Oh Man...I Need Some Help!

1- You have no reason to keep this recovery partition for any usage, but if you back it up along with all other partitions on your disk, you have a backup that is easier to use if you have to restore to a different disk. You can choose not to backup this partition. If you do this, and if your disk dies, you can still restore, but you might have to do some fixing (not hard).

2- You just need to create 2 things: (1) a disk and partition backup containint all the partitions of your disk using ATI to some external USB disk, and (2) an Acronis bootabl recovery CD that you can test by booting your computer on it and make sure you can access your backup

3- If I were you, I would create a partition only for the system, and a partition for your c:\users\.
Backup your disk using a disk and partition backup, and including all the partitions on your disk. Store this backup on a USB disk.
Launch the disk management console (search for create and format hard disk partitions). Take a screenshot and print it for reference.
Create your recovery CD. Test it.
Replace your old drive by your new SSD at the same spot in the computer.
Boot your computer on the recovery CD. Note that on the CD the drive letters are not the same as in windows. No issue. Pay attention to disk labels.
Restore the first partition alone. The new destination is your new SSD. If the partition was active in Windows, make it primary active for restore. Don't worry about the drive letter. Leave 1MB before that first partition to align the disk. After this partition is done, restore the following one. Do not resize any hidden and/or recovery partition. You can change the size of C:\ or any other user partition.
Finally, restore the MBR+track0 and the disk signature.
Reboot on your new SSD. To check the alignment, launch msinfo32.exe, components, storage, disk. Look at the offset of each partition. When expressed in bytes, it should be divisible by 4096. Then, it is aligned. If it is not aligned, simply redo the restore and verify that there is 1MB before the first partition, and that each partition is a round number of MB in size.

Pat L wrote:

2- You just need to create 2 things: (1) a disk and partition backup containint all the partitions of your disk using ATI to some external USB disk, and (2) an Acronis bootabl recovery CD that you can test by booting your computer on it and make sure you can access your backup

That would work, but I prefer to have a built in recovery console on a hidden partition if at all possible, which I could access by using the Sony utilty that launches the hiddden partition when pressing F10. If I am traveling with the laptop and things go amuk, its nice to have everything you need right on the laptop. While I will certainly also create an Acronis bootable recovery CD, its not realistic for me to be traveling with thast at all times.

The only issue is that I need a recovery partition that will recover my current Windows 7 OS. My current hidden partition is the original Vista install.

Guess I'm out of luck?

...and thanks for taking the time to provide the above info!

One other question, all these posts about alignment issues still make me very uncomfortable. I've read quite a few posts, and looked at the screenshots from Sys Info, but I'm still unclear on the specific criteria in Sys Info that you need to look for to determine whrther your system is currently aligned or not.

From an old Grover post it seems like the Partition Starting Offset for the first partition needs to be at 1,048,576? Is that it?

I have two partitions on my drive, and the Partition Starting Offset for the first partition IS at 1,048,576, but my Sectors/Track is 63. Is that correct???

It sounds like you have the correct alignment but this can help you confirm.

The Partition Starting Offset for my Disk #0, Partition #0 does start at 1,048,576. All the other particulars on your screen shot look to be specific to your drive and will be different for my drive.

Other than confirming that my Partition Starting Offset for Disk #0, Partition #0 does start at 1,048,576, is there anything else I'm missing here to confirm I am aligned properly???

Richard,

for the disk to be aligned each offset of each partition should be divisible by 4096 when expressed in *bytes*.

If you want a "recovery" partition. You can create an Acronis Secure Zone to store your backup, and active the "Acronis Startup Recovery Manager" that will act like you F10 function to launch ATI before Windows and restore a backup.

Note that if your disk dies, you won't have a backup.

Great...I'll give that a try (in addition to creating an Acronis Bootable Recovery CD).

Now I just need to see if I can find a "Guide" on the Acronis Secure Zone creation process. Thanks!

...and I am properly aligned as my Disk #0, Partition #1 has a Starting Partition Offset of 8,916,041,728 bytes (which is evenly divisible by 4,096). Thanks for the peace of mind here.

Richard,
Understand that the use of the Secure Zone is an optional feature. Its use is not required and most find it unnecessary.

The Startup Recover Manager is also an optional feature and even fewer people use. If you activate this feature, it may void a Sony startup feature if both use the same F11 key.

If you are not really familiar with these features, you may want to do some research before doing. Make the change to the features is quick and easy but undoing takes a lot longer and you may need help.

