Paragon Partition Manager - 10 Personal Instruction Manual

PARAGON Technologie GmbH, Systemprogrammierung

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

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

Internet www.paragon-software.com  E-mail sales@paragon-software.com

PARTITION MANAGER™ 10 PERSONAL

USER MANUAL

CONTENTS

Introduction ..................................................................................................................7

What’s New in Partition Manager 10 ................................................................................................ 7

Product Components ..................................................................................................8

Features Overview .......................................................................................................8

Key Features....................................................................................................................................... 8

User Friendly Fault Minimizing Interface............................................................................................................... 8

Backup Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................... 8

Restore Facilities ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

Copy Facilities .......................................................................................................................................................... 9

Boot Management Facilities ................................................................................................................................. 9

Partition/Hard Disk Management Facilities......................................................................................................... 9

File System Optimization Facilities....................................................................................................................... 10

Auxiliary Facilities ................................................................................................................................................... 10

Supported Technologies ................................................................................................................. 10

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

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

Getting Started ...........................................................................................................12

Distribution ........................................................................................................................................ 12

Distributive CD........................................................................................................................................................ 12

Online Distribution .................................................................................................................................................12

Registration............................................................................................................................................................. 12

How to Download Updates/Upgrades .............................................................................................................13

Contacting Paragon Technology GmbH....................................................................................... 13

System Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 14

Windows based set of utilities.............................................................................................................................. 14

Linux/DOS based Recovery CD.......................................................................................................................... 14

Installing the Program under Windows .......................................................................................... 15

Starting the Program under Windows............................................................................................. 16

Booting from the Linux/DOS Recovery CD .................................................................................... 17

Startup Procedure................................................................................................................................................. 17

Boot Menu .............................................................................................................................................................. 18

Basic Concepts ..........................................................................................................20

System and Data Protection ........................................................................................................... 20

File Backup versus Sector Backup ...................................................................................................................... 20

Backup Storage..................................................................................................................................................... 21

Paragon Hot Processing & Volume Shadow Copy Service ......................................................... 22

Offline versus Online Data Processing ............................................................................................................... 22

Paragon Hot Processing Technology................................................................................................................. 22

Volume Shadow Copy Service ........................................................................................................................... 22

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

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

64-bit Support ................................................................................................................................... 23

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

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

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

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

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

Main Menu ............................................................................................................................................................. 27

Tool Bar .................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Virtual Operations Bar .......................................................................................................................................... 31

Common Tasks Bar ................................................................................................................................................ 32

Disk Map ................................................................................................................................................................. 33

Explorer Bar............................................................................................................................................................. 34

Partition List ............................................................................................................................................................. 36

Legend Bar ............................................................................................................................................................. 38

Status Bar ................................................................................................................................................................ 38

Settings Overview ............................................................................................................................38

General Options .................................................................................................................................................... 38

General Copy and Backup Options.................................................................................................................. 39

Hot Processing Options ........................................................................................................................................ 40

Partitioning Options............................................................................................................................................... 41

Virtual Mode Options............................................................................................................................................ 42

File System Conversion Options .......................................................................................................................... 43

E-Mail Options ........................................................................................................................................................ 45

Defragmentation Options ................................................................................................................................... 45

Viewing Disk Properties ................................................................................................................... 46

Data Backup and Rescue ............................................................................................................... 48

Creating Backup Images..................................................................................................................................... 48

Building Recovery Media ..................................................................................................................................... 49

Copy Tasks ....................................................................................................................................... 51

Cloning Hard Disks................................................................................................................................................. 51

Cloning Partitions................................................................................................................................................... 53

Boot Management........................................................................................................................... 55

Partition Management..................................................................................................................... 56

Basic Partitioning Operations .............................................................................................................................. 56

Advanced Partitioning Operations.................................................................................................................... 67

Changing Partition Attributes.............................................................................................................................. 79

Hard Disk Management .................................................................................................................. 81

Updating MBR ........................................................................................................................................................ 81

Extra Functionality............................................................................................................................ 82

View Partition/Hard Disk Properties .................................................................................................................... 82

