Backing up drive.

[Hoochster]

Hello, I have the ISO for backing up the drive. But I just have a question that I apologize if it is a repeat. Has anyone tried using Symantec Ghost to make an image of the drive since it is a Linux OS? Will that work? It would be a lot quicker it seems and a lot easier to do. I got my system this weekend and plan on backing it up tonight and just wanted to see if that was an option.

Thanks

Just wanted to add, I did look at an old thread that mentioned that Ghost wouldn't work. Was wondering what versions have been tried. Version 7.0 definately supports imaging Linux/Unix drives. And was curious to know if someone had tried that version with any success. Thanks for any response.

[_Formula]

I heard one or two reports of success with GHOST. The question remains, even if you could use GHOST, why would you want to? MFSTools was written specifically to backup TiVos. It creates small backup images that can fit on a CD. Why image the entire 40GB hard drive? Even with compression it would consume alot more space, and take alot longer to do.

Why do you say it would be quicker and/or easier? Burn the boot CD that has MFSTools and it takes about 10 minutes to backup.

[Hoochster]

Thanks for the reply Formula. I was just curious. In most of the posts I have read I was under the impression it took Hours upon Hours to backup so that is what I wanted to use Ghost since it is pretty quick. But I guess the newer vers of the software must back up faster. Missed that. Thanks I planned on Using the Linux ver anyways for my first backup, just wanted to know if Ghost would work. But if it only takes 10 mins then boom I am there hehe! Thanks for the help and quick response!

[superzap]

My pc's CD drive is not bootable. I burned the v2.5Xtreme CD and would like to use it to create the same image on a spare hard drive and boot from that. Is there a possibility that Ghost would do this?

[Lure]

Two confirmed succesfull ghost images? which version of ghost was used?
ghost has some advantages over mfstools.... NO not the size-) but it backs up directly to cd. so for your own usage it is ok. backing up for the net is different. mfstools rox :D :D

theory: backing up with ghost...
1. connect Tivo disk as sec.master.
2. boot with kazymirs cd.
3. hot reboot without cd but in windows (keep drive unlocked)
4. disk copy he tivo drive with ghost to writeable cd.
5. take a couple of beers to kill the time but do not try to swap "bier viltjes" and cd's :~)

some more theory:
writing speed 16x...3cd's for 20gb... euh still an hour or so.


I'm gonna sober this as test as I'm soon ....

[Lure]

superzap wrote:
My pc's CD drive is not bootable

in short:
boot from a linux flop(dylan) with mfstools on it.
mount cd and mount hd
mfstools to restore cd image to hd. (drive size!!)

ghost can not be used in this case.

good luck:D

[superzap]

Thanks, yeah I thought about doing that but I don't the benefit of the Tivomad stuff, etc. on v2.5Xtreme. My Tivo HD is 40GB and the image is 30GB, so won't I lose use of the full 40GB size? What did you mean about "(drive size!!)"?

PS. Just wanted to make sure you understood what I'm proposing.
v2.5Xtreme CD using Ghost to image to spare hard drive.
Install that hard drive as Primary/Master.
Boot pc from C and it should be the same as booting v2.5Xtreme CD.
Install TiVo drive in Secondary/Master and let v2.5Xtreme do it's thing.
Remove TiVo and reinstall in TiVo.

[Hoochster]

OK went home at lunch and opened her up and backed up using the Boot CD. No probs, didn't do the NOSWAP like I have read in the past cuz the instructions didn't say to but was wondering if it would have gone faster if I did?? Anyways got it backed up as a Virgin. Then called and subbed my card damn that took forever. And went ahead and subbed to Tivo. Haven't done anything with Tivo yet since I needed to go back to work BLAH.. Anyways, thinking of backing it up again before activating the Tivo part. So wanted to know about the NOSWAP option.? And next question. Since I subscribe to Tivo, and I even sub to DTV but I do also do EMU. I assume there are no problems disconnecting phone line and still subbing to Tivo and hacking hard drive bash etc?? And if I wanted for whatever reason to get updates from Tivo I could hook the phone line up with the subbed card and do a call correct? What will happen when I do a call with a hacked Tivo system? Hurt anything? I assume with the Chattr or whatever commands no probs but even so just hack again I would assume. Just wondering what I am in for. I know it is in these messages somewhere but thought I would throw it in there real quick! Thanks for any response!

[_Formula]

That's not going to work. The way your BIOS boots a CDROM and a HD is different. Bootable CDs contain a bootable image that the BIOS reads, maps as drive a, and boots off of. So when the BIOS loads this image from the CD (usually 1.44 - 2.88 MB), it then boots from it just like it's a bootable floppy disk. I don't think a HD with the CD image written to it would boot. Not sure you could even read the resulting partition.

Easy solution though... Boot from the DBD floppy disk, mount your CDROM, use MFSTools on the CD to write the backup image thats on the CD. The extreme CD is just a "wrapper" to make writing the backup image easier. Surgeon said he was going to release the MFSTools bak seperately. Whether he did or not, you can use the bak form the CD.

Hoochster: With the NOSWAP option, you cannot mount the TiVo partitions for modifications. You can only backup/restore. Default option (with byteswapping) is fine for MFSTools backups/restores.

[Hoochster]

Thanks for the reply Formula!

[superzap]

OK, one other question about restoring the v2.5Xtreme backup to a 40GB TiVo drive since the v2.5Xtreme image is 30GB. Won't I lose 10GB unless I do TiVomad? Or will it even work without TiVomad? As I understand it, v2.5Xtreme build logic uses TiVomad if you boot from The v2.5Xtreme CD. Maybe I'm wrong?

Hoochster
I would be careful with the phone line. Does your TiVo show your sub status yet? If it doesn't, you might get fixup02c installed by v2.5Xtreme when you don't want it. Not sure if it matters, just a heads up.

[Hoochster]

Yeah probaby will, just wanted some advice. Since I am actually subbing I assume it is technically legal to run fixup02 hehe! And just do all my updates manually. Just had remembered reading that some went ahead and plugged the line in to get the 2.5 image downloaded and back it up. Which since this is a completely new system, I probably will go ahead and setup the Tivo service since I am paying for it and let it do the first couple downloads and back it up or whatever before so that I have the original version and then start the manual hacks. And for whatever reason if I need to download from Tivo again I can just restore the image and do it and back it up hehe and then restore other stuff for hacks, I assume it works this way from what I remember reading. If I am making sense in the first place hehe! Thanks

[superzap]

You don't need to sub a new unit to get software upgrades downloaded. I took a brand new DSR6000R with v2.0 software, hooked it up to phone line, with same unsubbed HU card it came with, went thru guided setup, forced a daily call a couple of times and it downloaded v2.5. Then I hacked it to change the prom, zero initrd, get bash, add fixup, but that was before v2.5Xtreme.

[Hoochster]

Well since I am legal hehe! I am going through all the steps of setting it up. I forced a call and am downloading the updates I guess will find out when it is done, and as soon as there aren't any more updates to get I will backup the drive once again with the new image before reboot so that I can put it back if needed someday. Then gonna start hacking with 2.5. So hopefully I will be good to go. Anyone have any hints or other steps I should follow let me know, but hopefully since I did subscribe to Tivo I should be alright. I don't want to leave my phoneline hooked up so will be looking at the fixup02c.tcl file after I am done but I imagine I will have questions on how I need to apply it but will deal with it when I have to.

Thanks