Simple, reliable imaging...... or is that too much to ask at this time with Acronis TI Home and Win 7?
I recently did a clean install of X64 Windows 7 Home Premium. Things seem to be running pretty well but I don't want to go through the clean install process again for a while since it takes all day.
Anyhow, all I want is dependable software that will do a clean image of my entire hard drive. It needs to do it correctly each time so that I can have confidence in the product. I don't require partiioning opitons, nor do I require incremental backups, no scheduled backups required, no individual file monitoring and file backups, etc. I also don't want software that wants to take over my computer, or hijack it with other addons. I just want very reliable images that I can create of my entire hard drive and store on my external drive. Is this too much to ask at this time with Acronis as it relates to Win 7?
I used Acronis TI Home 2009 for a while under X64 Vista and that last build (published summer 2009) seemed to work very well under X64 Vista. However, it is not supported by Acronis on X64 Windows 7. I would gladly buy Acronis TI Home 2010. However, it seems to have received a lot of negative feedback.
Can anyone give me any confidence the latest version of Acronis TI Home would meet basic imaging needs? My needs are basic BUT I do want VERY reliable imaging abilities. I want a system image that I know I can mount and that it will work everytime and work correctly. Now I know we don't live in a perfect world. However, I think it is reasonable to expect a very high accuracy rate of the program being able to correctly remount an image WITHOUT problems. Otherwise, what good is a backup if you cannot trust it?
I would appreciate any feedback from other users of Acronis TI Home 2010 under X64 Windows 7. If I cannot get any additional confidence, I will either have to wait a while before buying this program or investigate another program. There has GOT to be reliable software out there for highly accurate imaging without all the extras (that I don't require).
Scott
P.S. I tried the built in imaging within Win 7 but it did some strange things so I don't have much confidence in that right now either.
With all the criticisms on these boards about Acronis TI Home 2010, I have not tried the program. I used to use Acronis TI Home 2009 and it worked well under X64 Vista. Now I have Windows 7 and cannot use the 2009 version any longer.
Have you tried mounting your XP image on the new harddrive while allowing it to clear any preexisting partitions? If so, and if it correctly mounts, you could then repartition your new single drive so that you've got space to load Windows 7. Acronis has partioning options built into the program.
As buggy as the software 'seems' to be from readng comments from others, I am not sure at all of this process would go smooth for you. However, it seems it would be worth a shot, particularly if you've already invested the money in Acronis TI 2010.
Post back your feedback if you get a chance. Thanks.
I see no reason with your basic request why 2010 shouldn't do what you want.
You can either set up a manual task, that will only make full images or choose one off backups with no task made.
You will need 2010 if you wish to mount an image, as 2009 cannot do this in W7 (though everything else works including Exploring).
The only caveat is of course as normal with all TI Home version,s is whether the Linux Drivers in the rescue environment can see your drives.
If you are imaging to either a separate or external drive then their should be no problems (apart from the standard Rescue CD ones). To a NAS or other remote backup, then there may be some problems.
Hope that helps.
Hi Scott:
I have 2 yo Dell XPS M1530. It came with Vista U-32 and 64GB SSD. To switch to W7-32 I changed the 64 for a Samsung 256GB also solid state. The new SSD gave me the opportunity to make a Custom Windows 7 32 bit install. Having read many articles about installation and problems encountered, I prepered myself with the correct drivers versions for all my programs, both internal Dell and external added. Encountered only minor problem with sound and wideo. On 5/4/09, after all was setup close to perfection, I made my first full backup with Acronis TI Home 2010 version 13.0.0.5055 dated 11/2/2009, that I will always keep as my eternal reference. I also set in motion Non Stop Backup, so I can always updated and use F11 in case of trouble.
Disaster struck. My Favorites were systematically erased and I also lost the Administratior power to make changes. My hobby as daytrader was halted. But just 2 days later, Acronis came up with version 13.0.0.6027 dated 11/6/2009. The bug has been fixed, so remember to use only 6027. The Incremental only does full copies , because Registry Mechanic, CCleaner, and Perfect Disk space consolidation, alter the system and make incremental react to make full backup; better to use NSB instead.
Buy, instal, and trust ATIH 2010, it's the best.
Thanks for your replies. I am glad to hear TI 2010 seems to be fine....at least for full imaging backups....which is all I really care about.
Before reading your posts, I had shared my concerns about Acronis TI Home 2010 with a guy at a local computer shop. Given my concerns about 2010 when I spoke to him, he suggested I just use by Acronis TI Home 2009 boot disk and create an image off of that. He said the issue of compatibility would then be a moot point since I would be booting to the Acronis TI Home 2009 CD and simply creating an image off of that versus actually going inside windows and making the request from inside the program. (I don't even have Acronis installed right now ever since I did a clean install of X64 Windows 7).
So earlier on yesterday, that's what I did. I used my Acronis TI Home 2009 boot disk, booted to the disk, and then made a full image backup of my X64 Windows 7. When the process was complete, I had a message on the screen that the tib file (full system image) was created successfully.
