M
Mike Torello
Alex said:
Because it's totally unnecessary. Do it from within Windows.
Because it's totally unnecessary. Do it from within Windows.
J
Jonathan Harker
Holy CRAP! 300+ lines, not including the quoted material!!!
That's just plain excessive.
A
Alias
Jonathan said:
Get the **** over your anal tendencies.
Alias
A
Alex
Wow, thanks a lot, Anna, for the extensive instructions. You should
have written the manual for the program, it's simple and
straightforward.
One thing isn't clear yet though: I have looked up the terms
differential and incremental backup in the manual but the explanation
is chinese to me. First of, the manual says "All archive files must be
in the same folder. This folder can span multiple CDs or DVDs". Isn't
this contradictory? How can one and the same folder be on disk 1 as
well as on disk 2? Or do they simply mean that the folder NAME
containing the backup files should be the same, e.g. disk 1 has a
folder named "My_backups" containing one full image and 5 incremental
images, while disk 2 has the same "My_backups" folder containing the
last 3 differential backups?
Second, what I understand is that incremental backups save changes
since the last full or incremental backup so you have at least 1 full
image file and 1 or more incremental files. A differential backup
however records changes since your first, full backup so does this
mean that with differential you always have 2 files: the full and the
differential and when you want to make another backup, then delete the
differential and create a new differential?? I need an aspirine.
Examples maybe illustrating the difference. Sorry about the noobish
question but I don't talk bits and bytes.
A
Alex
Wow, thanks a lot, Anna, for the extensive instructions. You should
have written the manual for the program, it's simple and
straightforward.
One thing isn't clear yet though: I have looked up the terms
differential and incremental backup in the manual but the explanation
is chinese to me. First of, the manual says "All archive files must be
in the same folder. This folder can span multiple CDs or DVDs". Isn't
this contradictory? How can one and the same folder be on disk 1 as
well as on disk 2? Or do they simply mean that the folder NAME
containing the backup files should be the same, e.g. disk 1 has a
folder named "My_backups" containing one full image and 5 incremental
images, while disk 2 has the same "My_backups" folder containing the
last 3 differential backups?
Second, what I understand is that incremental backups save changes
since the last full or incremental backup so you have at least 1 full
image file and 1 or more incremental files. A differential backup
however records changes since your first, full backup so does this
mean that with differential you always have 2 files: the full and the
differential and when you want to make another backup, then delete the
differential and create a new differential?? I need an aspirine.
Examples maybe illustrating the difference. Sorry about the noobish
question but I don't talk bits and bytes.
have written the manual for the program, it's simple and
straightforward.
One thing isn't clear yet though: I have looked up the terms
differential and incremental backup in the manual but the explanation
is chinese to me. First of, the manual says "All archive files must be
in the same folder. This folder can span multiple CDs or DVDs". Isn't
this contradictory? How can one and the same folder be on disk 1 as
well as on disk 2? Or do they simply mean that the folder NAME
containing the backup files should be the same, e.g. disk 1 has a
folder named "My_backups" containing one full image and 5 incremental
images, while disk 2 has the same "My_backups" folder containing the
last 3 differential backups?
Second, what I understand is that incremental backups save changes
since the last full or incremental backup so you have at least 1 full
image file and 1 or more incremental files. A differential backup
however records changes since your first, full backup so does this
mean that with differential you always have 2 files: the full and the
differential and when you want to make another backup, then delete the
differential and create a new differential?? I need an aspirine.
Examples maybe illustrating the difference. Sorry about the noobish
question but I don't talk bits and bytes.
A
Anna
Alex said:
Alex:
I thing you've got the distinction between incremental & differential files
(or what Acronis terms "archives") just about right.
Here's a description of each straight from Acronis...
"Incremental backup:
Backs up only changes that occurred since the last backup. When starting for
the first time, the incremental backup requires a full backup archive. All
subsequent archives are based on the most recent incremental backup. An
incremental archive file requires less storage space, but for restoration
from the archive, you will be prompted to provide the base full archive and
all subsequent backups. All archive files must be in the same folder.
Incremental backup:
Backs up only changes that occurred since the last full backup. A
differential archive file requires less storage space than a full backup but
more space than an incremental one. For restoration from the archive, you
will be prompted to provide the base full archive and differential backup
only. Both must be in the same folder."
