system hard disc replacement
Does my acronis true image home 10 allow me to transfer my actual system hard disc to a new larger disc drive ?
What are the steps ?
Thank you
For further information, see the True Image 10 user guide document which you can access via the Useful Links section on the left of the forum page, then go to the Home Product Guides link
Chapter 13 of the user guide deals directly with transferring the system to a new disk.
Chapter 10 tells you how to create the bootable recovery media if needed.
Your best bet is not to clone but to make a backup if you have a disk to backup onto. Cloning is a bit faster but backing up i smore flexible and allows yo to save the backup and/or copy it to any drive you like, so long as it's big enough to hold it. Also, if something mucks up the new disk being bootable, you can try again becuaser yo still have the disk image saved in the backup. With cloning yo get one shot at it.
Make the backup. Then replace the old system hdisk with the new one. Then boot the ATI BootCD and restore the backup to the new drive --Check Grover's index in the stickies for info on restoring to a diff size disk.
If you clone and have two hdisks on the pc that are imaged as systems disks, when you boot, win will mark one of them as not a Boot/system disk -- it won't allow two on one machine. So if yo do the cloning method with both disk on the machine when you clone. then immediately after you clone, shut down the pc. Remove the old hdisk and put the new one on the same cable connection the old one used. Then boot up and you should be good to go.
I have a similar situation. I am not sure if this is where I write my questions but I have spent the Bank Holiday ploughing through nearly 200 pages of the User Manual some of which I actually understood! I have some concerns.
I have only one drive bay on my computer ~ the C drive. I have a very large external hard disc on which I have used Acronis to back up my files using all 5 methods suggested: the Image of the disc, and the My Data, System State, My E-mail, and My Application Settings. I have about a GB or two left on my nominal 40GB hard drive.
I am not sure where all the space has gone:
I have only used <10 GB for MyDocs including Outlook Express which I moved into MyDocs to facilitate my old back-up process, c.9GB IN Windows and 3 GB in Programmes. There is funny icon by a [Files] directory using up 5.5GB of which 3.8GB is in a file called gobackio.bin. How much space is needed to roll back?
Q 1: From reading the Manual, it seems advisable to partition any new disc. Should Windows and Office go in one partition or just the Windows operating system?
Q 1.1: Where do I find Windows Operating System files on my Back-up Drive?
Q 1.2: Should all the Programme files go in their own separate partition?
Q2: I was considering reloading XP from the original discs and then downloading SP3 to update it as I am sure a lot of dross has been left in the registry / operating system over time. Any advise? Is this a sensible idea or is it going to cause even more problems?
Q2.1: If it is a good idea how do I separate out the old Operating Programme on the back-up disc so it does not get mixed up with the newly installed one?
Q3: How do I test that the “Bootable Rescue Media” works before I replace the existing C drive? I got the impression from the manual you need to do this test not on the C drive [but I only have a C drive].
Q3.1: I have a Phoenix Bios but also could not see any key letters to press in the couple of seconds the bios was on screen which I understand is part of the process. Do I just hit any key?
Q4 : Finally, I am confused about naming drives. It would seem sensible that the new partition with Windows operating programme is called “C” and the data partition something else like “Z”. The manual said something about Acronis giving drives / partitions names which might cause confusion between the old and the new. Any advice please?
Hi Paul, first of all the gobackio.bin is a Norton Ghost file, so if you don't use ghost anymore I suppose it can be removed.
Q 1: From reading the Manual, it seems advisable to partition any new disc. Should Windows and Office go in one partition or just the Windows operating system?
It is advisable to partition any disc IMO but not in the way you are thinking. My own scenario on a single HDD is partitioned like this:
C:System
D:Data
E:Photos
F:Videos
Within System is all of Windows and all installed programs. None of my own data exists in at all.
The Data partition contains my own 'Documents and Settings' folder which I call 'bins stuff', and I tell windows to use that rather than the default on 'C'.
The other partitions are obvious, I have more but what it does is make it all easier to manage; I can backup, defrag, check things, and do whatever I want much quicker using partitions but the biggest advantage is that the whole system partition is seperate from any of my data.
Q 1.1: Where do I find Windows Operating System files on my Back-up Drive?
I'm not sure why you would want to do this - Windows has some very large folders that contain system files and programs but has a myriad of folders all over the C drive that contain important operating system things - you really need them all not just bits otherwise you can get in big problems.
Q 1.2: Should all the Programme files go in their own separate partition?
