cloning
This question is about CLONING.
When I clone, all partitions are created
and sized perfectly. The finished hard
drive goes into the machine and works
fine.
HOWEVER, the data in the TARGET is
smaller than in the SOURCE, and the
difference is represented by the items
shown in the settings: "exclusions,"
namely, System Volume Information
(which contains restore points, among
other things).
see attachments
QUESTION:
WHY are these items excluded by default
in the settings, in particular, the "System
Volume Information?"
After all, isn't a CLONE, by definition, a
carbon-copy of the original?
If we are assuming an exact duplicate is
being produced, how do we know if excluded
items will or will not be needed in when
the clone is put into operation?
What is represented as a "CLONE" seems to
be a "FUNCTIONAL COPY" and clone is
therefore a misnomer unless all elements
of the original are represented in the copy.
If I made a clone of my HDD on Monday, and
Tuesday the PC's internal HDD failed,
wouldn't I expect to pop in the 1 day old
"clone" and be able to pick up exactly where
I left off?
Could you please elaborate on my concern
in thinking that the default exclusions would
not be totally unnecessary in the copy?
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
acronis backup options.JPG | 47.05 KB |
CLONE 61919a.JPG | 205.07 KB |


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I am starting from within Windows, not booting from rescue media.
Using AcronisTrueImage 2017-5038 1user perpetual license.
Have also downloaded and tried 30d trial of AcronisTrueImage 2019, starting from within Windows.
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Frank, thank you for confirming the versions you have being using.
I have to confess that I was under the same opinion as you that any clone should be a duplicate copy of the source drive to the target drive without any data being excluded unless the user selects to do so!
I only use cloning very rarely and had not noticed that the System Volume Information folders or any other items from the default exclusions list were being left out of the cloned drive! I do not use Windows System Protection or Restore Points, so this would not have been of any impact to me.
If your 30-day trial of ATI 2019 is still running, then I would suggest opening a Support ticket direct with Acronis to question this behaviour with them, as I cannot find anything documented to say that this is how cloning should work?
(Sorry that I am not in a position at present to test this out myself - am currently fighting with one of my own drives giving me CRC errors that I need to resolve before it gets any worse!)
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Steve-
Thanks for your reply. Will try the support ticket.
The 47KB attachment above shows the Acronis TI2019 default exclusions.
Do you anticipate different results if booting externally from the Acronis rescue USB?
BTW, same excluded data observed using Samsung Data Migration in a previous instance, that is, a
"FUNCTIONAL COPY," but not a true CLONE.
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Frank, if you want a 100% identical (forensic quality) clone, then you would need to consider investing in a hardware cloning solution.
I have the following dual-dock cloning box:
This particular dock is no longer available on Amazon but other equivalent products are linked from this page.
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