I also have the following in my notes and I think these are also direct
quotes from Acronis, but I'm not absolutely certain of that...
"Both differential and incremental backups are "smart" backups that save
time and disk space by only backing up changed files. But they differ
significantly in how they do it - and how useful the result is.
A full backup created from within Windows, of course, backs up all the files
in a partition or on a disk by copying all disk sectors with data to the
backup image file. Creating a full backup for unknown or damaged file
systems Acronis True Image copies all sectors to the image file, whether or
not the sector contains data. This is the simplest form of backup, but it is
also the most time-consuming, space-intensive and the least flexible.
Typically full backups are only done once a week and are part of an overall
backup plan. Sometimes a full backup is done after a major change of the
data on the disk, such as an operating system upgrade or software install.
The relatively long intervals between backups mean that if something goes
wrong, a lot of data is going to be lost. That's why it is wise to back up
data between full backups.
Most of the information on a computer changes very slowly or not at all.
This includes the applications themselves, the operating system and even
most of the user data. Typically, only a small percentage of the information
in a partition or disk changes on a daily, or even a weekly, basis. For that
reason, it makes sense only to back up the data that has changed on a daily
basis. This is the basis of sophisticated backup strategies.
Differential backups were the next step in the evolution of backup
strategies. A differential backup backs up only the files that changed since
the last full back. For example, suppose you do a full backup on Sunday. On
Monday you back up only the files that changed since Sunday, on Tuesday you
back up only the files that changed since Sunday, and so on until the next
full backup. Differential backups are quicker than full backups because so
much less data is being backed up. But the amount of data being backed up
grows with each differential backup until the next full back up.
Differential backups are more flexible than full backups, but still unwieldy
to do more than about once a day, especially as the next full backup
approaches.
Incremental backups also back up only the changed data, but they only back
up the data that has changed since the last backup - be it a full or
incremental backup. They are sometimes called "differential incremental
backups," while differential backups are sometimes called "cumulative
incremental backups." Confused yet? Don't be.
If you do an incremental backup on Tuesday, you only back up the data that
changed since the incremental backup on Monday. The result is a much
smaller, faster backup. The characteristic of incremental backups is the
shorter the time interval between backups, the less data to be backed up. In
fact, with sophisticated backup software like Acronis True Image, the
backups are so small and so fast you can actually back up every hour, or
even more frequently, depending on the work you're doing and how important
it is to have current backups.
While incremental backups give much greater flexibility and granularity
(time between backups), they have the reputation for taking longer to
restore because the backup has to be reconstituted from the last full backup
and all the incremental backups since. Acronis True Image uses special
snapshot technology to rebuild the full image quickly for restoration. This
makes incremental backups much more practical for the average enterprise."
And this explanation is from another source that I once came across on the
net...
"What is differential backup?
A differential backup contains all files that have changed since the last
FULL backup. The advantage of a differential backup is that it shortens
restore time compared to a full backup or an incremental backup. However, if
you perform the differential backup too many times, the size of the
differential backup might grow to be larger than the baseline full backup.
Description of the differential backup type:
There is a significant, but sometimes confusing, distinction between
differential backup and incremental backup. Whereas incremental backs up all
the files modified since the last full backup or incremental backup,
differential backup offers a middle ground by backing up all the files that
have changed since the last full backup. That is where it gets its name: it
backs up everything that's different since the last full backup.
Restoring a differential backup is a faster process than restoring an
incremental backup because only two backup container files are needed: the
latest full backup and the latest differential.
Use differential backup if you have a reasonable amount of time to perform
backups. The upside is that only two backup container files are needed to
perform a complete restore. The downside is if you run multiple differential
backups after your full backup, you're probably including some files in each
differential backup that were already included in earlier differential
backups, but haven't been recently modified.
Advantages:
Restore is faster than restoring from incremental backup
Backing up is faster than a full backup
The storage space requirements are lower than for full backup
Disadvantages:
Restore is slower than restoring from full backup
Backing up is slower than incremental backup
The storage space requirements are higher than for incremental backup"
In any event you might want to try both approaches to see if you're
particularly
comfortable with one or the other. One of our chief concerns is with the
speed of the backup process (we're not particularly concerned with the speed
of the recovery process since (hopefully!) that would be a rare event) so
we've found that the incremental backup process better suits us. But do
experiment for yourself.