Volume Explorer.....................................................................................................................................................83

Mount Partition ...................................................................................................................................................... 84

Defragment Partition ............................................................................................................................................ 85

Test Surface ............................................................................................................................................................86

Check File System Integrity.................................................................................................................................. 87

Send Log Files......................................................................................................................................................... 87

View Logs................................................................................................................................................................89

Typical Scenarios .......................................................................................................89

Backup Scenarios ............................................................................................................................ 89

Backing up a Hard Disk or Partition to a Network Drive ................................................................................. 90

Recovery Scenarios......................................................................................................................... 91

Fixing MBR after a Boot Virus Attack .................................................................................................................. 91

Fixing Windows Startup Ability............................................................................................................................. 93

Restoring a Dual Boot Mac from an External USB Drive .................................................................................97

Restoring Separate Files and Folders from a Backup ...................................................................................100

Resize Scenarios............................................................................................................................. 102

Creating a New Partition to Detach Operating System from the Rest of Data.......................................102

Increasing Size of a System Partition by Taking Unused Space of an Adjacent Partition ...................... 104

Increasing Size of a System Partition by Taking Unused Space from any Other ...................................... 106

Resizing Partitions of Apple Boot Camp.......................................................................................................... 111

Creating Dual Boot Systems.......................................................................................................... 113

For Windows Computers .................................................................................................................................... 113

For Mac Computers ............................................................................................................................................ 123

System Hard Disk Migration .......................................................................................................... 125

Hard Disk Optimization.................................................................................................................. 127

Troubleshooter..........................................................................................................129

Glossary ....................................................................................................................131

INTRODUCTION

Paragon Partition Manager™ 10 Personal is an integrated set of powerful tools that is specially designed to tackle most of the problems the user might face while using PC. A highly intelligent program engine together with built-in advanced recovery facilities make it possible to securely carry out partitioning operations of any complexity, optimize performance of NTFS and FAT file systems, migrate the system to another hard disk, etc. without fear to lose precious data.

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 PARTITION MANAGER 10

 Support of the Windows Installer MSI package. It is the latest engine for the installation, maintenance

and removal of software on Windows-based operating systems. With its help you can now install the product remotely or in the silent mode, make use of powerful deployment capabilities, etc.

 Improved 64-bit support. You don’t need to reboot your computer from the Recovery CD every time an

operation cannot be accomplished under 64-bit Windows any more. The program will automatically reboot to a special mode to complete the operation.

 Support of 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, Server 2008, Mac OS X and Linux.

 Support of the latest Linux kernel. It offers support of a wider range of hardware configurations, including

the brand new Intel ICH9 chipset.

 Express Create Partition Wizard. Create a new partition in the most appropriate place of your hard disk,

format it to NTFS and then make it available in the system by assigning a drive letter.

 Safe Defragmentation Mode. Guarantee data loss free defragmentation of any version of NTFS and FAT.

 Integration of the Linux/DOS recovery media directly to the installation package. You can now burn it

with the Recovery Media Builder any time you want. Besides it will also be used as a bootable part of any bootable backup image created with the program.

 Recovery environment on a USB flash drive. With the help of the Recovery Media Builder you can now

create Linux/DOS bootable media on a USB flash drive that may later be used for maintenance or recovery purposes.

 Support of the Apple Boot Camp Configuration. With the Boot Camp utility Apple Inc. offers a

technology to set up a dual boot system (Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista) on Intel-based Macs. With the Linux/DOS recovery environment you can now easily backup/restore this kind of configurations as well as redistribute unused space between Mac OS X and Windows partitions.

 Install Windows OS Wizard. Get your Intel-based Mac ready to install Windows either as a sole operating

system with the option to back up your Mac partition, or as a second operating system, thus making a dual-boot system.

 Express Resize Partitions Wizard. Increase free space on one partition by up-taking the unused space of

an adjacent partition of your hard disk (including partitions of Apple Boot Camp).

 Refined User Interface. Take advantage of an improved two-level user interface to satisfy the needs of

the most demanding customer.

 A context sensitive hint system for all functions of the program. You can now get a detailed description

to any setting, control, or field of the program just by clicking the hint button and then the object you need.

