Hello!
I'm using right now XR2 on a GA-EP45-UD3L mobo to backup my freshly installed OS. I'm using Windows 7 x64. So I don't know why it say's it's only for x86 systems.
This is how I found it works:
Your OS should be installed on the first partition of the first hard drive that detects your mobo (PATA0,PATA1,SATA0 and so on is the order), leaving enough unallocated space on that same hard drive. For example, I used it on an 160GB HD. Installed windows 7 on it and then shrinked it to 100GiB using Paragon Hard Disk Manager (or the hard disk manager of windows?
don't remember very well...but one of those...)
I also discovered that it really backups "the first partition". I use to have windows installer to set the partitions, so it makes an 100MiB "Reserved for the System" at the very beginning of the disk, and then, all the disk space for the OS.
So when I used XR2,it actually made a backup of the "Reserved for the System" partition!!which is totally useless...
So what I did is integrate that partition on the main OS one. I used cmd and bcdedit commands, but if you want to avoid the cmd, I recommend "EasyBCD" from NeoSmart. It's free. You can select to use your C:\ partition for boot (not the reserved anymore) by going to BCD backup/repair, selecting "change boot drive" and then Perform that action. Make sure it selected "C:\" (or whatever is your OS partition) and clic ok. It's pretty intuitive. (actually I'm pretty neat with my partitions,and moved the 100GiB windows partition "to the left" at the beginning of the hd...
)
Finally, I got rid of that 100MiB partition, and rebooted with the CD of the motherboard in the tray and pressed the key to access XR2 (F9? my memory is the worst...) when you have the chance during POST. If you can't access this way XR2,you could alternatively boot from the cd and it's the same thing.
Then it's pretty intuitive again. You don't have too many options...The first time only backup or reboot. Next times, you have backup, delete backup and reboot. So you choose backup and it'll work some time (depending on how much you have installed, and how fast is your drive, you could go to pee or to have a nap).
I could recommend have there a clean backup of the freshly installed OS having also installed already:
- The latest drivers for all of your devices from your manufacturer page
- All the windows updates
- And all the basic programs you use everyday (such as antivirus, office, codecs,etc)
By doing so you have an fully operating and trusted "virgin" backup of your system
Right now, my "system" hard drive has the 100GiB partition of w7 at the beginning of the disk, and the backup partition at 128MiB of the end of the disk with a size of 17GiB recognized by windows as "OEM partition" (but paragon reports it's only using something like 8.5GiB, so I think the rest is for future "updates" of the backup).
In the manual it says that once made a backup, you could access XR2 only by pressing F9 (or whatever is the key for it), but I couldn't doing so,but I could by booting from my mobo's cd again.
If you want to perform other kind of backup of your system,I would recommend specialiced sw for that. Even m$ backup app at the control panel. But this an interesting option for people like me that "erases everything and starts over again" every 2-3 months
.
PD: sorry for any mistake or typo. I'm argentinian and it's late in the dawn...
That's all folks!