Anna
A
Alex
OK, there's a typing error in paragraph 3 that should read
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never though backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
- Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
- Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never though backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
- Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
- Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
A
Alex
OK, there's a typing error in paragraph 3 that should read
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
- Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
- Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
- Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
- Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
A
Alex
OK, there's a typing error in paragraph 3 that should read
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
+ Faster backups than method 2
+ Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
+ Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
+ Faster backups than method 2
+ Slower restore than method 2
- On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
+ Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
A
Alex
OK, there's a typing error in paragraph 3 that should read
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
+ Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
+ On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
+ Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
differential backup iso incremental backup, but I've got your point so
no worries. I never thought backups could be so confusing. Having read
all this I was wondering how my backup would look like in the
following example:
Assume I want to backup on a daily basis and after 2 weeks I do a
complete backup:
METHOD 1(incremental):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: incremental backup 1
Day 13: there will be 12 Incremental files
Day 14: Make a new full backup and delete all previous backup files.
METHOD 2(differential):
Day 1: full backup
Day 2: differential backup 1
Day 3: differential backup 2 and delete differential backup 1 since
differential 2 already contains all changes since the full backup
Day 13: there will be 1 full backup file and 1 differential file
Day 14: new full backup and delete the previous 2 backup files
Difference:
METHOD 1:
+ Faster backups than method 2
- Slower restore than method 2
+ On day 13 all 13 files(1 full + 12 incremental) take less space than
the 2 files in method 2 (1 full + 1differential)
METHOD 2:
- Slower backups
+ Faster restore
- Takes more space
Did I get this all right?
If correct, I would indeed prefer to use method 1 (incremental) too.
Thanks
J
JS
Which ever method you end up using I would not delete earlier backups on Day
14.
I would keep at least a few earlier backups just in case your most recent
backup
is corrupted, contains a virus your not aware of until after day 14, or for
whatever
reason you want to roll your PC back to an earlier date.
14.
I would keep at least a few earlier backups just in case your most recent
backup
is corrupted, contains a virus your not aware of until after day 14, or for
whatever
reason you want to roll your PC back to an earlier date.
A
Anna
Alex said:
Alex:
Sorry about the typo. It was pretty much a "cut & paste" job and while I
made some minor editing changes (mostly stylistic), I may have inserted a
typo or two.
Anyway, most users (in my experience) prefer the incremental backup routine
over the differential route for the basic reason you mentioned - it's
generally considerably faster in creating backups and that's really the
operation most users are primarily concerned with when employing a
comprehensive backup program such as the Acronis imaging program. Unless you
have some unusual needs you'll be backing up your system far more many times
than restoring the system.
Another advantage of the incremental backup process for some users is that
it provides the capability of creating "generational" copies of one's system
at different points-in-time. This capability can be particularly useful for
some users.
For the most part, given today's large-capacity disks no longer is providing
disk-space for backup files ("archives") a major consideration for most
users. Depending upon the size of these backups and their frequency, there
might not be much appreciable difference between the two approaches in terms
of disk-space requirements.
Still, why don't you experiment with both approaches? Get a feel for each
and then determine which best meets your specific needs.
Anna
A
Alex
Allright, I just made an incremental backup and it looks
straightforward to me. Now for the restore I would like to test this
on my secondary hard drive (D
which may be formatted anyway. Therestore process won't be a problem I'm sure but what about when I want
to boot with the secondary drive just to test if all programs, files
and settings are put back as it was? Do I simply unplug the IDE cable
of my main hard drive (C
and startup pc with only the D: driveconnected? My hard drives seem to be attached to 2 different slots on
the mobo with 2 different IDE cables as far as I can see. And when I'm
done testing the drive I re-attach everything the way it was and
startup again? I have a feeling that this is more tricky than I think
considering windows activation issues, a D: drive that suddenly
becomes a C: drive and then a D: drive again, and who knows what else.
G
Guest
Alex said:
Backups are a problem because vendors plan and users don't.
