True Image Leaves Unallocated Space
I've currently got a Seagate Barracuda 40 GB ST340014A formatted as 1 partition with and want to replace it with a Maxtor Diamond Max 120GB 6Y120L0 with 1 partition as I'm running out of space.
(1) Using True Image in auto clone mode successfully copied the entire 40GB Seagate but left 80GB unallocated space on the Maxtor.
(2) Using True Image in manual clone mode together with proportional moving mode successfully copied the entire 40GB but left 80GB unallocated space on the Maxtor.
I don't want to format the unallocated space as a separate partition.
What's the solution to clone and utilise the full capacity as 1 partition?
System = WinXP Professional SP3
As Scott has written, you haver several options.
What version of TrueImage are you using?
1.Create a full disk backup and then restore the partition C and an option to resizse is available.
2. Or, Redo the clone and use manual mode and an option to resize is available
Note: you can practice or simulate either of the above until you are comfortable with the exercise. When you get to the summary screen, you have the option to Cancel or Proceed. Be sure and choose the Cancel option when practicing or if things do not look correct. The summary screen will show what TrueImage intends to do if you press the Procced button.
3. or, expand the unallocated space into the drive C by using Acronis Disk Director or a utility such as the CD version of Partition Wizard using the Move/Resize option and expand the C into the existing unallocated space.
Partition Wizard CD
http://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html
Thanks to both Scott and GroverH for your reponses.
I'm using True Image 7 - Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the point of using TI auto clone was to upgrade an existing HDD to a larger capacity HDD and to be able to utilise the additional space immediately? That's what's stated in the User Guide.
There's no reference anywhere in the User Guide about having to use an additional software free or purchased or to use manual clone mode in order to use the unallocated space .
Maxtor give away for free Maxblast to upgrade to a larger HDD. This software is the cloning portion of Acronis True Image but it also creates unallocated space. The wording on both their website and User Guide (identical to True Image UG) again makes no reference to additional software. Indeed the opposite is stated that by using Auto clone mode it will proprtionally transfer the original HDD information to the new HDD. Doesn't proportionally mean to expand the 40GB partition onto the 120GB disc as one partition?
The manual clone mode is referred to as 'for the advanced user' and auto mode is suitable for most of the time. Clearly both True Image and Maxblast User Guides are misleading.
How would a beginner know to choose backup instead of clone or manual mode instead of auto?
Is there software that simply clones the old disc to the new disc in one step or do they all require this 2 step process that you describe?
I am not familiar with the capabilities of version 7. I started my usage of TrueImage with version 8 and have progressively used version 8, versiion 9, version 10, version 11, version 2009, version 2010 and the current version 2011.
Your description of proportionally exapnd is correct. It there is only one partition, it should assign all space to the new drive. Is there any options for automatic cloning?
You are so close. At this point, why not try the Partition Wizard as I mentioned above or any of the options I mentioned.
Just curious. What type of computer is at issue here?
Hi GroverH,
As I described in my original post, V7 includes options for both auto and manual clone modes.
The User Guide states: -
"Sooner or later, many PC users find that their hard disk is too small. If you just don’t have space for more data, you can add another disk just for data storage as described in the following chapter. However, you might find that your hard disk does not have enough space for the operating system and installed applications, preventing you from updating your software. In this case, you have to transfer the system to a higher-capacity hard disk."
"There are two transfer modes available: automatic and manual - We recommend using automatic mode in most cases.
In the automatic mode, you will only have to take several simple actions to transfer all the data, including partitions, folders and files, to a newer disk, making it bootable if the original disk was bootable. There will be only one difference between these disks – partitions on the newer disk will be larger. Everything else, including the installed operating systems, data, disk labels, settings, software and everything else on the disk will remain the same. We recommend using automatic mode in most cases. The manual mode can be useful if you need to change the disk partition layout."
