You may use the keyboard to navigate through and select items and objects on the panels.

If there are several objects that can be selected, a dashed frame will appear around the object that is in the current focus.

Space

Select/Deselect.

Keyboard arrows

Right / Left / Up / Down

Alt+S / Alt+D

Switch between the Source / Destination panels.

Tab/Shift-Tab

Forward / Backward

Differentially

Appended changes will be those between the saved full image and the current state. If there is no full image, it will be created instead. When restoring data, you will need the full image and ONLY the differential file created at the instant to which you want to restore data.

Incrementally

Appended changes will be those between the last saved changes and the current state. If there is no full image, it will be created instead. When restoring data, you will need the full image and ALL files (both incremental and differential ones) created to the instant to which you want to restore data.

Minimum file sizes: If you need to keep only the latest backup instant, you may use the Append changes differentially to the existing image option and delete all previous differential files. If you need to keep all instances, you may use the Append changes incrementally to the existing image option to keep overall file sizes smaller.

Data safety: If any of the differential file is damaged, data will be lost only for that backup instant. If any of the incremental file is damaged, data will be lost for all subsequent  backup instances starting from the damaged file until the next full of differential backup.

Full

All data in the image file will be replaced with the current one.

Image compression ratio

You may compress the data in the image to save space. Please note that the smaller size you select the more time will be spent to create the image file and vise versa.

Volume size for multi-volume image

You may set this option to Automatic and let Windows decide how to split the image file. This mostly depends on the file system on the destination disk. You may also either explicitly specify the split size, or choose a preset for various devices with removable storage. Select Fixed size for that.

For the RDR format, a new partial file of the image will be started when the previous file reaches the specified file size.

For the VMDK format, a new partial file of the image will be started when the specified data volume of the source object has been processed.

Files in the VHD/VHDX and VDI formats cannot be split.

You may read more about virtual disk formats in the help page Supported Virtual Disk and Disk Image Formats .

Estimated size

Shows the estimated size of the image file. An actual image size depends on how much empty space is on the selected partition and what file types are there .

Password protection

You may protect your image file with a password. Note: If you leave the Encrypt image option clear this feature will provide a relatively moderate protection against conventional unauthorized access. If this option is selected, R-Drive Image will encrypt the image using the AES-XTS algorithm.

Note: Only files in the RDR format can be password protected and encrypted.

Image description

You may attach a text description to the image for annotation. Maximum length of the description is 255 characters.

Validate image when completed

Select this option if your want R-Drive Image to check the newly created file image for its consistency. This may be useful for storing image files with critical data. Please note that this operation requires additional time.

Shutdown after completion

There are three options for tasks started by the Windows scheduler or as a script:

Do not shutdown : The default option. Your computer will not be shut down

On success : Your computer will be shut down only if the task completes successfully

Always : Your computer will be shut down regardless of the task result.

If the task is started from R-Drive Image itself, your computer will be shut down only when the task completes successfully.

Snapshot provider

A snapshot provider is a service R-Drive Image uses to read the disk content while creating its image. R-Drive Image uses the snapshot providers in the order specified on the tab. If it fails to use the first one selected, it tries to use the second one, and so on.

Windows Volume Snapshot Service

If this check box is selected, R-Drive Image will try to use the Windows native snapshot provider. This snapshot provider is able to notify system applications that a snapshot is being taken.

If this option is selected, pagefile.sys and hibernate.sys files are excluded from the image of the system disk .

R-TT Volume Snapshot Service

If this check box is selected, R-Drive Image will try to use R-TT snapshot provider. This snapshot provider is not able to notify system applications that a snapshot is being taken.

Notify system applications

If this check box is selected, the snapshot provider, if it supports this feature, notifies system applications that a snapshot is being taken.

Limit I/O rate

Specifies the rate limits for reading/writing data from/to disks

Limit read

The rate limit for reading from the source disk

Limit write

The rate limit for writing to the destination disk

Process priority

These options specify how much computer resources R-Drive Image will consume during a backup process.

Backup Process Priority

Specifies the priority of the backup process. Similar to that specified in Windows Task Manager.

Use CPU cores

Specifies how many processor cores R-Drive Image will use for the backup process.

Ignore disk read errors (bad sectors)

If this check box is selected, R-Drive Image will ignore possible read errors when it tries to read data from bad sectors.

R-Drive Image works with disks with bad sectors in the following way:

It reads a certain part of disk (predefined by Windows) and

• If read errors are ignored, the entire part with bad sectors will be filled with zeros.

• If read errors are not ignored, R-Drive Image reads that part sector by sector and shows a warning message for every bad sector with two options: skip the sector or try to read it again. In this case only the bad sectors will be filled with zeros, but all that requires manual actions and extremely slows the imaging process.

Please note that R-Drive Image is developed for the work with normally functioning disks. If you need to image a malfunctioning disk, use R-Studio , a data recovery utility. It has more controls for imaging, and can create R-Drive Image -compatible images even in its demo mode, that is, without registering.

Backup AUX applications

R-Drive Image is able to make applications run before and after all backup operations. Please note that those application should return a 0 exit code. Leave these fields blank if in doubt.

Before

An application R-Drive Image starts before the backup operations starts. If you need to start several applications, you may use a command file.

Example: "cmd.exe /c example.bat"

After

An application R-Drive Image starts after the backup operations completes. If you need to start several applications, you may use a command file.

Example: "cmd.exe /c example.bat"

Snapshot AUX applications

R-Drive Image is able to make applications run before and after taking the snapshot of one or several volumes. Please note that those application should return a 0 exit code. Leave these fields blank if in doubt.

Before

An application R-Drive Image starts before it takes the snapshot of one or several volumes. If you need to start several application, you may use a command file.

Example: "cmd.exe /c example.bat"

After

An application R-Drive Image starts after it takes the snapshot of one or several volumes. If you need to start several application, you may use a command file.

Example: "cmd.exe /c example.bat"

CD-R/RW and DVD discs

If you select a CD/DVD drive to write the image file, you will see the Media Options panel

You may create a system recovery disc(s) for your system if you select the Include R-Drive Image bootable version option on this panel. You may start your system up using such CD/DVD disc and recover the data using the R-Drive Image startup version .

Then select appropriate CD/DVD Media Options . Leave Use ISO caching selected unless you have problems with data recording on a disc.

When you click the Start button, R-Drive Image will open the CD-R/RW drive tray and the Insert a blank CD-R/RW disc... message will appear. Insert a blank CD-R/RW disc and click the OK button. Each time R-Drive Image fills the disc, the Insert the next blank CD-R/RW disc... message will appear. Insert the next blank CD-R/RW disc and click the OK button.

If you mistakenly insert a non-empty CD-R/RW disc, the CD-R/RW disc is not empty... message will appear. Change the disc to another empty CD-R/RW disc and click the OK button.

Supported CD and DVD Recorders .

Disk/file structure for CD-R/RW discs and other devices with removable storage

If you specify the filename.rdr file name for the image file, R-Drive Image will create the following disk/file structure:

Disc

File name

The first disk

filename1.rdr

The second disk

filename2.rdr

The third disk

filename3.rdr

...

... 

It is recommended that you mark the disk accordingly. You will start restoring the data from the last disk. Go to the Restore Data from an Image topic for more details.