The vendor objective is to have the biggest hard drive and the fewest
support calls...so you get one huge partition.
The user doesn't know any better or how to fix it.
Backing up a huge partition is so time/media consuming that users don't
do it.
Incremental backups are attractive because they only store the changed
stuff.
The bad news is that you can be in big trouble if your dog eats one
of the discs/tapes from the middle of the sequence.
The solution is to PLAN the backup FIRST.
WHY are you backing up and which method to use???
You need an image of the boot partition to overcome all the anti-piracy
and security roadblocks that M$ puts in your way. You need to be able to
restore the boot partition without jumping through a bunch of hoops.
Acronis is great for this. You want it to be quick, painless and foolproof.
Let me say that again...If it's hard do backup, you won't do it.
A backup strategy must be EASY to do.
You do NOT need a disk image to back up non-OS stuff, especially things
that don't change. You do not need continuous backups of fixed databases
like mapping programs. You do NOT need continuous backups of your music
collection or your porn collection. You do NOT need frequent backups of
stuff that's easy to reinstall.
I have multiple partitions on my hard drive.
For XP, I use 8GB.
For Vista, I use 14GB.
If you have a lot of memory and insist on having your swapfile
on c:, you may need more. Ditto if you use hibernation.
C: has the operating system and the few programs that won't install
elsewhere. Anything requiring activation or online
"mothermayIprettypleaseuseMYsoftware" needs to be part of the image.
There's no need to have a gigabyte of MS streetsandtrips
on c:. Put it on d: and don't back it up. It's trivial to reinstall
if you ever need it and takes little reconfiguration.
Consider the media you'll be using. My objective was to have a compressed
backup of c: fit on ONE DVD-RW.
Two, or three or six DVD's doesn't sound like a lot until you realize
that you have to sit there and watch it so you can swap the media.
If it's 14 or 21 or 42 CDRW, it's absurd. You WILL NOT DO IT often enough.
I have an external USB hard drive that I use to COPY data files from d:,
e: etc. I also save a copy of the c: image there. The external drive
is turned off 99.9% of the time so it doesn't get corrupted by malware.
If you want to backup to a USB hard drive, there's a speed issue to
consider. Some disk image programs have trouble with USB2.0. Backing
up/restoring at USB1 speeds is excruciating. For example, Acronis 8
rescue media
works fine at USB2.0 speed on my old system with the PCI USB card
using a NEC chipset. It only does USB1 speed on my newer system
with motherboard USB2.0 ports.
I bought a 16GB USB flash drive with the intention of backing up to it.
Much to my dismay, all my disk imaging programs think a USB flash drive
is a floppy and get all upset.
In a couple of clicks, I can painlessly do a full image of c:
to a DVD-RW or to a directory on d:
People give me grief when I insist on booting from the rescue media
to do a backup. Well, here's why...
If you always boot from the rescue media, you always get the same result.
You're gonna invest a lot of time making your first backup and
verifying that it works. To do it right, you have to replace your hard
drive and
restore to bare metal. Otherwise, you'll never know if the process works.
Once you get it working, it will always work.
If you backup from within windows, you're at the mercy of the latest
M$ critical update that sneaks in some more stuff to protect YOU
from piracy and breaks your backup/restore system.
Shouldn't be a problem, but it wouldn't be the first time
that an update screwed up something.
Sure, you can take the risk, but why?
After your hard drive dies is NOT the time to learn that your backups
haven't worked for the last six months.
Are we having fun yet?
Well, at least we're thinking...
mike
A
Alex
Thanks for the input. Everyone has his/her own backup strategies,
that's for sure. But what about the questions in my previous post: I
have a disk image on my external usb drive. I want to restore this
drive image to my secondary drive (D
and boot with this drive onlyto test if everything is restored properly. After that, I want to boot
up with my main C: drive as I used to, format my D: drive and use it
for data and backups. Do I leave all drives connected and change the
boot drive from BIOS or do I disconnect my main C: drive so that it
can only boot with D:? Or will my system detect that there are 2 boot
drives and ask me with which one I wish to boot? Or is it not as easy
as this?
