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Restoring Disk Backup in Windows vs. Rescue Media | Different partition sizes

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When I restore a disk backup of the OS drive, in the Windows environment, all the space on the target SSD is used.

For example, a disk backup of a 250GB SSD restored to a 1TB SSD will use all of the 1TB for the partition.

When I restore the same disk backup using the Rescue Media, all the space on the target SSD is NOT used.

For example, a disk backup of a 250GB SSD restored to a 1TB SSD will only use 250GB for the partition.

Why is this the case?

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Acronis will try to resize your restored backup image contents to fit the size of the target drive you are restoring to, doing this automatically when allowed to do so, so that all the disk space is used whether the target drive is larger or smaller than the original source drive.

In the rescue media you would need to choose the same automatic resizing if wanted.

If using "automatic" ends up with unused space afterwards, you can "expand the volume" using Windows disk management. 

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/resize-a-partition-for-free-in-windows-vista/

Alternatively, you can also use a free tool like minitool partition wizard (but typically, you can expand in Windows just fine... just shrinking can have limitations in Windows).  The only time you may not be able to expand the volume in windows is if there is no space between the C: drive and the unused space, because the recovery partition is between them.  In that case, use minitool. 

Make sure you have a good backup before doing this though - just in case.

 

 

Sometimes you cannot resize the OS partition as there is hidden partition after the OS partition that cannot be moved, in which case you have to resort to a disk utility such as MiniTool partition wizard.

Ian

In the rescue media you would need to choose the same automatic resizing if wanted.

I had a really good look in the rescue media for an option to automatically use all the space on the target disk when restoring a disk backup, but I could only see those options (to control the size of partitions) when restoring partitions. When restoring a disk, I could not find any options for automatic resizing. Where are the options for automatic resizing of the disk when restoring a disk backup?

When restoring a disk backup using the rescue media, then automatic resizing is the default option if restoring at a disk level and Acronis will resize according to the destination disk size.

If you do not want the automatic resize to happen, then you need to select to restore each partition and set the size manually.

When restoring a disk backup using the rescue media, then automatic resizing is the default option if restoring at a disk level and Acronis will resize according to the destination disk size.

When restoring a disk backup using the rescue media, Acronis doesn't resize according to the destination disk size.

 

"When I restore the same disk backup using the Rescue Media, all the space on the target SSD is NOT used."

"When I restore a disk backup of the OS drive, in the Windows environment, all the space on the target SSD is used."

One key difference here that may be a factor.  You are using ATI 2016 whereas all my testing will have been done using either ATI 2019 or the Beta ATI 2020, though I am sure this has been the case with 2017 and 2018 too.