 Support of Blu-ray discs. You can now burn backup images to high capacity Blu-ray discs. A single layer

Blu-ray can store 25 GB, more than five times the capacity of a single layer DVD.

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.

 Linux/DOS based Recovery CD 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 disks. 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 CD requires no installation and can be of great help when the system fails to boot. Besides it offers a Windows XP like environment.

FEATURES OVERVIEW

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

KEY FEATURES

Let us list some of the key features:

USER FRIENDLY FAULT MINIMIZING INTERFACE

 Graphical representation of the data to gain a better understanding.

 Two-level user interface to satisfy the needs of the most demanding customer.

 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

 Support of basic techniques to store backup images:

- Backup to local mounted partitions;

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

Sector backup to save not only all on-disk information but also the system service structures. It is ideal for



making a backup image of an entire hard disk or system partitions to guarantee the operating system’s working capability.

RESTORE FACILITIES

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



image.

 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.

COPY FACILITIES

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.

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

BOOT MANAGEMENT FACILITIES

Boot Manager Setup Wizard to easily manage several operating systems on one computer. 

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.

Express Create Partition Wizard to create a new partition in the most appropriate place of your hard



disk, format it to NTFS and then make it available in the system by assigning a drive letter.

Merge Partitions Wizard to consolidate the disk space, which originally belongs to two adjacent



partitions (NTFS, FAT16/FAT32), into a single, larger partition.

Redistribute Free Space Wizard to increase free space on one partition by up-taking the on-disk



unallocated space and the unused space of other partitions.

Express Resize Partitions Wizard to increase free space on one partition by up-taking the unused space



of an adjacent partition of your hard disk (including partitions of Apple Boot Camp).

NTFS hot resize upward to enlarge an NTFS partition (system, locked) without rebooting Windows and



interrupting its work.

Convert a file system (FAT16/32, NTFS, Ext2/Ext3) without reformatting. 

 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, volume label, etc.).

 Install New OS Wizard to make your system ready to install a new operating system.

 Install Windows OS Wizard to get your Intel-based Mac ready to install Windows either as a sole

operating system with the option to back up your Mac partition, or as a second operating system, thus making a dual-boot system.

 Undelete Partitions Wizard to recover an accidentally deleted partition.

FILE SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION FACILITIES

 27 defragmentation strategies available to defragment FAT and NTFS file systems.

 Safe Defragmentation Mode to guarantee data loss free defragmentation of any version of NTFS and

FAT.

 Low free space defragmentation (less than 1% of the free space required) to successfully defragment

almost full disks.

AUXILIARY FACILITIES

 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.

 Recovery Media Builder to create a Linux/DOS bootable media, which can later be used to boot and

recover your computer in case of an operating system failure. Moreover, with its help you can save data from partitions of your hard disk directly to compact discs or burn ISO-images. The utility supports various formats of laser discs: CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R, DVD+R double layer, Blu-ray and can handle multi-session burning.

 Network Configuration Wizard to establish a network connection under Linux 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.

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 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.

 Paragon Hot Resize™ technology to enlarge NTFS partitions (system, locked) without rebooting Windows

and interrupting its work.

 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 Smart Partition™ technology to securely perform hard disk partitioning operations of any

complexity.

 Paragon BTE™ technology to set tasks for execution in the Windows blue screen mode, thus saving from

the need to use a bootable media when modifying system partitions.

 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.

 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 FILE SYSTEMS

Paragon Partition Manager 10 provides support of major file systems presented on the market today:

 Full read/write access to FAT16/FAT32 partitions.

 Full read/write access to NTFS (Basic and all five types of Dynamic Disks) under Windows 95/98/ME, Linux

and PTS DOS. Compressed NTFS files are also supported.

 Full read/write access to Ext2FS/Ext3FS partitions under all versions of Windows, DOS 5.0 and later.

 Basic partitioning operations (create, format, delete) for Linux Swap.

 Limited read/write access to Apple HFS+ partitions.

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.

