XXClone Pro
Reviewed February, 2008

What’s It Do?

XXClonePro backs up the computer system, makes a self-bootable clone of the Windows system disk, provides incremental and unattended backups, supports external USB/Firewire drives and internal disk drives (IDE, SATA, SCSI), and does not require DOS mode (operates in Windows environment.)


Does it do what it Promises?

Reviewer 1: Since I was unable to use XXClone (see Weak Points, below), I am unable to say whether or not it does what it promises.

Reviewer 2: Yes, it worked great. This program is capable of making a full, exact duplicate of the system disk that will be bootable. Additionally, it is capable of doing incremental backups to reduce the time needed for a full backup. This feature is available only in the Pro version; the free versions do not support this. I produced a full clone and it was fully accessible unlike some backup software that creates one huge file that is difficult to extract specific data from.

Reviewer 3: Yes. Not only does it do exactly what it claims to do, but also its claims of how well it works and with whom it competes are actually and surprisingly understated. The developer, Pixelabs, claims that it “competes with Norton Ghost, DriveImage, MaxBlast.” Having used each of those programs I can say that XXClone does not simply “compete” with those programs but is the obviously superior product and “winner” in such a competition.

Reviewer 4: Unlike backup and imaging programs, XXClone essentially copies all files from one disk to another. When “cloning” a disk with system files, the ones that are needed to start-up one’s computer (usually the C:\ drive), will also be copied. So if the source drive is the boot-up drive, one can instruct XXClone to make the target drive self-bootable. Normally, this would occur when replacing the C:\ drive with a new one. All the work done to set up the system to run the way desired will thus be preserved, as one moves from the old drive to the new one. Since the computer can then be started from the new drive, one can test things out before finally removing the old one and completing the upgrade. XXClone works very well in this scenario.


Was it easy to install?

Reviewer 1: No. Installation seemed to me needlessly cumbersome. First, I had to enter a username and password just to download the program. I then had to unzip the downloaded file, which yielded the XXClone installation program. After installing the program on my computer, I then had to go through a Product Activation procedure. This involved copying the contents of XXClone’s License Data box, then going to XXClone’s Product Activation Web site, pasting the contents copied from the License Data box into a box on the Web page, and clicking a Request Activation Key button. This produced an Activation Key on that web page. I then had to go back to the XXClone program’s Product Activation Window, paste the contents of the Activation Key box into that window, and click an Activate Product button.

XX Clone Pro responded: We borrowed the essence of Windows XP's Product Activation scheme from Microsoft, except that our scheme is much simpler. XXClone uses the computer name as the only key that represents the installation environment (as opposed to Microsoft's complex formula using various hardware-related parameters). In order to dispel user's concerns on the privacy issue, our product activation procedure relies on a manual copy-and-paste sequence by design. With our activation scheme, the user sends the computer name along with the serial number to the server and the server generates the activation key in return. Had we implemented an automatic data exchange scheme between our server and the user computer, some users would demand a more transparent mechanism. In short, we adopted an intuitive manual method rather than an automatic scheme for transparency's sake.

Reviewer 2: It installs quickly, less than 60 seconds to run the installer, register on-line and activate in my case.

Reviewer 3: Yes. It was an exceptionally easy installation and a surprisingly very small (1.15MB) download. The product activation procedure was a bit unusual, but there were step-by-step tutorials that made this very simple.

Reviewer 4: Yes. It was an easy installation, although it is a bit different from the usual process. The main XXClone.exe (and help) files are placed in the Windows directory, rather than in the Program Files directory. The reason for this is explained in the Help. I usually choose the location of programs that I install, and did browse to a folder in the Program Files directory. However, the files placed there are actually shortcuts, and should be left as such. The installation includes an activation procedure, for which a connection to the Internet is needed. A clear diagram at the beginning of the installation explains how to do this:

A license is for use on one computer, and is related to the Operating System in use at the time of installation. In the EULA, the license is explained as follows: This license allows you to use the program in perpetuity in the Operating System (Windows) environment that was supported by the program at the time of the installation. If you upgrade the Operating System environment with a Service Pack (SP), XXClone-Pro may not operate properly without acquiring a newer version.


Good Points?

Reviewer 1: Since I was unable to use XXClone, I can only note two good points. One is that unlike my disk-imaging program (and, I think, most disk imaging programs), XXCLONE permits making incremental copies of the hard drive. The company claims that although the first time in using XXClone to copy the entire hard drive may take longer than imaging would take, further (incremental) copies should occur faster than imaging, since only files that are changed are copied. The other good point is that XXClone provides strong warnings to save inexperienced folks who may not realize that cloning the hard drive will wipe out everything on the target (i.e., where the clone is to be saved) that has not been created by XXClone. When I clicked on a button to save a clone of my computer’s hard drive on an external hard drive, a large warning box popped up entitled “Beware What XXClone Does!” It began “If you think that CLONING is just a fancy word for BACKUP…” and went on to explain “… your own data in the target volume not saved by XXClone will be removed by a clone operation.” It then gave me an opportunity to terminate the XXClone program immediately, which I did.

