FirstWare Recover Pro 2004: System Recovery in Seconds

Test 1: Complete System Backup

For this test we used the widescreen notebook M460XLb from Gateway, the HDD of which is divided into two partitions.

The test system hard drive configuration

Besides the OS, also stored on the approximately 46 GB primary partition C is a complete MS Office package and a smattering of other standard apps. All told, this amounts to around ten percent of the total storage capacity. On the 6 GB second primary partition, D, we stored an additional 2 GB of data. Thus we had a total of around 6.5 GB of data to back up for the test.

Our laptop required 27.5 minutes for a complete system backup. Backup time will of course vary depending on how full the drive is.

Test 2: System Crash And Recovery

In our test, we deleted both partitions using a DOS boot disk and FDISK; it took just a few seconds to restore the C partition. Although it took around two minutes for Windows to boot completely after the recovery tool was launched, if you consider that the shutdown and boot processes alone require 90 seconds, then the actual recovery process and restore-point creation take just shy of 30 seconds!

Complete Control Of Backup Even Without Windows: Here's How It Works

Surely you're wondering how you can restore a system that de facto no longer exists - after all, the partitions were deleted. The answer to this question lies in the fact that Recover Pro 2004 and the cME are not stored on either of the two Windows partitions but are instead installed on the hidden partition. Thus, pressing hotkey F4 after the Power on Self Test (POST) during startup launches the Core Management Console despite the removal of the regular partitions.

System Lifeline cME

You can launch Recover Pro 2004 and start the restore process from this pre-boot GUI.