SUPPORTED MEDIA

 Support of both MBR and GPT hard disks (up to 1,5 TB tested)

 IDE, SCSI and SATA hard disks

 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 hard disks, ZIP® and Jazz® 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.

DISTRIBUTION

Paragon Partition Manager 10 is distributed in two ways:

 Boxed package from Paragon Technology GmbH and resellers

 Downloadable package over the Internet at the company’s web-site

DISTRIBUTIVE CD

The boxed package includes a distributive CD that is in fact a bootable Linux/DOS Recovery CD with auto-run of the Windows installation, thus it can be used as a ready-made solution (see Booting from the Linux/DOS

Recovery CD). But if you’re going to run the Windows components, you need to install them first (see Installing the Program under Windows).

If you want to download an update/upgrade of the product, it will be in form of the downloadable installation package as described in Online Distribution

ONLINE DISTRIBUTION

Partition Manager 10 purchased over the Internet will be in form of an MSI package. After installing the product you can launch the Recovery Media Builder to burn the Linux/DOS Recovery CD.

REGISTRATION

Paragon Technology GmbH provides a wide range of online services through its web-portal - www.paragon-

software.com/support/:

 Registration of new users;

 Registration of purchased products for registered users;

 Available around-the-clock downloading center, where registered users can get product

updates/upgrades as well as all the necessary documentation;

 Downloadable free demo versions and open documentation for all users.

It is recommended to use Internet Explorer 5+ or any compatible browser.

TO REGISTER AS A NEW USER

To register as a new user, please do the following:

1. Run an Internet browser and visit the page: www.paragon-software.com/my-account/;

2. Click Create of the Create a Paragon Account section;

3. Fill out a registration form;

4. Click Register.

The most important field in the form is an E-mail address, as it serves as a login to enter the system. Besides your access password will be sent to this address as well.

TO REGISTER A NEW PRODUCT

If you are a registered user and would like to register Partition Manager 10, please do the following:

1. Run an Internet browser and visit the page: www.paragon-software.com/my-account/

2. In the Email field of the Authorization section, enter an E-mail used for registration;

3. In the Password field enter a password received after registration;

4. Click Sign in;

5. If the user name and password are valid, you will get to your account;

6. Click Register new product of the Products section;

7. Enter your product serial number in the Serial Number field. You can find it in the product box or obtain from your reseller. Click Next;

8. On the next page you will be asked to provide some additional data. Also you will need to decide whether you want to get confirmation on registering the product by E-mail or not. Click Next, and then click Finish.

That is all. The product is now registered.

;

HOW TO DOWNLOAD UPDATES/UPGRADES

Downloading of updates/upgrades can be fulfilled in the following way:

1. Run an Internet browser and visit the page: www.paragon-software.com/my-account/

2. In the Email field of the Authorization section, enter an E-mail used for registration;

3. In the Password field enter a password received after registration;

4. Click Sign in;

5. If the user name and password are valid, you will get to your account;

6. Select My Downloads of the Products section to see what updates are available for you;

7. Select the desired update and click Download.

CONTACTING PARAGON TECHNOLOGY GMBH

;

If you have any questions about the company products, please do not hesitate to contact Paragon Technology GmbH.

Service Contact

Visit Paragon GmbH web site www.paragon-software.com

Registration & updates web-service

www.paragonsoftware.com/support

Knowledge Base & Technical Support kb.paragon-software.com

Pre-sale information sales@paragon-software.com

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

WINDOWS BASED SET OF UTILITIES

To use the Windows utilities, you should install them first. But before that, make sure your computer meets the following minimum system requirements:

 Operating systems: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and XP SP2/Vista/7 64-bit

 Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher

 Intel Pentium CPU or its equivalent, with 300 MHz processor clock speed

 128 MB of RAM

 Hard disk drive with 100 MB of available space

 SVGA video adapter and monitor

 Mouse

LINUX/DOS BASED RECOVERY CD

To use the Paragon Linux/DOS Recovery CD on your computer (it doesn’t matter what operating system is installed), make sure that it meets the following minimum system requirements:

 IBM AT compatible computer with i486 or higher CPU

 256 MB of RAM

 SVGA-compatible monitor

 Mouse (recommended)

 On-board BIOS supports booting from CD first

There may be additional requirements if you want to use advanced features:

 Network card is required to send partition/hard disk backups to a network computer or to retrieve

previously made backups

 Recordable CD/DVD drive is needed to burn data to compact disks

 To save copy or backup of a hard disk or partition, removable USB disks can be used. The program

supports USB Drives 1.0, 2.0.