Auto mode indentifies both source and new HDD's and after user acceptance presents a choice of 3 moving modes - as is, proprtional, manual - but is defaulted to 'proportional'. Clicking next presents the cloning script window with the only option to proceed
Manual mode identifies both siurce and new HDD's and after user acceptance presents a n option to 'resize' partitions if the source HDD has more than 1 partition.
I tried both auto and manual clone modes and both were successful but left 80GB of unallocated space.
Also, I've downloaded Maxtor's latest free software Maxblast 5 (provided by Acronis) which can only be used with Maxtor HDD's but the result was exactly the same as True Image.
Having to use additional software like Partion Wizard seems wrong as the User Guides for both True Image and Maxblast state their use is for moving the system to a higher capacity HDD.
I've checked the BIOS to ensure LBA is enabled and can see the full 120GB capacity is recognised.
Having to use additional software as a solution is crazy and I can't believe Acronis want me to do it - Beats me!
PS - My computer is a desk top pc running WinXP SP3, 2GB RAM, 2GHz cpu
Hi GroverH,
As I described in my original post, V7 includes options for both auto and manual clone modes.
The User Guide states: -
"Sooner or later, many PC users find that their hard disk is too small. If you just don’t have space for more data, you can add another disk just for data storage as described in the following chapter. However, you might find that your hard disk does not have enough space for the operating system and installed applications, preventing you from updating your software. In this case, you have to transfer the system to a higher-capacity hard disk."
"There are two transfer modes available: automatic and manual - We recommend using automatic mode in most cases.
In the automatic mode, you will only have to take several simple actions to transfer all the data, including partitions, folders and files, to a newer disk, making it bootable if the original disk was bootable. There will be only one difference between these disks – partitions on the newer disk will be larger. Everything else, including the installed operating systems, data, disk labels, settings, software and everything else on the disk will remain the same. We recommend using automatic mode in most cases. The manual mode can be useful if you need to change the disk partition layout."
Auto mode indentifies both source and new HDD's and after user acceptance presents a choice of 3 moving modes - as is, proprtional, manual - but is defaulted to 'proportional'. Clicking next presents the cloning script window with the only option to proceed
Manual mode identifies both siurce and new HDD's and after user acceptance presents a n option to 'resize' partitions if the source HDD has more than 1 partition.
I tried both auto and manual clone modes and both were successful but left 80GB of unallocated space.
Also, I've downloaded Maxtor's latest free software Maxblast 5 (provided by Acronis) which can only be used with Maxtor HDD's but the result was exactly the same as True Image.
Having to use additional software like Partion Wizard seems wrong as the User Guides for both True Image and Maxblast state their use is for moving the system to a higher capacity HDD.
I've checked the BIOS to ensure LBA is enabled and can see the full 120GB capacity is recognised.
Having to use additional software as a solution is crazy and I can't believe Acronis want me to do it - Beats me!
PS - My computer is a desk top pc running WinXP SP3, 2GB RAM, 2GHz cpu
Having to use additional software as a solution is crazy and I can't believe Acronis want me to do it - Beats me!
Acronis has provided the mechanism to produce what you want but something is preventing that from happening.
I strongly urge having a backup of your system disk as a safety measure. Theoretically your source drive is not at risk but practically speakinig it is very much at risk. There is and have been so many posts of things happening during a cloning operation and the source is rendered useless. Sometimes, it is a mallfunction, other times power and other times a user bad choice, etc/ Either way, having a backup just makes practiacal sense.
If your system boots into Windows, open Windows Disk Management and look at the graphic illustration of your drive. Other than the unallocated space, is there other partitions--maybe unlettered which could be preventinig.
I booted from my Version 8 software and looked at the options in that version--which may or may not be similar.
The last screen (which is the proceed or cancel screen) of the clone options shows you what actions and sizes the cloning operation will produce. Likewise, the screen prior to that called "harddisk structure" shows you a preliminary view of the sizes to be completed.
You can simulate all of the cloning options and if you do not like the intended results, you can cancel. I would practice using the total manual mode and checkmark the option to resize and see what it offers.