Reviewer 2: This program was easy to use has a simple interface, and provides plenty of support information. There is an online manual at http://www.XXClone.com/ixcman10.htm  / A Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/XXClone was very helpful while I was using this application.

Reviewer 3: Every great once in awhile one happens across a product - be it a coffee maker or a computer software program - that does just exactly what you want it to do and no more, and does it perfectly. In the instance of the coffee maker, it simply makes an excellent cup of coffee consistently and does so without fancy timers, digital clocks or other assorted bells and whistles. It just makes a great cup of coffee over and over. XX Clone Pro is the equivalent in a computer software program. It does one thing primarily and does it perfectly over and over, and that is it will clone, i.e. make an exact bootable copy of the hard drive. It is not the fastest of such programs on the market; it does not have the fanciest or most tekkiest appearing GUI (Graphic User Interface); nor will it offer, as an added bonus, to scan for spyware or clean cookies, or speed up one’s computer. It will simply clone the entire contents of the hard drive, including the Windows operating system, to another hard drive and make that second hard drive automatically bootable. It will also perform scheduled daily backups. It supports IDE, SATA, and SCSI disk drives as well as external USB/FIREWIRE drives, and can copy from FAT to NTFS or vice versa. The program could not be made any simpler to use. There is a single, simple screen from which to choose the source drive and the destination drive (see figure below) and select the backup method (full, incremental, etc.) The program then copies (clones) all of the data from the source drive to the destination or target drive, including the registry and other system data. I did a full clone of a 60GB hard drive containing approximately 10GB of data in approximately 45 minutes. In my testing, I cloned to a second hard disc I have set up in a case outside my PC. I then removed my C: drive, installed the cloned drive into the Master drive position rebooted, and the clone drive came up as c: drive perfectly. I checked out my programs and the copy was flawless. MY Internet Explorer and Firefox bookmarks were all still there, and even my desktop icons were in the correct positions. Best of all, the drive can be cloned from within the Windows environment. The program simply copies the data (files) from the currently in-use hard drive to any other hard drive. Once it finishes, the program makes the new hard drive bootable. On first use of the new cloned hard drive as the master hard drive, the program runs again one more time verifying that all partitions (if any) are keeping the proper letter designations and that the whole process completed successfully The computer then boots up just as it had before when using the original hard drive. There is limited documentation available, free support, which proved to be a bit slow in responding, free updates for a year, and official and non-official forums spread throughout the Internet for help or advice. The cost is a very competitive $40.00—much less than comparative products—and there is a free version available as well that disables the incremental backup feature. Based on my testing, I think there isn’t a better product on the market to do what XX Clone Pro does. It has my unreserved recommendation.

Reviewer 4: Before starting on a cloning exercise, be sure that the target drive does not contain anything that you would need in the future.

Warning Pop-up

When cloning a drive, as opposed to making a backup or image, all the data on the target drive will be erased. The new cloned version of the old drive will appear exactly as if it were the original drive. So similar is it in fact, that XXClone includes an option for putting a different desktop on the target drive to remember which drive actually in use, the original one or the cloned one. Once the new drive is cloned and made self-bootable it can be tested to find out how well it works. As is mentioned in the Help file, many installations will run properly, but some programs will not work on the new drive because, for one reason or another, they are somehow "tied" to the drive on which they have been installed. Using the "CoolTool" Duplicating the Volume ID may prevent this issue; in most cases, though, it will be preferable to reinstall the particular program(s). In my case, I had to reinstall some of my most important working programs. Alternatively, most of my “smaller” utilities and programs, including the OpenOffice suite, worked without any problem. However, since the structure, and often all the files themselves, are still where they were previously, structuring the new drive in the same way as the old one is greatly simplified. Not only XXClone to set up a new system drive, it can also serve as a backup program. All my data is on a different drive (E:\) from the system and programs drive (C:\),at least insofar as it is possible. I do this partly to be able to backup the data itself more easily, and partly to protect my data from a system crash. In my first test of XXClone, I used it to move all my data backups from an active drive to an old drive that I have installed in a USB enclosure. That USB drive is only turned on when I want to make a backup, so it is insulated from the kind of crash that can sometimes occur that scrambles all of active drives and partitions -- the ones installed inside the computer case. What is interesting about using XXClone, as compared to a backup or imaging program is that I can turn that drive on, bring it up, and I will find all the folders and files in the same directory structure as they are on the source drive. I can also have immediate access to all those files without the need to restore them or to use XXClone in any way, as is normally the case with backup or imaging software. To encourage continued regular backup of files, XXClone can perform Incremental backups, i.e., copying only the data that has changed since the last backup. Since this is much faster than a full backup, one is more likely to keep backups up-to-date. An additional tool, "HyperSync in Incremental Backup", makes this work even faster. And if scheduled to run at the end of your working day, XXClone can shutdown the system automatically. I found that it was an excellent idea to join the Users Forum at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/XXClone/about  although I did use the very accessible Support Request, I got much quicker responses from users on the Forum. Those who answered my questions were very knowledgeable and helpful.