Despite this, are you saying that I would never be able to mount that image if I needed to because it was created with the Acronis TI Home 2009 boot meda? At this time, I don't have any version of the actual program installed on my PC. I would appreciate any feedback about my question regarding the tib file I just made.
I am glad to hear things seem to be improving with the latest build of TI 2010. I have held off buying it because of the large amount of negative feedback I have read on these forums.
It isn't just the new home products that are useless. I am in the server world and the new ABR 10 is a total piece of junk. Their entire new line is so bug filled and useless it is amazing and their support? Oops! My bad! What support?
Despite this, are you saying that I would never be able to mount that image if I needed to because it was created with the Acronis TI Home 2009 boot meda?
The image should be mountable, but not using TI 2009, you would need to have 2010 installed for mounting to succeed. But if you don't install TI onto Windows, you won't have the option of mounting the image from the rescue CD anyway.
You could install TI 2009 onto W7, but you'd only be able to Explore the images.
I have Acronis TrueImage 11 Home version and I was surprised to read the comment that you cannot back up one partition without it rewriting your partition table. I have five petitions on my 0 drive, four partitions on my 1 drive, and a single partition on an external drive. I have been storing my backups on the external drive and restoring individual petitions for some time. On a customer's computer I have done similar single partition restores. I've been able to restore an entire petition, a directory, an individual file. I wish that I had not read your post because I did not know that what I was doing is impossible.
I have to assume that you contacted Acronis will support. Did they concur with you that you are not able to restore a single partition? I'm sure that I'm not doing anything unusual in my partition saves and restores. Why would the True Image program have the ability to back up a single partition if you're not able to restore a single partition to multi-partitioned disk? The above is my simple recipe. I do not use the "Safe Zone" and when selecting a partition to back up am careful to make sure that only the box of one partition is checked. The box by the C partition is checked by default. If I wish to backup the D partition, I have to make sure that the C partition checkbox is unchecked and only the D partition is selected. I do not do a full disk backup - only individual partition backups. Are you sure that that's what you are doing?
Maybe someone who knows the answer can respond to Robert's question.
As for my question, (in response to bodgy), I am confused. Are you saying that even though a person can successfully create a system image (without the Acronis program being actually installed within windows)......that I cannot mount that same image using the boot disk unless I have the program installed?
In other words, does the boot disk not allow the option of restoring an existing image just as it allows the creation of an image (without the program actually being installed)? I own Acronis TI Home 2009 but do not have it installed on my newly created X64 Windows 7 (since it's not fully compatible).
I just want to ensure the ability of creating and mounting an image (if needed) at this time using the boot disk only (the boot disk created by Acronis TI Home 2009). Your feedback is appreciated.
There seems to be a misunderstanding of terminology here.
The Rescue CD can make images AND restore, this has nothing to do with mounting an image.
Mounting an image allows you look at the contents of your image file as though it were another hard drive. It allows you to move files, and to move them onto the physical drives, you can even run programs from a mounted image, though they do need to have been installed on your physical system as well - so may be pointless in many cases. It is also possible to copy files from your hard drive on to the 'virtual' mounted drive (you will need to have mounted the image in read write mode for this to occur).
This mounting requires a full operating system to be running, in this case Windows, which also requires the Windows based version of TI to be installed. The Rescue CD does not use a FULL version of Linux as an OS, so even though Linux systems mount files systems, this facility is not available in the cut down boot version that is on the CD.
If you feel that you must have the ability to mount an image from a CD then you need to make a Windows based Vista/W7 PE boot disk, with the Acronis drivers installed in the WIM image.
However, I repeat, you do not need to be able to mount your images, in order to restore them, it is a completely different kettle of fish and has nothing to do with the restore process.
Hope that makes it clearer.
To Robert and Victor,
1. The restore process will always wipe the partition clean before restoring the image.
Victor do you tick the Disk icon to make a disk image or do you just tick the partition icons?
If you have ticked the complete disk, and you also choose on restore to restore the complete disk, then the MBR of your new drive will be overwritten with the MBR that is in your image.
The MBR contains the information of where and how many and what type your partions are and live.
What you need to do, is only tick the XP partition (C:\ perhaps?) in the image, and you should then get a second question appear asking if this si to be restored to the same location or another, you obviously need to choose another location. You will also be asked how much partition space to use.
After you have restored XP to a new location, then you can install your W7 OS and it should automatically include the XP partition in it's boot menu.
However, if you just want to dual boot your system, then in fact all you need to do is make an image of your current system, then boot from the W7 DVD, and install W7 in a new partition, the W7 installer will resize the partition for you.
Once W7 and XP co-exist, you should the make a second disk image of your new drive set up.
Thanks for clearing that up Bodgy. I guess I was using the word 'mounting' and 'restoring' as meaning the same thing when in fact they are not as you have pointed out.
All I care about is the ability to have a full system image so that in the event my computer ever gets unstable or buggy, I can completely crash the computer and restore it using a full image backup without spending all day reloading Windows, all my programs, data, etc. I had done this restore process several times with Acronis TI Home 2009 under X64 Vista where I crashed Windows and restored using one of my tib files on my external HD. As you have said though, what I was doing was 'restoring' versus 'mounting' an image.
