Volume shadow copy necessary?

[1976kjell]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

 

[brady]

useful if you or other people mess files up regularly. Here's some reading:
What you should know about Volume Shadow Copy/System Restore in Windows 7 & Vista (FAQ) | Trying To Be Helpful

 

[mjf]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

You need to be a little more specific. Are you just referring to making restore points or the VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) in general.

 

[scrotiny]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

If you use Macrium and presumably many other imaging programs the service is required to be enabled else the imaging will not work, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Shootist]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

If you use Macrium and presumably many other imaging programs the service is required to be enabled else the imaging will not work, unless I'm mistaken.

Never heard that and don't believe that is true. The whole point of having a drive imaging program is to create full images of any specific drive or of the whole complete system. And then to restore that image to get a farked system back up and running.
Since you really can't do a restore of the whole system, whether just the main boot drive or every drive/partition, while the OS is running the image program can work all by itself without any OS background program running.

I myself only install a imaging program long enough to create boot CDs/DVDs or thumb drives and do all my imaging and restoring from one of those. That way there is nothing getting in the way while creating or restoring a image.

I just looked at my services and I have Volume Shadow Copy set to manual and it isn't running. I have no problem creating or restoring. But then I do all that from a boot thumb drive.

 

[Bill2]

Hot imaging requires VSS or other similar propreitary technology to work. Most imaging programs use VSS including macrium and driveimage for hot imaging. Paragon permits users to select between MS VSS and its own HP (Paragon hot processing) technology to live image as far as I know.

 

[mickey megabyte]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

If you use Macrium and presumably many other imaging programs the service is required to be enabled else the imaging will not work, unless I'm mistaken.

Never heard that and don't believe that is true. The whole point of having a drive imaging program is to create full images of any specific drive or of the whole complete system. And then to restore that image to get a farked system back up and running.
Since you really can't do a restore of the whole system, whether just the main boot drive or every drive/partition, while the OS is running the image program can work all by itself without any OS background program running.

I myself only install a imaging program long enough to create boot CDs/DVDs or thumb drives and do all my imaging and restoring from one of those. That way there is nothing getting in the way while creating or restoring a image.

I just looked at my services and I have Volume Shadow Copy set to manual and it isn't running. I have no problem creating or restoring. But then I do all that from a boot thumb drive.

try disabling it, then do a backup. setting services to manual 'turns them on' when needed.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hot imaging requires VSS or other similar propreitary technology to work. Most imaging programs use VSS including macrium and driveimage for hot imaging. Paragon permits users to select between MS VSS and its own HP (Paragon hot processing) technology to live image as far as I know.

Of course this is correct; my Paragon 2010 even asks which you prefer during set-up.

 

[scrotiny]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

If you use Macrium and presumably many other imaging programs the service is required to be enabled else the imaging will not work, unless I'm mistaken.

Never heard that and don't believe that is true. The whole point of having a drive imaging program is to create full images of any specific drive or of the whole complete system. And then to restore that image to get a farked system back up and running.
Since you really can't do a restore of the whole system, whether just the main boot drive or every drive/partition, while the OS is running the image program can work all by itself without any OS background program running.

I myself only install a imaging program long enough to create boot CDs/DVDs or thumb drives and do all my imaging and restoring from one of those. That way there is nothing getting in the way while creating or restoring a image.

I just looked at my services and I have Volume Shadow Copy set to manual and it isn't running. I have no problem creating or restoring. But then I do all that from a boot thumb drive.

As a later post pointed out, having it set to manual is 'enabled' as opposed to 'disabled', that is how I found out about the service. I don't use System Restore and was a bit surprised when I started to have problems with Macrium until I realised what I had just changed. Not sure if it applies to other imaging programs though. I always image within Windows and boot from CD to restore. Thank you to all those who have pointed out Macrium as a decent imaging program as it has worked consistently for me as did Acronis on my older XP system.

 

[GeneO]

I wonder if I should use volume shadow copy on my PC. Is it necessary? Is it typical that it creates many problems?

If you use Macrium and presumably many other imaging programs the service is required to be enabled else the imaging will not work, unless I'm mistaken.

Including windows 7 image backup. Any imaging backup software that can make a backup on a live system needs to create a snapshot in time of the system. Most do this by making a volume shadow copy.

 

[1976kjell]

Its many ways to do this

1. Control panel -> system and security -> backup and restore

Here its possible to make a system image. Is this the same as volum shadow copy? Maybe volume shadow copy has to be started to make a system image?

2. Services -> volume shadow copy

Choose manual or automatic?

Does windows 7 depend on this service to go back to earlier restore points?

3. Or just back up files

Maybe that is enough

Maybe some users mean these questions are stupid, but Im a newbie when its about this

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

In the Windows start menu search box type services and click Component Services then in the left pane of the Component Services window that opens click Services and set this to Manual.

Read the description in the left pane of this snip

click to enlarge

​

 

[1976kjell]

I know how to activate this service. But it is necessary to start this service to make a system image? Is a system image the same as a shadow copy? I guessit isnt, but whats the difference?

 

[mickey megabyte]

i don't know the inner workings of windows imaging, but yes you do need that shadow copy service enabled and set to 'manual'.

read here for more if you are interested.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Geez, did you not read the Description in the left pane of the snip I posted?

 

[mickey megabyte]

are you taking the lord's name in vain, BFK?

to be fair, that left pane only mentions shadow copies - and doesn't say anything about imaging. 1976kjell is asking about the difference.

 

[1976kjell]

Geez, did you not read the Description in the left pane of the snip I posted?

Yes, I read it, but I still wonder whats the differrence

 

[1976kjell]

i don't know the inner workings of windows imaging, but yes you do need that shadow copy service enabled and set to 'manual'.

read here for more if you are interested.

If I set it to "manual", I then, off couse have to shadow copies manually? F.ex each month.

If I want to make a system image, is it enough that shadow copy service is enabled, or is also necessary to have a shadow copy stored before making a system image?

 

[ickymay]

Its many ways to do this

1. Control panel -> system and security -> backup and restore

Here its possible to make a system image. Is this the same as volum shadow copy? Maybe volume shadow copy has to be started to make a system image?

shadow copy is not the same as making a system image and windows backup needs shadow copy to make a backup.

Choose manual or automatic?

manual is sufficient.

Does windows 7 depend on this service to go back to earlier restore points?

3. Or just back up files

Maybe that is enough

windows requires shadow copy to be on for system restore and backups

automatic restore points are being made when your system is idle or drivers are installed etc so likely every few days or so.

 

[mickey megabyte]

leave it on 'manual'.

that means that it is not turned on (and wasting ram or whatever) if you aren't using it.

as soon as a program needs it, it will turn itself on automagically, then turn itself back off when the job is finished.