.
For example, some Anti-Virus products are known to be sensitive to
the Volume ID value of the system volume and display a warning
message suggesting a re-installation.
In such a case, copying the Volume ID from the Source volume to the
Target often alleviate the problem.
This feature allows you to duplicate the Volume ID for such a purpose.
-
Actually, our stance on such prolems is that all problematic
applications be re-installed on the cloned environment
(e.g., using the original install CD).
The user-generated data that are associated with the application
should be preserved through the re-installation.
However, each application behaves diffferently. Therefore,
you should not discard any data on the Source volume until the
behaviors of all applications have been fully tested in the
the Target Volume environment.
Fortunately, applications that cause such a problem seem to be
in a small minority.
Adding a Test Entry in Boot Menu
This function is available in the Adding a Test Entry
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Add Test Boot
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Adding a Test Entry in Boot Menu dialog box
Once you clone the current working system volume (typically,
C:) into a backup volume, you should be able to use the new
volume to boot your computer into a Windows environment.
You may do so without removing the current system volume from
the computer, or even swapping the disks.
-
One of the few methods to boot Windows using the cloned volume
is to use the existing boot mechanism of the current system volume
(the Source volume) and add an entry in the boot menu that allows
you to select the Target volume for testing. We suggest the
use of this method for its simplicity.
If you do not see a boot menu in the boot process, it is simply
because the BOOT.INI file that determines the boot behavior
(including the appearance of the boot menu) has only one entry
that selects the current system volume.
-
A knowledgeable user may use a text editor
(e.g., NotePad) and manually change the contents of the
BOOT.INI file in the current system volume, this (Add Test Boot)
feature helps you do just that automatically.
-
The line that corresponds to a boot menu entry has two parts;
-
Invisible part
It specifies the disk number, the partition number and
the name of the Windows system directory.
-
Visible part
The text appears in boot menu (for human consumption).
The text box labeled "Appearance in the Boot Menu" in the
dialog box provides a suggested text for the visible part
in the line that you may change to fit your taste.
-
When you click the OK button, the BOOT.INI file will
be modified with the additional entry that will appear in the
the boot menu in the next boot process.
-
After the BOOT.INI file is changed, you will find the new
entry you added through this dialog box displayed in the
boot menu. Selecting the Target volume in the boot menu
will instruct the boot procedure to use the specified volume.
-
If you have a problem in booting into the newly cloned volume,
you should consult the Troubleshooting
section.
Microsoft's documents for reference:
Making a Quick Boot Diskette
This function is available in the Making a Quick Boot Diskette
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Make QBD
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Making a Quick Boot Diskette dialog box
Besides the use of a hard disk-based boot method, we suggest
the use of the good old floppy disk drive (FDD) as an
alternative method to boot your computer.
Although many people dismiss the diskette as obsolete
(or more commonly, their computer has no FDD), we still think
the diskette-based boot method is viable for its flexibility.
-
As a matter of fact, we suggest that you acquire a USB-FDD
if you do not have one. As of current writing,
practically all laptop computers still provide a boot option
using USB-FDD. It is a worthwhile investment.
We think the FDD-based boot method is a reliable first step
in dealing with a system that cannot be booted from the hard
disk.
-
This procedure helps you create a boot diskette that we call
the Quick Boot Diskette (QBD) that will be good not only for
booting into the newly created cloned volume, but also for
booting into any volume including the main system disk that
has trouble booting into the Windows environment.
-
Insert a formatted diskette in the FDD (A:) and click the
Start button. Existing files on the floppy disk
will be preserved.
-
You may add additional entries in the boot menu on the
QBD by manually editing the BOOT.INI file on the diskette.
Making a Batch File
This function is available in the Making a Batch File
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Make Batch File
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Making a Batch File dialog box
The current settings for the volume clone operation will
be saved in the
%SystemRoot%\system32\Run_XXClone.BAT
(typically at C:\Windows\system32\Run_XXClone.BAT)
which will be good for a mouse-click invocation at a later time
(or for a scheduled execution).
