Paragon Drive Copy - 15 Professional Operation Manual

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PARAGON Software GmbH

Heinrich-von-Stephan-Str. 5c  79100 Freiburg, Germany

Tel. +49 (0) 761 59018201  Fax +49 (0) 761 59018130

Internet www.paragon-software.com  Email sales@paragon-software.com

Drive Copy™ 15 Professional

Use r Manual

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Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 6

What’s New in Drive Copy 15 ...................................................................................................................... 6

Product Components ............................................................................................................. 6

Features Overview ................................................................................................................. 7

Features ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

User Friendly Fault Minimizing Interface ................................................................................................................................ 7

Backup Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Restore Facilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Copy Facilities ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Virtualization Facilities ............................................................................................................................................................ 8

Partition/Hard Disk Management Facilities ............................................................................................................................ 8

Automatization Facilities ........................................................................................................................................................ 9

Auxiliary Facilities ................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Supported Technologies .............................................................................................................................. 9

Supported Virtualization Software ............................................................................................................. 10

Supported virtual hard drive types ....................................................................................................................................... 10

Supported virtual machines for P2V scenarios ..................................................................................................................... 10

Supported File Systems .............................................................................................................................. 11

Supported Media ....................................................................................................................................... 11

Getting Started .................................................................................................................... 11

System Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 11

Installation ................................................................................................................................................ 12

First Start ................................................................................................................................................... 13

Building Recovery Media ............................................................................................................................ 14

Booting from the Linux/DOS Recovery Media ............................................................................................. 14

Startup .................................................................................................................................................................................. 14

Boot menu ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15

Booting from the WinPE Recovery Media ................................................................................................... 17

Startup .................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

Basic Concepts ..................................................................................................................... 18

System and Data Protection ....................................................................................................................... 18

Sector Backup ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Backup Storage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19

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Adaptive Restore .................................................................................................................................................................. 19

System Virtualization ................................................................................................................................. 21

Dynamic Disks ............................................................................................................................................ 21

pVHD Support ............................................................................................................................................ 22

GPT versus MBR ......................................................................................................................................... 23

uEFI Boot Challenges .................................................................................................................................. 23

Apple Boot Camp ....................................................................................................................................... 23

64-bit Support ............................................................................................................................................ 24

Copy Operations ........................................................................................................................................ 24

Drive Partitioning ....................................................................................................................................... 24

Scheduling ................................................................................................................................................. 25

Windows Components ........................................................................................................ 25

Interface Overview .................................................................................................................................... 25

General Layout ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Tool Button ........................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Ribbon Panel ......................................................................................................................................................................... 27

Virtual Operations Bar .......................................................................................................................................................... 27

Express Mode Button ........................................................................................................................................................... 28

Disk Map ............................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Disk and Partitions List .......................................................................................................................................................... 28

Context-sensitive Menu ........................................................................................................................................................ 29

Properties Panel .................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Status Bar .............................................................................................................................................................................. 31

Settings Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 31

General Options .................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Backup Image Options .......................................................................................................................................................... 32

General Copy and Backup Options ....................................................................................................................................... 32

CD/DVD/BD Recording Options ............................................................................................................................................ 33

Hot Processing Options ......................................................................................................................................................... 34

VD container options ............................................................................................................................................................ 35

Partitioning Options .............................................................................................................................................................. 35

E-Mail Options ...................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Virtual Mode Options ........................................................................................................................................................... 37

File System Conversion Options ........................................................................................................................................... 37

Copy/Backup Exclude Options .............................................................................................................................................. 38

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Log Files Options ................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Viewing Disk Properties ............................................................................................................................. 40

Viewing Image Properties .......................................................................................................................... 40

Using the Restore Wizard ..................................................................................................................................................... 40

Data Backup and Rescue ............................................................................................................................ 42

Creating Backup Images ........................................................................................................................................................ 42

Restoring System and Data ................................................................................................................................................... 45

Copy Tasks ................................................................................................................................................. 49

Cloning Hard Disks ................................................................................................................................................................ 49

Cloning Partitions .................................................................................................................................................................. 52

Partition Management ............................................................................................................................... 53

Basic Partitioning Operations ............................................................................................................................................... 53

Advanced Partitioning Operations........................................................................................................................................ 62

Changing Partition Attributes ............................................................................................................................................... 63

Hard Disk Management ............................................................................................................................. 65

Converting Dynamic MBR to Basic ....................................................................................................................................... 65

Converting GPT to Basic MBR ............................................................................................................................................... 66

Converting Basic MBR to GPT ............................................................................................................................................... 66

Updating MBR ....................................................................................................................................................................... 67

Changing Primary Slot ........................................................................................................................................................... 67

Task Scheduling ......................................................................................................................................... 69

Setting a Timetable ............................................................................................................................................................... 69

Managing Tasks .................................................................................................................................................................... 70

Creating a Scheduled Task .................................................................................................................................................... 71

Scripting .................................................................................................................................................... 72

Extra Functionality ..................................................................................................................................... 74

View Partition/Hard Disk Properties ..................................................................................................................................... 74

Volume Explorer ................................................................................................................................................................... 75

File Transfer Wizard .............................................................................................................................................................. 76

Mount Partition .................................................................................................................................................................... 78

Check File System Integrity ................................................................................................................................................... 79

Edit/View Sectors .................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Send Log Files ........................................................................................................................................................................ 80

View Logs .............................................................................................................................................................................. 81

Typical Scenarios ................................................................................................................. 82

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Backup Scenarios ....................................................................................................................................... 82

Backing up a hard disk or partition to a network drive ........................................................................................................ 82

Backing up a hard disk or partition to external media (CD/DVD) ......................................................................................... 85

Backing up a dual boot Mac to an external USB drive.......................................................................................................... 87

Recovery Scenarios .................................................................................................................................... 89

Correcting EFI parameters .................................................................................................................................................... 89

Correcting BCD (Boot Configuration Data) ........................................................................................................................... 90

Fixing Windows startup ability ............................................................................................................................................. 91

Restoring a system partition from a network drive .............................................................................................................. 94

Restoring a system partition from external media (CD/DVD) .............................................................................................. 98

Restoring a system partition from a local drive .................................................................................................................. 101

Restoring a dual boot Mac from an external USB drive ..................................................................................................... 103

Copying of data from the corrupted system disk to another hard disk ............................................................................. 105

Burning of data from the corrupted system disk to CD/DVD ............................................................................................. 107

Copying of data from a backup to the corrupted system partition .................................................................................... 109

Restoring separate files and folders from a backup ........................................................................................................... 112

System Migration Scenarios ..................................................................................................................... 117

Migrating Windows OS to a solid state drive (Migrate OS to SSD) .................................................................................... 117

Migrating system to a new HDD (up to 2.2TB in size) ........................................................................................................ 120

Making system bootable on different hardware (P2P Adjust OS) ...................................................................................... 122

Virtualizing the current system (P2V Copy) ........................................................................................................................ 129

Creating an empty virtual disk (Create VD) ........................................................................................................................ 132

Making Windows Vista/7 backup bootable on virtual hardware (P2V Adjust OS) ............................................................. 133

Connecting a virtual disk (Connect VD) .............................................................................................................................. 135

Exchanging data between physical and virtual environments ........................................................................................... 137

Copying data from a parent virtual disk to one of its snapshots ........................................................................................ 138

Migrating from one virtual environment to another (V2V) ................................................................................................ 139

Migrating from a virtual environment to physical (V2P) .................................................................................................... 139

Migrating a Windows 7 vhd ................................................................................................................................................ 139

Extra Scenarios for WinPE ........................................................................................................................ 140

Adding specific drivers ........................................................................................................................................................ 140

Configuring network ........................................................................................................................................................... 141

Saving log files ..................................................................................................................................................................... 144

Troubleshooter .................................................................................................................. 145

Glossary ............................................................................................................................. 147

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Our company is constantly releasing new versions and updates to its software, that's why images shown in this manual may be different from what you see on your screen.

Introduction

Paragon Drive Copy™ 15 Professional includes latest innovations in migration of Windows OS and data to different environments. With its help you can:

 Move your Windows (any version since XP) from a regular hard disk to a fast SSD (Solid State Drive) even of a

smaller capacity, thanks to advanced data exclusion capabilities. Speedy, yet completely indifferent to mechanical impact SSD enables to get the most out of your system with minimal risk.

 Migrate your Windows (any version since XP) to a different hardware platform. When upgrading to newer or

just replacing failed hardware use our unique P2P technology to guarantee startup of your system on a dissimilar hardware configuration.

 Transfer your Windows (any version since XP) to a virtual environment of Microsoft Virtual PC, VMware

Workstation/Fusion, or Oracle VirtualBox (P2V).

Most functionality of the product is offered through handy intuitive wizards, that’s why not only IT pros, but also

inexperienced users can find it easy and efficient.

In this manual you will find the answers to many of the technical questions, which might arise while using the program.

What’s New in Drive Copy 15

 Embedded Recovery Media Builder (RMB) 3.0. Instead of two utilities downloaded from Paragon's website

(BMB and RMB), the new RMB 3.0 is now embedded into the product. Combining the best of the two utilities, it can boast more options, usability, and stability:

- Prepares Linux or WinPE-based bootable environment on a USB thumb drive or in an ISO image;

- Doesn’t obligatory require Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) or Automated Installation Kit

(WAIK) on Windows 7 and later platforms;

- Can build WinPE-based media on Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 if there’s WAIK installed in the system;

- Allows injecting additional drivers for storage devices, network controllers, USB controllers, or system

during setup;

- Enables to set up a network connection with a pre-mounted network share during setup;

Prepares hybrid (both, uEFI and BIOS compatible) 64-bit recovery environment on flash or in an ISO image.

Product Components

In order to cope with different tasks, the product contains several components:

 Windows based set of utilities is the crucial part of the product. With the help of an easy to use launcher you

may find and run tasks of any complexity in the field of data and system protection, hard disk partitioning and cloning, etc.

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 Linux/DOS based recovery environment is a multi-platform bootable media that enables to run utilities under

Linux or PTS DOS, and that way to get access to your hard disk for maintenance or recovery purposes. Both platforms have their strong sides, for instance Linux can boast support of FireWire (i.e. IEEE1394) or USB devices. It enables to burn CD/DVD discs. However there can be some difficulties with detecting new hardware. DOS in its turn has no problems of that kind but is limited in features. The Linux/DOS recovery environment requires no installation and can be of great help when the system fails to boot. Besides it offers a Windows XP like environment.

 WinPE based recovery environment. Especially for keen followers of Windows, our product offers the option to

prepare a WinPE based bootable media. Unlike the Linux/DOS recovery environment it can boast an excellent hardware support and the same interface as the Windows version can. However its system requirements are much tougher.

Features Overview

This chapter dwells upon key benefits and technical highlights of the product.

Features

Let us list some of the features:

User Friendly Fault Minimizing Interface

 Graphical representation of the data to gain a better understanding.  A handy Launcher to easily find and run the required tasks.  Comprehensive wizards to simplify even the most complex operations.  A context sensitive hint system for all functions of the program.  Previewing the resulting layout of hard disks before actually executing operations (so-called virtual

operations).

Backup Facilities

 Available location for backup images:

- Backup to local mounted partitions.

- Backup to local unmounted (without drive letter assigned) partitions.

- Backup to an external mounted storage to provide for a higher level of data protection and system independence.

- Backup to external media (CD/DVD) to guarantee a high level of data protection as long as the backup media is kept secure.

- Backup to a network drive to stand a better chance of success in case of a hard disk failure.

For PBF images:

 Back up separate partitions or entire disks.

For pVHD images:

 Backup to VD Wizard to protect separate partitions or entire hard disk

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This feature is only available for the bootable recovery environment.

Copy functionality can also be used as an alternative way of data protection.

Virtualization is the latest trend in the system migration, protection, and evaluation.

Restore Facilities

 Restore an entire disk, separate partitions or only files you need from the previously created backup image (for

PBF and pVHD).

 Restore with Shrink to restore a backup image to a free block of smaller size taking into account only the

amount of actual data of the image.

 Adaptive Restore to successfully migrate a Windows physical system to a different hardware platform (P2P) by

allowing automatic injection of all required drivers and the other actions crucial for a migration of this kind.

Copy Facilities

 Migrate OS to SSD to move any Windows OS since XP from a regular hard disk to a fast SSD (Solid State Drive)

even of a smaller capacity, thanks to advanced data exclusion capabilities.

 Partition/hard disk copy to successfully transfer all on-disk information including standard bootstrap code and

other system service structures, thus maintaining the operating system’s working capability.

Virtualization Facilities

 Connect VD to connect a virtual disk as if it’s an ordinary physical disk, thus opening up all functionality available

for physical disks to virtual.

