Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

I have a question regarding backing up a Hauptwerk-only computer. I just read the manual and backed up the Hauptwerk software using the function in Hauptwerk VI as stated in the manual. However, I would like to back-up the entire computer onto an external back-up device, not just the Hauptwerk software's settings. Is there a special procedure to do so if Hauptwerk is installed on a Hauptwerk-only computer, or does one just do it the normal way you would back-up a non-Hauptwerk computer? Is there anything else I should know?

The reason I am asking is that a new Hauptwerk-only MIDI-only console from Mixtuur is arriving at my home on Friday, so I need to disconnect the Hauptwerk-only computer, Audio/MIDI interface, audio lines, MIDI Lines, etc. from my current Rodgers organ, which is being traded in as part of the purchase of the new Mixtuur organ.

Thanks for your help.

Hello mtozer949,

If you were to make a backup image of the drive/partition in its entirety then absolutely everything (every byte of data on the drive, including the operating system if present on that partition) would be included in that, so in theory nothing else should need to be backed up. However, if your backup software saves/restores files individually (as opposed to imaging the raw drive partition) then which files/settings/data it backs up will be determined by the backup software itself and its settings; it may or may not include everything. Check its documentation it needed.

In either case, keep a backup made from within Hauptwerk somewhere safe, for good measure.

May I just add:
The HW backup function backs up HW settings and other configuration information. It does not backup sample set data ( and does not backup the cache.). To use the HW backup to restore the system fully from scratch, you must install the operating system, install HW from the distribution file, install any audio and midi drivers, install each sample set used from its distribution material, the restore the HW backup. For each instrument you use, the system will rebuild the cache file on first use. There may be operating system and driver settings to configure.

To restore things more quickly and with less effort, you should use backup software which preserves and can restore everything. Drive imaging software is a good way to do this. If your HW installation is spread across a number of drives, you may need to backup/image each of these independently.

Iain.

I have a Windows 10 computer, and my brainless approach is to create a complete system image as follows:
1) Open Control Panel
2) Under System and Security, select the last item "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)
3) This opens a page "Backup and Restore Your Files"
4) At the top left hand corner choose "Create System Image".
5) You will then be asked "where do you want to save the backup? The default is "On a Hard Disc".
6) If you have an external hard drive plugged in to a USB port, it will be detected. If you have other internal hard drives, other than your boot drive, it will list them as well.
7) Select the drive and follow the instructions to start the backup. It will take quite some time (could be a couple of hours if you have a 1 TB drive).
When the backup is complete, it will ask if you want to create a system repair disc. Select yes, and choose either a DVD or a USB stick for the repair disc.

If you have an ultimate disaster, you can install a new hard drive, then boot the repair disc from the bios menu and execute the repair. At that point you can choose the option to restore the image. All operating system files, applications, and data will be restored.
Don't worry about the Windows 7 comment in parentheses in Step 2. It only means that this functionality was available as part of Windows 7.

There is other imaging software available, but you need to make sure that it enables you to create a disc with the boot partition so that the machine will actually start up and load Windows.

When you get your new console, you will have to auto-detect the manuals and stop tabs, as it is unlikely that the Mixtuur console is using the same channels for the data. You should be able to connect your existing computer to the new console, and then go through the configuration wizard in Hauptwerk to confirm the midi interfaces and audio devices, and then start the auto-detect process.

Ray