Restore Points
This function is available in the Restore Points
dialog box which is invoked by clicking the Restore Points
button in the Cool Tools tab of the main window.
Restore Points dialog box
Every time you perform a clone operation (in any of the four
operation modes: /backup1, /backup2, /backup3, /backup0),
XXCLONE saves the current state of the system registry as
a Restore Point (in %SystemRoot%\xxclone.arc\
in the Source volume itself).
Each Restore Point is represented by a directory with
a date-encoded name.
This dialog box provides two distinct functions that are related
to the Restore Points.
-
Setting the retaining schedule of restore points.
-
Performing a system restore operation from a restore point.
Restore Points Retaining Schedule
-
In order to keep the consumption of the disk space by Restore Points
within a reasonable limit, XXCLONE trims the number of
Restore Points according to a retaining schedule settable by the user.
The retaining schedule classifies the collection of Restore
Points into four series (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly)
with four corresponding parameters that set the maximum number
of Restore Points to retain in each category.
-
For example, the default setting (7 days, 4 weeks, 12 months,
and 5 years) maintains 7 daily restore points, 4 weekly restore points,
and so on. A daily restore point that has become 8 or more
days old will be automatically reclassified into the weekly series.
A 5-week old one in the weekly series will also re-classified into
the monthly series, and so forth.
-
For most users, the default settings should strike a
good balance of the availability of the restore points
for recent days and the storage requirement for older data.
-
When two or more clone operations are made in one day, all of the
restore points of the day will be kept until midnight.
When multiple restore points from a previous day are found,
XXCLONE will discard all but the newest one in the group.
-
When you modify the restore point schedule, the change will be
effective at the next clone operation.
System Restore Operation
-
The system restore operation using a restore point is
carried out by first highlighting a restore point of choice
and then clicking the Restore Target Registry Now button.
A system restore operation consists of retrieving the system
registry files from the specified restore point directory in the
Source and copying them into the proper locations in the
Target volume. No other files will be restored since that is
not within the scope of the Restore Point design.
-
A volume-wide restoration for a given volume can only be
achieved by cloning the volume from its backup volume
(using XXCLONE's clone feature). You may also copy
files or directories from a cloned volume manually using
any appropriate tool as needed.
-
The list of the restore points shown in the box are those
available in the Source Volume selected immediately before
you entered in the dialog box. Similarly, the target of
the restore operation is the Target volume you selected
immediately before you entered the dialog box.
Unlike the cloning operation, for the system restore operation,
you may choose the current system volume (typically C:) both
as the Source volume and the Target volume at the same time.
In fact, we recommend it as the preferred choice.
-
When you complete a system restore operation with the current
Windows system volume as the Target, then, the effect of the
restoration will become effective after the next reboot.
We strongly suggest that you perform a system reboot
immediately after the current system volume is restored.
On the other hand, if a system restore is performed on
a Target volume other than the current windows system volume,
then, no further action (nor a reboot) will be necessary.
-
Since the contents of the Source volume is typically backed up
into the Target volume in the course of a periodic backup,
the restore points data for a given volume is stored both in
the originating volume itself and its backup (clone target)
volume. Although you will find restore points for a
given volume in its cloned volume, we suggest that you restore
the registry of Volume X: from the restore points archived in
itself (also Volume X:) in principle. But, if the restore
points in the volume itself is either absent, corrupted, or
having trouble in restore operation, then, you may use an
alternate copy saved in another volume.
-
In short, the System Restore function is quite flexible as to
the choice of the Source and the Target volumes.
For example, you may use this feature to even repair a volume
on a USB-attached disk that belongs to another computer (e.g, with
a serious boot problem) by restoring its system registry
from one of the restore points saved on itself.
Howerver, it will be the user's responsibility to make sure
that the restore point selected in the Source indeed corresponds
to the Target volume when you are dealing with a volume
that belongs to a computer other than the current host computer.
