What is the best way to make an exact copy of my C drive, image or clone?

A clone will require a second disk dedidated to that only.

A better solution would be to perform a disk option backup which is a backup that includes all partitions both hidden and diagnostic. This type backup is a single file about 65-70% in size of your used hard drive space. It will be a single file if your external drive is NTFS. It will be split in 4G increments if the external is a FAT32 file type.

Make, label and keep a TrueImage Rescue CD so when the time passes, you will have the same exact program which created the backup. To be especailly safe, after the backup, boot from the Rescue CD and perform a validation on the backup. This procedure procedure still should be tested to make sure it all works. All too often, users do not test and when the time come for the backup to be restored, problems arise which could have been corrected--if the restore was tested before it was needed.

Remembe, the backup is designed for your specific computer and not designed to be restored on a new computer with different hardware.

Thanks very much for your in depth reply GroverH. You reply does highlight one flaw in my plan, that is if change my hardware. :-(

Is there a way to get around this?

Also one last question I have done the validation of the backup at the time of creating it and the program says it is validated. Do I still need to do the verification using the Rescue CD?

Thanks

Robert

I just bought the acronis plus pack for True image home 2011 which the website says it can restore your image to a different computer no matter what the hardware. It sure isn't simple, I tried to use it and first off it says I don't have the required files to make the disc bootable.

I search the help and it says I have to download "The Windows® Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows® 7" which is one thousand seven hundred and six Mb....1,706Mb are they kidding, what the hell would I need 1.7 gig of information just to back up my computers hard drive.

Surely it can't be this complicated to just have a backup that I can install back to my computer in 2 years time when I have more than likely changed my hardware, like graphics card, hard drives, memory etc.

Cheers

Robert

The plus pack has two features. One is the Universal Restore which is an option on the Rescue CD
The other is an option to create an optional Windows based WinPE REscue CD.

This specialized optional Rescue CD uses Windows drivers and is faster in processing but it is optional.

For most normal use, you can use the Rescue Media Builder included with TrueImage and it will create the necessary Rescue CD.
If you wish to include the Safe Vesion, this is part of the PlusPack and available from your registration page
TIH-addons.

Thanks again GroverH, you are a great help. I have burned a rescue disc with the full and safe version of TrueImage and I have tested it to boot my computer and it works, plus I have verified the backup.

I have also set up TrueImage to do a version chain backup every week. Which as far as I read it leaves the first full back-up in place, which I could use 2 years down the track to restore my newly built system.

I thought if I paid for and downloaded the plus pack it would just give me another option in the backup sequence or restore sequence that would allow me to restore to different hardware. All I get is the WinPE ISO builder.

I know a fair bit about computers but have had very little exposure to backups.

One more question if you could answer for me. If I download the 1.7 gig Windows® Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows® 7 and create the optional Windows based WinPE Rescue CD is this what gives me the option to re-install my back-up to different hardware?

Thanks, I really appreciate you helping me with this.

Robert

You know I wouldn't be asking all these question if UNIVERSAL RESTORE was mentioned anywhere in the procedure of burning a rescue disc.

Simple question is the rescue disc I have burned after installing the plus pack the UNIVERSAL RESCUE disc that allows me to restore to different hardware?

Thanks

Robert

Boot from the new CD and simulate performing a recovery. The Universal option will be displayed and you can check its use.

I have not used that function but you should be able to simulate until you reach a cancel or proceed option and then cancel.

Thanks again GroverH you are indeed a gentleman, after booting with the new rescue disk it did have an option for the Universal restore. It would be so much easier if they had some indication of the Universal Restore when creating the new disc. Or even a warning to make sure you burn a new rescue disc to allow access to the Universal restore feature.

There are still some buggy things like I told the program at the time of creating the first full backup to do "backup reserve copy" on a separate drive but ended up with a 6 gig file instead of a 16 gig file and the verification failed. I am not going to worry about chasing this one down I have just copied the original back-up over to the separate drive using file manager.

So bottom line with much help from GroverH I now have my first full back-up done, rescue disc done with access to Universal restore to different hardware, plus a copy of my first back-up as a spare in-case of failure. I am actually going to make a third copy after I post this just to be sure. :-)

Cheers

Robert

Hi GroverH,

One last question honest. :) I sent this to Acronis support also as they say I get 30 days of free support, but I thought I would ask you as well as you have been so helpful.

I have created a successful backup image of my 120 gig SSD Solid State C:\ drive to an external usb drive then used the rescue media disc to validate the image.

1. What I want to do now is shut down my computer, disconnect my SSD Solid State c:\ drive, use the rescue disk and install the backup image to a 500 gig normal internal drive to make sure the image really works with different hardware. Best to be sure now than 2 years down the track.

2. My question is, after the restore to the normal drive will I then be able to just shut down my computer, re-connect my SSD drive make it the first boot drive and have my computer exactly as it was before the backup to the normal hard drive?

If everything goes well I will then format the 500 gig internal drive and use it normally for storing my documents.

This image is of my new computer that I have just spent a week getting set-up just the way I want and I want to keep the image so at any time in the future, where my computer slows down and I may have changed my hardware, I can return my operating system and programs to their now pristine condition.

I am using Windows 7 64 bit

Thanks

Robert Seckold

Robert,
I'm glad you are finding TrueImage helpful.

Just be sure that the type of backup you are making is the disk option backup whereby you include a copy of each and every partition on your hard drive including any non-lettered or hidden or diagnostic partitions.

