Using Acronis RE/PE versions as DUAL BOOT option - possible ?
Hi everyone. I would like to ask if someone knows the following or can give a hint/tip how to manage that :
im using Acronis for years now only on external bootmedias to create bare metal images.
(for me thats the safest way since years)
the typical "home user in gaming sector of today" uses steam, battlenet, uplay, ea origin, and much more and sometimes many games with patches , updates and so on are installed. some people have a "standard windows installation with all programs, drivers, stuff and so on with rounabout 700gigs of data.
i want to :
- create an Acronis PE/RE/or other ? solution ONTO a 2nd NVME / SSD and i want to use DUAL BOOT from there then in UEFI mode without secure boot (just like a usb stick permanently installed to the system , but directly connected to the sata/nvme/pcie.
example : my system C (/windows/programs/games/patches/everything on 1 nvme) crashes - (whether hardware or software.)
now i want to get the option to select "Acronis" partition internally inside the PC on the 2nd nvme to boot up a recovery
anyone knows how to to so ? :/ im not good in using grub loader and i would need help to create such an UEFI only with a GUI
thanks a lot and have a good time everyone ! :)


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Steve Smith wrote:
You cannot install the Acronis Rescue Media directly onto your second NVMe SSD but you can use an alternative method to achieve the same end result by adding a Windows Boot Manager entry to give an option to boot directly into the rescue media (from a boot.wim file).
I have my own systems setup to do just this by using the EasyBCD tool to add the new entry after creating the rescue media .wim file using either the normal Acronis Rescue Media Builder > Advanced option to create a WinPE .wim file, or else (my own preference) using the MVP Custom PE Builder script to create the .wim file.
The .wim file can be put on your NVMe SSD second drive.
Hi again Steve ! :) Thanks for that solution thats really really a great ! idea !
but :( i have another Question :
example :
i made a fullbackup.tib (not tibx yet) from a hard drive nvme 1tb.
that image is roundabout 350 gigs large (installed games, steam library e.g)
i called it "fullrecovery.tib"
its a simple windows 10 and the image includes drive C:\ , the MBR and that other small partition (well, it contains everything from that nvme) all partitions where marked.
now : i want to install another nvme drive , put the "fullrecovery.tib" onto that drive (the drive is only for fast recovery)
1.) can i manage this with EASY BCD ?
2.) is it possible to add an option for booting for
a- boot primary nvme windows 10 (and when defect:)
b- boot 2nd nvme with "fullrecovery.tib" unattended reimaging onto the first drive ?? how would that look with EASYBCD?
3.) What part of acronis would i have to install/copy onto that recovery NVME `? (part of the program? loader? bootsect /nt60 that drive?) or simply activate the F11 option and leave only the TIB file onto 2nd nvme ? :/
(im asking no 3. because: when theres a hardware defect on the first nvme - the boot options wont work, but i still have the bootmedia by my side to reimage the fullrecovery.tib onto a fresh installed nvme i.e.)
thanks so much for your patience again!
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Can I clarify your intentions here please?
The second NVMe SSD is going to be primarily a storage drive to be used to enable fast recovery if needed?
If the above is correct, then the easiest method would be to install the second NVMe SSD, format this as NTFS, create a folder to put the rescue media boot.wim file, leaving the remaining drive space for storing your fullrecovery.tib file (and any others).
You can then use EasyBCD to add a new boot menu entry as described previously to boot from the .wim file from the second drive.
If you suffer a hardware failure for the main OS boot NVMe drive, then it would be best to boot the PC from a USB memory stick with the Acronis rescue media (or boot DVD) and keep the second NVMe drive as the recovery file location to recover from to a new / replacement OS drive.
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