Technical Notes
This chapter covers technical details and miscellaneous subjects.
- About Self-Bootability
- A Crash Course on Windows Booting
- BIOS Settings
- About the BOOT.INI File
- Boor Error Messages
- Release History
- Technical Support
About the Self-Bootability
The trait that sets XXCLONE apart from other backup tools is that it
makes the Target volume Self-bootable without the need for
a restore. But, the design of XXCLONE operations is such that
the very first attempt in cloning the system volume may not always
yield a self-bootable volume.
In our estimation,as much as 50% of the cloned volume may require
additional steps after the first round of volume cloning.
However, we also estimate that over 90% of users will eventually succeed
in making the cloned volume self-bootable.
We strongly recommend testing the Target volume's self-bootability at least once if you count on such
a capability.
Most of the initial difficulties are due to XXCLONE's conservative design.
Much of our trepidation comes from the fact that every Windows system
is different. For example, even though the three
boot control items should be
initialized on the great majority of systems, there are cases where
some of the data should be kept unchanged. This is why you should
not panic even if you have difficulties in booting using the cloned
volume after your first XXCLONE operation.
In the discussion of bootability, it should be pointed out that there are
two types of boot methods in bringing a system up to the Windows
environment.
Windows does not allow the system volume to reside in an external disk
(by Microsoft's deliberate design). Therefore, if your computer
can accommodate only one internal disk (as with most laptop computers),
your options in testing are limited. On the other hand, if
you can attach the cloned (Target) volume as an additional internal disk
without removing the original (Source) volume, you should connect
the disk directly to the computer as an internal disk even if you
are currently accessing the Target volume as an external (USB) disk
(by removing the bare disk from the enclosure).
In this section, various testing strategies will be explained in the
order of the probability of success. Therefore, you should try
the techniques below in the order they are presented. Skip the
procedures that do not apply to you.
-
Making the Target Self-Bootable
Regardless of which procedures you use in the course of making
the Target volume self-bootable, the three essential data items
on the volume that relate to the self-bootability must be set
properly.
- MBR (both the IPL and Active Partition Marker)
- Boot Sector
- BOOT.INI
The following tool allows you to initialize them.
You may perform this operation without a change in the disk
configuration including a Target volume that resides in
an external disk.
If you have not done so, you must initialize them before you
attempt any of the boot tests. After the procedure,
you should proceed to the methods below.
-
Self-Boot method
If you cannot connect two disks to the computer internally
(i.e., without using an external enclosure), and you do not have
a floppy disk drive (FDD), then, you have no luxury of testing
in any other way. You need to physically remove the
current (Source) disk and plug in the cloned (Target) disk.
If your computer is equipped with an FDD (internal or external),
then, even if you can attach only one computer, the QBD method
described below (in the Aided‑Boot is a worthwhile
technique to try first.
If your computer can accommodate both the Source and the Target
volumes as internal disks, then, you should first try the
Aided‑Boot methods first because they are simpler.
This method requires a disk configuration (through the BIOS
settings) that designates the disk that contains the Target volume
as the first disk drive in the boot device list in the BIOS.
The BIOS Settings page
covers the topic.
After a reboot using the cloned (Target) volume, if everything
goes successfully, you should find XXCLONE with a congratulatory
message. At that time, we suggest you run
the Disk Management utility to verify drive-letter
assignment in the cloned environment. You should observe
the Alternative Wallpaper
if you enabled the option. When you verify the successful
self-boot capability, you are done with the test and you may
return to the original disk configuration.
If your computer does not reach the familiar Windows environment,
and if you have not gone through the Aided-Boot methods,
then, you should run the tests methodically.
On the other hand, if you have already verified the bootability
of the cloned (Target) volume using the Aided-Boot methods
described below, then consult the
Boot Errors Messages
page.