Hi GroverH,

The SSD is not partitioned and yes I did use the disc option backup.

I feel really nervous about actually doing the backup to the 500 internal hard drive as I don't want to screw up a weeks work getting my new computer just the way I want it.

Cheers

Robert

2. My question is, after the restore to the normal drive will I then be able to just shut down my computer, re-connect my SSD drive make it the first boot drive and have my computer exactly as it was before the backup to the normal hard drive?

Yes, But
If you perform the restore on the 500, the SSD should not be connected on the first boot following the restore.
When reconnecting the SSD, be sure the 500 is not connected during the first boot following the SSD connection. Disconnecting the data cable will suffice to remove the drive from being seen by Windows. YOu do not have to remove the drive --merely disable it by removing the connectors. If you want both drives attached, then you can reconnect the cable at a time later than the first boot.

Added edit: Any time you are switching boot disks, be sure only the single boot disk is connected. Connact an added alternate boot disk at a later boot.

Beautiful, thanks GroverH. The 500 gig drive is a hot swappable drive so I will just pull it out when I re-connect the SSD.

Cheers

Robert

Hi GroverH,

I really appreciate your help but I am just about done. I think I know just enough about computers to stuff one up.

1. I disconnected my SSD and recovered my back-up image to my internal 500 meg drive and that was when the fun began.

2. I was able to boot into windows and I thought great it works....not so fast....I ended up with no sound and all of my processors in control panel/system had question marks against them.

Thanks again GroverH but I am out of my depth and before I really screw up my computer I am giving up and going to ask for a refund.

I know I can reformat and rebuild my system, it is a pain, but at least this route is straight forward for me and works, it just takes longer to get things back up and running.

Take care

Thanks

Robert

Don't throw in the towel just yet. If you are willing to spend a little more time, maybe we can achieve your original goal.

As I am understanding.
You created a full disk backup of your SSD and that backup includes all partitions on the disk. As Windows 7 was installed, this istallation probably included several partitions.

In your restore attempt, you used this backup to replicate (restore) your SSD backup onto the 500GB disk.

In your restore attempt, what options did you check as to what was to be restored?

Attached are sample pictures of two different Windows installations. Would you open your Windows Disk Mangement and see if your SSD partition information looks like either. Or, perhaps you can perform a screen capture of the Windows Disk management Graphical view and post it as an attachment.

If you need help posting an attachment, here is a link to show how to post attachments on this forum.

http://forum.acronis.com/sites/default/files/forum/2010/07/12605/Upload…

A quick way to Windows Disk Management is to
Right click on the "Computer" icon and click on the Manage option.
Then select the Disk Mangement option.
I don't have Win 7 so maybe your internal help file can provide more info on how to reach your Disk Management option.

Sample Disk Management attachments below.

Hi GroverH,

There was a check box ticked inside of Acronis against C:/ drive and system reserved, I then went to the disc page option which had a check mark against my C:/Drive. This was the back-up which I restored to my 500 gig drive.

I am afraid I have already asked for a refund as I am spending more time trying to get this to work than I would just formatting and re-installing everything.

I have attached a screen dump of the disc management application. It shows active in the System reserved section if that helps you or not. I have also included another screen dump showing the greyed out selection of "Extend Volume" which stops me from combining the two partitions of my 500 gig drive.

Cheers

Robert

HOLY %#%#%# DOUBLE CRAP.

I just un-installed Acronis True Image Home 2011 and it said I needed to re-boot my computer. You can imagine my bloody disgust when my computer re-booted it said "Please insert boot media." I re-started and went into the bios boot section and my C:\ drive SSD was not there!!!!!!!!!!!! All it had was my 1 gig internal drive.

Luckily I dug around in the bios and found a default setting set up by Enspire the company who built the computer for me and I now have my computer back.

I am sorry GroverH but I am out of here, thanks for your help but Acronis is doing its best to F#CK up my computer and I have had enough.

Robert

In retrospect.
1. In order to make D & E into one, you will need to delete the empty E partition and then D can be expanded the full size of the disk. E appears empty.

2. In your attachment, note that the partitioon G is not marked as Active. G also has a drive letter which it should not have. In Win 7, I believe you can use Win7 to make G active and remove the drive letter--both would need to be fixed. When the 500 was the only drive, the drive H would have been changed to Drive C.

3. Using the backup, restoring the MBR/track 0 option plus checkmarking "Recover the disk signature" would have probably make your repaired your system workable or another new restore with proper settings would have produced a working drive.

4. Your experinces serve to point out the advantage of testing you procedures on a trial or test disk before you restore onto a working drive.

5. I can understand you want no part of TrueImage but I might add that recoverying an existing system onto a new drive is not easy regardless of which vendor you use.

6. Good luck.

Hi GroverH,

Thanks for the extra info re my 500 gig drive, I now have it all back to normal in one partition.

Yes I think I went one step too far with my skill set and will just stick to what I know how to do, a re-format and re-install every 2 years or so.

Cheers

Robert

Hi GroverH,

Just something I thought I would mention which would be a trap for people restoring their image using Universal Restore, apparently Universal Restore does not work when you use non stop backup......not something you want to find out AFTER your computer has crashed.

Would be nice if Acronis actually had a warning notice when you choose the "non stop" backup option like "Oh by the way if you plan to use Universal Restore to different hardware IT WON'T WORK" Instead of telling you after you find these instructions on how to restore your image.
http://kb.acronis.com/content/13671

Robert,
Your suggestion would be a good one for you to post in the wish list.

http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3118?page=3

Done. :)