Few questions before purchase...
So I'm not sure if True Image can do what I'm looking for, but hopefully someone can help me out with some straight forward (non technical) answers.
Basically I want to do a fresh install of Windows 8 and then install all my other apps like Photoshop, Office, Skype etc etc. Then I want to be able to back it all up on dvd and use it when I need to do a reinstall.
So my questions are:
1. Can ATI backup my OS and all applications?
2. Can this be written to dvd or... across multiple dvd's if needed?
3. If for example 6 months from now, if my system is slowing down or maybe got a virus... is it possible to completely format my C:\ drive and use this backup image to have a new fresh install again?
I would definitely not backup to DVD (although the product supports it, we have seen several users having serious issues at restore time).
As James F recommends: backup to a local USB disk.
Appreciate the feedback guys. I don't have any external drives and my SD card is only 32GB but already have 42GB of data on my C drive. Was wondering, is it possible to create a backup on one of my installed drives for example E and then use the Rescue Media on the SD card to boot the system and restore from the E drive or does it have to be an external drive?
After compression that 42GB of used space will come down to around 16 - 20GB.
I haven't tried installing the recovery environment onto an SD drive, so I'm unsure if this actually works. It does work from a USB stick.
You can certainly store images on another partition or drive, it isn't recommended to store them on another partition on the same disk due to if the disk dies your images die too. Storing them on another internal disk is fine.
Installing the recovery environment onto a CD is fine, it is just storing the actual images on a CD/DVD that is not recommended.
You could get an external hard drive for less than $50 that would hold what you need. Creating backup images to an external drive is the best protection.
Money is tight so if I spent more to get the external drive then I wouldn't have enough for the software lol. Ok so I want to try this out tomorrow (works been driving me insane) and not sure how to proceed. What I want to do is save my entire C drive to my E drive and then put Rescue Media on both a DVD+RW and on the SD Card to try it out and see if both work.
So how exactly do I start? And where is this Rescue Media I need to install on the DVD and SD Card? Is that a separate download? don't mind me... I have never used software like this before. But I figured since I like a fresh install of Windows every 6 months or so, then the investment would make sense for something like this and save me the hassle of reinstalling windows, then updating it and then reinstalling all my other apps... blah.
To make the recovery environment you need to either run Bootable Media Builder from Start Menu\All Programs\Acronis, or click on the Tools tab and select Create Media Builder as detailed here in the online help and user guide.
It is also available as an ISO in your Acronis account so long as you have registered your serial number.
Your PC will need to be able to boot from SD card if going that route, this means you might have to prepare the SD card similar to a a USB flash drive, but I've never tried this - note to self, something to try out sometime.
Thanks... found it and recovery seems to be working off the SD card. Now one last question if someone doesn't mind. Within the recovery will I be given an option to format my C drive before doing the recovery?
will I be given an option to format my C drive before doing the recovery?
No, formatting is not normally required as the destination disk will take the layout of the source disk from the information in the tib file.
Make sure you give your disk/partition labels as under the Linux environment drive lettering will be different whereas disk labels read the same as in Windows.
Do you have any suggestions then for formatting beforehand? My whole point on doing this is that if I get a virus or at the 6th month mark when I like a fresh install of windows... that its exactly that... a fresh install. Now in 6 months if I just use this recovery overtop of the existing install, won't there still be remnants left behind? For example... lets say I installed some antivirus program, to check out and then did the recovery which wouldn't have that on it... wouldn't the remnants of the antivirus still be on the drive but not running properly because the registry wouldn't have that in it?
No. When you restore a full disk image, it overwrites everything on the disk so nothing remains other than what was in the full disk image. Formatting before that is not required and would make no difference.
Ah ok I see now, I didn't realize this kind of software effected the entire disc... I thought it just basically backed up the software portion and that was it.
Mort,
Note what MVP Tuttle wrote
"When you restore a full disk image"
Note the key word disk .
You can have a "full" single partition backup; or a full multiple partition backup; or a full "FILE " backup. None of those qualify as a "disk image" backup because those examples to not include the entire contents of the disk. In order to be able to restore your system to a new disk, you need either a "disk image" or a Full partition backup of each and every partition on the system disk. These type backups can be done by True Image from within Windows or when booted from the TI Recovery CD.
A disk or partition image backup recovery will overwrite/replace the entire disk contents. Not so with a files/folder backup of files only.
I never do "files only" backups using TrueImage. All my TrueImage backups are either "disk image" (99%) or "partition image". If you have disk or partition backups of "all" partitions on our disk, then you have what is necessary to create a replacement disk should you have a disk failure or other issues with your hard drive.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/38691
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/28705
http://forum.acronis.com/sites/default/files/mvp/user285/guides/2010-ti…
ARG! Confusion lol.
Ok so a "full disc image" isn't what I made when I was in Partition Mode and changed the Backup scheme to full method? I need to switch to Disc Mode and do it?
<Ok so a "full disc image" isn't what I made when I was in Partition Mode and changed the Backup scheme to full method? I need to switch to Disc Mode and do it?
Perhaps you could post a screen shot of your task selection.
If your drive contains more than one partition, all visible partitions would be automatically selected if I remember correctly, but you may well be missing the system partition and you will be missing the MBR.
If you wish to include all hidden partitions and the MBR, then yes you need a complete disk image.
In addition to what MVP Colin has indicated, you may(?) have the equivalent of a disk image. It will depend whether your contents included all partitions. When disk mode is selected, all partitions are automatically included. If you use partition mode, then it is up to the user to make sure all partitions are included or all selected via individual partition backups.
Use the Windows Disk Management console and look at your disks via graphical view. This view is a picture of your disk and will show each partitions individually as a rectangular block. Note the partitions listed in this view and if you have all the same included in your current backup, then yes you have the equivalent otherwise no, if one is missing.
Edit: Your posting does not show all partitions so it is not possible to tell whether you have included all or not. Use the Windows Disk Management option to make a correct evaluation. Or look at your disk via TI Disk Mode and see if all the partitions that appear within the the disk selection also appear as checked in your task.