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IBM RAPID RESTORE

Rapid Restore is the latest system recovery solution provided by IBM with their new PCs in attempt to replace the OEM recovery CDs. The software reserves a portion of the hard disk space to store a complete factory release image of the system. The reserved disk space is programmed as a hidden partition, inaccessible to most common users; however, an experienced user can remove the hidden partition easily. And thereby, leave the system unrecoverable. As a system imaging software, Rapid Restore shares the same deadly weakness with Symantec Ghost; it is only a partial solution. In a case of disaster recovery, users are set back to the initial factory release condition. All the programs, files and data created afterwards are permanently lost. Rapid Restore is also not rapid; it takes many minutes to restore a system.

HYPERTEC DEEP FREEZE

Deep Freeze® is quick and easy baseline software. Once it is installed, it prevents any “save” operation to the hard disk. All the programs, files and data users created are kept in a temporary buffer. Once the system is restarted, all that information is thrown away, and the system is reset back to when the software was installed. When compared to the aforementioned imaging solutions, Ghost and Rapid Restore, Deep Freeze is a quantum leap in term of space and time. It does not require creating and restoring a system image. Therefore, it doesn’t need extra disk space to store the system image and it only takes a restart to reset the system. This makes Deep Freeze a good option for some school or publicly shared PCs. However, Deep Freeze is not a viable solution outside classrooms because, it does not allow any changes to the system, and it literally makes a PC “read only”. Such limitations offer very little to professional PC users.

GOLDENSOFT RECOVERY GENIUS

Recovery Genius® takes Deep Freeze’s concept one step further. Based on a hard disk sector filtering technique, Recovery Genius reserves a portion of the hard disk space for redirecting the disk I/O commands. It allows users to keep the information in the protected space during restarts. It takes significantly less amount of space than the conventional imaging approach. Therefore, the time to restore is much less than Ghost or Rapid Restore. Everything seems ideal so far, until you run the Recovery Genius for the first time! It does not allow you to restore individual files from the backup storage, so it is all or nothing. Unfortunately, you can only get data you HAD and loose data you HAVE when you select a restore. This significant weakness is driving Recovery Genius away from common and corporate users. At this time, Recovery Genius is mainly valued as an improved Deep Freeze in publicly shared PC markets. 

SYMANTEC GHOST

Formally known as Norton Ghost, Symantec Ghost is the most popular computer system backup and imaging software. It allows users to make a copy of the entire system to an image file. The file can then be stored on CDs or network servers. In a case of disaster recovery, users can restore the image back onto the computer. The solution offered by Symantec Ghost is a slow solution, it takes several minutes or longer in most cases to create or restore the image file. The Ghost solution is a costly solution, the image file might be as large as the system itself or half of the system size in compressed format; however, compression takes a big toll on restore time. The Ghost solution is also a partial solution. Due to the amount of time and space required to create image files, it is impossible for users to create frequent backup image files. Therefore, in a case of disaster recovery, users are most likely to restore back to the date of initial P.C. setup condition. All the programs, files and data created afterwards are permanently lost.

SYMANTEC GOBACK

Formerly known as Roxio Goback, Adaptec Goback as well as other names, Goback has been sold and transferred frequently from one company to another. We can only assume it has not been pleasing its vendors. Goback is the only competitor software close enough to be shown on the PAC-FIX radar screen. Based on a file level monitoring and logging technique, the idea is has merit, but the reality does not. It needs to consume a big chunk of the hard disk space to create a change history file. The monitoring system is picking up every little bit of file changes regardless of whether or not, it is worth to know or see. A simple system restart will generate 100s of file changes to log. It really makes one wonder if more truly is better; in Goback’s case, more is definitely not better. The details file change history logging consumes the hard disk space quickly and easily, not to mention, the tremendous pressure it puts on system resources. 

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