 P2V Copy to migrate a Windows physical system to a virtual environment in the online mode.  P2V Adjust to recover the startup ability after unsuccessful virtualization with a 3rd party tool.  Create VD to create an empty virtual disk or with specific data of one of the supported virtualization vendors.

Partition/Hard Disk Management Facilities

 Basic functions for initializing, partitioning and formatting hard disks (create, format, delete). Instead of the

standard Windows disk tools, the program supports all popular file systems.

 Mount a partition (assign a drive letter) of any file system type to make it available for your operating system.  Modify file system parameters (make active/inactive, hide/unhide, etc.).  Undelete Partitions Wizard to recover an accidentally deleted partition.

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Scheduling is only available for the Windows installation of the program.

Boot Corrector is only available for the bootable recovery environment.

Automatization Facilities

 Task scheduling to automate routine operations. It can be particularly effective when you have to repeat a

sequence of actions on a regular basis.

 Scripting to make the program create a script of any set of operations you need. Besides support of all

operations available in the interactive mode, the unattended mode provides some additional features, such as conditional execution, subroutines, repeatable iterations, disk/partition properties analysis, errors management, etc.

Auxiliary Facilities

 Conversion of basic MBR disks to basic GPT to enjoy all benefits of the newest partitioning scheme with

minimal effort.

 File Transfer Wizard to make such operations as transferring of files/directories or burning of them to CD/DVD

as easy and convenient as possible. Providing access to Paragon backups as regular folders, it may also help to replace corrupted data from a previously created image in case of an operating system failure.

 Volume Explorer is a handy tool when you have different file systems on the disk, whether they contain an

operating system or just data. Volume Explorer will let you explore a file system of any type and provide access to the necessary files and directories regardless of their security attributes.

 Network Configuration Wizard to establish a network connection on a bootable recovery media either to save a

backup of a partition/hard disk or just several files on a network computer or retrieve a previously made backup from a network computer for recovery purposes.

 Boot Corrector to fix most of the system boot problems that can be a result of a human factor, program error or

a boot virus activity.

Supported Technologies

Along with using innovative technologies from outside, Paragon has developed a number of its own original technologies that make its products unique and attractive for customers:

 Paragon Hot Backup™ technology to back up locked partitions and hard disks under Windows NT+ family

operating systems providing both high operating efficiency as well as low hardware requirements.

 Paragon Hot Copy™ technology to copy locked partitions and hard disks under Windows NT+ family operating

systems providing both high operating efficiency as well as low hardware requirements.

 Paragon Power Shield™ technology to provide data consistency in case of a hardware malfunction, power

outages or an operating system failure.

 Paragon UFSD™ technology to browse partitions of any file system including hidden and unmounted, modify

and copy files and folders, etc.

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Snapshot disks of Oracle VirtualBox are not supported.

 Paragon Restore with Shrink™ technology to restore a backup image to a free block of smaller size taking into

account only the amount of actual data of the image.

 Paragon BTE™ technology to set tasks for execution during the system restart, thus saving from the need to use

a bootable media when modifying system partitions.

 Paragon VIM™ (Virtual Image Management) technology that enables Paragon products work with virtual disks

as though they are physical hard disks.

 Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to provide the copy/backup infrastructure for the Microsoft

Windows XP/Vista/7/Server 2003/2008 operating systems. It offers a reliable mechanism to create consistent point-in-time copies of data known as shadow copies. Developed by Microsoft in close cooperation with the leading copy/backup solution vendors on the market, it is based on a snapshot technology concept.

 Microsoft Dynamic Disk (simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, RAID-5) to offer more management flexibility

without the partition limitation of basic disks. Dynamic storage can be particularly beneficial for large-scale businesses when dealing with many physical hard disks involving complex setup.

 GUID Partition Table (GPT). It is the next generation of a hard disk partitioning scheme developed to lift

restrictions of the old MBR. GPT disks are now supported by Windows Vista/7, Server 2008, Mac OS X and Linux.

Supported Virtualization Software

For direct access to virtual hard drives

 Microsoft Virtual PC 2007  Microsoft Windows Virtual PC  Oracle Virtual Box 1.0-4.x  VMware Player  VMware Workstation  VMware Fusion

Supported virtual hard drive types

 VMware - Virtual Machine Disk Format (VMDK)  Microsoft - Virtual Hard Disk (VHD)  Oracle - Virtual Desktop Image (VDI)  Paragon’s backups (PBF/pVHD)

Supported virtual machines for P2V scenarios

 Microsoft Virtual PC  VMware Workstation  VMware Fusion  Oracle VirtualBox 4.0

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Unfortunately, support of non-Roman characters for the HFS+ file system is unavailable at the moment. The company is about to implement it in the nearest future.

During the installation additional free space (up to 1GB) will be required.

Supported File Systems

 Full read/write access to FAT16/FAT32 partitions.  Full read/write access to NTFS (Basic Disks) under Windows, Linux and PTS DOS. Compressed NTFS files are also

supported.

 Full read/write access to Ext2FS/Ext3FS/Ext4FS partitions.  Limited read/write access to Apple HFS+ partitions.

Supported Media

 Support of both MBR and GPT hard disks (2.2TB+ disks included)  IDE, SCSI and SATA hard disks  SSD (Solid State Drive)  AFD (Advanced Format Drive)  Non-512B sector size drives  CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R double layer and also Blu-ray discs  FireWire (i.e. IEEE1394), USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 hard disks  PC card storage devices (MBR and GPT flash memory, etc.)

Getting Started

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to get the product ready to use.

System Requirements

For the Windows installation package

 Windows XP SP3  Windows Vista  Windows 7  Windows 8  Windows 8.1

Additional requirements:

 To install and run the product the target OS should have Visual Studio C++ 2010 Runtime Library installed

(comes with the installation package – you will be prompted to install it, if it’s not been found in the system).

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In case there is some previous version of the program installed on the computer, the program will offer the user to uninstall it first.

For the Linux bootable environment

 Intel Pentium CPU or its equivalent, with 300 MHz processor clock speed  256 MB of RAM  SVGA video adapter and monitor  Keyboard  Mouse

For the WinPE bootable environment

 Intel Pentium III CPU or its equivalent, with 1000 MHz processor clock speed  At least 1 GB of RAM  SVGA video adapter and monitor  Keyboard  Mouse

Additional requirements

 Network card to send/retrieve data to/from a network computer  Recordable CD/DVD drive to burn data to compact discs  External USB hard drive to store data.

Installation

Before the installation, please make sure the systems requirements are met. If everything is OK, please do the following to install the product:

1. Click on the supplied setup file to initiate the installation. First your system will be checked for the presence of

Visual Studio C++ 2010 Runtime Library and if not found, you will be prompted to install it (comes with the installation package). Click Install to continue.

2. The Welcome page will inform that the application is being installed. Click Next to continue.

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Do not install the program on network drives. Do not use Terminal Server sessions to install and run the program. In both cases, the program functionality will be limited.

The program provides wide opportunities in the field of hard disk structure modification, so just to be on the safe side, please make a backup of your data before carrying out any operation.

3. Please Read Paragon License Agreement carefully and then select the appropriate option to accept. Otherwise

you won’t be able to proceed with the installation. By clicking the Print button, the license agreement may also be printed out.

4. Provide your product key and serial number.

5. On the Customer Information page you are to provide the standard customer information, i.e. a user name and

an organization. Besides you need to decide whether to make the program available for all users of this computer (if several) or only for the current one.

6. On the next page, click Change to install the utility to a different location (by default C:\Program Files\Paragon

Software\Paragon Drive Copy 15 Professional Edition\). Otherwise click Next to continue.

7. On the Ready to Install the Program page click Install to start the installation or Back to return to any of the

previous pages and modify the installation settings.

8. The Final page reports the end of the setup process. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

First Start

To start Paragon Drive Copy 15 under Windows, please click the Windows Start button and then select Programs > Paragon Drive Copy™ 15 > Paragon Drive Copy™.

The first component that will be displayed is called the Express Launcher. Thanks to a well thought-out categorization and hint system, it provides quick and easy access to wizards and utilities that we consider worth using on a regular

basis. With its help you can also start up the traditional launcher, the help system or go to the program’s home page.

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To know more on how to handle the product’s interface and accomplish typical operations,

please consult the Windows Components chapter.

Please use Recovery Media Builder or Boot Media Builder to prepare Paragon's recovery environments on CD/DVD, flash, or in an ISO-image.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set

Building Recovery Media

WinPE- and/or Linux-based recovery environments should be prepared on-site with Paragon’s Recovery Media Builder. To know more on the subject, please consult documentation that comes with this utility..

Booting from the Linux/DOS Recovery Media

The Linux/DOS recovery environment can be used to boot your computer into Linux or PTS DOS to get access to your hard disk for maintenance or recovery purposes. It also has the PTS DOS safe mode, which may help in a number of nonstandard situations such as interfering hardware settings or serious problems on the hardware level. In this case, only basic files and drivers (such as hard disk drivers, a monitor driver, and a keyboard driver) will be loaded.

Startup

To start working with the Linux/DOS recovery environment, please take the following steps:

1. Start up the computer from our Linux/DOS recovery media.

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up to boot from CD/USB first.

By default the Normal Mode will be automatically initiated after a 10 second idle period.

2. Launch a boot mode you need (Normal, Safe, Low-Graphics Safe) in the Boot menu.

3. Click on the required operation to start. Hints on the selected at the moment item will help you make the right

choice.

4. Consult the help system by pressing ALT+F1 to know more on the subject.

Boot menu

32-bit environment

 Normal Mode. Boot into the Linux normal mode. This mode uses the full set of drivers (recommended);  Safe Mode. Boot into the PTS DOS mode. This mode can be used as an alternative of the Linux normal mode if it

fails to work properly;

 Low-Graphics Safe Mode. Boot into the PTS DOS safe mode. In this case, only the minimal set of drivers will be

included, like hard disk, monitor, and keyboard drivers. This mode has simple graphics and a simple menu;

 Floppy Disk. Reboot the computer from a system floppy disk;  Hard Disk 0. Boot from the primary hard disk;  Find OS(s) on your hard disks. The program will scan hard disks of your computer to find any bootable operating

system.

64-bit environment

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While working with the recovery environment you might experience some inconvenience caused by possible video artifacts. It is just a result of changing video modes and in no way will affect the program functionality. If this is the case, please wait a bit and everything will be OK.

fails to work properly;

 Reboot. Restart the computer.  Power off. Shut down the computer.

Normal Mode

When the Normal mode is selected, the Linux launch menu appears:

 Drive Copy (enables to run wizards and dialogs, to specify program settings, to visualize the operating

environment and the hard disk configuration);

 Backup to Virtual Disk Wizard (help to protect an entire hard disk or separate volumes);  Restore from Virtual Disk Wizard (allows restoring hard disks and partitions);  Disk Copy Wizard (helps to clone a hard disk);  Undelete Partition (allows recovery of accidentally deleted partitions);  File Transfer Wizard (allows coping files/folders to another disk or a partition as well as recording them to

CD/DVD);

 Boot Corrector (helps to correct the Windows System Registry without Windows being loaded);  Network Configurator (enables to establish a network connection under Linux);

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If you are going to use network resources, first launch the Network Configuration Wizard to establish a network connection.

Please use Boot Media Builder to prepare the WinPE recovery.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.

 Log Saver (helps to collect and send the necessary log files to the Technical Support);  Eject CD/DVD;  Reboot the computer;  Power off the computer.

To move within the menu, please use the arrow keys of the computer keyboard.

Safe Mode

When the Safe mode is selected, the PTS DOS launch menu appears. It has nearly the same functionality as for the Normal mode except for the Network Configurator and Log Saver commands. Besides due to certain limitations of the PTS DOS environment, there is no possibility to burn CD/DVD discs.

Low Graphics Safe Mode

When the Low Graphics mode is selected, the PTS DOS launch menu appears. It has the same functionality and looks similar to the Safe mode but graphically simpler.

Booting from the WinPE Recovery Media

The WinPE recovery environment can be a real alternative to the Linux/DOS recovery environment. Providing nearly the same level of functionality it offers an excellent hardware support and the same interface as the Windows version does.

Startup

To start working with the WinPE recovery environment, please take the following steps:

1. Start up the computer from the WinPE recovery media.

2. Once it has been loaded, you will see the Universal Application Launcher. In general it enables to run

components of the product, load drivers for undefined hardware or establish a network connection.

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The WinPE based recovery environment offers excellent hardware support. However in

case it doesn’t have a driver for your disk controller, your hard disks will be unavailable.

Please consult the Adding specific drivers scenario to know how to tackle this issue.