A
Anna
Alex said:
Allright, I just made an incremental backup and it looks
straightforward to me. Now for the restore I would like to test this
on my secondary hard drive (D
which may be formatted anyway. Therestore process won't be a problem I'm sure but what about when I want
to boot with the secondary drive just to test if all programs, files
and settings are put back as it was? Do I simply unplug the IDE cable
of my main hard drive (C
and startup pc with only the D: driveconnected? My hard drives seem to be attached to 2 different slots on
the mobo with 2 different IDE cables as far as I can see. And when I'm
done testing the drive I re-attach everything the way it was and
startup again? I have a feeling that this is more tricky than I think
considering windows activation issues, a D: drive that suddenly
becomes a C: drive and then a D: drive again, and who knows what else.
Alex:
First of all you *cannot* restore the same disk that contains your backup
files (archives). The Acronis True Image program will not permit this.
What you could do is move or copy those backup files (archives) that you
created from their present storage on your secondary HDD to your source HDD
and then use the restore process to determine if the restoration has been
effective by "restoring" your secondary HDD.
So you can save the backup files (archives) to, for example, a folder you
create in your root C: directory, e.g., "Acronis backup files" and store the
files (archives) there. Understand this is solely for testing purposes since
it's obviously a poor idea to store backup files that are designed to be
used in the restoration process on the same physical disk that presumably
will be the drive that requires restoration. Should that source HDD fail
obviously there would be no way to access the backup archives in order to
restore the drive.
There's no need for any hardware configuration following the restoration
process. Following the recovery process you'll access your BIOS and change
the boot priority order to boot to the destination drive, in this case your
secondary HDD.
The process is not "tricky" at all. Just proceed through the Acronis screens
with reasonable diligence and you should have no problem.
Incidentally, I revised the step-by-step instructions for the Acronis v11
program as it involves its disk-imaging process. I would appreciate it if
you (or anyone familiar with the ATI Home v11 program) would check out the
following step-by-step instructions and let me know if there are any
misstatements or unclear material. I don't generally use the Acronis program
for comprehensive backup purposes any more since I prefer the Casper 5
disk-cloning program. (Casper does not have disk-imaging capability).
Thanks.
Disk Imaging: The following are step-by-step instructions for using the
Acronis True Image Home 11 program to create disk images for backup purposes
and using those disk images for recovery of the system...
Note: The recipient of the disk image, presumably a USB external HDD or an
internal HDD, ordinarily must be a formatted drive and have a drive letter
assigned to it.
Before undertaking this disk imaging process it's probably best to close all
programs running in the background including your anti-virus and other
anti-malware programs. It's also best that the only storage devices
connected to the PC are the two hard drives that will be involved in this
disk-imaging process - the "source" and "destination" drives.
1. With both your source and destination hard drives connected, access the
Acronis program and click "Backup and Restore" on the main menu.
2. On the following "Backup and Restore" screen click Backup.
3. The "Welcome to the Create Backup Wizard!" screen opens. Click Next.
4. The "Select Backup Type" screen opens. Select the default "My Computer"
option and click Next.
5. On the next screen select the default "Disks and partitions" option. By
so doing you will be backing up your entire system. Click Next.
6. The "Partitions Selection" screen opens reflecting the source and
destination disks and their partitions. Assuming you want to back up the
entire contents of your source HDD, check all the source disk's partitions.
Presumably this disk will be listed as "Disk 1" in most cases. Click Next.
7. On the next screen - "Source Files Exclusion" - do not check any of the
boxes; just click Next.
8. An informational message appears concerning the incremental or
differential backup process. Since this disk-imaging operation is the first
backup of your system, just click OK.
9. On the "Backup Archive Location" screen that opens click on the "+"
symbol next to the "My Computer" item so as to list all the drives connected
in the system. Select (highlight) the disk and folder you want to serve as
the destination drive for the disk image. The program will enter the drive
letter of that disk (we'll assume it's F: in this example) in the "Folder:"
text box at the bottom of the screen. Enter a file name for the backup file,
e.g., "Backup 1-30" so that the entry reads "F:\Backup 1-30.tib". Note that
the Acronis program automatically appends the ".tib" file extension to the
filename. Click Next.
10. The "Select Backup Mode" screen opens. Select the "Create a new full
backup archive" default option and click Next.
