RollBack Rx

RollBack Rx is a system restore software that performs a complete hard drive restoration for Microsoft Windows based PC's. RollBack Rx uses a patented sector-mapping algorithm and incremental sector redirection to capture and manage its snapshots. This proprietary technology makes RollBack Rx much faster to perform a complete system restore than traditional backup and disk imaging applications. The RollBack Rx concept is similar to Microsoft Windows System Restore and the snapshots are akin to Windows . However, Windows System Restore only restores windows system files, whereas RollBack Rx restores the entire contents of the hard disk.
History
The RollBack Rx technology was previously also known as and trademarked as InaQuick which was distributed by InaSoft. In 2004, after InaSoft had been dismantled, the founders partnered with Horizon DataSys and in 2005 RollBack Rx was born. Today RollBack Rx is still manufactured and distributed by Horizon DataSys Corporation. RollBack Rx is widely used and marketed by channel partners and distributors under other whitelabeled and OEM names and such as EAZ FIX. NCR APTRA Restore, Comodo Time Machine (CMT) and others.
How it works
The Two Components of RollBack Rx
There are two components to RollBack Rx: a Windows-based GUI component that Windows can see and a sub-console (or mini-OS) that sits below Windows and which Windows can't see. The RollBack Rx subconsole installs to the hard drive's master boot record, which loads prior to the Windows operating system. This boot priority enables RollBack Rx to revert to a previous snapshot state even in the event that Windows is unable to boot. The resources used by the partition allocated to RollBack Rx will can't be asertained by Windows but can be seen by opening up the RollBack Rx main console.
Snapshots
Due to its sector-based mapping, RollBack Rx does not recreate files or folders into a temporary drive space — resulting in a larger capacity of incremental snapshots and faster snapshot capture times. A snapshot is a bit-for-bit map of the hard disk sector. It is a record of how the PC's hard drive is configured at the time a snapshot is taken. The snapshot includes all files including system, data, programs, settings, registry entries, wallpaper, icons, et cetra. The user can select to revert to an earlier snapshot from within Windows, which requires a reboot or logoff to take effect.
The RollBack Rx snapshots can be taken manually, on a fixed schedule, or when a particular file is executed. On their corporate website, Horizon DataSys claim that each snapshot takes up roughly 0.07% of the available storage capacity (but this depends on the incremental changes made since the previous snapshot) and that as many as 60,000 snapshots can theoretically be inventoried.
RollBack Rx's snapshots are encrypted with 256-bit AES . If the primary drive on which RollBack Rx is installed is used as a slave drive on an alternative PC to the one on which it was originally installed, only the first (or "baseline") snapshot will be visible.
Incremental Sector Redirection
RollBack Rx's core algorithm is based on incremental sector redirection. Windows operates at a cluster level, which consists of multiple disk sectors. RollBack Rx works at the disk sector level. When a snapshot is taken, RollBack Rx freezes the primary hard disk's sectors to their captured sector map (or "snapshot"). If Windows attempts to update a particular sector, RollBack Rx grabs the write and redirects it into unprotected sectors. If Windows attempts to delete the sector, Rollback Rx intercepts this delete request. Additional snapshots freeze only those sectors that have been written since the last snapshot. The snapshots form a tree structure, each snapshot being based on some previous one. This enables RollBack Rx to quickly capture only incremental changes that have occured since a prior snapshot. If a snapshot is deleted on which another subsequent snapshot is based, the updated size of this later snapshot will be greater because it will salvage unsaved sectors from the deleted snapshot.
RollBack Rx RMC
The RollBack Rx Remote Management Console (or RMC) is a complimentary utility enabling network administrators to remotely manage all thier RollBack Rx client PC installations across a Local Area Network, Wide Area Network, or Global Area Network. The RMC can perform all RollBack Rx client functions remotely. The RollBack Rx RMC is a different and separate application than the Drive Vaccine RMC.
Limitations and Precautions
A PC on which RollBack Rx is installed can be reverted to any pre-existing snapshot but only for the primary harddrive (the so-called disk 0). It will protect and revert all partitions of the primary hard disk but not for other additional independent internal nor external harddrives (disk 1, disk 2, et cetra).
It can be beneficial to disable RollBack Rx prior to using any Windows defragmentation utility, as file relocations are treated by RollBack Rx as relatively large data changes and can therefore cause large snapshots. The current version 9.1 does not support any third party disk defragmenter. However, defragmentation can be carried out without disabling RollBack Rx, and the data used can be freed by "re-baselining" (which will cause the removal of all snapshots taken so far).
RollBack Rx PC Client version does not support RAID or any server-based operating systems; there is a RollBack Server version that does. RollBack Rx will not be accessible at bootup if the Master Boot Record is erased, altered, or bypassed. RollBack Rx, being a Windows application, cannot protect the hard drive from changes occurring under DOS or other operating systems (such as Linux or Apple's Mac OS).
Currently, RollBack Rx snapshots can't be exported out of the original PC on which RollBack Rx was installed and the snapshots taken. But for their forthcoming release of RollBack Rx version 10, Horizon DataSys expect that their Drive Cloner Rx software will be able to capture RollBack Rx snapshots. RollBack Rx v10 is projected to be released in late January 2013.
Competitors
There are many competitive solutions available, but none that use the patented sector mapping technology of RollBack Rx. Many competitive solutions are also known as backup or imaging solutions.
Norton Goback
Acronis true image
Symantec Ghost
Backup
Disk Imaging
Reviews and Awards
David Hill. "Horizon DataSys' Rollback Rx Is A Prescription for Personal Logical Data Protection" (August 17, 2011). Network Computing.
Computer Shopper RollBack Rx review: RollBack Rx Professional Review (October 13, 2006)
Matthew's blog - Rollback Rx PC Review (Wednesday, 25 July 2012)
RollBack Rx on top 10 reviews
Elena Santos. Softonic review. "Create system snapshots to avoid system failures." (January 10, 2012)
Finn Orfano and Bill Bunter. "A Review of RollBack Rx for Windows". (November 24, 2010)
Michael E, Callahan. Tucows. "" (Oct 29, 2008)
Softsea.com Review (Jan 10, 2013)

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