-
Aided-Boot methods
In contrast to the "Self‑Boot", we coined the word,
"Aided‑Boot" (for lack of better words) to explain the
case where in a boot menu, you select a volume that is
different from initial boot volume that generates the
particular boot menu.
When a volume contains the properly initialized essential
directories (typically, with \Windows and
\Documents and Settings) with valid
system registry files inside, you should be able to use the
volume to bring up the system into the Windows environment
(i.e., the volume is bootable).
A Target volume that has been duplicated from the current system
volume (the Source) using any of XXCLONE's three backup methods
(/backup1, /backup2, or
/backup3) is such a volume that should succeed in
an aided-boot even if it fails in a self-boot.
When the Target volume fails in a self-boot, the next step we
suggest is to test the cloned volume for an aided-bootability.
This is because if a volume is not capable of aided-booting,
then, it cannot be self-bootable.
Note that if the disk that contains the Target volume is not
connected to your computer internally (i.e., not an external
USB-disk), you cannot use either of the Aided-Boot methods.
If the cloned (Target) volume resides in the same disk as the
system (Source) volume, then, you can use either of the two
methods.
XXCLONE provides two schemes in the Aided-Boot method to test
a cloned volume.
- Cool Tools > Add Test Boot
This method uses the existing boot mechanism of the
current system disk. By adding a new entry in
the boot menu, it enables you to select the cloned
volume to become the system volume for testing.
- Cool Tools > Make QBD
This method creates a Quick Boot Diskette which
provides an entry in the boot menu that enables you
to test the bootability of the cloned volume.
The advantage of the Add Test Boot method is
its simplicity. It does not require a floppy disk drive
which many computers do not have.
There are a few notable advantages with the Make QBD
method. (1) The QBD method does not require any change
in the current boot mechanism. For example, when you
manually edit the working BOOT.INI file in the current system
volume, a simple mistake may render your system unbootable.
(2) In case of trouble, you may quickly modify the BOOT.INI
file in the diskette using another Windows computer.
(3) The QBD you create for the Aided-Boot to test the cloned
volume will become a handy tool to boot into the system volume
if and when you encounter a difficulty in booting the system.
If you still fail to make the target volume bootable in any of
the Aided-Boot methods, you should re-examine the contents in
the BOOT.INI file, more specifically, the disk number setting
that is most likely cause of difficulties. The
About the BOOT.INI File
page provides the details.
Once you succeed in an Aided-Boot with the cloned volume,
you are ready to use the Self-Boot method (See Above)
to achieve the ultimate goal of XXCLONE ---- the
Self-Bootability.
Aside from the how-to instructions presented here, seeing the full
picture of the Windows boot sequence
should be helpful to understand the art of making a cloned volume
self-bootable.
A Crash Course on Windows Booting
This section gives an overview of the Windows boot sequence.
Although it is packed with a weath of information about the subject,
it covers commonly available facts. Knowledgeable users
may skip this section.
In order for a Windows system volume to become bootable by
itself, a number of conditions must be satisfied. Some of the
noteworthy ones that cause troubles most often are as follows.
- The boot device priority in the BIOS settings.
- Master Boot Record (MBR), Initial Program Loader (IPL).
- Active partition marker in the Partition table (in MBR).
- Boot Sector with the boot code.
- The \NTLDR file
- The \NTDETECT.COM file
- The \BOOT.INI file.
- Some files in the Windows system directory.
- The system registry files.
All the files listed above (the last five items) except the BOOT.INI
file in a cloned volume are initialized during a volume clone operation.
Here is a step-by-step sequence of events that take place during
the bootstrap process of a (NT-family) Windows system.
(The Win9X boot sequence is slightly different.)
-
When a computer is powered up, the first action it carries out is
the Power-On Self-Test (POST) where the essential components,
such as the main memory, keyboard, and video card are tested.
Some devices (e.g,, video card) contains an additional BIOS code that
will be loaded at this point.
Witin a few seconds after a power-up (or a system reset),
you may open up the BIOS menu by pressing the DELETE key
(some PCs use a different key such as F2, F8,
Ctrl-S, etc.).
