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backing up partitions before moving/resizing

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this is a cross post of topic on the True Image forum, as i'm not sure which is the best forum to post it.

If i backup an image of a partition w/True image before I move/resize it using Disk Director, can I use that backup image to restore it if the partition moving resizing doesn't work properly? Or should i use DD to copy a partition? And if i want to copy partions using DD to another hard drive, can i do that if it is set up with only one partition now with other data on it? (that's why i cant use Disk Clone to copy the whole drive). Thanks for any input.

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John:

I would definitely suggest backing up any partitions before making changes with partitioning software. This is your insurance policy in case something goes amiss.

You could copy a partition from one disk to another with DD. Manual mode is recommended. You should first resize the existing partition on the destination disk using DD. Make it smaller so that there is enough room for the copied partition and leave unallocated space for the new partition. Then use DD to copy/paste the partition into unallocated space.

I think that using TI is better for this purpose, however. Resize the existing partition on the destination disk so that you have enough room for the copied partition. Then restore a backup of the partition to the free space using TrueImage. In theory, though, either approach should work.

Mark, I'm not understanding your procedure for TI. If I use TI to back up a partition to an ext hd (that has a partition large enough to handle the backup) before i make changes to the primary hd partitions, i wouldn't need to resize anything on the destination disk, right? Also, I would need to restore the backed up partititon from the ext hd to the resized primary hd partitions ONLY if i have a problem with the resizing, OR if i decide to delete the files on the primary hd before resizing, right? and if i do restore a backup from the ext to primary, couldn't this be to an existing partition instead of free space? Thanks for your comments.

John Prohaska wrote:
...If I use TI to back up a partition to an ext hd (that has a partition large enough to handle the backup) before i make changes to the primary hd partitions, i wouldn't need to resize anything on the destination disk, right?

I think we are using the word "Destination" differently. In my previous reply, I used destination to refer to the destination of the restore operation. I think that you are using it to refer to the destination of the image file created by TI, or in other words, to the external USB disk. So if that's the case then yes, you are correct. If there is enough room on the external USB disk for the .tib file then no resizing is necessary.

John Prohaska wrote:
...Also, I would need to restore the backed up partititon from the ext hd to the resized primary hd partitions ONLY if i have a problem with the resizing, OR if i decide to delete the files on the primary hd before resizing, right? and if i do restore a backup from the ext to primary, couldn't this be to an existing partition instead of free space?

Correct. If the restored partition will fit in the space occupied by an existing partition then no resizing is necessary.