I installed CTM on 2-10-10 and today discovered it’s not compatible with Image for Windows. If you try to make a image, Image for Windows will fail with a error code 200.
It seems to be compatible with MS System Image backups. I tested it and it works.
How about other Imaging softwear?
AFAIK, and I’ve been known to be wrong on more than one occasion, CTM is only compatible with image taken using a complete disk clone (including ALL free space), as the snapshot data is stored outside of the area marked as used by Windows.
I’ve tested it with Paragon Hard Drive Manager in disk clone mode and it worked, but I did boot off a Paragon boot CD, rather than letting the HDD boot.
Has anyone else had success with other disk imaging products?
Ewen 
Nor Acronis True Image can do, even with a Raw switch. It failed for me.
The fix to make IFW (Image for Windows) work is to uninstall PHYLock reboot, then reinstall PHYLock and reboot. ;D
Tested it all out this morning, works perfect!
I’ve made three system Images in Win 7 with no problems. I hope that if I ever have to use one to restore that it will work. Have you restored using the MS System Image backup?
Did you boot your system off an Acronis CD/DVD or did you boot into Windows and then start Acronis from there?
Paragon will work, but only if you boot of their recovery CD/DVD.
Cheers,
Ewen
I tried only from a working system. But I supposed that the Acronis RAW part is based on MFT and were skipping the “empty space” of the disk. May be I’m wrong here.
RAW should be RAW, but I would try again booting from the Acronis boot media.
Ewen
Well I’m gonna try it as soon as I get a working version of CTM. The last one won’t install no matter what.
Yes I did a restore with “MS System Image backup”. However I prefer IFW, it has the capability of detecting byte-for-byte problems, Windows backup doesn’t. I need reliable images, and restores.
@ Heffy, you did not say if your image from IFW was using 'backup unused sectors or not .
Can you clarify?
By default Image for Windows will backup only used sectors. You can select “Backup Unused Sectors” if you wanted, but I have never chose that option. Just use the default setting.
Then I wouldn’t rely on those image backups then. 
As CTM uses its own driver and bypasses the Windows mechanisms for writing to the disk, the snapshot data is stored in areas of the disk that are outside of the areas marked as “used” by Windows. Therefore, Windows doesn’t know about the location of snapshot data.
To backup the snapshot data in any imaging application, you MUST use the option to backup the entire disk (including “unused” sectors).
Ewen
If that’s the case then CTM isn’t for me, I’m not willing to make a image of the complete drive, the images would be too large. I never had a problem with CTM, but I do rely on the quick and small images made with IFW.
Have you ever compared it to Acronis? I’d like to know the speed and image size.
Made a new image today of Win 7. Used space size is 17.9 GB and it took around 11 minutes with validation, the backup total images files are 9.2 GB. . I have them saved in 2 GB sizes, takes just 3 DVD’s if I choose. I started out years ago using Ghost, then IFW. I have used just about every imaging software there is encluding Acronis starting with version 7 on up, and I keep going back to IFW. Terabyte keeps improving the software and doesn’t charge for new upgrades like others do. Also IFW has never failed me in 8 years.