Acronis True Image (For CRUCIAL SSD) = 2 Cloning Modes
hi,
i'm a novice on computers and don't know how to back up + restore image my boot drive.........so i've been using Acronis True Image (for Crucial) to clone my boot drive (as a back up) and i'm wondering about the 2 cloning modes.........
1) to replace a disk on this machine (clone with bootable OS)
2) to use on another machine (clone with bootable OS)
so if i were to select option 2 = can i still use the clone SSD on the same desktop with same motherboard ?
if i were to select option 1 = can i use the clone SSD on another desktop if the current PC were to malfunction (new motherboard) ?
reason why i was considering ''cloning the SSD to use on another machine'' is just in case my current desktop's motherboard were to malfunction .............and i had to use another motherboard
many thanks

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To add my comments here:
Please use the option to create a Disks & Partitions backup image of your OS boot drive rather than using the Clone option.
Backups can be scheduled to run at a frequency that suits your usage of the PC and will therefore be maintained much more up to date than by using clone.
Clone is a purely manual process and is more suited to when you are actually intending to replace the current OS drive with a new / larger / faster drive.
The other comment here is that all OEM versions of Acronis have limitations, i.e. your Crucial OEM version requires that a Crucial drive is detected and therefore will not work if you replace a Crucial drive with a Samsung etc.
It is also recommended that you create the Acronis rescue media for your computer and test that you understand how to boot the PC from this media.
KB 69472: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to create bootable media
See KB 69477: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to back up files or disks
and KB 69474: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to back up entire computer
Please see KB 56634: Acronis True Image: how to clone a disk - and review the step by step guide given there.
Note: the first section of the above KB document directs laptop users to KB 2931: How to clone a laptop hard drive - and has the following paragraph:
It is recommended to put the new drive in the laptop first, and connect the old drive via USB. Otherwise you will may not be able to boot from the new cloned drive, as Acronis True Image will apply a bootability fix to the new disk and adjust the boot settings of the target drive to boot from USB. If the new disk is inside the laptop, the boot settings will be automatically adjusted to boot from internal disk. As such, hard disk bays cannot be used for target disks. For example, if you have a target hard disk (i.e. the new disk to which you clone, and from which you intend to boot the machine) in a bay, and not physically inside the laptop, the target hard disk will be unbootable after the cloning.
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I agree with Steve Smith. With cloning you effectively have a one-off backup that consumes the entire drive. With a Disk and Partitions backup you can have multiple backups from multiple systems on the same drive.
Ian
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Jose Pedro Magalhaes wrote:Hello FM.
It's great that you are taking steps to back up your boot drive using Acronis True Image. Let me try to answer your questions regarding the two cloning modes:
- If you select "to replace a disk on this machine" (clone with bootable OS), the clone will be created with the necessary drivers and settings for your current hardware configuration. This means that the clone should work properly if you were to replace the original disk on the same machine, or if you were to use the clone on another machine with a similar hardware configuration.
However, if you were to use the clone on a completely different machine with different hardware, you may encounter driver issues or other compatibility problems.
- If you select "to use on another machine" (clone with bootable OS), the clone will be created with generic drivers and settings that should be compatible with most hardware configurations. This means that the clone should work on another machine, even if it has a different motherboard or other hardware components.
However, if you were to use the clone on the same machine with the same hardware, you may encounter issues with drivers or other hardware-specific settings that are not included in the generic clone.
Overall, if your main concern is being able to restore your system to a new motherboard in case of a malfunction, I would recommend using the "to replace a disk on this machine" cloning mode. This will create a clone that is optimized for your current hardware configuration, and should be more reliable if you need to restore your system to the same or a similar machine.
If you face any issues with the recovery please contact our support so we can help you solving the issue: https://kb.acronis.com/content/8153
Hope this helps!
many thanks indeed for all the info and very sorry for my late reply................
i have 2 clone SSDs now with both modes of cloning and both work !.........many thanks again !
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Steve Smith wrote:To add my comments here:
Please use the option to create a Disks & Partitions backup image of your OS boot drive rather than using the Clone option.
Backups can be scheduled to run at a frequency that suits your usage of the PC and will therefore be maintained much more up to date than by using clone.
Clone is a purely manual process and is more suited to when you are actually intending to replace the current OS drive with a new / larger / faster drive.
The other comment here is that all OEM versions of Acronis have limitations, i.e. your Crucial OEM version requires that a Crucial drive is detected and therefore will not work if you replace a Crucial drive with a Samsung etc.
It is also recommended that you create the Acronis rescue media for your computer and test that you understand how to boot the PC from this media.
KB 69472: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to create bootable media
See KB 69477: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to back up files or disks
and KB 69474: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office: how to back up entire computer
Please see KB 56634: Acronis True Image: how to clone a disk - and review the step by step guide given there.
Note: the first section of the above KB document directs laptop users to KB 2931: How to clone a laptop hard drive - and has the following paragraph:
It is recommended to put the new drive in the laptop first, and connect the old drive via USB. Otherwise you will may not be able to boot from the new cloned drive, as Acronis True Image will apply a bootability fix to the new disk and adjust the boot settings of the target drive to boot from USB. If the new disk is inside the laptop, the boot settings will be automatically adjusted to boot from internal disk. As such, hard disk bays cannot be used for target disks. For example, if you have a target hard disk (i.e. the new disk to which you clone, and from which you intend to boot the machine) in a bay, and not physically inside the laptop, the target hard disk will be unbootable after the cloning.
i understand what you mean but due to my very limited pc skills........i don't know how to restore a backup image so i chose to clone instead.........many thanks for all the info in nay case !
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IanL-S wrote:I agree with Steve Smith. With cloning you effectively have a one-off backup that consumes the entire drive. With a Disk and Partitions backup you can have multiple backups from multiple systems on the same drive.
Ian
i had to resort to cloning since i don't know how to restore a backup image......also since the backup image need to be stored on a drive anyway - i thought cloning will be a better way out for me........... thanks anyway !
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fm l wrote:IanL-S wrote:I agree with Steve Smith. With cloning you effectively have a one-off backup that consumes the entire drive. With a Disk and Partitions backup you can have multiple backups from multiple systems on the same drive.
Ian
i had to resort to cloning since i don't know how to restore a backup image......also since the backup image need to be stored on a drive anyway - i thought cloning will be a better way out for me........... thanks anyway !
Hello FM. Thanks for the update!
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Jose Pedro Magalhaes wrote:fm l wrote:IanL-S wrote:I agree with Steve Smith. With cloning you effectively have a one-off backup that consumes the entire drive. With a Disk and Partitions backup you can have multiple backups from multiple systems on the same drive.
Ian
i had to resort to cloning since i don't know how to restore a backup image......also since the backup image need to be stored on a drive anyway - i thought cloning will be a better way out for me........... thanks anyway !
Hello FM. Thanks for the update!
not at all..............i must thank you instead for your detailed answer........many thanks once again..!
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