INSTALLING THE PROGRAM UNDER WINDOWS

As we have already mentioned only Windows components of the product require installation. So to install Paragon Partition Manager 10 under Windows, please do the following:

1. Run Setup Application. Click on the PartitionManager.MSI file. This application will guide you through the process of the program installation. The setup utility is compiled with the InstallShield SDK, hence it contains the standard user interface and set of installation steps.

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

2. Starting Setup. The Welcome page informs that the application is being installed. Click the Next button to continue.

3. Confirm License Agreement. The License Agreement page displays the Paragon License Agreement. Read the agreement and then select the appropriate option to accept. If you do not agree with any conditions stated there, the installation process will be interrupted. By clicking the Print button, the License Agreement may also be printed out.

4. Provide Registration Information. On the Registration page you are to provide your product key and serial number.

5. Provide Customer Information. On the Customer Information page you are to provide the standard 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. Select an Installation Folder. The Destination Folder page allows you to choose a folder where the program will be installed. By default, the installation folder will be created as:

C:\Program Files\Paragon Software\Paragon Partition Manager 10. To select another folder, click the Change… button.

After you have selected the required folder, click the Next button to continue.

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.

7. Confirm Installation. On the Ready to Install the Program page click the Install button to start the installation or the Back button to return to any of the previous pages and modify the installation settings.

8. Copying Files. The Copying Files page shows the overall progress of the installation. Click the Cancel button to abort the setup.

9. Finishing the Installation. The Final page reports the end of the setup process. Click the Finish button to complete the wizard.

To accomplish online backup/copy of locked partitions/hard disks the program uses a kernel mode hotcore driver, thus the system reboot is required to complete the installation procedure.

STARTING THE PROGRAM UNDER WINDOWS

To start Paragon Partition Manager 10 under Windows, please click the Windows Start button and then select

Programs > Paragon Software > Paragon Software Partition Manager™.

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.

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.

To start up the traditional launcher, please select the Switch to Full Scale Launcher menu item. To know more on the subject, please consult the Windows Components chapter.

BOOTING FROM THE LINUX/DOS RECOVERY CD

The Linux/DOS Recovery CD can be used to boot your computer into Linux or PTS DOS to get access to your hard disk for maintenance or recovery purposes. On the disk you can also find the PTS DOS safe mode, which may help in a number of non-standard 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 PROCEDURE

To start working with the Linux/DOS Recovery CD, please take the following steps:

1. Insert the Linux/DOS Recovery CD into a CD/DVD drive;

2. Reboot the computer;

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

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

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

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

To automatically boot from the Recovery CD make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD first.

BOOT MENU

After you have inserted the Recovery CD into a CD/DVD drive and restarted the computer, the Boot menu appears.

The Boot menu contains the following commands:

 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.

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

To automatically boot from the Recovery CD make sure the on-board BIOS is set up to boot from CD first.

While working with the Recovery CD 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.

NORMAL MODE

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

 Restore Wizard (allows restoring hard disks and partitions);

 Express Resize Wizard (enables to increase free space on one partition by up-taking the unused space

of an adjacent partition);

 Boot Corrector (helps to correct the Windows System Registry without Windows being loaded);

 Network Configurator (enables to establish a network connection under Linux);

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

 Log Saver (helps to collect and send the necessary log files to the Technical Support);

 Install Windows OS Wizard (helps to get an Intel-based Mac ready to install Windows);

 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 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 disks.

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.

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?

FILE BACKUP VERSUS SECTOR BACKUP

Since the advent of the computer age people were in the search of ways to guarantee data safety. As a result we’ve got now two principal approaches: the file-based backup and the sector-based backup. The main difference between the two lies in the way data is treated.