Then, it detects disk drives that are registered in the BIOS memory
(so-called CMOS memory). It also scans and initializes
the COM, LPT, and Plug and Play (PnP) devices. This part
seldom causes a problem.
-
The BIOS then checks storage devices in the order of the boot device
priority list. This is an important BIOS setting that needs to
be initialized properly. We suggest to place the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
first, the Floppy Disk Drive (FDD or USB-FDD) next, and then, the
hard disk.
Some BIOS has a second list that determines which hard disk will
become the boot disk. When your computer supports both the
Serial ATA (SATA) and Paralel ATA (PATA, or the traditional IDE)
disks, then, you need to pay a close attention to the disk number
parameters in the BOOT.INI file
(See more discussion about BOOT.INI.)
When it encounters a device which is not ready (e.g., the DVD drive
is not loaded with a bootable disc), it moves on to the next device
in the list. Therefore, if you have an FDD which is listed in
the boot device list before the hard disk, then, insert the
QBD in the FDD to let it take over
the boot sequence (or, leave it unloaded to forego the use of
diskette).
Here, we assume that none of the boot devices ahead of the hard disk
in the list is ready (and therefore, the BIOS chooses the hard
disk as the boot device).
When your computer has multiple hard disks (not counting the disk
that is "Disabled" in the BIOS setting), the BIOS selects the
disk that is designated as Disk 0 for the boot
process.
The important thing here is that the BIOS setting (NOT the
BOOT.INI file) determines which disk (among many) will become
the initial boot disk. Using the
Aided-Boot method,
the ultimate system volume will be determined by the boot menu.
For a Self-Bootable volume to exercise its capability,
the disk that contains the Self-Bootable volume must be
designated as the boot disk (Disk 0).
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Once the BIOS determines which disk to boot, then, it loads
the first physical sector (512 bytes) of the disk that is commonly
known as the Master Boot Record (MBR) into a pre-determined location
in the main memory and executes the program. At this point,
the sole control of the computer is handed over to the 512-byte
program (called MBR code, or IPL).
The MBR code is usually OS-independent. That is, the same MBR
code can load Windows 9X, NT, 2000, XP, 2003, or even Linux.
In case of an FDD-based booting, the BIOS loads the first physical
sector of the diskette which is the boot sector. Unlike
the hard disk, a diskette is always formatted as a single-partition
device. It has no MBR. Instead, the first sector is
the Boot Sector. Therefore, with a diskette, the boot
procedure skips the MBR-related actions (skips the next step).
In such a case, the Disk 0 designation goes to the
first hard disk, not the FDD which does not receive a disk number.
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The MBR always contains the partition table that holds various
parameters (such as the sector location) of partitions that are
present in the disk.
There must be one partition that is marked active in the table.
Merely formatting a disk does not automatically make it active.
It takes your explicit operation to activate a partition.
We suggest that you always make one partition active on every disk
whenever you perform a partition or format operation using the
Disk Management utility.
The main task of the MBR code is to read the partition table,
determine the active partition and its location (sector number),
and load the first sector (512 bytes) into the pre-determined location
in the main memory, and then execute the code in memory (boot code).
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The first sector of a partition is called Boot Sector that must be
initialized with the boot code (a little program) which loads the
NTLDR file as the first step in the boot operation for NT-family
Windows (NT4/2000/XP/2003). (In the case of the Win9X-family OS,
the first file to load will be the IO.SYS files.) Unlike the
MBR code, the boot code in the Boot Sector is OS-specific. That
is, the Boot Sector image for Windows NT-family is different from
Windows 9X-family. It is our observation that the boot code for
Windows XP is compatible with all NT-family Windows.
Under normal circumstances, the boot sector is automatically
initialized when the partition is initialized and formatted
by the Disk Management utility. However, when it
is partitioned by FDISK (a DOS-based tool), unless the partition
is formatted as a system disk, or a "SYS" command is launched,
the boot sector will remain uninitialized.