3. Click on the required operation to start. Hints on the selected at the moment item will help you make the right

choice.

4. Consult the help system by pressing ALT+F1 to know more on the subject.

Basic Concepts

This chapter explains terms and ideas that show how the program works. To understand these helps to obtain a general notion of the operation performance and makes it easier for the user to operate the program.

System and Data Protection

The data protection issue is a growing cause of worrying for more and more people today. Indeed, it is hardly to find a person who will be particularly happy when all precious information on the hard disk is irreversible lost as a result of its malfunction. So how this tragedy can be prevented?

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Sector Backup

A sector-based backup operates with an image (or a snapshot) of the whole disk system or its separate partitions. It not only includes the contents of all user-made files, but additionally contains the exact structure of directories, information about file allocation, file attributes and other related data. Thus it enables to successfully process system or encrypted partitions of any file system type, no matter what kind of information they contain.

Backup Storage

Our program supports several techniques of storing backup images. Let’s take a closer look at them all to understand what kind of storage is able to provide better security:

 You can place a backup image to a local partition. Despite the fact that it is the most convenient way, try not to

use it. You can delete your backup just by accident or lose it as a result of a hardware malfunction, or a virus attack;

 You can place a backup image to an external mounted storage to provide for a higher level of data protection

and system independence;

 You can place a backup image to external media (CD/DVD) to guarantee a high level of data protection as long

as the backup media is kept secure;

 You can place a backup image to a network drive to stand a better chance of success in case of a hard disk

failure. Moreover, by storing it on a special-purpose server you may be pretty sure nothing will happen to it;

Adaptive Restore

Technology Background

Windows family operating systems are notorious for their excessive sensibility to hardware, especially when it turns to replacement of such a crucial device as HDD controller or motherboard – actually Windows will most likely fail to boot as a result of this operation.

In 2008 our company came with an exclusive technology called Paragon Adaptive Restore™. Initially aimed at restore of Windows Vista or Server 2008 from a backup to a different hardware configuration, its current realization, available in the P2P Adjust OS Wizard, enables to make any Windows OS since XP bootable on dissimilar hardware by allowing automatic injection of all required drivers and the other actions crucial for this type of migration.

Technology Concept

Let’s take a closer look at how Paragon Adaptive Restore works.

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Though all Windows systems have built-in driver repositories, please be prepared to have additional drivers when dealing with Windows XP/Server 2003, because for these systems they are very modest.

As you see, successful migration of a Windows system to a different hardware platform involves several actions:

1. Change of the Windows kernel settings according to the new configuration. The program detects the given

hardware profile and automatically installs the appropriate Windows HAL and kernel.

2. Installation of drivers for boot critical devices. The program detects those without drivers and automatically

tries to install lacking drivers from the built-in Windows repository. If there’s no driver in the repository, it prompts the user to set a path to an additional driver repository, strongly recommending not to proceed until all drivers for the found boot critical devices are installed. In case drivers for these devices are installed, but disabled, they will be enabled.

3. Installation of drivers for a PS/2 mouse and keyboard. This action will only be accomplished for Windows

XP/Server 2003.

4. Installation of drivers for network cards. The program detects those without drivers and automatically tries to

install lacking drivers from the built-in Windows repository. If there’s no driver in the repository, it prompts the user to set a path to an additional driver repository.

These actions guarantee a Windows system will start up on dissimilar hardware. After the startup, Windows will initiate

reconfiguration of all Plug'n'Play devices. It’s a standard procedure, so please don’t worry and prepare the latest drivers

at this step to get the most out of the system.

Technology Application

Let’s consider a number of situations when the Adaptive Restore technology can help you out:

 If you need to migrate to a different hardware platform with minimal effort  If you need to upgrade hardware while keeping all programs and settings intact  If you need to replace failed hardware and cannot find an exact match for original system specifications

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Known Issues

1. After transferring Microsoft Vista and later versions to different hardware, you will need to re-activate license of

the system. It’s normal behavior as these systems keep tracking any change of hardware. Re-activation is legally justified in this case, as you transfer your system to another PC.

2. If you’ve installed several operating systems on one partition, we can only add drivers to the latest version of

OS. Microsoft highly recommends that you install an operating system on a separate partition.

3. Please note drivers are not cached during selection. That’s why if you select a driver to add to the system, but

it’s already unavailable during the operation, the program will end the operation with an error.

System Virtualization

With new powerful x86 computers, system virtualization has become extremely popular. It’s a software technology that

enables to run several virtual machines on one physical machine, providing resources of that single computer are shared across several environments. As a result one and the same physical computer can have multiple OSs and applications operating simultaneously, thus opening up enormous opportunities for both, business and home users, exactly:

 Avoid underutilization of up-to-date powerful computers;  Increase flexibility of a physical infrastructure;  Provide for increased availability of hardware and applications;  Cut expenses on hardware and energy;  Guarantee smooth and cost saving system migration;  Enjoy working with old applications you can’t launch on your current PC;  Take advantage of having multiple operating systems on one Windows PC, including Linux, Mac OS X, etc.;  Forget about hunting for replacement of the failed hardware, and many more…

Known Issues

1. You should install integration services (e.g. VMware Tools) on the virtual system yourself. We only guarantee its

smooth startup.

2. After transferring Microsoft Vista and later versions to a virtual disk, you will need to re-activate license of the

system. It’s normal behavior as these systems keep tracking any change of hardware. Re-activation is legally justified in this case, as you transfer your system to another PC.

3. If your system hosts several Windows OSes, our program will find them all and automatically patch to run in a

virtual environment. However we cannot guarantee smooth startup of all found Windows systems, but the guest OS, for its configuration parameters may be incompatible with the others.

Dynamic Disks

As you probably know, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista/Server 2003/2008 support four primary partitions per physical hard disk, one of which can be extended. Certainly there is the possibility to create logical drives within the extended partition. Such types of disks are called basic. Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003/2008 follow the same strategy: You can have a maximum of four primary partitions, one of which can be an extended partition with logical drives. However, these operating systems also

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introduce a new disk configuration type - dynamic disk - which must be understood to effectively configure and manage hard disks.

Dynamic disk is a physical disk that doesn't use partitions or logical drives. Instead, it contains only dynamic volumes. Regardless of what format you use for the file system, only Win2K computers can access dynamic volumes directly. However, computers that aren't running Win2K can access the dynamic volumes remotely when connected to the shared folders over the network.

Dynamic disks can co-exist on a system with basic disks. The only limitation is that you cannot mix Basic and Dynamic disks on the same hard drive.

There are five types of dynamic volumes: simple (uses free space from a single disk), spanned (created from free disk space that is linked together from multiple disks), striped (a volume the data of which is interleaved across two or more physical disks), mirrored (a fault-tolerant volume the data of which is duplicated on two physical disks, and RAID-5 volumes (a fault-tolerant volume the data of which is striped across an array of three or more disks).

With dynamic storage, you can perform disk and volume management without the need to restart Windows.

Limitations:

 Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers.  Dynamic disks are not supported on Windows XP Home Edition-based computers.  You cannot create mirrored volumes or RAID-5 volumes on Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP

Professional, or Windows XP 64-Bit Edition-based computers.

Thus, the dynamic disk is a new way of looking at hard disk configuration. Dynamic disks offer you more management flexibility without the partition limitation of basic disks. Dynamic disks can contain an unlimited number of volumes, but they cannot contain partitions or logical drives. Dynamic storage can be particularly beneficial for large-scale businesses when dealing with many physical hard disks involving complex setup.

pVHD Support

Paragon introduces a pVHD (Paragon Virtual Hard Drive) format – a special VHD, optimized for storing backups of virtual and physical machines. It’s very efficient in handling incremental chains, data de-duplication and synchronization. pVHD

allows obtaining backups that are up to four times smaller than original backup objects.

In the current version of the product backup images can be made either in the old PBF or the new pVHD. Please note that the pVHD support has a promotional goal. In future releases pVHD will gradually take the primary role.

Below is the list of wizards that allow working with pVHD:

 Backup to VD Wizard (Linux, Windows, WinPE);  Restore from VD Wizard (Linux, Windows, WinPE);

What you get by using pVHD:

 Incremental imaging works much faster and rock-stable in comparison with the old PBF;  Only pVHD images can be used to do immediate virtualization;  With the new backup technology, available for customers as a new backup image format pVHD, Paragon has

also achieved easy support of any virtual containers (VMDK, VHD, VHDX).

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The uEFI switch boot device option is only available through the 64-bit WinPE media at the moment.

GPT versus MBR

GUID Partition Table (GPT) is the next generation of a hard disk partitioning scheme developed to lift restrictions of the old MBR. Being a part of the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) standard proposed by Intel to replace the outdated PC BIOS, it offers a number of crucial benefits:

 Up to 128 primary partitions for the Windows implementation (only 4 in MBR);  The maximum allowed partition size is 18 exabytes (only 2 terabytes in MBR);  More reliable thanks to replication and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table;  A well defined and fully self-identifying partition format (data critical to the platform operation is located in

partitions, but not in un-partitioned or hidden sectors as this is the case with MBR)

uEFI Boot Challenges

Introduced back in 2005 by Intel to lift restrictions of the old MBR (Master Boot Record) and PC BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), uEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is now a recommended platform for new 64-bit Windows 8 computers. And the reason is easy to catch – besides other unique features impossible for the traditional tandem of BIOS+MBR, only a uEFI-based platform enables to accommodate Windows OS on a partition larger than

2.2TB.

Despite all uEFI advantages however, it has one quite naughty issue: a pretty standard operation with a bootable device for instance involving its connection to another SATA port results in unbootable Windows. You’ll get the same result if trying to boot from a cloned system hard disk or from a restored hard disk. All these problems originate from the way uEFI+GPT bundle is organized.

Microsoft provides how-to guides to tackle this type of problems, but they demand a great deal of experience from the user, involving the use of the cmd, diskpart and bcdedit tools.

Paragon has a better way! Introducing an elegant technology, realized at the user side as one simple option, you can define a system GPT volume you’re willing to boot from.

Below is a list of wizards where the uEFI switch boot device option can be found:

 Copy Hard Disk Wizard;  Copy Partition Wizard;  Restore Wizard;  Migrate OS to SSD Wizard;  Boot Corrector.

Apple Boot Camp

Boot Camp is a special utility to help you set up a dual boot system (Mac OS X and 32-bit Windows XP/Vista) on Intelbased Macs. It enables to securely re-partition your hard disk (resize an existing HFS+ partition to create a separate partition for Windows) and then launch the installation process. With Boot Camp all the necessary drivers will be at your disposal. Moreover after Windows has been installed it will serve as a boot manager to choose what operating system to start up.

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It is strongly recommended not to modify the hard disk configuration with Windows Disk Manager. Otherwise it may lead to unexpected consequences, right up to BSOD and inability to boot in Windows XP/Vista. Please use our program to correctly update both MBR and GPT.

64-bit Support

The bulk of software today is written for a 32-bit processor. It can meet the requirements of almost any end user. However that is not the case when dealing with servers processing large amounts of data with complex calculations of very large numbers. That is where 64-bit architecture comes into play.

It can boast improved scalability for business applications that enables to support more customer databases and more simultaneous users on each server. Besides a 64-bit kernel can access more system resources, such as memory allocation per user. A 64-bit processor can handle over 4 billion times more memory addresses than a 32-bit processor. With these resources, even a very large database can be cached in memory.

Although many business applications run without problems on 32-bit systems, others have grown so complex that they use up the 4 GB memory limitation of a 32-bit address space. With this large amount of data, fewer memory resources are available to meet memory needs. On a 64-bit server, most queries are able to perform in the buffers available to the database.

Some 32-bit applications make the transition to the 64-bit environment seamlessly others do not. For instance, systemlevel utilities and programs that provide direct hardware access are likely to fail. Our program offers a full-fledged support of the 64-bit architecture providing fault-tolerant work for such system dependent modules as Hot Processing.

Copy Operations

Hard drive duplication nowadays is becoming highly popular among PC users. That is due to some definite advantages it can offer. First of all, many people clone hard disks just to back up data for security reasons. The present day copy utilities enable to successfully transfer all on-disk information including standard bootstrap code and other system

service structures, thus maintaining the operating system’s working capability. In case of a system malfunction, the user

can get the system back on track in minutes. No additional configuration is required, what is very convenient.

The second possible application is the upgrade of a hard disk to a new one. The capacity of a modern hard drive doubles every two years, thus opening up new possibilities for software developers. As a result programs become more complicated and require considerable amount of free space. One day the user realizes that there is no more free space left on the hard disk and the only way out is to upgrade. Usually that means that besides purchasing a new hard disk, the user is to face a large re-installation procedure spanning several days of tedious work. But all of this can be avoided just by copying the contents of the old hard disk to a new one proportionally resizing the partitions.