No
I will answer the next few in next post, need to speak to someone right now.
Q2: I was considering reloading XP from the original discs and then downloading SP3 to update it as I am sure a lot of dross has been left in the registry / operating system over time. Any advise? Is this a sensible idea or is it going to cause even more problems?
Q2.1: If it is a good idea how do I separate out the old Operating Programme on the back-up disc so it does not get mixed up with the newly installed one?
It is correct that there will be a lot of dross in the registry but there are a few good registry cleaners around these days. I can't recommend any particular one because the one I use was touted as the best 3 years ago, the year after it was something else, and so on. Try CNET to have a look for yourself, they have good reviewers and user reviews to help you choose. Personally I don't think it is necessary to do a clean install anymore - my only recomendation would be to find one that can compact/reorganise your registry.
I'm not sure what you mean about seperating out old stuff from new in any backups. Any backup can be opened and specific files or folders can be restored or copied back out, but generally if you need to restore then you restore the whole backup - this relates largely to your question about partitions and backing them up seperately makes restoration of user info much easier.
Q3: How do I test that the “Bootable Rescue Media” works before I replace the existing C drive? I got the impression from the manual you need to do this test not on the C drive [but I only have a C drive].
Q3.1: I have a Phoenix Bios but also could not see any key letters to press in the couple of seconds the bios was on screen which I understand is part of the process. Do I just hit any key?
You can boot using the rescue CD anytime to test that it works. See if it can find the backups you have done and also the disks and folders you may want to back up using it. Just don't go thru with any operations and restart normally. No harm will be done.
I am not actually sure if you mean using the rescue disc or using the ARSM facility which can be activated using the F11 key during the startup process. Please ask again if you are unsure about this.
Q4 : Finally, I am confused about naming drives. It would seem sensible that the new partition with Windows operating programme is called “C” and the data partition something else like “Z”. The manual said something about Acronis giving drives / partitions names which might cause confusion between the old and the new. Any advice please?
Naming drives and partitions is always a very good idea - sometimes using rescue media the drive and partition letters are not the same as you would normally see, but the names appear, so you can identify everything clearly. The letters you choose are up to you but you can't change 'C' from being the system or boot drive/partition but you can call it anything you like. I call mine 'System' would you believe but it could easily be called 'binsSystem' or 'Arbuthnot', it doesn't matter!
I might of confused you a bit about naming - a disk drive, if it is your main boot disk, will always be 'C' and you can call it what you like. If you partition your 'C' drive then you can give each partition a letter and/or a name. To Windows, each partition will appear as if it were a seperate disk drive but 'C' will always be the main boot partition of that drive.
bin,
Thank you for your speedy response ~ I have just found it. Your full reply is very much appreciated. If I may recap and clarify that I have understood you correctly:
A) I am not aware that I ever used Norton Ghost although I did use System Works some years ago. Having checked the file properties it was last changed and accessed early 2008 when I installed Norton Internet Security 2008 and had to uninstall previous NIS programmes. So, I think I am OK to recover a useful 4GB.
B) Thank you for clarifying the naming convention for a partitioned disc. So at the simplest level it would appear My Documents, and Documents & Settings go into D: Data and the rest into C: Systems. I see from the folder tree that Documents & Settings picks up (some / all?) of the other folders I have created on Local Disc (C:). However, it does include one I created called Download Stuff that has many .exe files. Should this be part of the Systems partition?
C) Where do I find Windows Operating System files on my Back-up Drive? I'm not sure why you would want to do this …
Basically because having removed my old hard drive and installed the larger new one I was going to partition the disc [I will work out how to do that nearer the time] and then reload/copy the operating system back onto the C System partition and the Data onto D from my back-up drive (currently the F drive). From what you are saying, I think you copy all the Image of the original C drive back into the new C partition and then cut / drag and drop My Documents, and Documents & Settings into D. Is this the right methodology?
D) I was considering reloading XP …
I have used CC Cleaner and JV16 which have always been claimed to be good registry cleaners and recently heard about Revo uninstaller. However, I have never been able to get Quicktime to work. I have uninstalled it and reinstalled a few times and had come to the conclusion that some vital links had broken.
E) I'm not sure what you mean about seperating out old stuff from new in any backups.
If I do a clean install, if I understand you correctly, that goes straight to the new System C partition. I then cut My Documents, and Documents & Settings from the C partition, which the clean install will have created, and move them to D partition. I can then copy my data from the back-up drive to these new folders.