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.

In contrast, a file-based backup takes into account a file system structure and only functions on a file or folder level. So it is very efficient when archiving separate files or folders, but in no way will help you back up a system partition.

You should understand pretty well that each of the two approaches is only good when properly chosen. In the comparison table below you can see when this or that approach will suit you at most.

Sector-Based Backup File-Based Backup

Merits

It does not dependent on a particular file system. Thus it can successfully process

Functioning on a file/folder level, it is ideal for archiving separate files or folders.

system or encrypted partitions of any file system type, no matter what kind of information they contain.

It can create an exact image of a partition, including its service data. Thus it is ideal for a backup/restore of a system partition or a fast

It enables to automatically build up contents of the future backup image by using an advanced system of filters.

deployment to a bunch of identical computers.

It allows archiving data of the same volume

with different backup policies.

It is easy and efficient when creating backup

chains.

Demerits

Resulted backup images may contain a lot of redundant data.

It depends on a file system structure, so you won’t be able to process unknown file systems.

It is ineffective when trying to maintain a backup chain, especially when little amount

It cannot be used to back up a system partition.

of data is being changed.

It is much slower when processing large

amount of data.

BACKUP STORAGE

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

 You can place a backup image to a local mounted 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;

 Finally 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.

PARAGON HOT PROCESSING & VOLUME SHADOW COPY SERVICE

OFFLINE VERSUS ONLINE DATA PROCESSING

In the course of time there have been developed various methods of data processing. Despite different work concept, all of them can be divided into two principal groups: offline (cold) and online (hot) data processing techniques.

As the name infers, offline data processing can only be accomplished when the data is in consistent state (the operating system and all the applications are completely shut down). Actually it is the most preferable way of image creation or data cloning, since software can obtain an exclusive right to process data that guaranties high level of operating efficiency. However, the offline data processing is absolutely out of question when dealing with 24/7 production environments.

In contrast, online data processing enables to create a consistent snapshot even as the data is currently modified. It is particularly useful for systems with high availability requirements, but it won’t be accomplished until all active transactions are complete. The point is to provide a coherent state of all open files and databases involved in a process, taking into account that applications may still keep writing to disks. As a result an online data processing cannot boast high operating speed.

Our program supports both offline and online methods of data processing. As far as online method is concerned it offers its own hot processing algorithm together with the possibility to use snapshot technologies provided by the Microsoft VSS framework.

PARAGON HOT PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

Paragon Hot Processing is an online copy/backup technology for Windows NT+ family operating systems. Developed back in 2001, nowadays it is integrated with all copy/backup solutions offered by the company.

Paragon Hot Processing is not exactly a snapshot technology, though it has much in common with it. During an online copy/backup, the program uses the kernel mode driver HOTCORE.SYS to intercept and control disk write activity of applications and the operating system. The hotcore driver as an integral part of the program is installed during the setup procedure (that’s why the system reboot is required to complete the setup procedure). For the most part the driver is in the idle mode until it is activated with the program. While in this mode it bypasses any calls having no effect on the overall system performance, but a few kilobytes of the system memory.

Paragon Hot Processing technology offers copy/backup of locked partitions and hard disks under Windows NT+ family operating systems providing both high operating efficiency as well as low hardware requirements.

It is not recommended to use Paragon Hot Processing with active SQL Server, Exchange or Oracle databases since the backup image contents may be corrupted.

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VOLUME SHADOW COPY SERVICE

Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is designed to provide the copy/backup infrastructure for the Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/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.

Initiated by a VSS aware copy/backup utility, VSS creates snapshots for the selected volumes and represents them as virtual read-only devices, called volume shadow copies. Once the shadow copies are created, the copy/backup utility starts processing the data while applications keep writing to original volumes.

Unlike Paragon Hot Processing the VSS technology provides a unique possibility to make a synchronous snapshot of multiple volumes. This very feature can be particularly beneficial when backing up active SQL Server 2003, Exchange 2003 or Oracle databases located on multiple volumes the way it is recommended by Microsoft to improve the level of database performance and reliability, thus providing 100-percent data consistency.