And the last but not least is the copying of hard disks for cloning purposes. It may be of great use when setting up similar computers. There is no need for a system administrator to install an operating system from scratch on every one of them. It is enough just to configure one and then clone it to the others.

Drive Partitioning

As you probably know a hard drive is to be split into one or more partitions, since it cannot hold data until it is carved up and space is set aside for an operating system. Until recently most PCs used to have just one partition, which filled the entire hard disk and contained an OS. The situation has changed however, thanks to new cost-effective high capacity hard drives, thus opening up numerous possibilities for PC users, such as editing video, archiving music, backing up CD

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images, etc. Huge increase in space is great, but it poses a number of problems, most important of which are effective data organization and speed.

Large drives are always going to take longer to search than smaller volumes, and an operating system is going to have its work cut out both finding and organizing files. It is for this reason that many people decide to invest in multiple hard drives, but there is an easy solution – drive partitioning. Partitioning lets you divide a single physical drive into a number of logical drives, each of which servers as a container with its own drive letter and volume label, thus enabling the operating system to process data more efficiently. Besides partitioning makes it possible to organize data so that it is easy to find and manage. You can set aside, for instance, 40 GB of a 160 GB hard drive for the OS, 70 GB for storing video and another 50 GB for your favorite music collections to provide transparent data storage.

It is also worth mentioning to that with a hard drive properly partitioned, such routine operations as files defragmentation or consistency check will not be that annoying and time-consuming any more.

By detaching the OS from the rest of the data you can tackle one more crucial issue – in case of a system malfunction, you can get the system back on track in minutes by recovering it from a backup image located on the other partition of the hard drive.

But that is not all drive partitioning may be used for. If you are willing to play games in Windows while browsing the Internet in Linux, 100-percent sure that no virus will attack your PC, drive partitioning is a necessity. In order to run several OSs on a single hard drive you are to create a corresponding number of partitions to effectively delineate the boundaries of each OS.

Scheduling

The automation of operations is particularly effective when you have to repeat a sequence of actions on a regular basis. For example, developing a specific project on a day-to-day basis and having to make a backup every evening so as not to lose the valuable data, you will really appreciate, when this kind of routine operations will be carried out automatically without your participation.

Another aspect of any automation process is that it allows an optimization of your computer’s work-load. This is especially important when operations require a considerable amount of computer resources – processor time, memory and more. A number of tasks, which can decrease the performance, can be run during the night or whenever the computer has the least work-load to perform.

The program has a special tool for scheduling. You can set out a timetable for any operation and it will start at a specified time without interrupting your current activity.

Windows Components

In the given section you can find all the information necessary to successfully work with the Windows version of the product.

Interface Overview

This chapter introduces the graphical interface of the program. The design of the interface precludes any mistake being made on the part of the user. Most operations are performed through the system of wizards. Buttons and menus are accompanied by easy understandable icons. Nevertheless, any problems that might occur while managing the program can be tackled by reading this very chapter.

General Layout

When you start the program, the first component that is displayed is called the Launcher. It enables to run wizards and dialogs, to specify program settings, to visualize the operating environment and the hard disk configuration.

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1. Tool Button

2. Ribbon Panel

3. Virtual Operations Bar

4. Express Mode Button

5. Disk Map

6. Disk and Partitions List

7. Context-sensitive Menu

8. Properties Panel

9. Status Bar

The Launcher’s window can be conditionally subdivided into several sections that differ in their purpose and functionality:

A number of panels offer similar functionality with a synchronized layout. The program enables to conceal some of them to simplify the interface management.

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If you’d like to hide all ribbon tabs, click on the arrow button at the right top corner of the program window.

BUTTON

FUNCTIONALITY

Cancel the last virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Cancel the last undo virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Display the List of Pending Operations

Launch the real execution of virtual operations

Cancel all virtual operations on the List of Pending Operations

Generate a script out of all pending operations

Schedule pending operations

Virtual mode is an effective way of protection from any troubles, since no operations will be executed until clicking the Apply button for confirmation, thus giving a second chance to weigh all pros and cons of this or that particular operation. The program politely reminds the user that there are unsaved changes by showing the following window:

Tool Button

By clicking on this button the user can:

 Launch auxiliary wizards,  Get access to the program settings,  Collect and send a log files package to the Support Team,  Go to Paragon’s website to download a free update, register the product, visit Paragon’s Knowledge Base, etc.

Ribbon Panel

An area across the top of the program’s window is called the Ribbon Panel. It makes almost all the product capabilities available to the user in a single place. A Ribbon Tab is an area on the panel that contains buttons organized in groups by functionality. Each button corresponds to a certain program wizard or dialog.

Virtual Operations Bar

The program supports previewing the resulting layout of hard disks before actually executing operations (so-called virtual mode of execution). In fact, when the virtual mode is enabled, the program does not accomplish operations immediately, but places them on the List of Pending Operations for later execution.

The Virtual Operations Bar enables to manage pending operations.

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Since the Disk Map and the Disk and Partitions List have the same purpose, the user is allowed to extend only one at the moment by using a corresponding arrow button.

Express Mode Button

By clicking on this button the user can switch to the express mode of operation at any time.

Disk Map

As the name infers, the Disk Map displays the layout of physical and logical disks. Physical disks are represented with rectangle bars that contain small-sized bars. These small-sized bars represent logical disks. Their color depends on the file system of the appropriate partition. By looking at the size of the bar’s shaded area it is possible to estimate the used disk space. For the selected at the moment object there’s the possibility to call a context-sensitive popup menu with available operations.

Large-sized bars display the following information about physical disks:

 Type (basic or dynamic MBR/GPT),  Manufacturer,  Model.

Small-sized bars display the following information about logical disks and blocks of free space:

 Volume label (if exists),  Drive letter,  Total size,  File system.

The Disk Map is synchronized with the Context-sensitive Menu and the Properties Panel. Thus by selecting a disk on the map, the two will automatically display detailed information on it. To know more on the subject, please consult the

Viewing Disk Properties chapter.

Disk and Partitions List

The Disk and Partitions List is another helpful tool that helps to get a clear-cut picture on the current state of the system hard disks and partitions. All objects (disks, partitions, or blocks of free space) on the list are sorted according to their starting position. For every item there is the possibility to call a context-sensitive popup menu with available operations.

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Since the Disk Map and the Disk and Partitions List have the same purpose, the user is allowed to extend only one at the moment by using a corresponding arrow button.

The Disk and Partitions List provides detailed information on all hard disks and partitions found in the system including the following properties:

- Name,

- Volume label (if exists),

- Drive letter,

- File system type,

- Volume size,

- Amount of used and unused (free) space,

- Active/Inactive attribute,

- Hidden/Unhidden attribute.

The Disk and Partitions List is synchronized with the Context-sensitive Menu and the Properties Panel. Thus by selecting a disk on the list, the two will automatically display detailed information on it. To know more on the subject, please consult the Viewing Disk Properties chapter.

Context-sensitive Menu

The Context-sensitive Menu shows a list of operations available for an object (disk, partition, or block of free space) selected either on the Disk Map or the Disk and Partitions List. If you click a corresponding record the appropriate wizard or dialog will be started. All default values for the operation parameters will correspond to the object’s settings. If there too many items on the list, type in the first word of the required command in the Search commands field to filter the list.

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Properties Panel

The Properties Panel provides information on the object (disk, partition, or block of free space) selected either on the

Disk Map or the Disk and Partitions List.

The Properties Panel helps to obtain the following data:

For a hard disk

 Model,  Serial number,  Type of hard disk (basic or dynamic MBR/GPT),  Total size (in GB),  Information on geometry of the disk (amount of sectors per track, heads and cylinders).

For a partition

 Drive letter assigned to the disk,  Volume label (if exists),  Type of the logical disk,  File system,  Root entries,

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

To get a detailed description to any setting, control, or field of the program just click the hint button and then the object you need.

 Serial number,  NTFS version,  Partition ID,  Total size, used space and free space (in GB), etc.

Besides you can modify practically any partition property by clicking on the required value.

For a block of free space

 Total size (in GB).

Status Bar

This is the bottom part of the main window. The Status Bar displays menu hints, for each item the cursor points to.

Settings Overview

To call the Settings dialog, please click Tool Button, then select Settings. All the settings are grouped into several sections, which functions are described in the following paragraphs. The list of sections is placed on the left side of the dialog. By selecting a section from the list, you can open a set of options.

General Options

This section contains a set of general options that will be taken into account during any operation carried out with the program:

 Partition Alignment mode. There are three options you can choose from:

- Legacy. DOS and Windows OSes before Vista required that partitions had to be aligned to the “disk cylinder”

or 63 sectors to address and access sectors correctly. It was OK, until 4K hard drives came into scene. When partitions are aligned this way on this type of disk, each logical cluster is linked to two physical 4K clusters, thus resulting in a double read-write operation.

- Vista. Since Windows Vista, operating systems do not use the archaic CHS (cylinder/head/sector) addressing

scheme, but the Logical Block Addressing (LBA), where sectors are addressed continuously over the whole disk drive. It is optimal for both, 512B and new 4K disk drivers.

- Inheritance. Select the option to disable automatic alignment of partitions.

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Splitting images enables to tackle problems caused by a maximum file size limitation of some file systems.

Backup Image Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during backup/restore operations:

 Control archive integrity. Mark the checkbox to guarantee that all backup images created with the program are

100 percent flawless. If you decided not to control the archive integrity, the backup operation would take about 3-5% less time.

 Set image file names automatically. Mark the checkbox to make the program automatically set a file name for

every volume of a complex backup image. Otherwise you will need to do it manually during the backup operation.

 Compression level. From the pull-down list you can select the desired compression level for backup images that

will be used by default.

 Enable image splitting. Mark the checkbox to automatically split every backup image to volumes of a particular

size.

 Maximum split size. With the spinner control you can specify a maximum size for backup volumes.

General Copy and Backup Options

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By clicking the link at the bottom of the window you can jump to the Copy/Backup Exclude

Options.

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during copy and backup operations:

 HDD raw processing. Mark the checkbox to copy/back up a hard disk in the sector-by-sector mode, thus

ignoring its information structure (e.g. unallocated space or unused sectors of existing partitions will be processed as well). This can help to avoid problems with hidden data created by certain applications or the system administrator. However, it will take more time to accomplish the operation.

 Partition raw processing. Mark the checkbox to copy a partition in the sector-by-sector mode to successfully

process unknown file systems. However it is not recommended to enable this option when working with supported file systems as it takes more time to accomplish the operation.

 Skip OS auxiliary files. Mark the checkbox to skip OS auxiliary files (like pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys, etc.), thus

reducing the operation time and the resulted size of the backup image.

 Automatic BCD Update. Unmark the checkbox to suppress automatic update of BCD (Boot Configuration Data)

after copy/restore operations.

CD/DVD/BD Recording Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during CD/DVD/BD burn operations:

 Burn every CD/DVD/BD to the end. By default, the program does not create ISO 9660 compliant burning

sessions, as it processes data on-the-fly and can only estimate the resulted session size. That’s why no third party tool will get access to the recorded data. To tackle the issue, mark the checkbox to make the program create a standard Disk-at-Once session. It may slow down the burning process, as every CD/DVD/BD will be recorded up to the end, no matter how much actual information to contain.

 Recording speed. The user may define how fast a CD/DVD/BD will be recorded (minimum, normal and

maximum). Besides there is an automatic mode when the program will set the most appropriate speed for every CD/DVD/BD.

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 Bootable ISO image. That’s the image to be placed together with the backup data. By default, the program

offers its own bootable ISO image, which contains a Linux/DOS recovery environment. However, the user is free to use any bootable ISO image.

 CD/DVD/BD boot capability. The program enables to choose whether any recorded CD/DVD/BD will be

bootable, or only the first one for a session, or without that function at all.

 Folder where the ISO image is to be placed. When the user decides not to physically burn a CD/DVD/BD, but

create an ISO image file, this very folder will be used to contain these images.

Hot Processing Options

In this section you may configure the hot processing mode:

 Enable hot processing. Mark the checkbox to enable the so called hot data processing mode that is specially

designed to process data without restarting your operating system.

 Hot processing technology. From the pull-down list you can select the required hot processing technology.  Always use hot processing. Select the option to process partitions without making them locked. Thus you will

be able to keep working with them as usual.

 Use hot processing only when partition is locked. Select the option to use the hot processing only when

partitions are locked and cannot be processed without restarting the computer. Please keep in mind, that once you start any operation on a partition in this mode, it will automatically be locked by the program, thus you won't be able to keep working with it as usual.

