Re: OT: Windows backup and recovery

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

> ≪ "reverting"
> > to a prior Snapshot, in Parllels, without having made a current
> > Snapshot. Unbelievable that Parallels is one click away from doing
> > this≫
>
> Restoring a previous state looses everything since that state. You
> were expecting something else?
Yes, absolutely! I was expecting the Parallels analog of System Restore. I
wanted to revert to earlier system settings. The warning message is: Are
you sure you want to revert the previous virtual machine Snapshot? If you
revert to this snapshot, you will lose all the changes made to the virtual
machine STATE [my emphasis] since the last snapshot creation."
A "state" in my understanding is a temporary overall condition. A virtual
machine state would be such things as assigning X memory to the swap file,
or set to handle the display in manner Y. What it actually meant by "state"
was *content*--you will lose all the files and data created or changed
since the last snapshot creation.
That warning would have halted me. Even Windows gives you that kind of
warning, and the Mac is supposed to be MORE user friendly than Windows.
Decent programming would have made taking a current Snapshot the default
before reverting. At the very least, it should say that you can't undo it
unless you first take a current snapshot.
> 95% of data loss is due to lack of good "hygiene habits" on the part
> of the user. No automated crutch makes up for lack of good hygiene
> habits.
But they can radically minimize understandable mistakes. BTW, I had backup
on Carbonite, but I am *still* waiting for them to be able to "roll back
their status files" to get me my stuff. When you revert a virtual machine
you also revert the "status files" that allow Carbonite's server to know
what you backed up (or something like that). When my VM traveled back in
time to March 31, it of course took the status files back with them.
Carbonite does keep a backup copy of the status files, but the queue for
getting the right one activated place is something like 4 business days!
They told me that when this problem first arose I should have immediately
*uninstalled* Carbonite. Then I could have re-installed and it would have
been all right. Not exactly self-evident procedure, but then this isn't
your ordinary data-loss problem.
> "One click away" is typical for an OS which assumes you know what
> you're doing. You prefer the alternative?
On things like "Format C:" and "Revert to Snapshot," I do prefer the
alternative. Definitely.The snapshots aren't even dated (anywhere I can
see). Mac is supposed to be an OS which does NOT assume you know anything
technical. This isn't Mac's fault--it's that of the Parallels programmers.
Do you, Flash, happen to know where I could find the files storing
Snapshots, so I can locate these and get their dates? That would be helpful.




Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx