no longer able to create recovory media

[Mint]

I am a legitimate ltsc user and I just found out that I can no longer create recovery media/emergency disk. Why the hell was this removed. Hasleo was the best imaging tool I have used and it was putting macrium reflect to shame, but now I am unable to create a boot disk for data recovery. At least they've removed the expiry date but why on earth did you remove the iso creation tool

I also can't create a boot menu!!! How am I supposed to use this thing?

[garioch7]

@Mint,

The Windows Enterprise LTSC edition is typically used by large companies/institutions: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/window...c/overview.

Windows Enterprise LTSC overview | Microsoft Learn
An overview of the Windows long-term servicing channel (LTSC).

The Hasleo Team made the decision to exclude it from the free version because it would normally be used in such environments.  With the introduction of the Hasleo Backup Suite Pro (HBSP) paid version, it was decided to restrict LTSC support to the Pro version on the assumption that large corporations/institutions could afford to pay for their imaging programs.  This decision was supported by many in their user/customer base, me included.  We were consulted.

The average individual person uses Windows Home or Pro.  Those HBS customers of the free version were not, and are, not affected by this business model decision.  The paid Pro version must offer capabilities that the free version does not, to provide incentive to customers to pay for the HBSP product.  The Hasleo Team has to make money to continue their laudable development as a first-rate imaging product.

Hasleo was the best imaging tool I have used and it was putting macrium reflect to shame, ...

I concur with you.  I hope that you will consider purchasing the Pro version to help in future Hasleo Backup Suite development.

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[Mint]

@garioch7

I did consider purchasing HBSP despite the bait and switch tactic, but the DRM they've put in place to counter piracy also makes the program not fit for purpose. Backup tools such as this are the bomb shelters of the PC world. 100% reliability 100% of the time. If the DRM fails or can't be used because their servers go offline or I can't access the internet than the tool is useless.

[al3x]

You only need the Home edition to support Enterprise LTSC editions as far as I know, see this comparison chart.

About the DRM you describe - this really shouldn’t be a problem:

First off, you can backup your license from registry so this would always be recoverable as long as the underlying hardware didn’t change fundamentally.

Secondly, the DRM won’t stop HBS from working suddenly only because servers aren’t reachable temporarily. It is a very forgiving DRM that only makes sure you don’t install the same license on multiple different PCs which is the simplest method to prevent piracy. And there’s always a very helpful support that can help you with licensing problems (if there really is a need for this). I think that’s really fair.

Thirdly, any recovery media you create embeds your current license and will always work on every PC you boot up from. There is no additional check implemented, you won’t have to worry that your data can’t be recovered because of DRM or a (very unlikely) sudden vanishing of Hasleo.

And finally, there’s also no timebombs whatsoever that could potentially stop the software from working except for the trial version that you can download and install for a limited trial period. Btw, this trial version is another method to make sure you always have a way to restore your data: If in the future you would lose your license somehow, didn’t have rescue media and Hasleo would be gone, you could still install the trial version and restore your data.

So you should really be safe here.

[Mint]

You only need the Home edition to support Enterprise LTSC editions as far as I know, see this comparison chart.

About the DRM you describe - this really shouldn’t be a problem:

First off, you can backup your license from registry so this would always be recoverable as long as the underlying hardware didn’t change fundamentally.

Secondly, the DRM won’t stop HBS from working suddenly only because servers aren’t reachable temporarily. It is a very forgiving DRM that only makes sure you don’t install the same license on multiple different PCs which is the simplest method to prevent piracy. And there’s always a very helpful support that can help you with licensing problems (if there really is a need for this). I think that’s really fair.

Thirdly, any recovery media you create embeds your current license and will always work on every PC you boot up from. There is no additional check implemented, you won’t have to worry that your data can’t be recovered because of DRM or a (very unlikely) sudden vanishing of Hasleo.

And finally, there’s also no timebombs whatsoever that could potentially stop the software from working except for the trial version that you can download and install for a limited trial period. Btw, this trial version is another method to make sure you always have a way to restore your data: If in the future you would lose your license somehow, didn’t have rescue media and Hasleo would be gone, you could still install the trial version and restore your data.

So you should really be safe here.

Again, backup is the bomb shelter of the computer world, if you're confident that things won't go wrong why bother with it in the first place. DRM adds point of failure, and that is unacceptable. I have 20 TB of data that has been collected over the course of 20 years. I'm not going to risk losing it because the vender's servers went offline or by MB died or that both happened at the same time.

[CDC9762]

... "100% reliability 100% of the time...
That is a real technicolor dream. No piece of software matches that requirement.

If you are that concerned about proprietary issues, backup your data in native Windows (or whatever) file and folder format with a program like SyncBack or others.

[al3x]

Again, backup is the bomb shelter of the computer world, if you're confident that things won't go wrong why bother with it in the first place. DRM adds point of failure, and that is unacceptable. I have 20 TB of data that has been collected over the course of 20 years. I'm not going to risk losing it because the vender's servers went offline or by MB died or that both happened at the same time.

You probably didn’t fully understand all of my points and that’s ok. Vendor going offline or a dying MB will not get you in trouble as I already wrote.

If you’re so fixated on DRM you should probably move to open source. Give Linux a try, move away from Windows DRM completely.

[garioch7]

@Mint,

I did consider purchasing HBSP despite the bait and switch tactic

What "bait and switch"?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch

Bait-and-switch - Wikipedia
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You are, and were, using a free version of Hasleo Backup Suite (HBS).  I can only speculate how much that cost the Hasleo Team to develop ...

The time came when Hasleo had to offer a paid version to recoup some of their development costs.  The vast majority of us expected that.

Hasleo must also differentiate its free from its paid version, so logically, more advanced features were included in the new paid Hasleo Backup Suite Pro (HBSP) program.

You had a "free ride" for as long as you were using the free version for years, when for some reason, as private individual, you had a Windows LTSC OS.  We can only speculate on the legality of your acquisition of Windows LTSC, in light of the Microsoft EULA for that OS version ...


I totally concur with the comments of @al3x and @CDC9762.  There has not been one instance on these Forums where I have seen any user of HBSP legitimately complaining that the Hasleo Team did not sort out any licensing problems.  To my knowledge, it simply has not occurred.

Now, if you take a look at the Macrium Reflect X (subscription model) Forum, you will see plenty of complaints about their subscription licensing scheme rejecting legitimate paid users.  In fairness to Macrium, those issues are sorted out, in time, but the usual problem was not that their licensing servers were not available.

Nothing in life is 100%!

I like redundancy, so I use two other imaging programs in rotation as well, plus Proton Drive, plus internal and external storage HDDs, to have multiple copies of my important data.  I have a very low risk tolerance, which I respectfully suggest you might also share.

Your DRM comments are without foundation when it comes to Hasleo, in my opinion.  If you can show me, with credible evidence, differently, I would be most interested, as would everyone else who participates in these Forums daily, including the Forum @admin, who is a member of the Hasleo Team, and responds to all legitimate, and otherwise, user feedback.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration ...

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

[Mint]

@Mint,

I did consider purchasing HBSP despite the bait and switch tactic

What "bait and switch"?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait-and-switch

You are, and were, using a free version of Hasleo Backup Suite (HBS).  I can only speculate how much that cost the Hasleo Team to develop ...

The time came when Hasleo had to offer a paid version to recoup some of their development costs.  The vast majority of us expected that.

Hasleo must also differentiate its free from its paid version, so logically, more advanced features were included in the new paid Hasleo Backup Suite Pro (HBSP) program.

You had a "free ride" for as long as you were using the free version for years, when for some reason, as private individual, you had a Windows LTSC OS.  We can only speculate on the legality of your acquisition of Windows LTSC, in light of the Microsoft EULA for that OS version ...


I totally concur with the comments of @al3x and @CDC9762.  There has not been one instance on these Forums where I have seen any user of HBSP legitimately complaining that the Hasleo Team did not sort out any licensing problems.  To my knowledge, it simply has not occurred.

Now, if you take a look at the Macrium Reflect X (subscription model) Forum, you will see plenty of complaints about their subscription licensing scheme rejecting legitimate paid users.  In fairness to Macrium, those issues are sorted out, in time, but the usual problem was not that their licensing servers were not available.

Nothing in life is 100%!

I like redundancy, so I use two other imaging programs in rotation as well, plus Proton Drive, plus internal and external storage HDDs, to have multiple copies of my important data.  I have a very low risk tolerance, which I respectfully suggest you might also share.

Your DRM comments are without foundation when it comes to Hasleo, in my opinion.  If you can show me, with credible evidence, differently, I would be most interested, as would everyone else who participates in these Forums daily, including the Forum @admin, who is a member of the Hasleo Team, and responds to all legitimate, and otherwise, user feedback.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration ...

Have a great day.

Regards,
Phil

Next time please show some restraint, this wall of text doesn't even address the point I made earlier.
backup software is the bomb shelter of data protection, one does not build a bomb shelter that gets it power from the grid, one does not use backup software with deliberate points of failure

[al3x]

[…] this wall of text doesn't even address the point I made earlier. […]

Not addressing the points we made earlier is something you’re very good at as well. I think there’s no point in further discussion here as long as you’re unwilling to understand or accept the facts that were made in this thread so far.

Good luck to you in finding a suitable free "bomb shelter" for your totally legitimately bought enterprise OS, though.