Recovering image(s) of smaller WIN7 hard drive to a BRAND NEW AND LARGER HDD
UPDATE:
1.) It appears that the Acronis TI boot media loads appropriate Intel Raid controller drivers in order to see both of my SATA drives (which are not in a raid configuration at all). No problem that I could see there.
2.) So the only question in my mind that persists IS whether TI2014 will have any trouble resizing the original C:\ partition from the older hard drive to accommodate the much larger NEW hard drive in its place??
3.) When all is said and done, I'd like a bootable Windows 7 drive that contains the System Reserved partition of course AND the balance of the available disk space is for my C:\ partition.
OLD DRIVE: 100GB -----> NEW DRIVE: 500GB.
Old drive has two (2) partitions= System Reserve 100MB & the C:\ partition with WIN7
NOTE: I've noted the DISK MODE backup recommendation!
Step 1 would be to create a new backup of the old drive but make sure the backup type is the "disk image" or "disk mode" backup.
This type is illustrated in the very first picture of signature link 2 below.
You need to use the user created TI Recovery CD to perform the restore so the restore is done when booted from the CD.
One method and the easiest method of doing the restore (based on our partitions combination) would be to look at signature link 3 below and follow item 2 which is the "disk mode" restore.
Nothing is automatiac but this is as close as you can get to a less complicated restore.
Thank you all!
GroverH - Here is what I don't get. Some of what I read about Acronis TI2014 before I purchased it is its ability to take a backup of a smaller drive (in my case 100GB= 2 partitions, one unlettered and the other C:\) and from the boot media that Acronis would and could restore the backup to a LARGER hard drive (500GB) automatically resizing the partition to accommodate the size of the new hard drive. I must say nothing so far that I've read would persuade me to describe this process as anything approaching "routine."
You recommended Disk Mode backup to me. I suppose it doesn't matter that I have only two partitions (verified in Windows Disk Management) and that the ultimate goal is simply to have Acronis take the backup of older drive AND RECOVER IT TO a brand new hard drive that just happens to be much larger. I'll gladly do the disk mode backup and work from it --- but I'm trying to get it through my thick head why I have to produce one. If there is no fear of anything else being left out of the partition backups, would it be OK to work with the normal partition backups? Is it somehow easier getting Acronis to resize to accommodate the new 500GB hard drive IF I WORK WITH A DISK MODE BACKUP instead of the normal partition backups?
I'll read your help files some more to see if I can figure out the advantage(s) particularly in my "simple" scenario....Thanks.
MarkAW: Thank you for the links ---- I've got them in my stack of reading material. Thankfully my original drive is NOT failing and the new drive has not arrived. So I can take some time and study all of this. This stuff ain't for the faint of heart, I can tell you.
Hi bcool,
It's not that your current partition backup won't work as it will but it will require that you do more of your own work.
I would suggest this as a comparison. Carefully review my restore guide (Link3 item 2) so you can see the steps involved.
Next. One of the nice things about TrueImage is that it enables you to do testing up to a final point where you can CANCEL without the process going further.
So perform a simulated test where we will stop before it becomes real. When you get to the screen where the option is PROCEED or CANCEL, CLICK THE CANCEL BUTTON so the process ends there.
Boot from the CD and begin the disk option restore as per my guide and work your way through each screen.
For the restore, Be sure and Check mark the single disk box as to what is to be included in the restore. (all partitions will become checked but the disk box must be checked first.
Very shortly into the test, you are faced where you must configure each of the two partitons.
If you were restoring a disk option backup, you would not be asked to configure these screens but would jump over this requirement into the screen where you select the target disk and checkmark the "Recover disk signature".
So it really depends upon how much configuring you want to do. The easy was is to make the disk mode or disk option backup. Or, it you don't mind configuring the partitons, then use your existing backup. You asked for assistance and I offered my recommendation which I felt was both the easiest as well as offered less change for failure or user error.. It's all up to you.
And you were kind to go over this again so that I can get it. Much obliged, GroverH
I guess all that matters when the smoke clears is that I have the two partitions on my new hard drive, it boots and that I can see AND USE all or very nearly all of the 500GB on my new hard drive!
Very true. Just as a part of whatever restore method you use, to checkmark the option to Recover Disk Signature and that opiton is on the next to last screen where the target disk is selected.
I got a week or so to study and test. I'll comment here how it goes when I'm done... FWIW. What was really gnawing away at me is to make sure that when I restore the disk mode backup of older smaller disk to the new larger hard drive that I end up with 500GB plus or minus usable hard drive....
If you restore your partition backup, you will probably have to resize the Windows C. The test I suggested will show yes or no. as the summary page which has the Proceed or Cancel commands will show what sizes the future partitions will be.
If you restore a Disk mode backup, this 2014 "should" keep the small the same size and expand the larger.
In either event, if the partiton size of C is not 3 expanded, the correction is easy perform.
ok... thanks
GroverH........ (as an aside) I spent some real careful time a few years ago creating a BartPE (PRE-INSTALLATION ENVIRONMENT) of Windows XP Professional which included the Acronis TI9.x utility I have launched the disk since I've installed Windows 7 (last week), and of course there is not problem with it all. I can see everything on both hard drives just fine as per normal.
THE QUESTION:
Why couldn't I perform routine FULL DRIVE backups which includes all partitions (labeled or otherwise) from the BartPE disk (like I always did when I was on WINXP SP3) using Acronis TI9.x --- AND THEN either I recover using the the Acronis TI 2014 Boot Media or for that matter, I might even be able to use Acronis TI9.x that made the image in the first place. After all, WINXP and WIN7 utilize same file system. Acronis TI9.x should care one way or the other.
Of course I'm NOT talking at all about installing Acronis TI9.x on Windows 7. I'm strictly talking about working from BartPE environment.
Thanks for any insight.
The idea of the use of a WinPE works very well. Whether you can do it using the use of the old version is questionable.
For my own use of a TI Recovery CD, I take the extra time and create a MustangPEBuilder which has the PE principle but offers the added benefit of adding other programs or special drivers.
Windows XP and Win 7.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/17630
Windows 8 only
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/54130
I think that's what I used if memory serves. No, I'm wrong. I used Reatogo but I must have gotten the TI9.x plug-in from Mustang. It's where I picked up the nifty version 9.x of Acronis TI utility (of course I already had the full version installed in WINXP SP3). You're right --- it's awesome. I've been using the disk since 2007. I wish I knew whether version 9.x would have any trouble backing up a NTFS hard drive that just happened to have Windows 7 on it..... I ain't doing anything until I know for sure of course. Thanks for the Windows 7 link. Perhaps I should consider creating a new PE disk...obviously TI 2011 can deal with Windows 7 and imaging of Windows 7 just fine...
Thank you everybody here
I'm almost embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to complete my task successfully after making so much of a fuss about it. I was already testing the newly cloned 500GB hard drive 15 minutes into the project. TI 2014 Boot Media worked just as described. No fuss, no muss, no 1MG offset,
no choosing the right order of partitions....just wham-bam-thank-you-mam, WIN7 boots! In terms of moving a smaller WIN7 drive to a larger new drive, cloning is the way to go.
Very pleased with outcome!