Weak Points.

Reviewer 1: The XXClone Web site claims that the Pro version (which the Software Panel tested) is “ideal for daily backup.” I thought I would compare it with the backup software and the disk-imaging program that I’ve been using. When I realized that XXClone would wipe out everything saved on our external hard drive, I explored alternative ways to test the program. One solution might have been to partition my external drive; however, though I have used computers for many years, I have never partitioned a drive and do not own partition software. I thus decided to use XXClone to clone something more limited than my entire hard drive, something I could save on a DVD. XXClone provided two such options: Backup Windows key directories incrementally, and Transfer the System Registry without file backup. The first of these seemed to be what I was looking for (although I don’t understand how one can back up directories incrementally the first time). I selected that option and inserted a blank DVD in my DVD writer drive (E:). To my dismay, XXClone continued to report that the target volume was my hard drive (C:). I knew that when I had been intending to copy a clone of my entire hard drive to the external hard drive, XXClone accurately reported the target volume, so I was worried that it didn’t do so now. I tried various ways to get it to recognize the target volume or permit me to change the target volume, but I could find no way to do so. Rather than risk having XXClone wipe out files on my hard drive (which it continued to report as the target), I turned to the XXClone Web site for help. I received no response from their technical support to my Web inquiry and email and thus have not been able to proceed with my testing of XXClone.

Although XXClone claims to be “simple to use by novices,” I disagree. I don’t know many novices who will know whether or not to “write MBR,” “write Boot sector,” and/or “write BOOT.INI,” nor do I think many novices will know how to ascertain that the volume ID numbers XXClone provides for the source and the target are correct (XXClone’s instructions specify that the user should be sure these numbers are correct). Indeed, it’s not just novices that need to be wary. Given the difficulties I encountered and tech support’s unresponsiveness, I would recommend that even technologically savvy users look elsewhere.

XXClone Pro responded: XXClone is a culmination of our years of experience in developing disk backup solutions. It is our vision as to what the simplest form of disk backup operation should be for a great majority of users. The ultimate goal of the product is hardly new --- a backup solution. Yet, XXClone represents a radical departure from the traditional backup/restore model. The creation of self-bootable copy of the Windows system disk offers a number of advantages that some users may not fully realize. The difficulties and negative comments that the first reviewer pointed out do not seem to be shortcomings of XXClone. Rather, they illuminate our failure in explaining the key concepts of XXClone, especially what is so different from the traditional backup solutions before the user started to use this product. When we examine what the reviewer went through, it became apparent that the user was dealing with the large gap between his expectation on the product and his observation of the product behavior. (Similar comments from other reviewers prove that this is the case, indeed.) Lastly, the reviewer correctly points out that we cannot expect novices to be familiar with the terms like "MBR", "Boot Sector" and "BOOT.INI" that appear in a dialog box. We plan to add a context-sensitive help button in the dialog boxes that will explain the technical terms and their purpose. Although we put help buttons on the top layers, we overlooked the need for placing them in the individual dialog boxes.

Reviewer 2: I felt that the fact that this program will clean off any data from the “target” drive is not stressed enough early in the documentation. This could create a situation where someone was going to do a clone and then stopped because they did not have a clean drive to target or could not part with the data already on the prospective target drive. Technically and logically, this makes sense but then most users are not “Techies”. When making a “clone” for the first time, XXClone does pop-up a warning screen informing that any data on the “target” will be erased and gives three options. (See Warning Pop-up screenshot under Good Points, Reviewer 4) This is a good “fail-safe” measure but I think the situation should be made more obvious a bit earlier.

Reviewer 3: This is an exceptionally well-designed program for which I uncovered no serious flaws. The only weaknesses I found were self-created by not reading the information on the Web site, the FAQs, and/or understanding the program. It is important to understand that whatever partition used as the target, all data on that partition will be overwritten when a full clone is made. A user may have difficulty booting from a typical USB external hard drive such as is typically used for storing backups. Windows tends to be temperamental about booting from external hard drives. The only suggestion I can even make is to add compression to the program simply as a way of saving space on the target disc. Otherwise, I will only hope that the developers keep in mind the old adage: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Reviewer 4: This is much more of a weakness of the user than of the program. In the section called "Cool Tools" there is an option to "Add Test Boot” Modify the BOOT.INI file in the Source Volume (to test the target).

