What is this device?

[MSM0603]

Hello everyone!

Read the Ebay auction (link below) and could not determine what this device actually does. I know that someone here knows the answer. Thanks is advance. Cheers!

What is this device?

[Peter M]

From its look, I think it's a does-nothing-actually card with a BIOS ROM chip on. That BIOS might support copying entire disks from/to each other, for quick recovery of systems that get screwed up often (as seen in school computer rooms, internet cafés, etc.)

[Sterling_Aug]

It looks like smoke and mirrors to me.

[MSM0603]

Peter M, et al.

So, does this device allow you to "recover" a screwed up system from a master installation hard drive (master image) by intercepting the computer after POST? If so, it could be another method of installing a clean system. I hate the long time to manually reinstall OS, apps, etc. and have not had much success with backup programs that require you to boot recovery diskettes.

[BipolarBill]

Foxconn motherboards have this built in. It's called Super Recovery.

Why pay extra?

[MSM0603]

Well, if this little "add-on" board is roughly equivalent to the built-in feature, then I can get it for $10.00 which is a little less than the purchase price of the motherboard.

I wrote the seller and asked for a copy of the manual to check its features before purchase. I will keep you posted if they deliver. Ain't life grand? Cheers!

[sm8000]

I wonder if it works the same way as Gigabyte's dual bios.

[BipolarBill]

No. It partitions your hard drive and then backs up the system to a hidden partition.

[sm8000]

That sounds pretty sweet. I wonder if an image can be made of a complete install (OS, apps, etc.) with said hidden partition. If so, we could install these images via LAN for the last time at work, and anyone who needs a re-image could have it done without going through the network. Think it's viable?

[BipolarBill]

Yes you can back up entire systems. No, you can't back up over a LAN. Yes, the user can restore manually.

Phoenix had been trying to market a multi-level system like this a few years ago. I think they finally gave up. Someone must have it though because IBM and others use the hidden partition technique.

[sm8000]

I think you misunderstand me, what I mean is to do a complete install and have that card do its magic, then use Novell ZenWorks to upload the complete image to our Zen server. From then on, the only time we do Zen imaging via LAN is for new machines or new images, any reimaging can be done locally.

[BipolarBill]

Well, that may be hard considering that the image is stored on a proprietary hidden partition. Windows can't see it.

[sm8000]

Okay, I'm going to ask the big question here: How is a restore done?

[BipolarBill]

I can't speak for the card, but BIOS-level solutions require a key combo on reboot.

[sm8000]

So, all machines that I'd want to have this capability would need this device then?