 Hot processing temporary drive. Here you can select a disk drive that will be used to store the temporary hot

backup data (by default – C:).

 Attempts to start VSS. Here you can set how many attempts to start Microsoft VSS the program is to do before

automatically rebooting the system and accomplishing the operation in a special boot-up mode.

 Timeout between attempts (in seconds). Here you can set a time period between different attempts to start

Microsoft VSS.

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 Switch between hot processing technologies. Mark the checkbox to automatically switch between Paragon Hot

Processing and Microsoft VSS if one of them is unavailable at the moment.

VD container options

This section contains options that will be taken into account when creating virtual containers:

 Unknown partitions policy. Here you can define behavior for processing unknown or unformatted partitions

(skip from backup, process in the sector-by-sector mode, or ask the user each time this type of partition has been found).

 Virtual container type. By default the program is configured to back up to pVHD (Paragon Virtual Hard Drive).

Use this option to switch the resulted virtual container to VHD, VHDX, or VMDK. Please note that the use of pVHD enables to get full backup images several times smaller than the original objects, while incremental updates – dozens of times smaller when comparing to VHD, VHDX or VMDK, which have some fixed size of blocks, not dynamic. Besides encryption and password protection are only available for pVHD. However, if you’re having a VMware or Microsoft hypervisor at your disposal and are planning to do instant virtualization, please make sure the used backup format matches your hypervisor.

Partitioning Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during partitioning operations:

 Request confirmation before partition deletion. Mark the checkbox to activate an additional security

mechanism. Thus when going to delete a partition you will be automatically requested to enter its label.

 Request confirmation when converting FAT16 to FAT32. Mark the checkbox to automatically request

confirmation before converting FAT16 to FAT32. There are a number of situations when this kind of conversion is the only way out to accomplish the operation. For instance, you are going to migrate your system to a larger hard disk with the proportional resize of existing partitions, what is very convenient. As a result you can get original FAT16 partitions go beyond the 4GB limit. Thus without conversion to FAT32, this operation will in no way be possible to accomplish. The same goes for any copy hard disk/partition or restore hard disk/partition operation involving an extra upsizing.

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E-Mail Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account during the Send log files and Send e-mail notification operations:

 Outgoing mail server (SMTP). To send messages by using the built-in mail client, it is necessary to have access to

a computer running an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. All outgoing messages are first sent to the SMTP server, which in its turn delivers them to the required recipients. The address may be represented as a traditional Internet host name (e.g.: mail.com) or as an IP numeric address (e.g. xxx.xxx.xxx.xx).

 User e-mail address. Specify an e-mail address that has been assigned by the Internet Service Provider or

organization's e-mail administrator.

 My outgoing server requires authentication. Activate the option to allow the program to make authentication

on the server before sending messages.

- User name. Enter the name that will be used to log in to the e-mail account.

- Password. Enter the password that will be used to access the mail server.

When you’re ready with the settings, click on the Send test e-mail button to check if everything is OK.

 Send e-mail notification on apply. Specify an e-mail to send notifications on the carried out operations.

- Send mail in HTML format. Activate the option to create messages in the HTML format instead of plain text.

- Send complete report after applying operations. Activate the option to create an in-depth report on the carried out operations and send it after performing the last operation.

- Send graphical view of the disk sub-system before and after apply. Activate the option to allow the program to attach two pictures of the disk layout made before and after the operation is completed.

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We strongly recommend you to enable this mode.

An incorrectly chosen time zone might lead to inability to launch certain software.

Virtual Mode Options

In this section you may configure the virtual mode:

 Allow virtual mode. Mark the checkbox to enable the virtual mode. It is an effective way of protection from any

troubles, since no operation will be executed until confirmation, thus giving you a second chance to weigh all pros and cons of this or that particular operation.

 Close progress dialog automatically. Mark the checkbox to automatically close the progress dialog after

accomplishing operations.

File System Conversion Options

This section contains a set of options that will be taken into account when converting FAT and NTFS file systems. By default, the program takes locale (regional) settings from the system. Problems might occur however because of different standards for file names and file time stamps (Created, Modified and Last Access Time) of NTFS and FATxx file systems.

To tackle problems of that kind you can manually set:

 Time zone to use during the convert operation. NTFS keeps file timestamps in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

while FAT uses a fixed local date and time. The program takes proper account of these differences and enables to adjust timestamp values.

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An incorrectly chosen codepage will certainly result in corruption of non-English file names.

 Language for file names to use during the convert operation. NTFS stores file names in Unicode while

FAT/FAT32 uses ANSI to save short file names (also called the DOS aliases). The codepage information is required for the correct conversion of non-English file names from Unicode to ANSI and vice versa.

 Request confirmation of settings before NTFS < - > FAT/FAT32 conversion. Mark the checkbox to automatically

display the local settings dialog to check and modify (if necessary) the default parameters before launching the convert file system operation.

Copy/Backup Exclude Options

In this section the program enables to specify what data should be automatically ignored during copy and sector-based backup operations. You can filter certain files or folders either by the manual selection or by creating masks, what is more preferable. Thus you will be able to effectively manage contents of your backup images or partition/hard disk copies.

By default, there are no available filters. To create a filter, please click the Add Category… button.

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By clicking the link at the bottom of the window you can jump to the General Copy and

Backup Options.

In the opened dialog the program allows the user to define the following parameters:

 Name. Give to the filter any name you like, but try to use an informative one;  Filter. Press the Browse button to select files or folders you would like to be excluded or specify a filter mask by

using * or ? wildcards;

 Description. Add a short description to the filter not to miss it up later.

Click the OK button and you will get a new item on the list of filters. By marking/unmarking a checkbox opposite its name you can choose whether to use it or not.

Log Files Options

In this section you can set up the program logging engine:

 Logs directory to specify location of program log files. By default, all logs are placed to: C:\Program

Files\Paragon Software\product’s name\program\

 Write logs in Bluescreen to enable the program logging in a special boot-up mode  Stubact log file truncation to specify a storage life span for the stubact.log file:

- Infinite not to empty the file ever;

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We strongly recommend you not to choose the Minimal option, as in case of having

problems with the program, our Support Team won’t be able to study operation logs, thus

help you out.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

- Minimal to have the file emptied all the time;

- Custom to set a certain storage life span for the file. Please note, once the defined period has been

expired, the file will be emptied.

Viewing Disk Properties

The Disk Map and the Disk and Partitions List are the main tools to get information on the properties of hard disks and partitions available in the system. To know more on the subject, please consult the corresponding chapters of the

Interface Overview chapter.

Viewing Image Properties

General information on backup archives can be obtained with the following tools:

Using the Restore Wizard

 Click the Backup & Restore tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Restore.

At first, the wizard displays the Welcome page – simply click the Next button at the foot of the dialog window.

The next page refers to Browse for Archive. Here you can find the required image in the browser-like window.

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The section below (i.e. Archive File Details) displays a short description of the selected image, including:

 Information on a type of the archive contents (whether it is sector-based or file-based),  Whether the archive is compressed or not,  Whether the archive is password protected or not,  The date, when the archive was created.

Moreover, on this page you’ve got the possibility to create new folders, delete existing files/folders or map network drives by clicking the appropriate buttons.

The next page (i.e. What to restore) displays detailed information about the contents of the archive.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

If you want to restore the image contents, click the Next button. In order to cancel, click the Cancel button.

Data Backup and Rescue

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to establish a reliable data protection system.

Creating Backup Images

Depending on a type of information you need to protect and the way this information should be processed, the program offers a number of handy backup wizards. To make your job with the program as easy and convenient as possible, all backup wizards share similar work algorithm. By going through steps of the wizard, you configure all the necessary settings to launch the backup operation. To minimize the possibility of making any mistake, the wizard provides auxiliary information on every single option. Moreover you can get an in-depth description to any setting, control, or field of the wizard just by clicking the hint button and then the object you need.

Backup Wizard Startup

 In the Main Menu: select Wizards > Back up a Disk or Partition…

Backup Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the backup operation:

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The program automatically calculates size of the future archive and informs the user about space available on the selected destination.

 The object to back up. You can back up either an entire disk or separate partitions of the disk (primary,

extended or logical). In case of backing up an entire disk, you’ve got the possibility to include into the image

such disk elements as the Master Boot Record (MBR) and the first track of the hard disk. This can be very helpful for serious disk recovery procedures.

 Backup destination. The wizard allows saving backup archives to local or network drives, to physical partitions

(without drive letters assigned), or burning them to CD/DVDs. You need to select a destination, taking the estimated archive size and available space on the backup destination into account.

 Name and location of the resulted image. Provide a file name for the new image and its exact location. The

program automatically offers an easy to understand name containing the date and the time of the archive creation, which can anyway be modified.

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Checking archive integrity enables to guarantee that all backup images created with the program are 100 percent flawless. Nevertheless if you decided not to control the archive integrity, the backup operation would take about 3-5% less time.

Splitting images enables to tackle issues caused by a file size limitation of some file systems.

 Archive Comment. You can add some additional description to the archive that will later help to distinguish it

from the others.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to mark the appropriate option on the second page of the wizard. When it is marked, the next page enables to define:

 Whether the archive integrity will be controlled.

 Whether image file names will be set automatically in complex archives.  Compression level for the backup image (including the No compression variant).  Whether the archive will be split (if yes, you can set the maximum size for the archive files).

 Whether the archive will be protected by password.  Whether the selected disk (or the selected partition) will be copied in the sector-to-sector mode (including

unused sectors as well).

 Whether the OS auxiliary files (pagefile.sys, hyberfil.sys) will be included in the backup image.  Recording speed when the user wants to burn the backup image onto CD/DVDs.  ISO image folder where the archive that is to be recorded on a disc, is placed.  Whether the operation will be performed without rebooting the system. The program needs to reboot the

system in order to have exclusive access to processing data. In a Windows environment this is difficult to achieve because even when all the other applications are closed, the system service programs are still running. However, there is a way to avoid rebooting. The mode of processing the backup operation without rebooting is named Hot Processing. You can also define specific parameters for the Hot Processing mode.

Result

After the backup operation is completed you receive an image of the selected object. This image is placed into the specified destination, its features defined by the wizard.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Available operation scenarios:

 Backing up a hard disk or partition to external media (CD/DVD)  Backing up a hard disk or partition to a network drive  Backing up a dual boot Mac to an external USB drive

Restoring System and Data

The program includes a convenient and reliable restore wizard. With its help you can restore all types of backup images created with the program. It provides easy to understand instructions to configure and perform all the necessary settings. Moreover you can get an in-depth description to any setting, control, or field of the wizard just by clicking the hint button and then the object you need.

Startup

 Click the Backup & Restore tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Restore.

Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the restore operation:

 A backup image to be restored. The Browse for Archive page enables to find a backup image you need. The

section below (i.e. Archive File Details) will also display a short description of the selected image.

Moreover, on this page you’ve got the possibility to create new folders, delete existing files/folders or map network drives by clicking the appropriate buttons.

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To know more on the subject, please consult the Viewing Image Properties chapter.

File Backup Restore

 Data to restore. You’ve got the option to restore not only the entire archive, but separate items of it (the so

called selective restore functionality) by marking checkboxes next to the data items you need.

 A place to restore. From the pull-down list you can choose whether to restore contents of the backup image to

its original location or specify some other one.

Besides if you select the Original location option, you can additionally define whether to replace already existing files during the restore operation (good for recovering presumably corrupted files) or leave them intact (good for recovering accidentally deleted files).

Sector Backup Restore

 Data to restore. You’ve got the option to restore not only the entire archive, but separate items of it (the so

called selective restore functionality) by marking checkboxes next to the data items you need.

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If you select separate files or folders to restore, the wizard will continue working as though you’ve got to do with a file backup.

 A place to restore. Selecting the destination, please note - all contents on the disk selected for restoring

purposes will be deleted during the operation.

To help you get a clear-cut picture of the operation outcome, the program allows inspecting the resulted disk layout.

Restoring Partition:

 Size of the restored volume and free space before and after it on the disk.

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The option above will be available to the user only if the target disk becomes Bootable GPT as a result of the migration process.

All contents on the disk selected for restoring purposes will be deleted during the operation.

 Drive letter assignment after restore. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated

with the restored partition.

 Create new EFI boot entry for destination drive. If you’ve got to do with a 64-bit Windows configured to the

uEFI boot mode, the following option will become available for you to define what instance of Windows OS you’d like to boot from once the operation is over. Anyway you can specify a bootable device at any time through Boot Corrector.

Restoring Hard Disk:

 Copy data and resize partitions proportionally. If this option is activated, the program proportionally changes

the size of partitions keeping their relative order intact. The option can be useful when restoring to a larger hard disk.