Yes...I was just about to post with a concern of the MBR getting changed and the F10 that currently activates the Sony/Vista recovery program on my hidden partition not accessing the hidden partition to the (new) Acronis Recovery Zone.

So if I lose the current capability to access this hidden partition using Sony's F10 key (I may not, as Sony's utilities for this laptop control this and they will still be installed), then how would I activate the Acronis recovery on bootup if I attempt this?

The first thing you can do is do a full disk backup of your current setup before activating the secure zone and ASRM. So if you don't like the behavior, you can restore your MBR back.

You won't need the F10 key any longer since you have upgraded the OS. The F10 would erase completely your disk and bring you back to Vista without your content and programs. Brrrr...Hate the thought of that :-) You would be better protected with:
- the ASZ and the ASRM (both can be created/activated from the Acronis tools menu) for everyday restore needs,
- an additional full disk (ie all-partition) backup that never gets too stale on an external disk and a tested recovery CD: this is what you will need in case your disk just dies.

In both cases, make sure you include all the partitions of your system disk in the backup.

Richard,
Don't misunderstand. I am not trying to discourage it use but trying to make sure you are aware of some of its features. This link may help.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3564#comment-3039

If you want to use the Startup Recovery Manager, it requres the existence and use of the Secure Zone. However, it is possible to use the Secure Zone without activating the Startup recover manager--otherwise referred to SZ and SRM.

Do remember one thing. If you activate any of these features, these are activated from within either of the TrueImage programs (Windows or CD) and likewise, should you want to discontinue their use, that also must be done from within TrueImage as well. The mistake most often made by users is that they delete the SZ from within Windows but the correct procedure is to the deletion from within TrueImage functions. Doing the uninstall of SZ and SRM from within the program provides TI with the opportunity for the user to choose where the now unused space is to be reassigned.

Those users who keep the Secure Zone like it for it ability to manage the size of the Secure Zone and the backups within. I do not use either of these functions so cannot comment on their effectiveness.

As expected...stuck right off the bat.

Acronis does see and recognize my WD 500GB "My Passport" USB drive as a drive to potentially backup (its listed right next to my C drive and my hidden D recovery partition), but when I try to point Acronis to that drive as the drive to back up to, its not there.

I cannot browse to my WD 500GB "My Passport" USB drive as the "Destination" for my backup, its just not there despite the fact that Acronis sees it as a drive that can be backed up in the top field.

Any help?

If you click on destination, choose browse in the list, you cannot navigate to the USB disk?

If not, are you backing up from ATI in Windows, or from the CD? Is there any content or partition that you have selected for the backup that is on the passport?

If from Windows, it is weird. Is it a regular USB 2.0? Is it hanging off a USB hub? Try a USB port directly connected to the computer.

Correct, I cannot navigate to the USB drive as my "Destination" for the backup, but Acronis does see it as a drive that can be backed up.

I am doing it from within Windows, and it is connected directly to a USB poret (no hub). Yes, regular USB 2.0.

Is this a drive with the WD Virtual CD thing?

If yes, can you disable the VCD via the WD SmartWare UI?

Make sure that the WD Passport is not checked as part of the items to be included in the backup.

Not sure whether you are considering this but having an external disk as the target for a secure zone storage location is not recommended.

Figured it out. For some reason, my system gave the WD drive the same drive letter (D) as my recovery partition, so it thought I was trying to backup a drive to itself.

I was able to figure out what was what by the drive sizes and all is well.

I have just backed up the entire system to it, and just creqted a recovery DVD.

Hopefully, you have assigned meaningful names to your partition C as well as your external disk. Your experience points out why it is important to use drive names and other disk characteristics as focal points rather than drive letters as Windows drive letters and TrueImage (Linux) drive letters are apples and oranges comparison.

Well, everything seemed to work fine, but I noticed a brief pop up window on my first boot that said the validation of the backup failed, check the log.

I attached my log (I think).

Everything seems to be working, but I guess I need to try again? Any ideas what the issue is from the attached log?

The validation failed because it couldn't find the file.
Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the TIB file you just created. Right click on it, choose archives > validate.

You misunderstood. I succesfully recovered the backup to my new SSD drive, and I am posting from the new drive right now. Everytning seemd to work fine, but I got this poip up window that said the backup could not be validated on my first successful boot.

Strange...

This might be this problem now:

http://kb.acronis.com/content/22114

That was it. I used the zip file to remove the entry from the registry.

Strange that I got this after recovering a backup...the Knowledge Base article says it happens after creating a backup.

Anyway, thanks! Guess I'm good to go!