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SSD alignment question for Acronis True Image Home 2012

Thread needs solution

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

I have a OCZ Agility 3 120 GB SSD drive
I am replacing that with a OCZ Agility 4 256 GB SSD drive for more storage

I installed everything new on the 1st drive but don't want to have to do that all over again for the new drive.

I keep hearing about problems with drive alignment

Can I use Acronis True Image Home 2012 to create a image, then restore it to the new bigger SSD and have the alignment be set properly?

Thanks

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http://kb.acronis.com/content/2699 states that a clone or disk backup and restore will keep the offset of the original SSD drive. or set it to the a correct offset.

From the KB article:

A multiple of 64kb (most commonly, 1024kb or 2048 sectors) is the recommended offset for SSD disks.

Full support details:

If you restore or clone a disk image to an SSD disk, the offset will be automatically set to the default 1024kb (2048 sectors).
If you restore a partition backup to a target empty partitioned disk (SSD), the target SSD disk will keep its original offset.

Anthony,

Although 2012 should be able to ensure disk alignment, you could follow the instructions here to ensure it yourself:

- Use Windows disk management to verify that the active partition is on the system disk (right click on the computer icon on your desktop, choose manage, storage, disk management)

- Print a screen shot of the disk management console for future reference

- Do a full backup of your current disk. Include all partitions, even the hidden ones (no need to use the sector by sector setting)

- Put your new SSD at the same spot at your current disk. Remove your current disk from the computer for the time being.

- Boot your computer on the Acronis recovery CD

- Restore each partition at a time in the same order they were laid out (use your screen shot). This will allow to control resizing and offset to align the disk

- Leave a 1MB space before the first partition (maybe system reserved?)

- Mark the correct partition active (maybe system reserved?)

- Leave the drive letter change option alone

- Do not resize any partition except the C:\system partition or any partition you created and want on the SSD

- Make sure that each partition has a size that is a whole number of MB (doesn't matter for the last partition)

- No need to reboot inbetween partition restores

- After the last partition, restore the MBR+track0 and the disk signature

That's it.