D) Bootable Rescue Media
Thank you for reassuring me nothing could go wrong [see below ~ I feared it would overwrite the master boot record] by testing the Bootable Rescue Media which I have tested and seems to work OK. [I am not sure what the ARSM facility you mentioned is though]. However, the User Guide is confusing:
There are a number of mentions of using the F11 key in the User Guide, the first being Section 2.3:
“If your operating system does not load for some reason, you can run Acronis Startup Recovery Manager. However, this must be activated prior to use; see Acronis Startup Recovery Manager (p. 21) to learn more about this procedure. To run the program, press F11 during bootup when you see a corresponding message that tells you to press that key. Acronis True Image Home will be run in standalone mode, allowing you to recover the damaged partitions.”
Page 21 Section 3.5.3 says:
“1. Install Acronis True Image Home.
2. Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager. To do so, click Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager and follow the wizard's instructions.
When Acronis Startup Recovery Manager is activated, it overwrites the master boot record (MBR) with its own boot code. If you have any third-party boot managers installed, you will have to reactivate them after activating the Startup Recovery Manager. For Linux loaders (e.g. LiLo and GRUB), you might consider installing them to a Linux root (or boot) partition boot record instead of MBR before activating Acronis Startup Recovery Manager.
If a failure occurs, turn on the computer and press F11 when you see the "Press F11 for Acronis Startup Recovery Manager" message. This will start a standalone version of Acronis True Image Home that differs only slightly from the complete version.”
E) As far as I am aware I have not activated prior to use, nor pressed F11 during bootup, nor clicked Activate. All very confusing.
F) Finally, I see my concern about the bios was that there were a lot of mentions in the User Guide about “Arranging boot sequence in BIOS (p. 185)” and it was in:
“Section 24.2.1 Installing an IDE hard disk drive, general scheme,
Item 5. Turn your computer on and enter BIOS setup by pressing the keys that are displayed on the screen while the computer is booting. ”
to which I was referring.
So does this refer to when I put my new hard disc in the only drive I have [C] I will see some keys mentioned on the screen? ~ which I will need to press?
Bin, sorry this has been rather laboured, but having finally trawled my way through the user manual, it left a lot of questions unanswered.
Many thanks and your support is really appreciated.
P.
Ok, I am going to try and compress this a bit because its huge !
I am very sure you do not need that Ghost file then, so good riddance to it.
The Docs & Setting folder may well contain all sorts of system files, and I am assuming you are using Windows XP here otherwise take no notice cos I don't know Vista or Win7.
Executable files are not normally kept within there, certainly not installed software but there will certainly be references to installed software so it is best not to mess around deleting anything.
In addition though it seems to me you have installed some software in Your own Downloaded software locatations and this can make things very complicated.
The simple rule is that ANY installed software will be in 'Program Files' in the C partition, Windows system software is in the 'Windows/System' or 'System32' folders but it isn't as simple as that either. So you cant' just copy and paste things from parts of the C partition to try and make it into a new one.
What you should do is CLONE your old drive onto the new one so that it works identically to the old one. You can still do this without losing any of your own data but you may need to be careful and this is where it may get complicated, if it isn't already. After you CLONE a drive you can use Disk Director to create new partitions and migrate your data however you like but we may be past that point. Forget about CCleaner for now, and Quicktime.
If you do a clean install then what you will have is Windows without any of your data or 3rd party software installed and there is no way around that but you would still be able to copy any information from a previously backed up C drive that contains your own data (such as documents) to anywhere you like.
The ASRM facility can be activated once True Image is installed under Options. It means that during the startup of your PC you can hit the F11 key when it says so (very near the begining) and you can load Acronis before Windows. It does not alter the MBR - the MBR is a fixed location on your HDD but the contents of the MBR ARE modified slightly to you allow Acronis software to do what it does when you hit F11.
If you prefer not to use ASRM then that is ok - you can create as many rescue boot CD's as you like and boot from them - remember to make sure your BIOS settings allow this.
It is ok P. It is a good work out for me lol. And everything I said may not be right and much could be added or put better but thats my go hehe.
Just ask my friend, there are people other than me to help and I have no bothers if they add things or make better/other suggestions.
yvw
bin
After thoughts - just make sure that Norton is not installed by going into Control Panel>Settings>Add Remove Programs and have a look. Also you cannot in any version of any operating system, copy 'older' installed software to new systems - will never work.