11. The "Choose Backup Options" screen opens with two options:
a. Use default options
b. Set the options manually.
If you select the "b." option, you can select various options listed on the
next screen. Two of them are of interest to us:
Compression level - Four options - None, Normal (the default), High,
Maximum. There's a "Description" area that shows the estimated size of the
backup archive depending upon the option chosen, and the estimated "creation
time" for each option.
Backup priority - Three options - Low, Normal, or High
Low - "...backup processed more slowly, but it will not influence other
processes running on computer."
(Default) Normal - "...normal speed but backup process will influence other
processes running on computer."
High - "...maximum speed but backup process will strongly influence other
processes running on computer."
With respect to the compression levels, we've found that when using the
Normal option the original data is compressed by about 20% - 25% (in most
cases in our experience closer to the former than the latter) and that the
High and Maximum options will compress the backup file (archive) only
slightly more than the Normal option. However, in general the amount of time
to create the backup files when using the High or Maximum compression level
is substantially greater than when using the Normal compression level. So
unless disk space is very tight on the destination drive, i.e., the drive
where the backup file will be saved, we recommend using the Normal
compression level (at least initially). Afterwards you may want to
experiment with selecting different options.
We generally select the "High" backup priority & "Normal" compression level
options.
NOTE: You can set the Compression level and Backup priority defaults from
the Acronis Tools > Options > Default backup options menu items.
12. The "Archive Comments" screen opens allowing you to add comments to the
backup archive which you can review during the Recovery process. Click Next.
13. The next screen summarizes the backup operation to be performed.
Carefully review the information for correctness and click the Proceed
button.
14. The next screen will display status bars reflecting the progress of the
backup operation. After the backup operation finishes, an informational
message will appear indicting the operation was successfully completed.
Incremental Backups (Disk Images)
1. After the initial backup archive has been created you can create
incremental backups reflecting any data changes since the previous backup
operation. This incremental backup process proceeds considerably faster than
the initial backup operation. This, of course, is a major advantage of
creating disk images rather than undertaking the disk-to-disk cloning
process. Then too, since these created disk images are compressed files they
are reasonable in size. And because the incremental disk images can usually
be created very quickly (as compared with the direct disk-to-disk cloning
process), there's an incentive for the user to keep his/her system
up-to-date backup-wise by using this disk imaging process on a more frequent
basis than they might otherwise do using the disk-cloning process.
Another advantage of the disk-imaging process is that it facilitates the
maintenance of "generational" copies of one's system. This allows the user
to create a copy of his or system at a particular point-in-time more easily
allow the user restore his/her system as of a *specific* point-in-time.
Note that you must create the incremental backup files on the same HDD where
you stored the original backup archive and any subsequent incremental backup
files.
2. Access the Acronis program as detailed above and navigate through the
screens. When you arrive at the "Backup Archive Location" screen, click on
the original backup archive file, or if one or more incremental backup files
were previously created, click on the last incremental backup file and
verify that the correct drive letter and file name are shown in the
"Folder:" text box.
After clicking Next, the program will automatically create a file name for
the incremental backup archive file, using the original file name and
appending a consecutive number - starting at "2" - at the end of the file
name. For example, if you named (as in our example) the original backup
archive file "Backup 1-30", the first incremental backup file will be
automatically named "Backup 1-302" and the next subsequently-created
incremental file "Backup 1-303", etc.
NOTE THAT ALL YOUR INCREMENTAL BACKUP FILES MUST BE PRESENT FOR RECOVERY
PURPOSES. DO NOT DELETE ANY OF YOUR PREVIOUSLY-CREATED INCREMENTAL BACKUP
FILES FOLLOWING THE CREATION OF A CURRENT INCREMENTAL BACKUP FILE. YOU CAN
DELETE THE INCREMENTAL FILES ONLY AFTER CREATING A FULL BACKUP ARCHIVE AS
DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS SECTION.
3. On the following "Select Backup Mode" screen, select the "Create an
incremental backup" option, click Next. Proceed through the screens as you
did in creating the initial backup archive.
Recovery Process (Disk images): We'll assume the recovery will be to either
a non-defective HDD that has become unbootable for one reason or another, or
to a new HDD. The HDD to be restored need not be partitioned/formatted since
the recovery process will take care of that function.
