Skip to main content

Best way to back up Windows 8

Thread needs solution

I have been using Acronis backup on my XP for many years with 100% satisfaction, however my setup for XP is different than my new Windows 8 notebook (not my choice for the OS :-) ):

Drive C on the XP computer mainly contains the system along with the applications. Drive D contains all of the data, so Acronis is used to back up Drive C, the system, as an image. Several times that has saved me!! Drive D is synchronized to a pull out drive using a synchronizing application.

Now I have a Windows 8 notebook with a 1 TB HD, so today I used Acronis 2013 (trial) to make an full image of the drive to a USB HD..slow, but all seemed to have worked. My intent is to make differential backups from time to time while syncing data areas to another USB drive daily.

Are there any articles on a good methodology for backing up single drive computers using Acronis?

With appreciation...

Todd

0 Users found this helpful

Todd,
You most likely have a GPT disk with multiple hidden partitions. Your laptop has probably UEFI bios with secure boot.

The critical aspects are:
- include all partitions in your backup
- make sure you can boot your computer on the Acronis recovery CD. To do this you will have to disable secure boot and UEFI in the BIOS and enable legacy boot. Then you boot the computer on the recovery CD/flash disk, verify you see the disks correctly, you can access the backup and restore a couple of files. Then shutdown the computer, reboot, set the BIOS back to where it was before rebooting Windows.

On the backup scheme, avoid having long chains of backups. The rule of thumb is that your last validated full backup should never be so old that you would not go back to it. If you have irreplaceable content, you should backup more often and diversify your backup locations and backup technology.