ATI 2009 - backup / restore questions-encrypted partitions (show "unallocated" in explorer)
Using updated ATI home in Vista x64. Question about backing up / restoring a TrueCrypt encrypted partition. TrueCrypt encrypted partitions show as Unallocated partition(s) in explorer, even though DOES contain data.
ATI will only allow BU of unallocated space /partition if "Sector by Sector" BU method is selected - fine. I might do a sector by sector BU once in a while. I really don't know how much extra space a sector by sector BU would take on 1TB disk vs data only BU.
Wonder what options are to BU all other partitions (except encrypted one) by NON sector by sector method, then do separate sector by sector BU of the TrueCrypt encrypted partition? FWIW, the encrypted partition is not the last partition on the disk (though I could move it to where it'd be last).
With encrypted partition as is (drive K: (unallocated) ), if I BU / restore all other partitions - EXCEPT K: - will it restore them to their ORIGINAL positions on the same disk (assuming don't format entire disk)? Would it ALSO leave letter K: unused & proper amt of unallocated space between drive H: & L:, where I could then restore encrypted K: from it's separate BU, to correct position between H:\ & L:\ ?
If what I describe won't work, besides always doing entire disk, sector by sector BU, are there methods to BU encrypted partitions & restore them to original location (on same source disk the BU was created from)?
Thanks.
Thanks Pat,
"If you don't restore the MBR+track0, but only certain partitions, they will be restore in place to the corresponding existing partitions, erasing them, but not the partition that is left out of the backup."
From the help file, I don't get that restoring MBR + track 0 (or not) has anything to do /w whether it will restore partitions to same location:
Disk images contain a copy of track 0 along with a MBR (Master Boot Record). It appears in this window in a separate line. You can choose whether to restore a MBR and track 0 by checking the respective box. Restore the MBR if it is critical to your system boot.When MBR restoration is chosen, there will be the "Restore disk signature" box in the bottom left corner at the next step. Restoring disk signature may be desirable due to the following reasons:
• Acronis True Image Home creates scheduled tasks using the signature of the source hard disk. If you restore the same disk signature, you don't need to re-create or edit the tasks created previously.
• Some installed applications use disk signature for licensing and other purposes.
• If you use Windows Restore Points, they will be lost when the disk signature is not restored.
• In addition, restoring disk signature allows to restore VSS snapshots used by Windows Vista's "Previous Versions" feature.
When I do a dry run for one (non booting partition) & select or don't, "restore MBR + track 0" the only diff I see in info it gives about restored location, is if check resore MBR / track 0, it says in summary, "Deleting partition E: (reboot required)". the target location appears to be same (w/o actually doing the restore), clicking on "location" link, to see what's selected. EDIT: Notice when uncheck restore MBR, at bottom of screen, the "Drive Letter" box changed from Auto to E: (selecting E: from BU to restore) . Don't quite understand this yet, but maybe will get there.
If click on the restore "location" link, whether chose restore MBR or not, it still just says, Restoring to E:. But, since it's not showing any physical boundaries, no way to tell WHERE it'll restore E: I ASSUME (but may be wrong) if there's already a formatted E: partition on the target restore location, that's where it'd put it. Help file isn't that specific on this, AFAIK.
If you were restoring C: w/ windows on same orig disk as source for BU, I'd think you'd definitely want to restore MBR, unless had specific reason not to. For non booting partitions, ESPECIALLY if not also restoring OS, I don't know if restoring MBR would be necessary or a good idea.
What I meant is the following. If you have a backup of partitions C and D, then you add a partition E on the disk, if you restore the backup including C, D, and the MBR+Track0 you are effectively restoring the disk as it was, and the data of E (not backed up) will be lost.
If you restore only partitions and the MBR+track0, the restored partitions will be restored where they were: ATI doesn't touch the partition table (MBR is a bit of a misnomer). I am not quite sure how it works if the target space is unallocated. So, if I had to restore only certain partitions, I would create them first before restoring. If your partitions are still the way they were when you did the backup, there is no issue/risk.
Aside from that, your observation and understanding of how and when MBR+track0 is necessary are correct.
Thanks for reply, Pat. Clarifying (for others & me)
If you're restoring to same source disk used for the BU, AND no changes were made - adding partitions - after taking BU, unless MBR was damaged, no need to choose "restore MBR."
My observation about checking / unchecking the restore MBR box: "Notice when uncheck restore MBR, at bottom of screen, the "Drive Letter" box changed from Auto to E"
Appears this is because when UNcheck "restore MBR", it ignores MBR info & will restore (say one chosen partition - E:), TO E: on the restore disk (usually orig.), esp. if E: already exists on restore disk. Same would apply restoring multiple partitions at once. Best practice would be take BU after making disk / partition changes, in case NEED to restore MBR.
Other question about drive letters changed in BUs from boot disk. Boot disk uses Linux (I believe), the order of partitions & drive letters in BUs are often diff than on source disk. Restores from boot disk BU: when choose 1 or more partitions, that have diff letters / order in the BU than orig disk, does it automatically switch the letters back to orig, and put back in the orig. position on restore disk? It's a little confusing. If click on the "New Location" link for a partition, it shows correct orig partition as restore target (on the orig, partitioned disk).
For boot disk BUs, even though it changes many drive letters, during restore setup, in L pane it's showing Partition G (not same as orig), in center of UI, it shows "Specify restore settings of Partition G:"; under that, "Partition location (required)", (then - in my case), "NTFS (<volume name>) E:" - where E: is orig letter.
I understand Linux not treating drive letters as Windows does, but if TI is smart enough to switch drive letters BACK to their orig, at time of restore, why it isn't smart enough to go ahead & show (convert?) the orig drive letters / locations - ALL the time, in the BU UI? It stores info internally to switch them back at restore time (obviously).
Best practice would be take BU after making disk / partition changes, in case NEED to restore MBR.
Exactly. This is one reason why ATI made the MBR an option. Otherwise some users would make a backup, create a partition, restore the previous partitions with the MBR (then ATI restore the disk as it was) and lost their previously created partition.
Other question about drive letters changed in BUs from boot disk. Boot disk uses Linux (I believe), the order of partitions & drive letters in BUs are often diff than on source disk. Restores from boot disk BU: when choose 1 or more partitions, that have diff letters / order in the BU than orig disk, does it automatically switch the letters back to orig, and put back in the orig. position on restore disk? It's a little confusing. If click on the "New Location" link for a partition, it shows correct orig partition as restore target (on the orig, partitioned disk).
ATI really looks a the disk information, so the data will go back to its original place anyway. Since ATI doesn't rewrite the partition table, the drive letters will be the same as the original.
For boot disk BUs, even though it changes many drive letters, during restore setup, in L pane it's showing Partition G (not same as orig), in center of UI, it shows "Specify restore settings of Partition G:"; under that, "Partition location (required)", (then - in my case), "NTFS (<volume name>) E:" - where E: is orig letter.
I understand Linux not treating drive letters as Windows does, but if TI is smart enough to switch drive letters BACK to their orig, at time of restore, why it isn't smart enough to go ahead & show (convert?) the orig drive letters / locations - ALL the time, in the BU UI? It stores info internally to switch them back at restore time (obviously).
ATI doesn't really switch back and forth the letters. On one side a Linux application is displaying drive and letters. On the other side the same application is laying out disk information as it was: the way the same app displays the information in the UI doesn't mean the underlying information is modified. Think of it as the format of an excel cell versus the formula.