Leery of changing such an important file in my main boot-up drive (the one I was cloning in order to test the program's abilities), I decided not to do such a thing. I wish I had, as I would then have been able to test the program, then go back to my current C:\ drive when the testing was complete. Due to the choices that I made in the cloning process, I found myself only able to boot from the new drive. In order to be able to go back to my original setup, I have had to learn a lot more about the boot-up process in general, and the boot.ini file in particular, than I ever wanted to know. Mostly the claims that XXClone is "designed with everybody in mind" are valid. But I would highly recommend reading the Help file carefully, particularly the section on Volume Clone Operations before cloning the boot-up drive.


Other Comments?

Reviewer 1: Since many people may have to upgrade their computer operating system in the next few years, I should point out that XXClone warns that upgrading the operating system or even just installing a service pack may cause XXClone to stop working unless a new version of the software is acquired, presumably at additional cost.

Reviewer 2: There are a number of notable uses for disk cloning software. These include:

• Reboot and restore - a technique in which the disk of a computer is automatically wiped and restored from a "clean", master image, which should be in full working order and should have been swept for viruses. This is used by some cyber cafes and some training and educational institutes, and helps ensure that even if a user does misconfigure something, downloads inappropriate content or programs, or infects a computer with a virus, the computer will be restored to a clean, working state. The reboot and restore process can either take place irregularly when a computer shows signs of malfunctioning, on a regular basis (e.g., nightly) or even, in some cases, every time a user logs off, which is the safest approach (although that does involve some downtime).

• Provisioning new computers - Provisioning with a standard set of software so that a new user is ready to go straight away with a complete application suite and does not have to waste time installing individual applications. Original equipment manufacturers and larger companies often do this.

• Hard drive upgrade - An individual user may use disk cloning to upgrade to a new hard disk.

• Full system backup - A user may create a comprehensive backup of their operating system and installed software.

• System recovery - An OEM can provide media that can restore a computer to its original factory software configuration.

I have long advocated using this “cloning” or “full system backup” as one of the methods of making a backup of your entire system disk as a full restorable volume in case of a disastrous hard disk failure. I also use another backup scheme for everyday use. This application makes the cloning process very easy. This is a great way to install a new, larger HDD without devoting hours reinstalling everything. Just clone the existing system drive to the USB external and then physically swap out the drives. It can be used to fix a “glitched” installation or virus/spyware infected installation as well. With a good, recent clone on an external drive, one can simply format the existing “C:\” drive, boot from a floppy or CD boot disk (XXClone will generate a floppy if desired) and restore the clone to the clean drive. Tip: Format the old drive again if it’s still usable and put it in the enclosure to use as a backup. This works very well, and I’ve done it with my TabletPC to go from a puny 20 GB system drive to a nice and roomy 60 GB drive. The 20 Gig now resides in a USB enclosure behind the docking station as a file backup / off computer storage. XXClone has a number of additional functionalities such as creating “restore points”, backing up the registry, backing up Windows keys, creating boot floppy, and the ability to be run from a “batch” (.BAT) file from within Windows Task Manager or from the command line. The first full “clone” I attempted as a test was going to take a very long time. I started one at 7:45 AM and let it run for about 20 minutes. When it finally stabilized, it estimated that the operation would continue until 8:00 PM that evening! This was a 67 GB clone, which normally takes about 3-4 hours with other software that I have used to do the same thing. I stopped this one and re-started the test to run overnight. This seems overly long.

When the clone operation was finished, I checked the drive from Windows Explorer. It was perfect and everything was there and fully searchable and accessible.

Reviewer 3: It is often quite revealing of a product when one knows about its developers. Pixelabs, XX Clone’s developers, is a well-respected software program company located in Illinois and in business since 1986—a lifetime in the world of software development. Generally, in the highly-competitive world of computer software, a business that is not customer-oriented and professional, as well as dedicated to seeing that its products are well designed, simply does not last for two years let alone the 22 years that Pixelabs has been in business. I think its product XX Clone proves this point.

Reviewer 4: In addition to the Pro version we are reviewing here, there is a freeware package that carries out the basic cloning procedures of XXClone. This may be all that some people need for their personal use, although it does not provide access to some of the Pro features, including technical support. The "TestDrive" package gives 30 days to evaluate all the features of the Pro version. For the user who has a desktop or laptop drive on the verge of failing, this would be a good program to investigate.

Will you continue to use it?

Reviewer 1: No

Reviewer 2: Yes, this one is a "keeper". Easy to use and the capability to do incrementals is great..
 
Reviewer 3: Absolutely.

Reviewer 4: Yes.

OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home

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