 Perform surface test. Define whether the surface test will be accomplished during the operation or not.  Create new EFI boot entry for destination drive. If you’ve got to do with a 64-bit Windows configured to the

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The option above will be available to the user only if the target disk becomes Bootable GPT as a result of the migration process.

To make Windows bootable on different hardware, please additionally complete the P2P

Adjust OS Wizard.

You need at least two hard disks to carry out this operation.

Result

The wizard will restore the archived data, and make it available to use in the operating system.

Available operation scenarios:

 Restoring a system partition from external media (CD/DVD)  Restoring a system partition from a network drive  Restoring a system partition from a local drive  Restoring a dual boot Mac from an external USB drive  Restoring separate files and folders from a backup

Copy Tasks

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to make a copy of a hard disk or a separate partition.

Cloning Hard Disks

You can clone a hard disk of any file system. During the hard disk copying process, the program moves controlling records of used partitioning scheme, the bootstrap code and on-disk partitions. That’s why this operation cannot be substituted by simply copying all on-disk partitions.

Copy Hard Disk Wizard

The Copy Hard Disk Wizard is a traditional-like wizard. By going through its steps, you configure all the necessary settings to launch the copy operation. To minimize the possibility of making any mistake, the wizard provides auxiliary information on every single option. Moreover you can get an in-depth description to any setting, control, or field of the wizard just by clicking the hint button and then the object you need.

Startup

 Click the Copy & Migration tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Copy Hard Disk.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the copy hard disk operation:

 The hard disk to copy. Select a hard disk you want to copy.

- Use exclude masks. By default the program doesn’t take into account exclude filters set in the Settings

dialog. If you need to use them, please mark the checkbox and see existing/specify additional filters on the next page of the wizard.

- Don’t estimate size after excludes. You can save time by suppressing calculation of the resulted amount of

data to copy after using excludes. Please note however, if you use this option, drives that smaller in size than the source disk will be unavailable to use as destination.

 The target hard disk. Select a hard disk (if several) where all data of the source disk will be copied to.

 Copy parameters. The wizard enables to specify the following options:

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The option above will be available to the user only if the target disk becomes Bootable GPT as a result of the migration process.

To make Windows bootable on different hardware, please additionally complete the P2P

Adjust OS Wizard.

Copy options

- HDD raw copy to copy the hard disk in the sector-by-sector mode, thus ignoring its information structure (e.g. unallocated space or unused sectors of existing partitions will be processed as well). This can help to avoid problems with hidden data created by certain applications or the system administrator. However, it will take more time to accomplish the operation.

- Partition raw copy to copy the on-disk partitions in the sector-by-sector mode to successfully process unknown file systems. However it is not recommended to enable this option when working with supported file systems as it takes more time to accomplish the operation.

- Create new EFI boot entry for destination drive. If you’ve got to do with a 64-bit Windows configured to the uEFI boot mode, the following option will become available for you to define what instance of Windows OS you’d like to boot from once the operation is over. Anyway you can specify a bootable device at any time through Boot Corrector.

Resize options

- Remove free blocks between partitions not to keep blocks of free space between partitions on the targeted hard disk.

- Copy data and resize partitions proportionally to make the program proportionally change the size of partitions keeping their relative order intact. The option can be useful when upgrading the hard disk to a larger one.

Result

After the operation is completed, you receive a fully functional duplicate of the existing hard disk.

Available operation scenarios:

 Migrating system to a new HDD (up to 2.2TB in size)

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

The program enables to copy a partition to a block of free space, which is smaller than the partition itself, taking into account only actual amount of data.

Cloning Partitions

You can duplicate partitions to protect oneself from downtime in case of a system malfunction or for cloning sample partitions. The program enables to duplicate all partition data including files, the exact structure of directories and file system metadata (location of files, security information, access quotas, etc.).

The Copy Partition Wizard will help you copy a partition of any file system. To minimize the possibility of making any mistake, the wizard provides auxiliary information on every single option. Moreover you can get an in-depth description to any setting, control, or field of the wizard just by clicking the hint button and then the object you need.

Startup

 Click the Copy & Migration tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Copy Partition.

Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the copy partition operation:

 The partition to copy. Select a partition you want to copy.

 Destination disk. Select a hard disk with enough unallocated space to perform the operation.

 Copy parameters. The wizard enables to specify the following options:

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Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map.

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The option above will be available to the user only if the target disk becomes Bootable GPT as a result of the migration process.

To make Windows bootable on different hardware, please additionally complete the P2P

Adjust OS Wizard.

- Partition size. Define the size (in Mb) of the copied partition.

- Free space before. Define the position (in Mb) of the copied partition relative to the beginning of the available range of disk space.

- Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the available range of disk space.

Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional duplicate of the existing partition.

Partition Management

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to carry out partitioning operations supported by the program.

Basic Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish basic partitioning operations (create, format, delete).

Creating Partitions

The program provides the ability to create a new partition within a block of un-partitioned space.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Restrictions

1. Do not use the Create Partition function in order to undelete the last deleted partition.

2. The program allows creating new partitions only within blocks of un-partitioned space. It cannot convert a free

space on an existing partition to a new partition.

3. The program cannot create new partitions on Dynamic Disks.

Create Partition Wizard Startup

 Click the Partitioning tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Create Partition.

Dialog Startup

1. Select a block of free space on the Disk Map;

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Create Partition.

Create Partition Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

 Partition destination. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then choose position for

the future partition on the disk: at the end (preferable), at the beginning or somewhere in the middle between other partitions.

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By default, the program allows you to create a new partition only as the last primary or as the last logical drive within the extended partition. However, by activating the advance mode on the first page of the wizard you can remove this restriction that in its turn might result in some boot problems.

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If a partition to resize is locked and cannot be processed, the wizard makes the system reboot to create the partition and then automatically boots the system again. (The rebooting mechanism is different for different versions of Windows.)

 Partition size. There is no restriction on size of the future partition, merely depending on space available on the

hard disk.

If there is not enough free space in one block, the wizard enables to redistribute free space, joining all free space blocks together into one united block and moving partitions when necessary. If the total amount of free space is still not enough, it is possible to split a fragment of space from one of the existing partitions, thus resizing it.

You can also choose whether the future partition will be primary or logical by marking the appropriate checkbox.

 Partition properties. On the next page of the wizard you can set a number of additional parameters:

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select a file system the newly created partition will be formatted to, otherwise the partition will remain unformatted (so that it will not be ready to use).

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Partition size and position may also be defined by using the drag-and-drop technique. To do that, just carry out the required operation on the Disk Map. The virtual operations are to be available.

- Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

- Surface test level. Define the level of the surface check to make the program find bad and unstable sectors and mark them unusable in the file system metadata.

Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Yes button to confirm the operation.

 Define whether the partition will be Primary, Extended or Logical. You can choose the desired partition type

from the pull-down list. As a matter of fact, the available alternatives fundamentally depend on the selected block of free space - within the Logical free space, only Logical partitions can be created; Within the Primary free space, both Primary partitions or the Extended Partition can be created.

 Partition Size. Define the size (in Mb) of the new partition.  Free space before. Define the position (in Mb) of the new partition relative to the beginning of the block of free

space.

 Free space after. Define the amount of trailing free space (in Mb) at the end of the new partition.

 File system for new partition. From the pull-down list select a file system the newly created partition will be

formatted to, otherwise the partition will remain unformatted (so that it will not be ready to use).

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Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

 Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually

used for drive identification.

 Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly

formatted partition.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to click the More options button at the foot of the dialog page. Depending on the chosen file system, the following options become available:

 Use OS built-in routine. Mark the option to restrict the available values according to the used OS.  The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition.

Formatting Partitions

Any partition should contain some file system to be used for keeping data. The process of installing a file system is commonly known as formatting. A huge variety of file systems have been developed these days.

Supported File Systems

The program provides the ability to format partitions of the following file systems:

- FAT12 & FAT16

- FAT32

- HFS+

- NTFS

- Ext2

- Ext3

- Ext4

- Linux Swap v. 2

Wizard Startup

 Click the Partitioning tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Format Partition.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

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As a result of this operation contents of the selected partition will be lost.

Dialog Startup

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map;

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Format Partition.

Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

 Partition to format. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then the required partition to

format.

 Partition properties. On the next page of the wizard you can set the following partition parameters:

- Partition type. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only those file systems that can correctly be placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

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Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

- Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually used for drive identification.

- Drive letter assignment. The pull-down list contains vacant drive letters that can be associated with the newly formatted partition.

In addition, there is the possibility to make further detailed settings (although the default values will do in most cases). To activate the advance mode, you need to mark the appropriate option at the foot of the page. When it is marked, the next page enables to define:

 Use OS built-in routine. Mark the checkbox to restrict the available values according to the used OS.  The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Format button to confirm the operation.

 File system. From the pull-down list select the desired file system type. In fact, the program displays only those

file systems that can correctly be placed to the selected partition, taking its capacity into account.

 Volume label. Enter a label for the selected partition in this textual field. It is an irrelevant parameter usually

used for drive identification.

 Use OS built-in routine. Mark the checkbox to restrict the available values according to the used OS.

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Number of available options depends on the selected file system type.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

 The amount of sectors per cluster. Define the Cluster Size for the formatted partition with this spinner control.

Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition formatted to the specified file system.

Deleting Partitions

Wizard Startup

 Click the Partitioning tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Delete Partition.

Dialog Startup

In order to start the operation you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map;

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Create Delete Partition.

Wizard Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the operation:

 Partition to delete. Select a hard disk (if the computer has several hard disks) and then the required partition to

delete.

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As a result of this operation contents of the selected partition will be lost.

 Merge free blocks. As a result of the operation you may get several blocks of the unallocated space on the hard

disk. So choose whether to merge them all and place at the beginning of the disk or at the end by selecting the required operation from the pull-down list.

Dialog Setup

Initially the program suggests you just to remove references to the selected partition from the Partition Table.

 Enter the volume label to confirm deleting. To confirm deletion of the selected partition, enter its Volume

Label. The current volume label is displayed above.

 Do not ask volume label next time. Mark the option to inhibit confirmation next time you start the dialog.

Result

By default, the operation takes only a fraction of a second. However, the program waits until Windows completes the modification of the disk layout.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Advanced Partitioning Operations

Here you can learn how to accomplish advanced partitioning operations.

Undeleting Partitions

When simply deleting a partition (without additional wiping) disk management software only removes references to it in the Partition Table, thus leaving the possibility to recover it later.

The program enables to find and recover these partitions. A restored partition will be fully functional, as long as other partitions were not created, moved or exceeded the disk space occupied by that partition. That is why the program offers this function only for blocks of free space.

The operation can be accomplished with the Undelete Partition Wizard.

Startup

 Click the Partitioning tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Undelete Partitions.

Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the undelete partition operation:

 Free blocks to scan for lost partitions. Choose a free block from a tree-like list of available hard disks.

 Search method. By default, the wizard selects the fastest search method for your operating system. In most

cases that will do to find any accidentally deleted partition. However if you're under Windows XP for instance (the Conventional Search option is selected), but the deleted partition you're looking for has been created with the Disk Management utility under Vista, the wizard won't be able to find this partition, unless you manually select the appropriate option (Quick Search for Partitions Created by Vista or Later OS). Moreover if the wizard still fails to find the partition you need, you can select the Thorough Search option to scan every single sector in the specified search area to get the most accurate results.

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To know more on the available search methods, please use the context sensitive hint system.

 File system filter. By default, the wizard will search for all known file systems. However, by clicking on the

appropriate option on the second page of the wizard, you can specify only those file systems you need.

 A partition to undelete (if several). By default, the program searches records of any deleted partition ever

existed on the selected block of free space. So you can get several partitions to choose from.

Most likely the required partition will be found first. If so, you may abort the search operation by pressing the Stop search button.

Result

After the operation is completed you receive a fully functional partition.

Changing Partition Attributes

This chapter explains how you can change partition attributes (Active flag, Hidden flag, Volume Label, etc.).

Mark Partition Active/Inactive

The program enables to set an active/inactive flag for primary partitions of a hard disk. By default, an operating system will boot only if its partition is active or bootable.

In order to mark a partition active/inactive you should take the following steps:

1. Select a primary partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Mark Partition as

Active/Inactive.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

There can only be one active partition on a hard disk, otherwise your operating system will fail to boot.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

It is strongly recommended not to hide the system partition. Otherwise your operating system will fail to boot.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Hide/Unhide Partition

The program allows you to hide/unhide primary and logical partitions. By default, an operating system does not mount hidden partitions, thus preventing access to their contents.

In order to hide/unhide a partition you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Hide/Unhide Partition.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Set Label of a Partition

The Partition Label is a small textual field (up to 11 characters) that is located in the partition's boot sector. It is detectable by any partitioning tool and is used for notification purposes only.

