Confirm ability to restore?
Home 2010 + Windows7
On the next earlier version of Acronis on Vista I had the need to restore an image. The image didn't restore. The error had something to do with missing some vital boot information. I didn't copy the message at the time because I was too annoyed, didn't have the time so I restored the system from the original image shipped with the computer and then restored all apps and data (I separately backup all data with SecondCopy each night).
**Is there a way that I can TEST an image restore without actually restoring to know if the images that I routinely automatically produce is worthwhile?**
Some specifics of my image profile:
1. I have selected the entire disk for backup
2. I have requested that the image be checked once done
Mark
That restore that didn't go well probably just needed the "repair" to be carried out by booting with your Vista installation dvd and choosing Repair. Other that restoring to a spare hard drive the next best thing would be to boot with the bootable True Image Rescue cd and do a validation on the Image - even though you did it during the making of the Image.
Ah ... oracle beat me to it. LOL
Hello all,
oracledba and DwnNDrty, you are absolutely correct. First thing is to use a bootable CD to validate an archive and then to restore it.
Please feel free to reply to this thread if you have any additional questions.
Thank you.
Because your suggested procedure requires booting the bootable CD to validate and test the archive, it seems timewise to just use the bootable CD to create the backup, and use the "validate on compleation" option (however it's worded!) -- or have I missunderstood something??
the point of using the bootable cd to validate/test the archive was to prove that linux drivers on the CD work with your hardware (and to a degree a training/education of you on how to boot/use the cd). Once you have proved that both the cd works on your hardware and you are trained in the process of using the recovery process from the cd then you can put the CD in a drawer and never touch it again.
From this point forward schedule both the backup and its validate as a task which occurs every night after hours. If the backup and validate completes without issue you know with 100% certainty that the data file is perfect. This un-attended, automatic bacup can and should continue day in day out for months or even years - you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning you have a perfect backup.
When and if that fatefull day comes and your HD crashes its not a big deal.
you go to the store buy a new HD, take out the broken one insert the new one, whip out your cd and perform the restore.
A few minutes later you willl be booting into windows as if nothing ever crashed with your pc looking exactly as it looked when you went to bed yesterday.
For what its worth a restore of .tib file onto an HD takes about as long as what the acronis needed to make the .tib file. So if a full backup took 90 minutes to make the .tib file a reasonable intial estimate is it will about 90 minutes to restore that tib file onto a new HD.
Hello all,
Yes, I can agree with oracledba's comments, they are correct, thank you! It's always useful to check the same validation from bootable CD.
Additionally to this, you are welcome to ask me any other questions concerning Acronis, and I will assist you further.
Regards,