The boot code for the NT-family Windows is responsible for loading
the NTLDR file which is more elaborate than merely loading a
sector from a known location. The boot code spans 7 sectors.
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Once the NTLDR file is successfully loaded from the disk into
memory and is executed, the BOOT.INI
file from the same volume will be read and the boot menu will be
displayed on the console.
The parameters that accompany the boot menu text will supply the
location of the Windows system directory by the disk number, the
partition number and the pathname of the system directory.
If the boot menu contains only one entry (for no choice), then,
the boot sequence will proceed without showing the boot menu.
Note that the main purpose of the boot menu is to determine the
exact location of the Windows system directory (notably, the
Disk Number and the Partition Number. (It also supplies the
windows directory name and miscellaneous option parameters.)
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When the location of the system directory is determined from the
boot menu (either by a user-selection from the menu or by default
in the invisible menu), the real Windows system initialization
phase will start to roll in full force. The ultimate
Windows system directory may or may not be in the same disk
as the one that produced the NTLDR and BOOT.INI files.
The system directory will furnish the necessary files ---
device drivers and system DLLs that comprise the Windows system.
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Finally, the system registry files will be retrieved and
the Windows system will be configured with the thousands of
settings stored in the system registry.
One of the system initialization steps of particular interest
is the drive-letter assignments. Unlike the earlier Windows
versions (95, 98 and ME), the NT-family Windows store the
drive-letter settings in the system registry. When
the system registry is transferred by XXCLONE, the drive-letter
assignments are automatically swapped (between the Source and
the Target volumes) for a proper operation when the system is
booted from the cloned volume.
BIOS Settings
Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a concrete instruction for
everyone due to the countless variations in the BIOS menu and the
available flexibility in the field. This page provides a few advices
that should be applicable to many cases.
With most computers, you may enter the BIOS menu within the first
few seconds of system power up by pressing the DELETE key
(in some computers it may be F2, F8, Ctrl-S,
etc.).
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In setting up the boot device priority list, we suggest to put
the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM first, the Floppy Disk Drive (FDD or USB-FDD) next,
and then, the hard disk last.
The idea is to place the CD-ROM or FDD devices ahead of the hard disk
so that you may manually override the normal (hard disk-based) boot
sequence by inserting a bootable CD or a QBD.
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The BIOS setting that always affects XXCLONE operations is the boot
device selection list. It comes in a variety of menu styles and
organizations. The common theme is that it allows you to
select which hard disk to be the first disk (Disk 0
in the boot menu designation). To test the self-bootability
of a cloned volume, you may select the disk that contains the
volume as the boot device.
In the DOS and Windows 9X environments (FDISK), the hard disks
are numbered starting Disk 1. However,
in the NT-family and Windows Vista, the first disk is
Disk 0.
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Another useful technique that relates to XXCLONE is that the BIOS
lets you disable a hard disk during a boot test.
For example, if both the Source and the Target volumes are in
different disks, you may disable the disk with Source volume
via a BIOS setting. This technique is often much less
time-consuming than swiapping disks physically.
If your computer does not have a floppy disk drive (FDD),
we recommend that you acquire an external USB-FDD as a convenient
way to control the boot process. We consider it a good
investment with the affordable price and the fact one such
device will serve all of your computers.
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Many computers come with a BIOS that offers a choice for the
External Hard Disk in the boot device list. As a mater
of fact, you may choose the external USB-disk as the boot
device. But, you will most likely be disappointed.
Although such a setting allows you to let your external hard disk
to take part in the first phase of the boot process (to provide the
boot menu and you may choose an interal disk successfully), Microsoft
will not let you successfully initialize a Windows system using an
external volume. Alas, this is a deliberate design (presumably
to prevent a software piracy.)