Based on the correct definition of the terminology, I only want/need the ability to backup a full system image AND restore the full system image. That is the extent of my needs at this time.
I think I understand things better now. However, I just want to confirm with you, Bodgy, that I can use my Acronis TI Home 2009 boot disk to continue to create full system images of my entire hard drive (X64 Windows 7) and then later restore one of those images (if the need arose) back to X64 Windows 7 AND I can do all of this from my Acronis TI 2009 boot disk without ever having the need to have any version of Acronis installed on my Windows 7 OS, right?
I guess it's a logical conclusion that compatibility issues become a moot point when you are talking about backing up OR restoring any OS from a boot disk only because that boot disk is performing the task (backup or restore) outside the Windows OS, right? Thanks again.
Scott,
The answer to your question is yes, but with one proviso.
There is a possibility that if you use the 2009 CD, when you restore W7 it may not boot the first time around - this is easily fixed, but it depends on how you've actually installed W7 and how you actually restore ther image.
If W7 has formatted and made the partitions for itself, then it will be using Microsofts new incarnation (well it happend with Vista actually) of where the first partition starts, which is nowhere near the upto now standardf 63 sectors in from the boot information. If you choose a disk restore it is possible that TI will remake the MBR to the 63 sector mark, this will result in w7 reporting that it can't find the system to boot.
However, if you choose just to restore the partition, then TI will not attempt to remake the MBR and W7 will be happy. If though, you've used another program to make the partition, such as Disk Director etc and just install W7 in that partition, the partition will still be on the XP style 63 sector and you'll have no fiddling around at all and can restore the complete disk image with gay abandon.
You are correct on your final observation, though of course make sure that if you've changed hardware on your PC, you check that the Rescue CD can still see all your drives, mouse, keyboard etc.
Thanks Bodgy, You answered ALL of my questions clearly here reguarding using the TI boot disc to do backups and restores, and about that 100MB portion at the beginning of a Win7 partitioned disc and the MBR residing there. According to your explanation above You should be able to do a system repair with the Win7 installation disc if perchance your Win7 can't find the boot files........ Correct?
FyrmnJ
You should be able to do a system repair with the Win7 installation disc if perchance your Win7 can't find the boot files........ Correct?FyrmnJ
Correct, you would be better off manually making the changes to the BCD if you have more than one OS on the drive, but if W7 lives totally by itself, then the auto repair facility should do the job.
This is all good to know...My win7 is a seperate physical hard drive then my Vista so I would be using the Win7 system repair.
....thanks for all this good information.
FyrmnJ
Thanks for the reply, Bodgy.
I did a clean install of X64 Windows 7 on my hard drives. I've got two Western Digital internal hard drives in a Raid 0 array forming a total of 1TB (500 GB x 2). The Raid 0 array was set up and then the clean install of Win 7. I let Win 7 automatically form it's own partition that it wanted to make and I did not use any third party programs to change any of that, nor did I manually choose any partitioning during the setup of Windows.
I also have not changed any hardware. Then when I did a complete system image backup, I booted to the Acronis TI 2009 boot disc and created the image file (tib file) from there. The complete image of my hard drive is stored on my 'external' Western Digital hard drive.
Since I installed the full, clean version of X64 Win 7 while allowing the installation DVD to form it's own partition for the MBR (and whatever else goes in that hidden partitiion), it sounds like I am good to go with this setup if I understood you correctly. I should make myself clear though by saying that I also selected the ENTIRE hard drive when I made the complete image.
So from what you're saying, I am thinking I can just continue to use my TI 2009 boot disc and then restore the ENTIRE image which would contain my Win 7 OS plus the hidden partition that Microsoft automatically makes. Any time I have ever made a system image, I have always selected the main partition that the OS sits on plus the hidden one that Microsoft automatically creates when it installs Windows.
Given that I've always backed up the entire drive to an image (to include that hidden partition that Windows automatically makes), I suppose it stands to reason that I should be able to successfully restore the ENTIRE image that contains both the OS and the hidden partition without any problems with Acronis failing to boot, right?
Thanks again for your feedback. Much appreciated.
Yup, you should be right to go. Notice the word 'should' though. :)
Bodgy wrote:
"However, if you choose just to restore the partition, then TI will not attempt to remake the MBR and W7 will be happy."
As previously mentioned, I backed up the entire hard drive (to include the MBR partition that Windows automatically made when I installed X64 Windows 7). Before I installed Win 7, this was formally a clean disc (well actually two clean discs since I've got 2 hard drives forming a raid 0 array).
For future images, should I only be imaging the hard drive that X64 Win 7 sits on 'OR" is it just as safe to image the OS partition plus the Win 7 MBR partition as I have been doing? Obviously, whatever I image, I have to restore all of the image when using the boot disc (at least as far as I know).
I just don't want TI 2009 having any problems finding and restoring the MBR off the image NOR do I want Acronis trying to make another MBR.
Thanks.