Betters results are often obtained by having the target disk to be totally empty so the target disk has all unallocated space. . Any existing partitions can be deleted using the TrueImag Add Disk option features.
Good luck
Hi GroverH,
I always regularly backup my personal data to an external HDD but not the Win XP system etc as I can always re-install it if the HDD crashes. Immediately prior to cloning I'd backed up my personal data so everything was safe but thanks for the advice.
My existing drive was formatted as 1 partition and the target HDD was purchased new pre-formatted as 1 empty partition.
Using either auto or manual clone mode produces a harddisk structure screen with 80GB unallocated space on the target HDD and the proceed (cloning script) screen shows 40GB being cloned as 40GB.
I've simulated all variations of True Image as you describe but the outcome is always the same with 80GB unallocated space.
I reluctantly conclude the only solution is to use Disk Wizard to add this space.
If there are any file system errors, TI will usually not resize it because it might cause corruption. Is this possible here? Have you run chkdsk on the source partition to check for errors?
Do you have any other drives you could try cloning with resize (to verify if the problem is related to these drives only)?
Hi Mudcrab,
I decided to clone a 2nd computer with a fully working 80GB HDD to the new 120GB HDD and it cloned without problems and have the use of its full capacity - just what I expected to happen with my original computer,
Your conclusions about file system errors must be correct and my 40GB HDD must have errors and why TI didn't use the full 120GB capacity during the cloning.
I decided to do a clean install of WinXP on the new 120GB HDD and have the full 120GB.
Thanks for your advice - it's something to remember for future cloning as there's no reference in the TI User Guide.
I only used this restore procedure once before, and I didn't have the problem then. In the previous case, I restored about 200GB or so, from a RAID configuration of two WD Raptors (150GB each). I restored to one 500GB WD drive. All went well, with no un-allocated space. I didn't write down how I did it, because everything seemed to go well, with no mystery involved. Anyway, I'm using v11, booted to the "bootable rescue disc", and proceeded with the restore from an external USB HDD. The restore was from an 80GB drive, and I was restoring to a WD Raptor 150GB drive, which one previously used in the RAID configuration. I did cleanse the drive prior to this step. It now indicated 139.7GB unallocated space. After the restore procedure, the computer only showed the bigger drive as being a 74GB HDD, instead of the 139GB that it is, of course the allocated space of about 59GB or so existed. I read in the help of v11, of the resizing deal, where it mentioned you can just drag the mouse to make it bigger. I have yet to see anywhere where you can drag a mouse to do anything with the new drive that you want to restore, and as other MVPs have stated about auto and manual mode, I have no idea what they are talking about, since I thought whatever I was doing was "manual" with no other options involved. I mean "manual" is fine with me, I just want to get the job done. Any comments will be greatly appreciated. I do like suggestion of the sourceforge management, if worse comes to worse. There are good people there.
Dennis (pd)
If you do the easy restore, it just maps the old image on the new and you get what you have now. you need to do manual restore so you can resize the partitions to take up all available space on the target drive.
Same problem. I have a 2TB drive I want to clone to a 16TB drive with no unallocated space, the whole point of cloning a drive, and it won’t let me and even manual, partition size is greyed out
Allen Berrebbi wrote:Same problem. I have a 2TB drive I want to clone to a 16TB drive with no unallocated space, the whole point of cloning a drive, and it won’t let me and even manual, partition size is greyed out
Hello!
Please check this KB with the limitations in our old versions: https://kb.acronis.com/content/6533
Thanks in advance!
I suspect that differences in the drive geometry may be a partial explanation of the inability to clone. This would also preclude cloning to the same partition size.
If you can clone to the same partition size, do that then use a disk utility, such as MiniTool Partition Wizard Free to resize the partition.
If this issue is due to the drive geometry, you may be able to get there by will creating a backup and restoring it to the new drive. This may depend on the version of ATI you are using. The older the version the less likely that it will work.
If worse comes to worst, just format the new drive and copy the files to the new drive. Slow but will get there eventually.