In order to change a partition label you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Change Volume Label.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

The program can only process dynamic disks containing solid simple volumes (without

3. Enter a label for the selected partition.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Hard Disk Management

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to carry hard disk operations supported by the program.

Converting Dynamic MBR to Basic

The program allows you to convert a dynamic MBR disk containing simple volumes into a basic one while keeping its contents intact.

In order to convert a dynamic MBR disk into basic you should take the following steps:

1. Select a dynamic MBR disk containing simple volumes on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Convert to Basic…

3. Set the required number of primary partitions if necessary. According to the DOS partitioning scheme a hard

disk can have up to four Primary partitions. If there is an Extended partition on the disk, only three primary partitions are allowed. That is why if a dynamic disk contains several simple volumes the program enables to choose the number of primary partitions. The rest of them if any will automatically be converted to logical disks within the Extended partition.

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extension).

The program can only process dynamic GPT disks containing solid simple volumes (without extension).

Converting GPT to Basic MBR

The program allows you to convert a basic or a dynamic GPT disk containing simple volumes into a basic MBR disk while keeping its contents intact.

In order to convert a basic or a dynamic GPT disk into a basic MBR disk you should take the following steps:

1. Select a basic or a dynamic GPT disk containing simple volumes on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Convert to Basic MBR Hard

Disk…

3. Set the required number of primary partitions if necessary. According to the DOS partitioning scheme a hard

disk can have up to four Primary partitions. If there is an Extended partition on the disk, only three primary partitions are allowed. That is why if a GPT disk contains several volumes the program enables to choose the number of primary partitions. The rest of them if any will automatically be converted to logical disks within the Extended partition.

Converting Basic MBR to GPT

The program allows you to easily convert a basic MBR disk into a basic GPT disk while keeping its contents intact. The operation is quite safe for the on-disk data, but you should know that only 64-bit Windows OSes since Vista are able to boot from this type of disks. So if you’ve got a 32-bit Windows OS accommodated on a disk you’d like to convert to GPT, it won’t start up after the operation is over.

In order to convert a basic MBR disk to a basic GPT you should take the following steps:

1. Select a basic MBR hard disk on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Hard Disk > Convert to GPT

hard disk.

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The program can only convert basic MBR disks.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Updating MBR

The program enables to overwrite the current bootable code in the MBR (Master Boot Record) by the standard bootstrap code. This can help to repair a corrupted bootable code of a hard disk resulted from a boot virus attack or a malfunction of boot management software.

In order to update MBR of a hard disk you should take the following steps:

1. Select a hard disk on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Update MBR.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Changing Primary Slot

Different operating systems apply different approaches to enumeration of the primary partitions.

In Linux:

In Linux, every partition has a special symbolic name that encodes a hard disk containing a partition, and a partition itself. Partitions are addressed and accessed by using their symbolic names. Symbolic names are automatically generated by Linux in accordance with the order of hard disks in BIOS and the order of partition records in the Partition Table. Thus changing enumeration of the primary partitions can lead to changing of paths to some important resources.

In DOS:

The last versions of MS-DOS use a rather sophisticated algorithm for a drive letter assignment. A drive letter, which is assigned to a partition, depends on the order of records in the Partition Table. Thus changing enumeration of the

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

primary partitions affects the drive letters assignment. In early versions of MS-DOS, it could even lead to the unavailability of a partition.

The program provides the ability to change enumeration of the primary partitions. This feature will allow you to fix problems concerning an inappropriate order of partitions.

In order to modify enumeration of the primary partitions you should take the following steps:

1. Select a hard disk on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Change Primary Slot.

3. In the opened dialog you can see the current enumeration of the primary partitions of the selected hard disk in

the Partition Table. To help you distinguish partitions from one another, the program provides the following parameters for every partition:

- Slot

- Volume

- Partition type

- File system

- Partition size

- Volume label

There are two buttons on the right to move the selected partition up and down within the primary part of the Partition Table.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

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To run the task in the log-off mode, please specify administering login info by following the appropriate link in the left lower corner of the page.

The Shutdown System on Complete option enables to automatically switch off the computer on the successful accomplishment of the operation.

Task Scheduling

Automation of operations can really help you out when you’ve got to accomplish certain routine operations on a regular basis as it enables to execute them without your involvement while optimizing your computer’s work-load.

Setting a Timetable

Thanks to the embedded Scheduler, you can set a timetable for execution of any operation. It has two categories for time settings (these correspond to appropriate items in the Schedule type menu):

 Initiating the operation by an event:

- One time only (i.e. the Once item)

- When the system starts (i.e. the At System Startup item)

- When the user logs on (i.e. the At Logon item).

 Initiating the operation periodically (i.e. Daily, Weekly, Monthly).

You need to select one of the variants. Depending on your choice, the scheduler displays a form that enables to set a timetable.

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This feature can be particularly beneficial when the Scheduled Tasks list contains too many items.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Managing Tasks

All scheduled tasks are placed in a separate list, which can be retrieved by clicking the Schedule tab on the Ribbon Panel:

On every task you can get in-depth information, including:

 The task name  The full path to the generated script of the task  Scheduled time of launch  Statistics on the last launch  Scheduled time of the next launch  Used account information  Comments to the task

To easily manage tasks, the program enables to arrange them according to a certain characteristic just by clicking on the required property.

You can also enable/disable, rename, delete, refresh or modify properties of the selected task.

Task Editor

With the Task Editor you can easily modify properties of scheduled tasks. To do that, you should take the following steps:

1. Select a task on the Scheduled Tasks list.

2. Click the Properties button on the Scheduled Tasks list.

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3. In the opened dialog window you can see two tabs - General and Schedule. Click the General tab to modify:

 Full path to the macro-command program-interpreter, which describes the scheduled task;  Command line for starting the interpreter (i.e. the task described in macro-language)  Comments referring to the task  The option of enabling/disabling the task.

By clicking the Schedule tab you can modify the task timetable.

In order to apply the changes, you need to click the Apply button at the foot of the dialog.

Creating a Scheduled Task

You can set a timetable for execution of any operation. For backup and copy operations the program offers handy wizards, while all the others can be scheduled with the Save to Scheduler dialog.

To create a scheduled task you should take the following steps:

1. Make sure the virtual mode of execution is enabled;

2. Carry out with the program all operations you need to schedule;

3. Call the Save to Scheduler dialog by clicking its icon on the Virtual Operations Bar;

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This command is unavailable if there are no operations on the List of Pending Operations.

4. In the opened dialog enter the required task name and specify the task timetable;

5. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Scripting

The program actions can also be represented in form of a script. The script describes the appropriate operation with macro-language commands. There is an interpreter utility - SCRIPTS.exe, which is included in the program installation package. This utility works in the unattended mode, which enables to automate operations.

Startup

You have no need to write a script since the program has a convenient interface for such a task. In order to generate a script on the base of the entered parameters of the required operation, you should take the following steps:

1. Make sure the virtual mode of execution is enabled;

2. Carry out with the program all operations you need to be scripted;

3. Call the Generate Script dialog by clicking its icon on the Virtual Operations Bar.

Setup

Initially the program suggests some consistent values for all parameters. In most cases, you can just press the Generate button to confirm the operation.

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 Script file name and location. By default, the program offers to add the script to the Task List with a name

containing its creation date and time. Unmark the Add to Task List checkbox to define an exact location and a filename for the script file. The default file extension that is reserved for scripting files is .psl, which however can be modified.

 Add to Task List. By default, the script will be automatically added to corresponding list. If necessary, add a

small comment to it.

 Interaction with the user. Mark the option to pause the script interpreter during the execution to prompt the

user’s confirmation or other input. Otherwise the program will not stop using default values for parameters if

needed.

 Commit after each operation. Mark the option to commit changes after each operation.  Check for errors after each operation. Mark the option to insert a special code in script, which checks the status

of the last executed operation and stops the script processing if there are errors of any kind.

 Discard all operations on close. Mark the option to empty the List of Pending Operations after generating the

script.

Result

After the operation is completed you receive a new script file. It is placed into the specified destination, its features defined in the dialog.

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This command is unavailable if there are no operations on the List of Pending Operations.

To learn more about scripts please consult the Paragon Scripting Language manual.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Extra Functionality

This chapter describes the supplementary functionality available in the program.

View Partition/Hard Disk Properties

The program enables to obtain in-depth information on the properties of hard disks and partitions. Besides the general information, such as capacity, used space or file system type it provides the possibility to get info on hard disk geometry, cluster size, exact partition location, etc.

To get properties on a partition/hard disk, please do the following:

1. Choose a partition/hard disk on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Properties…

In the opened dialog information will be grouped according to its properties, thus by clicking tabs you can get information you need.

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Volume Explorer

Volume Explorer is a special tool to browse and export contents of the local mounted/unmounted volumes formatted to FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, Ext2FS, Ext3FS, Ext4FS, reFS file systems. Besides it enables to access Paragon backups as regular folders to explorer their contents or to retrieve certain files.

Click the Volume Explorer tab on the Ribbon Panel to open it:

Call a context menu for the selected file/folder by the right mouse click to export it to some other location (local or network drive, etc.).

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The current version of the program does not enable to access pVHD images and file archives with Volume Explorer.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Available operation scenarios:

 Restoring separate files and folders from a backup

File Transfer Wizard

File Transfer Wizard is designed to make such operations as copying of separate files/directories or burning of them to CD/DVD as easy and convenient as possible. It may be of particular use in case of a system malfunction, caused either by a virus attack or files corruption, in order to get the system back on track again. Besides it provides access to Paragon backups as regular folders to browse through their contents or copy required files.

Startup

 Click Tool Button, then select File Transfer Wizard.

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Files/directories deleted from the Clipboard remain intact on source disks.

Setup

The wizard offers the following steps to accomplish the transfer operation:

 Place to look for files/directories. Select a source disk from the pull-down list in the left pane of the page. The

program enables to process both mounted and unmounted (without drive letter assigned) partitions. Besides it is possible to map a network drive.

 Object(s) of operation. Choose files/directories you want to copy and place them to Clipboard by pressing the

Add button. To delete a file/directory from the Clipboard, select it in the Clipboard pane and press the Remove button. You can also create a new folder, rename or irreversibly delete existing files/directories of the left pane by pressing the appropriate buttons.

 Destination to store the object(s). The File Transfer Wizard allows copying data to local or network drives, to

physical partitions (without drive letters assigned), or burning them to CD/DVDs. Choose the way the data will be stored.

 Revision of changes. The Transfer Summary page provides structurally divided information on all the actions

made in the wizard. Check the changes and come back to any step of the wizard (if necessary) by following the required hyperlink.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Result

After the operation is completed the required data will be placed into the specified destination.

Available operation scenarios:

 Copying of data from the corrupted system disk to another hard disk  Burning of data from the corrupted system disk to CD/DVD  Copying of data from a backup to the corrupted system partition  Restoring separate files and folders from a backup

Mount Partition

The program enables to assign or remove drive letters of existing formatted partitions.

Assign Drive Letter

In order to mount a partition you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Assign Drive Letter…

3. Specify a drive letter for the selected partition. Initially the program suggests some consistent value for this

parameter. So you may just press the Yes button to confirm the operation.

However you can manually define the required letter by selecting it from the pull-down list of available drive letters.

4. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Remove Drive Letter

In order to un-mount a partition you should take the following steps:

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Modifying drive letter of the system partition will result in inability to boot the operating system.

After having processed partitions with installed software, some programs may not run properly.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Remove Drive Letter.

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Check File System Integrity

The program allows you to check integrity of a file system. It can be used to detect possible file system errors before performing any operation on a partition.

To start the system integrity check you should take the following steps:

1. Select a partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Check File System Integrity

3. The operation will be performed immediately after confirmation.

Edit/View Sectors

With the built-in Edit/View Sectors tool the program enables to view/edit sectors on existing partitions/hard disks providing the possibility to directly access and modify sectors, save and restore sectors from specified files, navigate through the system metadata, etc.

In order to edit/view sectors of a hard disk/partition you should take the following steps:

1. Select a hard disk/partition on the Disk Map.

2. Call a context menu for the selected object by the right mouse click, then select Edit/View Sectors.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Careless use of the Edit Sectors function may result in the irreversible data corruption.

Send Log Files

The program enables to simplify the procedure of sending support requests to the Paragon Support Team. In case of having difficulties with handling the program, you, with the help of this very function, can address the company support engineers and provide them with all the information they need such as the disk layout, performed operations, etc. in order to tackle the encountered problem. Information of that kind is stored in Log files.

