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 Post Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 10:23 pm 
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As any regular user of this site knows I have delved pretty deeply in to dual/multiple boot systems. One of the security methods that I have used to isolate each OS boot from the other is to go to Drive Management and remove, in each OS, the system drive letter for the other OS. While not 100% this does a pretty good job of isolating the OS drives/partitions from each other.

Right now I use a partition on my data drive to do system images internally on a schedule. I also use external drives to do the same manually. Soon I will probably be adding another internal drive to be used exclusively for images. I am wondering if I could use Task Manager to automatically disable the image drive and enable when needed.

What I am thinking is to manually remove the drive letter of the image drive to isolate although this may be the last step instead of the first. Here is an outline...

1) Of course set up my schedule for doing the image backup.

2) Set up a Task Manager script to give this drive a drive letter shortly before the scheduled image backup that is the same drive letter looked for by the backup.

3) Set up another Task Manager script to remove the drive letter for the image backup drive after say an hour after the image schedule.

This would serve to isolate the internal image backups from the running system. Again, not a 100% isolation but pretty close.

Before I even start looking at this does anyone know if Task Manager is capable of this level of manipulation?

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 Post Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 8:16 am 
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Sorry I can't help Jay, probably Stephen will be able to or Manny.

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 Post Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 9:59 am 
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I think you could do it that way Jay. It seems feasible even though I've never tried it. Although it really seems more complex than needed and may break down at some point. I'm not quite sure it gets you much anyway. You know what they say about keeping things simple.

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 Post Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 10:10 am 
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I thought that I'd posted a reply here already, but it apparently disappeared instead of posting...

This post offers multiple solutions: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/show-hide ... in-windows
It mentions this utility -- http://forum.thewindowsclub.com/downloa ... ndows.html -- which could be used to export .reg files that you could execute as part of a scheduled task.
You can script Diskpart: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/lib ... 65(v=ws.10).aspx

However, I'm not sure why you would want to do this...

-steve

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 Post Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 10:45 am 
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Jay, here is a thought and you can throw a rock at me if you want. If you are doing all this to isolate the OS's for security reasons, then that tells me your security isn't adequate. If it were all this you are asking wouldn't matter. Just a thought.

Pete


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 Post Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 10:12 pm 
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@ Manny: Actually, if I actually attempt to do this, it would make things simpler in a way. I like things clean, my desktop has zero icons and my taskbar auto hides. This would take un-needed drive references out of my Windows Explorer drive list.

@ Steve: See my above response to Manny for a reason plus there are a few others.

1) A while back I almost wiped my internal image drive when I meant to be formatting a flash drive. If my image drive is not listed I can't make such a mistake.

2) To me it is an interesting experiment. You know me... I like to experiment with code. This is the primary reason, I'd like to see if I can do it.

3) I DO like to isolate my drives, it has become habit if doing a dual boot ever since the days of Vista when Vista would kill XP restore points if the two were in a dual boot. If you remember the name Bert Kinney (if I spelled it right, several years ago he was considered the guru on System Restore) he asked my permission to post my solution to drive isolation on his site. I wish he were still around as my method of just removing the drive letter of the other OS is MUCH more 'eloquent'. While I do not do a dual boot on my desktop I still do on my laptop between 7 and 10. If I can make this deal work I can 'un-isolate' the other OS drive shortly before a scheduled image backup. Give enough time to do the complete drive image and 're-isolate' the other OS drive. It makes the entire process automated and, to me, automated is simple.

@ Pete: Mayhaps I should not have used the word 'security' as that is not the real issue. Safety would have been a better choice of wording. Also, as stated above neatness and most important, to see if I can do it.

BTW... Here is your rock throw! :mrgreen:
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 Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 9:48 am 
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ROFL. Love the rock throw.

When ever I format anything, I do what an experienced IT guy taught me.

1. I carefully type the command, being careful to avoid the enter key
2. I put my hands in my lap and visually inspect what I typed letter by letter.
3. Only then do I venture near the enter key.

This has saved me a couple of times.


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 Post Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 7:40 pm 
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Well DANG! That was entirely too easy. There is no need to use Task Scheduler as Acronis True Image can still access the desired drive even if it is set to not show in Windows Explorer and Computer via Group Policies. My image drive, S:\, is now hidden affectively enough to where it does not show in Windows Explorer or Computer yet Acronis is currently in the process of doing an image on that same drive. :)

The only problem is that Windows 7 Ultimate does not have this option within Group Policies so a registry hack is needed. Apparently this option was added in Windows 8/8.1/10.

Here is the Registry hack for a drive designated as 'S:\'.
PLEASE NOTE... I do not know if the dword values are absolute or dependent on the system. Do NOT just copy/paste the following code even if it so happens that you also wish to hide a drive designated as S:\. Do the same thing that I did and use a link that Steve was kind enough to supply to a nifty little utility called HideCalc at
http://www.hidecalc.co.uk/

Code:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"nodrives"=dword:40000
"NoViewOnDrive"=dword:40000


Here would be the Registry hack to reverse the above. Please note that this Registry hack would restore all hidden drives.
Code:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"nodrives"=dword:0
"NoViewOnDrive"=dword:0


Bottom line is that I am satisfied with the result in that the drive does not show yet can still be accessed by the needed software. While the drive is not actually isolated that is not actually what I was after. I just wanted it to not show. That has been achieved.

<edit>
As an added note Windows built in imaging is also still able to access the hidden drive. :)

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