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You should be aware of one important fact that the disk numbering
scheme used by the BIOS which also applies to the disk number
parameters in the boot menu is NOT always consistent with
the disk numbering scheme shown in the Disk Management
utility when you have both Serial ATA (SATA) and Paralel ATA
(PATA, or the traditional IDE) type disks.
Whereas the Disk Management utility always shows the PATA
disks before the SATA disks, the BIOS settings may select a SATA disk
as the first disk.
This discrepancy is due to the fact that the Windows system directly
accesses the disk drives from scratch by completely ignoring the disk
numbering scheme used by the BIOS. Since XXCLONE is a regular
application just like the Disk Management
utility that accesses the disks through the Windows system API,
the disk numbering scheme used by XXCLONE is consistent with that
of the the Windows system.
Since the disk numbering scheme of the BIOS applies to the initial
boot sequence up to the boot menu selection phase, the disk number
specified in the BOOT.INI file should be consistent with the BIOS
scheme. Yet, some of the lines in the BOOT.INI file that are
automatically created by XXCLONE
(Make Bootable,
Add Test Boot or
Make QBD)
may become inconsistent to the reality when it is actually processed
in the context of the particular boot sequence.
Unfortunately, XXCLONE cannot easily determine whether such a
discrepancies may play an adverse role when it prepares a line
for inclusion n the BOOT.INI file. There is no automatic
solution to this except that the user need to be vigilant to this
potential discrepancy. Our suggestion is to add an entry that
covers the case for a different disk number.
One sure case that seems to applies to all cases is that the initial
boot disk that is selected by the BIOS which loads the BOOT.INI file
to show the boot menu is always treated as Disk 0 in
the context regardless of how Windows (and XXCLONE's display)
labels the disk. In other words, the Self-Boot setting should
refer to its own boot volume as Disk 0.
This topic is covered in the
BOOT.INI File page once again.
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Let me summarize this page by rephrasing the key point of the above
which is the most common pitfall for many users.
Remember that Windows' view of the disks may be
different from what your BIOS sees them. Even if you can
see the target disk on the Disk Management utility display,
the boot process may not detect the disk if your BIOS is not properly
configured. This is due to the fact Windows bypasses (ignores)
the BIOS settings while the boot procedure has to operate under the
system environment that is initialized by the BIOS at the beginning
before Windows takes over the control of your computer.
About the BOOT.INI File
In our estimation, the most common cause of problems in the boot process
with XXCLONE is the settings in the BOOT.INI file. Although
the BOOT.INI file created by XXCLONE (using
Make Bootable,
Add Test Boot or
Make QBD) works well for the
majority of users, there are cases where the parameters (usually
the Disk Number) chosen for the Target volume does not match the
correct value.
If you encounter a boot problem with a cloned volume, you should read
the previous pages in this section first.
The chances are that by manually editing the BOOT.INI file, the
cloned volume will come to life with a new setting. It is
a plain text file. If you are not familiar in dealing with plain
text (or not sure of the difference between a Word document file
and a plain text file), we recommend the use of NotePad, not
a word processor such as Word.
Here is how to edit the BOOT.INI file. This column
explains only the mechanics of editing procedures of a plain
text file. The actual changes that need to apply to the
BOOT.INI file will be explained shortly.
Before you can edit the file, you should make sure that it is
not hidden nor write-protected. First, open the
Start > Run... dialog box.
Then, type the following command line in the Open: box.
attrib -s -h -r x:\boot.ini
where x: is the drive letter of the Target volume.
The above command removes the protective attributes of the file.
The real editing begins now. Once again, open the
Start > Run... dialog box.
Then, type the following command line in the Open: box.
notepad x:\boot.ini
The backslash (\) is necessary to explicitly specify the location
of the file (at the root directory).
Inside NotePad, select the font and/or the width of the window
to make sure that the longest line (about 120 characters) does not
wrap around.
Once all the editing changes are complete, save the file by
File > Save through the NotePad menu, and
exit the program.
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In case you get confused with our explanation, you may go to the
authoritative references tha
