From: "Geo." 

It doesn't need to be a direct bare metal restore, you can install the OS
and backup software first then do a full restore. The issue is if once you
do the full restore, is it functional or does copy protection now kick in
and prevent it from functioning.

Geo.

"Gary Britt"  wrote in
message news:45c66edf{at}w3.nls.net...
> OK I see what you are saying.  Your definition of backup is being able to
> do a bare metal restore to a new or replacement machine/hard drive and
> that's not possible for lots of reasons.  I agree it would be nice to have
> this but anybody without a full retail version of win2k or XP hasn't had
> this since Win2K came out.
>
> Gary
>
> Geo. wrote:
>> If for example your install is keyed to a cpu serial number, a backup
>> that you restore to a replacement machine with a different serial number
>> will not work.
>>
>> If your disk is encrypted, and the encryption key is derived from a cpu
>> serial number, a restore of a drive image to a replacement machine will
>> not result in the ability to unencrypt the drive. etc. Same goes for any
>> drm'd files, if you can't recover them then your backup has failed.
>>
>> Backup is not software and it is not the act of making an image of a
>> drive, it is a procedure that includes restore. If the restore fails,
>> then the backup has failed.
>>
>> This is why I keep saying that copy protection and backup are
>> incompatible, they work to defeat each other.
>>
>> Geo.
>>
>> "Gary Britt" 
wrote in message
>> news:45c57d48$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>> We're talking past each other.  All my statements have been about
>>> Acronis TrueImage backup and I assumed your statements and questions
>>> that followed were about or related to products like Acronis.  So how
>>> does, if at all, your statement about copy protected stuff there is no
>>> such thing as a reliable backup.  My Acronis backups are reliable drive
>>> images.  Now if I had any DRM infected files maybe they couldn't be
>>> restored to new hardware, but everything else that I use could.  Of
>>> course I don't use Vista.
>>>
>>> Gary
>>>
>>> Geo. wrote:
>>>> Read the restore procedure for windows backup.
>>>>
>>>> Geo.
>>>>
>>>> "Gary Britt"
 wrote in message
>>>> news:45c52da9{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>> ??   Everything that I backup is copyrighted?  An
image restore is an
>>>>> image restore no?
>>>>>
>>>>> Gary
>>>>>
>>>>> Geo. wrote:
>>>>>> If the product you are backing up is copy
protected, there is no such
>>>>>> thing as a reliable backup.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Geo.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Gary Britt"
 wrote in message
>>>>>> news:45c4f19c{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>>>> You have to use products like Acronis
TrueImage if you want a
>>>>>>> reliable backup.  I've never used an MS Backup
Utility since Dos
>>>>>>> 6.2.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Gary
>>>>>>
>>

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