Note that in many, if not most, cases you will be using the Acronis
"Bootable Rescue Media" (CD) that you created when you originally installed
the Acronis program. If you didn't previously create that bootable CD, you
can create it now from the Tools menu. The Acronis True Image program
installation CD is also bootable.
Note: If the recovery will be made to a HDD that is still bootable and
you're able to access the Acronis program on that drive, then you can
undertake the recovery process without the need for using the "bootable
rescue" CD.
1. With both the drive containing the backup disk images and the drive you
want to restore connected and with the bootable rescue CD inserted, boot up.
2. At the opening screen, click on "Acronis True Image Home (Full Version)".
3. The program will open after some moments. On the "Backup and Restore"
screen that opens, click on "Restore".
4. The "Welcome to the Restore Data Wizard!" screen opens. Click on Next.
5. The "Backup Archive Selection" screen opens. Navigate to the drive and
folder containing the backup archive file(s) by clicking on the "+" symbol
next to the drive letter, and from the list of the .tib files select the
last incremental backup file. Or if no incremental backup files have been
created following creation of the original full backup file (archive),
select that file. Just ensure that the correct drive & file name is
reflected in the "Folder:" text box. Click Next.
(If you want to restore the system as of a particular date *prior* to the
date the last incremental file (archive) was created, select the appropriate
incremental file (archive) from the list.)
6. The "Backup Date Selection" screen opens. Select (highlight) the
appropriate incremental backup file (archive) from the listing. This will
usually be the latest incremental file (archive) that was created, but if
you desire to restore a "generational" copy of your system as of a different
date, then select the appropriate incremental file (archive). Click Next.
7. The "Restoration Type Selection" screen opens. Select the default option,
"Restore disks or partitions" and click Next.
8. The "Partition or Disk to Restore" screen will open. Click on "Disk 1"
box and click Next.
9. After a few moments the "Restored Hard Disk Drive Location" screen opens.
Select (highlight) the HDD to be restored, presumably "Disk 2", and click
Next.
10. The "Non-empty Destination Hard Disk Drive" screen opens. Select the
"Yes" option indicating that all partitions on the destination HDD will be
deleted. Any data on that drive will be lost. Click Next.
11. On the next screen select the "No" option (if applicable) indicating you
do not want to restore another partition. Click Next.
12. Navigate through the "Choose Restore Options" screen.
13. The final screen before the restoration operation begins will open.
Confirm that the information as shown is correct. Click Proceed.
14. Click OK when following completion of the recovery operation a message
appears indicating a successful recovery operation.
15. Remove the Acronis bootable rescue CD if it has been used in the
restoration process and close the Acronis program. The system will reboot. A
Windows "Found New Hardware" message followed by the "System Settings
Change" message box may appear on the Desktop. If they do, click Yes for a
reboot.
Thanks for reviewing the above material.
Anna
G
Guest
Alex said:Thanks for the input. Everyone has his/her own backup strategies,
that's for sure. But what about the questions in my previous post: I
have a disk image on my external usb drive. I want to restore this
drive image to my secondary drive (D
to test if everything is restored properly. After that, I want to boot
up with my main C: drive as I used to, format my D: drive and use it
for data and backups. Do I leave all drives connected and change the
boot drive from BIOS or do I disconnect my main C: drive so that it
can only boot with D:? Or will my system detect that there are 2 boot
drives and ask me with which one I wish to boot? Or is it not as easy
as this?
What you suggest oughta work. Problem is when you don't do exactly
what you suggest. What if the system reboots before you swap the drive,
windows gets hold of it and tries to "fix" it?
The boot process has a lot of variables even if you don't count the
deliberate effort by M$ to prevent you copying the OS. It's very easy to
have a perfectly good backup that just won't boot...sorry for any
inconvenience...reinstall windows.
Sometimes, you can use the bios to boot from a secondary drive,
but that only works if EVERY part of the process gets fooled.
I wouldn't bet my data on it. The drives have hardware addresses
based on their positions on the cables and which plugs are used.
