Restore to empty drive not supported!?
I'm using TrueImage 2013 Home. I created a backup of my SSD that had one partition, containing Windows 7. Then I wiped the SSD, installed a different OS on it. Then I decided I wanted Windows 7 back on that drive. So I booted from the TrueImage bootable USB stick I had created earlier. I selected the backup image file and then I arrived at the destination selection screen. And this is where the trouble starts.
The destination screen shows all the disks, and all the partitions on them. I can now select existing partitions. But I didn't want that. I want to restore the image I created and have it reset the exact same partitions as before. Somehow this screen doesn't let me do that.
So I figured I should wipe my SSD drive first, so it didn't have any partitions. Maybe then TrueImage will recreate the old ones. So then I wiped the SSD and again booted TrueImage from the USB stick. This time the destination screen didn't show my SSD at all! It shows all other drivers available, but not my SSD.
Just to be sure I booted from a Windows 8 setup disk to see if my SSD would be displayed there. And sure it did. So my SSD hasn't failed. I also don't think it's a driver issue, since the SSD was found by the TrueImage bootable USB during my first restore attempt.
Now I'm stuck. How can I restore the images I backed up? Can it be this requires a "dissimilar hardware" version? It's the same hardware...
While waiting for an answer to this question, I did a new install of Windows 8 on the SSD. So when I tried your "Add a new disk" tool my SSD wasn't completely wiped anymore.
So I ran the "Add a new disk" tool. My SSD showed up. When I selected it, it warned me the disk already contained partitions and that they would be deleted. That was fine by me, so I continued. Then I was surprised to see I had to create new partitions on the SSD. Anyway, I created the partitions (Win 7 requires two, I think. A hidden system thingie and the main partition).
Then I ran the Restore wizard again. I chose to restore to the SSD, carefully matching the source partitions to the newly created destination partitions. I was surprised to see TrueImage says the source C: partition will be restored as E: !? Well, the restore is running now, so we'll see how it goes.
One lingering question: Why is TrueImage sooo hard to use? They way I see disk imaging software is very simple. The most basic features this software has to offer is creating a disk image and allowing it to be restored. All other features are nice and MAY be required for certain scenarios. But they should be well hidden when they are not needed. If a user just wants to restore an entire disk image, then why bother the user with all sorts of advanced options, like selecting destinations partitions, selecting whether they should be active, primary, etc. I think TrueImage only has to ask me for a destination disk. If it sees the disk isn't empty, it should warn me and ask me if I'm OK with overwriting this data or, if I'm not OK with that, guide me to the advanced restoration features. In case I'm OK, it should wipe the destination disk and restore it exactly the way it was when I created the image of it.
Maybe I'm missing something here. Or maybe the bootable USB version of TrueImage is more complicated than the Windows version. I don't know, but I'm very confused.
Anyway, the restore operation is still running, so to be continued...
I created the partitions (Win 7 requires two, I think. A hidden system thingie and the main partition).
That's the default, but not actually required unless you use BitLocker encryption. There are ways to install without that extra partition, or to remove it.
Why is TrueImage sooo hard to use? They way I see disk imaging software is very simple. The most basic features this software has to offer is creating a disk image and allowing it to be restored. All other features are nice and MAY be required for certain scenarios. But they should be well hidden when they are not needed. If a user just wants to restore an entire disk image, then why bother the user with all sorts of advanced options, like...
You're not the first one to raise this. Many of the "extra" features are not used by power users, however there are many users who want them. I'd like to see a "Custom" install option, so that we can select which features or modules not to install if we don't want them. A configuration panel would be excellent, that could allow an existing installation to be modified not to display unwanted features, or to hide them in an advanced or extra menu. Many applications do that.
The restore operation finished. When booting I got a nasty BCD error. Turns out I had to mark that smaller partition as being Active. Why didn't TrueImage do that for me? Anyway, when I did that it booted just fine.
Now I'm trying to do it again using the Windows version of TrueImage Home 2013. The backup image I want to recover actually consists of two files: a full image and an incremental update image. I want to restore the latter one. So I click "Recover" and TrueImage asks me for a location of the backup images. Using the browse function I select the incremental update file and to my surprise a new entry in the available backups list is created whose filename says ..._full_.... So even though I only selected the incremental update, TrueImage adds the entry using the Full filename. Of course the full and incremental image files are dependent on eachother, so it makes sense to present them as a backup set instead of separate files. But still I find this confusing.
Next step: select "Recover". The window that appears displays a version selector on top. It shows me that my backup image contains two versions and allows me to select one. However, the selector only shows dates and I created both the full and the incremental update on the same date. So how can I tell which is which!? (see attached screenshot). Madness!
Below, it shows the partitions my image contains. Over on the right is a small link that says "Switch to disk mode". This looks like it's exactly the kind of thing I was wishing for above! Apparently the bootable USB version doesn't have these two modes and only shows Partition Mode. But why isn't this the default mode for the Windows version. And why is that switch link so well hidden?
To be continued...
The bootable Recovery Media can indeed perform a full disk restore. You need to ensure that the disk checkbox is checked, rather than just partitions.
Most MVPs recommend restoring only from the bootable Recovery Media. While I have done restores from the installed Windows version, I understand that it's prudent to use the bootable Recovery Media in order to remove Windows from the equation.
The bootable Recovery Media can indeed perform a full disk restore. You need to ensure that the disk checkbox is checked, rather than just partitions.
I'm pretty sure I checked the disk checkbox, which in turn checked the partition checkboxes below it.
Most MVPs recommend restoring only from the bootable Recovery Media. While I have done restores from the installed Windows version, I understand that it's prudent to use the bootable Recovery Media in order to remove Windows from the equation.
Yeah, since I am currently restoring the image to the boot drive, I was already wondering how TrueImage would handle that. After starting the recovery operation it warned me of several things, but not that it was going to reboot. Then after some time it asked me if I wanted to reboot. When I did I noticed it started the bootable version. It's still running...
The User Interface of TrueImage 2013 is one of the worst I've seen in a while. I'm a software developer myself and know a thing or two about UI design. This is pure madness, I think...
Leon,
After using the "add new disk" tool, it is not necessary to create the partitions on the now empty disk. The restore process will create the partitions from the backup as they were when the original drive was backed up. You can manually adjust the partitions during the restore processi f you wish, by restoring each partition from the backup separately.
James
Leon,
Check this link. Particularly item 1 and 2 although the other entries may be of additional interest.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/29618
Many of us recommend that you open Windows Disk Management and print the graphical view of your disks. This view/printout will shows the correct partition sequence and which partition is the active partition. It is important that the user knows the correct partition information so user can verify or control or correct how a replacement is created.