In order to send log files to the Paragon Support Team you should take the following steps:

1. Click Tool Button, then select Send Log Files;

2. Provide a customer name and a product serial number;

3. Give a detailed description on the encountered problem.

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Log files do not contain any confidential information on the operating system settings or the user documents.

The Send Log Files function is only available when outgoing mail server (SMTP) and the user e-mail address are properly set. To learn more about it please consult the Settings

Overview chapter.

By clicking the Send button the built-in mail client will generate a template request with attached compressed log files and then send it to the Paragon Support Team.

View Logs

With a handy dialog you can study logs on any operation carried by the program. To make this job as easy as possible, all the information is structurally divided, besides there is the possibility to see the disk layout before and after an operation, what is very convenient.

In order to view logs on carried out operations, click Tool Button, then select View Log Files.

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There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

Typical Scenarios

This chapter lists a number of the most frequently used scenarios that may be accomplished with the program. You can find here useful recommendations and descriptions of operations.

Backup Scenarios

Backing up a hard disk or partition to a network drive

To back up an entire hard disk or a separate partition and then place the resulted image to a network share, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup & Restore tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Backup to VD.

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the next page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a partition’s name depending on

the chosen task.

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You’ve got the option to modify the default backup settings by marking the appropriate

checkbox on this page.

By default the program will take into account exclude filters set in the Settings dialog.

4. Specify location of the resulted image in the Backup destination section. If you’d like to save it locally, either

enter a full path to the target folder in the corresponding field or use the Browse button to find it.

If you’re going to save the backup image on a network share, or a physical partition (a partition that doesn’t

have a drive letter in the system), click on the Browse button. In the opened dialog you can see several options:

- Select Disk Drives to use a local disk as backup destination;

- Select Partitions to use a physical partition as backup destination;

- Select Network Places to use a network place as backup destination;

- Click on the Map Network Drive icon to map a network share to use it as backup destination (our case).

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5. To map a network share, please do the following:

- Click the standard browse button [...] to browse for the required network share or manually enter a path to

it;

- Define a letter from the pull-down list of available drive letters;

- Mark the checkbox to make this connection permanent. Otherwise it will only be available for the current

Windows session;

- Specify a user name and password to access the selected network share if necessary.

 Click OK when ready.

6. Edit the default archive name and description in the Image details section if necessary.

By default the wizard is configured to back up to pVHD (Paragon Virtual Hard Drive). If you’d like to switch the

resulted virtual container to VHD, VHDX, or VMDK, additionally mark the Change backup settings option. Click Next to proceed.

7. Select the required container type from the list and specify other advanced parameters if necessary. Please

consult the Settings Overview section for more information. Click Next to proceed.

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This operation can also be accomplished with our recovery media.

There are other ways to start up this function, please consult the Interface Overview chapter to know more on the subject.

8. Choose whether to execute the operation immediately after finishing the wizard and applying the pending

changes (only if the virtual mode is enabled) or generate a script file to execute it later.

9. Click Finish to complete the wizard, then apply the pending changes.

Backing up a hard disk or partition to external media (CD/DVD)

To back up an entire hard disk or a separate partition and then burn the resulted image to CD/DVD, please do the following:

1. Click the Backup & Restore tab on the Ribbon Panel, then select Back up a Disk or Partition.

2. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

3. On the next page, mark the appropriate option opposite a hard disk’s name or a partition’s name depending on

the chosen task.

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You’ve got the option to modify the default backup settings by marking the appropriate

checkbox on this page.

By default the program will take into account exclude filters set in the Settings dialog.

4. On the Backup Destination page, select the Burn the data to CD or DVD option.

5. Select a recordable device on the list of available CD/DVD devices and edit the archive name, if necessary.

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Please take into account the Estimated archive size value. It can give you a hint about the number of CD/DVD discs required for the operation.

This operation can also be accomplished with our recovery media.

Please use Recovery Media Builder or Boot Media Builder to prepare Paragon's recovery environments on CD/DVD, flash, or in an ISO-image.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.

6. Add comments to your backup describing its contents.

7. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary. Click the

Next button to start the backup process.

Backing up a dual boot Mac to an external USB drive

To back up a dual boot Mac (Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista/7/8) and then place the resulted image to an external USB drive, please do the following:

1. Start up the computer from our Linux/DOS recovery media.

2. Connect an external USB drive to the computer.

3. Restart the computer. It will be automatically started up into the Linux recovery environment (Normal Mode),

since it’s the only mode that provides support for Mac computers.

4. In the Linux launch menu select Drive Copy.

5. Launch the Backup Wizard by selecting in the Main Menu of the program: Wizards > Backup Wizard.

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6. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

7. On the What to back up page, select your Mac hard disk.

8. On the Backup Destination page, select the Save data to any local drive or a network share option.

9. Select an external USB drive as a backup destination.

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10. Edit the archive name if necessary.

Please take into account values of the parameters Estimated archive size and Space available on backup destination - if the archive size exceeds the available space, another drive needs to be selected.

This operation can also be accomplished under Windows.

11. Add comments to your backup describing its contents.

12. On the Backup Summary page review all parameters of the operation and modify them if necessary. Click the

Next button to start the backup process.

Recovery Scenarios

Correcting EFI parameters

To specify a bootable device in the EFI boot entry, please do the following:

1. Start up the computer from the WinPE recovery media.

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Please use Boot Media Builder to prepare the WinPE recovery environment.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.



The option above will be available for the user, only if the operation is accomplished through the 64-bit WinPE media.

2. Launch Boot Corrector.

3. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

4. Select Correct EFI parameters to specify the required bootable device in the EFI boot entry.

5. The wizard will detect and list all available GPT partitions that accommodate 64-bit Windows OS. Choose the

one you need to boot from, to let the wizard modify the EFI boot entry correspondingly.

6. Confirm the operation.

7. Click the Finish button to close Boot Corrector.

8. Restart the computer.

Correcting BCD (Boot Configuration Data)

To automatically correct Windows BCD, please do the following:

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Please use Boot Media Builder to prepare the WinPE recovery environment.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.

Please use Recovery Media Builder or Boot Media Builder to prepare Paragon's recovery environments on CD/DVD, flash, or in an ISO-image.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.

1. Start up the computer from the WinPE recovery media.

2. Launch Boot Corrector.

3. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

4. Select Correct boot parameters… to let the wizard fix BCD in all found Windows installations.

5. Confirm the operation.

6. Click the Finish button to close Boot Corrector.

7. Restart the computer.

Fixing Windows startup ability

Let’s assume that due to an unknown reason your Windows fails to complete the startup procedure. At first everything seems quite OK, you can see the standard startup messages on the screen, but at some moment it hangs up.

To fix your Windows startup ability, please do the following:

1. Start up the computer from our Linux/DOS recovery media.

2. In the boot menu select Normal Mode to use the Linux recovery environment (more preferable) or Safe Mode

to use the PTS DOS recovery environment (in case you’ve got problems with Linux). Moreover you’ve got the

option to boot into the Low-Graphics Safe Mode (PTS DOS safe mode) to cope with a serious hardware incompatibility. In this case, only the minimal set of drivers will be included, like hard disk, monitor, and keyboard drivers. This mode has simple graphics and a simple menu.

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By default the Normal Mode will be automatically initiated after a 10 second idle period.

3. In the Linux launch menu select Boot Corrector. You can find it in PTS DOS as well.

4. On the Wizard's Welcome page, select the Search for Windows installations to correct option.

5. On the next page choose the required Windows installation from the list of found installations (if several), then

select the Edit the Boot.ini file option. If you’re not sure which installation you need, please use the Properties button to get more info on the selected item.

6. Examine the file – maybe that’s where the problem is. If it contains a mistake, correct it by using the appropriate

buttons.

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7. If the Boot.ini file does not contain any mistake, please return to the Correct Windows Installations page to

correct drive letters in the Windows System Registry.

8. On the next page choose a hard disk from the pull-down list (if several), then the required partition. If you’re not

sure which installation you need, please use the Properties button to get more info on the selected item.

9. Click the Edit Letters button to correct an existing drive letter or assign a new one in the Windows System

Registry.

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10. Once you’ve assigned the appropriate drive letter, close the dialog, then click the Apply button.

11. Confirm the operation.

12. After the operation is completed click the Report button to see a well informative summary page. The program

also enables to store the resulted report. To do that, just press the Save button and choose the exact location in the opened dialog.

13. Click the Finish button to close Boot Corrector.

14. Reboot the computer.

Restoring a system partition from a network drive

Let’s assume that your computer fails to boot because of a virus attack or corruption of some system critical files. But you’ve got a backup of your hard disk on a remote backup server. That’s just enough to easily get your system back on

track again.

To restore your system partition from a backup image located on a network drive, please do the following:

1. Start up the computer from the WinPE recovery media.

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Please use Boot Media Builder to prepare the WinPE recovery environment.

To automatically boot from the recovery media please make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD/USB first.

You can also map a network disk with Network Configurator.

2. Launch the Restore from VD Wizard.

3. On the Restore Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

4. On the Browse for Archive page you need to specify the required backup image:  Map a network disk where your archives are placed:

- Call the Map Network Drive dialog by clicking the appropriate button;

- Click the standard browse button [...] to browse for the required network share or manually enter a path to it;

- Define a letter from the pull-down list of available drive letters;

- Click the Connect as user button at the foot of the dialog page to specify a user name and password to access the selected network share if necessary.

 Choose the required archive in the browser-like window. The Archive File Details section displays a short

description of the selected image. If you need more information on the selected backup object, please click the corresponding link at the bottom of the section. Click Next to proceed.

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5. Select Restore disk or partition.

6. The What to Restore page displays detailed information about the contents of the archive. Select the required

item to restore.

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If you need to restore several backup objects in one operation, please use the Linux-based recovery media.

7. On the Where to Restore page specify a hard disk, then one of its partitions to restore the image to (if several in

your computer). By default, the program offers to restore the archive exactly where it belongs. That’s what we

actually need.

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All contents on the partition selected for restoring purposes will be deleted during the operation.

To make Windows bootable on different hardware, please additionally complete the P2P

Adjust OS Wizard.

8. On the Restore Results page you can see the resulted disk layout. Besides there’s the possibility to change size

of the partition and its location if necessary as well as assign a particular drive letter. If you’ve got to do with a 64-bit Windows configured to the uEFI boot mode, the Switch EFI to boot from destination drive option will

become available for you to define what instance of Windows OS you’d like to boot from once the operation is

over. Anyway you can specify a bootable device at any time through Boot Corrector.

9. Choose whether to execute the operation immediately after finishing the wizard and applying the pending

changes (only if the virtual mode is enabled) or generate a script file to execute it later.

10. Click Finish to complete the wizard, then apply the pending changes.

11. In the Progress window you can see in real-time a detailed report on all actions carried out by the program.

Mark the checkbox at the bottom of the window to automatically switch off the computer on the successful accomplishment of the restore operation.

12. After completing the operation, please reboot the computer.

Restoring a system partition from external media (CD/DVD)

Let’s assume that your computer fails to boot because of a virus attack or corruption of some system critical files. But you’ve got a backup of your system partition on a bootable DVD disc. That’s just enough to easily get your system back

on track again.

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This scenario implies that you have got a bootable archive on your CD/DVD.

In case the backup image is stored on several CD/DVD disks, please insert the first one.

By default the Normal Mode will be automatically initiated after a 10 second idle period.

To restore your system partition from a backup image located on CD/DVD when the current OS is down, please do the following:

1. Insert a CD/DVD disc containing the previously prepared backup image into a CD/DVD drive (the BIOS must be

enabled to boot the system from the CD/DVD device).

2. Restart the computer.

3. In the boot menu select Normal Mode to use the Linux recovery environment (more preferable) or Safe Mode

to use the PTS DOS recovery environment (in case you’ve got problems with Linux). Moreover you’ve got the

4. In the PTS DOS launch menu select the Simple Restore Wizard. You can find the same wizard in Linux as well.

5. On the Wizard's Welcome page, click the Next button.

6. On the What to Restore page, you can see a list of available images (if several). Most likely the required archive

will be there too. If not, click the standard browse button [...] to find it. When you find your image, double click on it to proceed.

7. On the Image Properties page, make sure that you select the correct image by viewing the provided information

about the archive.

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All contents on the partition selected for restoring purposes will be deleted during the operation.

8. On the next page specify a hard disk, then one of its partitions to restore the image to (if several in your

computer). By default, the program offers to restore the archive exactly where it belongs. That’s what we actually need.

9. On the Partition Start and Size page you can change size of the partition and its location if necessary.

10. On the Restore Summary page you can see your hard disk layout before and after the operation. Click the Next

button to initiate the restore process.

Paragon Drive Copy - 15 Professional Operation Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual