Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Garry Scanlan

BACKING UP P3D v4.4 & Registry

Recommended Posts

Hi All

Now that I [finally] have a smooth running flightsim, I'm planning to backup or to be more precise, copy my P3D root directory installation which comprises P3D+ORBX+OTHER SCENERY & AIRPORT ADD-ONS from the likes of Aerosoft, FS Addons and UK2000, from the ssd on which it currently resides to an internal hdd. I also have other add-ons handled by the xml method via Lorby's excellent add-on manager which pose no concern in this respect. The SSD also holds in separate directories FS Pilots mesh, REX Skyforce & WWA, MyTraffic 06a and a whole bunch of Return to Misty Moorings stuff.

I've read a previous post from 2016 in the forums related to this, but no mention is made of the registry.

I suspect I will need to make a copy of my registry also? Surely some of the add-on programs I've installed to the P3D root directory write to the registry? Or if I use a back-up tool, this is taken care of automatically?

Could some kind soul advise, please? Thanks.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

I suggest to use a imaging tool to back-up your system disk and your P3D disk. I am using Acronis. But there are many others around (incl freeware)


- Harry 

i9-13900K (HT off, 5.5 GHz, Z690) - 32 GB RAM (DDR5 6400, CAS 34), RTX 3090Windows 11 Pro (1TB M.2) - MSFS 2020 (MS Store, on separate 4TB M.2).

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

I have used macrium for years. It has saved me more than once. https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

  • Upvote 1

 

BOBSK8             MSFS 2020 ,    ,PMDG 737-600-800PMDG DC6 , A2A Comanche, Fenix A320,    Milviz C 310 ,  FSLTL  

TrackIR   Avliasoft EFB2    FSI Panel ,  ATC  by PF3  , A Pilots LIfe V2 ,  CLX PC , Auto FPS

 

Share this post


Link to post

I’m using Aomei Backupper. Free for home users. I use System Backup which makes a copy of the SSD including every partition. Great software that I have been using for years. Why pay when there are great free alternatives?

https://www.aomeitech.com/aomei-backupper.html


Ray (Cheshire, England).
System: P3D v5.3HF2, Intel i9-13900K, MSI 4090 GAMING X TRIO 24G, Crucial T700 4Tb M.2 SSD, Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero, 32Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000Mhz RAM, Win 11 Pro 64-bit, BenQ PD3200U 32” UHD monitor, Fulcrum One yoke.
Cheadle Hulme Weather

Share this post


Link to post

As Ray stated above. I too use Aomei and am satisfied.

Share this post


Link to post

I have been successfully using Windows 7 backup (option in Win 10 Pro) for system images, writing to a USB external disk. I say successfully, as I have restored from these images at least two times after P3D either became unstable, or wouldn't start. This is a reliable, FREE option if you are running Win 10, and doesn't require installation of additional software.

Another cool thing is that these images can be mounted as a VHD using Win 10 Disk Management in the event you need to retrieve files from your system image.

I STRONGLY advise against trying to backup pieces of your system, expecting that later you can restore those pieces to solve P3D problems.

Kind Regards,


Steven_Miller.png?dl=1

i7-6700k Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 32GB DDR4 2666 EVGA FTW ULTRA RTX3080 12GB

Share this post


Link to post

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated.

I have 1tb free on one of my hdds so I think I'll back up both my ssds to that - the total is more or less 750gb.

And if I understand correctly, if a disk craps out or the software develops a problem it's simply a matter of restoring the entire folder system from the backup file either to the existing disk or a new one?

So if I wanted to put P3D et al on another drive, say a 2tb ssd because I've added more software and need more space, I extract the backup file to the new disk and 'voila', job done? I assume I'll need to make a new disk the same drive letter as the old one?

Also I think I'm worrying about the registry unnecessarily - that does not get affected if a disk develops an error?

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

Garry,

If you have P3D installed to a separate drive to your OS then you can restore it to a new SSD and assign it the same drive letter as previously.

However, if your OS drive fails that is more complex and not a situation I have personally experienced.

The Registry comprises two files. User.dat and system.dat. These are on your C drive and hidden for good reason. If the problem is isolated to another drive and not C then don’t worry about the registry. You won’t need to touch it as long as P3D has the same drive letter and path as before.


Ray (Cheshire, England).
System: P3D v5.3HF2, Intel i9-13900K, MSI 4090 GAMING X TRIO 24G, Crucial T700 4Tb M.2 SSD, Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero, 32Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000Mhz RAM, Win 11 Pro 64-bit, BenQ PD3200U 32” UHD monitor, Fulcrum One yoke.
Cheadle Hulme Weather

Share this post


Link to post

Thanks Ray. All understood.

I use a separate 1tb ssd for all p3d stuff I think will feel the benefit. I can see me wishing it was 2tb this time next year!

I would respond to your comment re os drive failure but I feel that would be tempting fate on my part.....

Thanks again

Share this post


Link to post

Garry, you should consider a NAS drive. I have four PCs and all are backed up to it. It is mapped as a Z drive on each for ease of access.

NAS drives have the benefit of RAID so my two 2Tb drives only hold 2Tb of data as they are a mirror of each other. If one fails you just swap it out and the data is fed back onto it from the other drive. They cost pennies to run and are extremely reliable. I can recommend Synology.


Ray (Cheshire, England).
System: P3D v5.3HF2, Intel i9-13900K, MSI 4090 GAMING X TRIO 24G, Crucial T700 4Tb M.2 SSD, Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero, 32Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000Mhz RAM, Win 11 Pro 64-bit, BenQ PD3200U 32” UHD monitor, Fulcrum One yoke.
Cheadle Hulme Weather

Share this post


Link to post

I too run a Synology Raid NAS. Very reliable running 24/7.

I used to use Macrium, but moved over to Paragon a while back. Works fine as well.

Cheers,

Mark

Share this post


Link to post

Ray/newtie: thanks for the suggestion but NAS seems a little over the top for my needs.

I've been using AOMEI Pro for the past few days and so far it's doing what I want.

Cheers

Garry

Share this post


Link to post

@Garry Scanlan, fair enough. Depends on your needs. I also use it to store music and photos so it's a multi-purpose drive.


Ray (Cheshire, England).
System: P3D v5.3HF2, Intel i9-13900K, MSI 4090 GAMING X TRIO 24G, Crucial T700 4Tb M.2 SSD, Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero, 32Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR5 6000Mhz RAM, Win 11 Pro 64-bit, BenQ PD3200U 32” UHD monitor, Fulcrum One yoke.
Cheadle Hulme Weather

Share this post


Link to post

I have P3D installed on two SSD's  C and some scenery on D. I do have a fast NAS, but I do my backup to an external USD HDD, much faster and easy to recover from.

I use Acronis True Image 2019 as a backup program, works great for me, and has easy possibility to backup my complete system (that is ALL disks and partitions at once) in one go.

USB HDD are not very expensive anymore, and have lots more capacity than SSD's (for same price), so I have plenty space for a lot of backups.

I had a lot of crashes with a full P3DV4 install with many addons, and this time I made a (incremental) backup after every installation of a big or time-consuming installation procedure.

Edited by Rene_Feijen

MS FS 2020 | I9-13900K@5.8 GHZ  | 64 GB DDR5 4800mhz |  ASUS TUF RTX 4090 O24G Gaming   | HP Reverb G2 | Navigraph | VATSIM | TPR Pedals | Virpil collective & stick | Honeycomb | 2023: Real life RPL MLA microlight trainee (Ikarus C42CS)

Share this post


Link to post

Well, I've been backing up my C:\ as a disk image and my p3d disk as folders and files using AOMEI.

So I'm getting floating trees in P3D so I thought why not test your backup? Imagine my disappointment when I received a message about insufficient memory to perform task on reboot. if it's RAM I've got 16gb.

Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong, or is this program a joke?

 

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  
  • Tom Allensworth,
    Founder of AVSIM Online


  • Flight Simulation's Premier Resource!

    AVSIM is a free service to the flight simulation community. AVSIM is staffed completely by volunteers and all funds donated to AVSIM go directly back to supporting the community. Your donation here helps to pay our bandwidth costs, emergency funding, and other general costs that crop up from time to time. Thank you for your support!

    Click here for more information and to see all donations year to date.
×
×
  • Create New...