Program backup before system wipe?

[LA.308]

Does anyone know if it's possible to backup a single program before wiping the whole operating system?

I purchased a program years ago with lifetime upgrades. Unlike my Windows serial key, this one seems to always change after a period of time. I always have to email the company to get a new one. Can I avoid this by backing up the current installation and then restoring it after the new OS is running??

I avoided this problem for years by using Acronis True Image. But no longer can use it since upgrading to SATA drives.

[pc_load_letter]

There are plenty of free (and excellent) drive imaging programs out there like Acronis.

My favorite is Macrium Reflect Free Ed.. http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx

Plenty others out there. Just google "free disk imaging" and you will get plenty.

But in regards to backing up an entire program....Generally not possible and very difficult. Depending on the app, a typical program will make changes to the Windows registry, user profile path (often in a couple different places), asa well as adding .dll's throughout the system.

There use to be programs that allowed you to monitor everything a program touched, they were called FileMon and RegMon. They told you were all a programs files were and sometimes helped in accomplishing what you want.

With Windows 7, things have gotten more complicated and I have never come across a how-to in how to do in on Win 7.

[LA.308]

Yea, I doubt there's any way to do just the one program. But it never hurts to ask..lol!

It's too late to clone everything now, since errors are making me wipe it clean. But I'll take a look at some of the software you mentioned. Something like FileMon would come in handy at times.

[billybob_jcv]

If you are planning to wipe and then reinstall the operating system, then you need to reinstall the application - there's no way for a backup program to figure out all the registry changes, dlls, etc, etc that an application might scatter around.

Is there a more current version of this application? IMHO, trying to run old applications is usually a bad idea. New HW needs new operating systems and new operating systems need new applications.

[LA.308]

No, I'm running the most current version now. But I do see what you're saying about always installing the newest one. Once it's installed, getting the updates is just a click or two away luckily.

Out of all the software I've ever purchased, this is the only one with registration keys that keep expiring. Maybe it authenticates in the same way Windows activation works and it connects to his server or something.

Then when I ask for a new one, he acts like I'm bugging him and tells me to make sure I write it down for future use. Dude, I did write it down!! But it's freakin' expired!! He should already know this.

Screw it, I'll just keep hassling him for a new one every time I need it. This is an automotive maintenance program, so I need it for at least 20 more years. But I get the feeling he's a one-man show. If he were to ever croak or go out of business, I'd be unable to install it again if my system takes a dump.

Hopefully something open-source will come along before that happens though.

[billybob_jcv]

I think I would be looking for a different application to accomplish your requirements. That doesn't sound like it is going to be a good long-term solution.

[1st Generation Gun Owner]

Maybe use a virtual machine

This won't help you back it up this time, but might make it easier later. It might be possible to image the current machine into a virtual machine, but I haven't had much luck at that.

If your computer has enough RAM, and the software doesn't need to talk to hardware, it might be best to put it in a virtual machine, like VirtualBox.

Virtual machine software simulates a computer, so you run a separate OS in it. That way you can tell VirtualBox to export the virtual machine, put that file somewhere, and then import it again on your new system. I'd burn it to a DVD since it'd make a convenient backup for later.

The virtual machine will still be using the same OS as before, but you aren't likely to run into compatibility problems, since it'll still be running on simulated hardware. The VM software takes care of making the simulated hardware work with the real hardware.

Unless there's a security hole in the VM software (or you use the folder sharing feature or similar), nothing in the VM can mess up the rest of your computer, so the OS in the VM being out of date won't be a problem for anything outside the VM.

Of course, if the software you're talking about is used for anything you want secure, it'd still be a problem for that. The VM can either use your normal network connection, or you can set it up to be disconnected from the network. If you're only getting the software updates for security and the software doesn't need files from other systems, you could have the VM be offline so it won't get infected.

Warning:
Virtual machine files are very big! They have everything in the simulated computer, including the OS.

If your software needs to talk with special hardware, then getting it to work in a VM probably won't be worth the hassle.

My favorite VM software, though I haven't used any VMs in a while:

https://www.virtualbox.org/

The base software is open source. There's a closed source extension pack, but most people don't need it.

[billybob_jcv]

Windows 7 also has Windows Virtual PC built-in. With that you can create an XP mode VM. However, performance sucks - you need a lot of RAM and a lot of CPU to make it usable for more than just an occasional need.

[1st Generation Gun Owner]

CPU need isn't too bad with VirtualBox, but it does need a lot of RAM.

[POLICESTATE]

Some software is easy to backup, some is impossible. Depends on what it is.