To use VSS it is necessary to have a mounted 300 MB+ NTFS partition.

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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).

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 Intel-based 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.

Our program provides the ability to successfully backup/restore this kind of configurations as well as redistribute unused space between Mac OS X and Windows partitions.

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, system-level 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 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.

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

The main component of the program 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.

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

1. Main Menu

2. Tool Bar

3. Virtual Operations Bar

4. Common Tasks Bar

5. Explorer Bar

6. Disk Map

7. Partition List

8. Legend Bar

9. Status Bar

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

All panels are separated by vertical and horizontal expandable sliders, allowing the user to customize the screen layout.

MAIN MENU

The Main Menu provides access to the entire functionality of the program. The available functions are as listed below:

MENU ITEM FUNCTIONALITY

Tools

Send Log Files

View Logs…

BM Setup Wizard…

Recovery Media Builder…

Settings...

Exit

Changes

Undo `the last virtual

operation`

Compress and send the log to the Paragon Support Team

View logs on the carried out operations

Manage several operating systems on one computer

Restore the system even when the current operating system cannot boot anymore

Edit the general settings of the program

Exit the program

Cancel the last virtual operation on the List of Pending Operations

Redo `the last virtual

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

operation`

View Changes…

Apply Changes

Discard All Changes

Display the List of Pending Operations

Launch the real execution of virtual operations

Cancel all virtual operations on the List of Pending Operations

Reload Disk Info

Wizards

Express Create Partition…

Create Partition…

Format Partition…

Delete Partition…

Express Resize Partitions…

Undelete Partitions…

Refresh the current information about disks

Create an NTFS partition and make it ready for work

Create a partition of any file system

Format a partition of any file system

Delete a partition of any file system

Increase free space on one partition by up-taking the unused space of an adjacent partition

Recover an accidentally deleted partition

Merge Partitions…

Redistribute Free Space…

Install New OS…

Simple Backup…

Copy Hard Disk…

Copy Partition…

Hard Disk

Update MBR

Merge adjacent partitions of NTFS, FAT or FAT32 file systems

Redistribute available disk space of existed partitions

Make your system ready to install a new operating system

Create a sector-based archive of an entire hard disk or separate partitions

Create a hard disk copy

Create a partition copy

Update MBR (Master Boot Record) of the selected hard disk

Properties…

Get in-depth information on the properties of selected hard disk

Partition

Create Partition…

Format Partition…

Delete Partition…

Move/Resize…

Convert File System…

Assign Drive Letter…

Remove Drive Letter…

Hide Partition…

Create a partition

Format a partition

Delete a partition

Move/Resize the selected partition

Convert file system of the selected partition

Assign drive letter to the selected partition

Remove drive letter for the selected partition

Make the selected partition unavailable for the operating system

Unhide Partition…

Mark Partition as Active

Mark Partition as Inactive

Change Volume Label…

Make Partition Primary…

Make Partition Logical…

Defragment Partition…

Test Surface…

Make the selected partition available for the operating system

Make the selected partition bootable by default

Make the selected partition non-bootable by default

Change volume label of the selected partition

Make the selected partition Primary

Make the selected partition Logical

Defragment data on the selected FAT or NTFS partition

Test surface of the selected partition/block of free space

Check File System Integrity…

Check the selected partition for possible file system errors

Properties…

View

Layouts

Toolbar

Status Bar

Common Tasks Bar

Disk Map Legend

Properties and Commands

Get in-depth information on the properties of selected partition

Manage the Launcher layout with several predefined profiles

Manage the Tool Bar representation: show / hide standard and navigation buttons, text labels and large icons

Display the Status Bar

Display the Common Tasks Bar

Display the Disk Map legend

Display the Explorer Bar

Disk Map Location

Help

About

The Main Menu contents available at the moment may vary depending on the

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selected object.

TOOL BAR

Select whether the Disk Map will be located on the top of the main window or at the bottom

Open the Help system (you can also do it by pressing F1)

Open the dialog with information about the program

The Toolbar provides fast access to the most frequently used operations:

BUTTON FUNCTIONALITY

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