Those get handed to the OS. But a modern OS has the option to
ignore those and use its own map. If you changed the configuration,
windows can get confused. The symptom I've seen most often is that the
system starts to boot. It puts up the splash screen and the progress
bar indicates that it's well into the process when it gives a stop
error complaining that it can't find the boot device. It's taken
megabytes of data off that boot device already, but it can't find it?
Windows has just pulled the rug out from under itself. Sometimes,
you can fix it with fixboot and fixmbr. Sometimes you can't.
I'm not an expert with solutions, but I am very experienced with boot
failures.
Take out the C drive. mark it clearly so you can't get it confused.
Put it in a drawer so you can't accidentally pick it up.
Plug the old D: drive on the plug where the C: drive came from.
Boot the emergency recovery CD and restore the backup.
If it completes successfully and the system can be booted, you've
verified the backup process.
I'd also check that M$ is still happy by doing something that requires
activation/confirmation. msoobe /a is supposed to do this, but I've
never understood whether it's actually working. M$ is big on taking
away your system, but there seems to be no way to actually verify
that it's good before the fact. For those of us without a spare
hard drive lying around, we get to blow away our working system
BEFORE we get to discover that our new system won't work.
Wouldn't it be cool if you could
call from the garage sale and ask M$ if they were gonna activate the
software you're about to buy?
M$ has the option to revoke your activation at any time for no reason.
Or at least for reasons not due to anything you did.
All it takes is some key generator to spit out your key and get blacklisted.
The probability of that happening is zero...unless it happens to
you and the probability becomes ONE. You just won the lottery...
If you can believe what you read on the web, it happens way more
often than statistics would suggest.
All this assumes that the secondary drive is at least as large
as the data contained in the restore file plus all the overhead plus
a couple of gigabytes of swap space.
Acronis 7/8 can resize the partition as long as the data will fit.
Assume newer versions can still do that.
MANY disk imaging programs cannot resize partitions and have various
failure modes when you try to restore to a partition that's not
exactly correct.
I don't recall the drive sizes, but if they're the same speed, I'd
vote to put the smallest one in the C: position. I'd further recommend
partitioning the primary drive as discussed earlier. If you do that
before your restore test, you get to experiment to see if you like the
result without hurting that C: drive in the drawer. But you can't do
that if you've already got gigabytes of programs installed on your system
in the one partition that you imaged.
You can easily come up with a reason to have two drives in a system.
But for most of us, one relatively small drive internal to the system
and a larger drive in an external USB 2.0 box is a better solution.
Newer USB boxes spin down when not in use, so they don't wear out as fast.
And if you turn them off completely for the 99.9% of the time you don't
need access, they can't get corrupted by malware.
Windows seems to be extremely tolerant of adding/removing usb drives.
Windows is extremely INtolerant if you're moving internal drives around.
Sorry for ranting on peripheral topics.
A
Alex
Allright, I just made an incremental backup and it looks
straightforward to me. Now for the restore I would like to test this
on my secondary hard drive (D
restore process won't be a problem I'm sure but what about when I want
to boot with the secondary drive just to test if all programs, files
and settings are put back as it was? Do I simply unplug the IDE cable
of my main hard drive (C
connected? My hard drives seem to be attached to 2 different slots on
the mobo with 2 different IDE cables as far as I can see. And when I'm
done testing the drive I re-attach everything the way it was and
startup again? I have a feeling that this is more tricky than I think
considering windows activation issues, a D: drive that suddenly
becomes a C: drive and then a D: drive again, and who knows what else.
Alex:
First of all you *cannot* restore the same disk that contains your backup
files (archives). The Acronis True Image program will not permit this.
What you could do is move or copy those backup files (archives) that you
created from their present storage on your secondary HDD to your source HDD
and then use the restore process to determine if the restoration has been
effective by "restoring" your secondary HDD.
So you can save the backup files (archives) to, for example, a folder you
create in your root C: directory, e.g., "Acronis backup files" and store the
files (archives) there. Understand this is solely for testing purposes since
it's obviously a poor idea to store backup files that are designed to be
used in the restoration process on the same physical disk that presumably
will be the drive that requires restoration. Should that source HDD fail
obviously there would be no way to access the backup archives in order to
restore the drive.
There's no need for any hardware configuration following the restoration
process. Following the recovery process you'll access your BIOS and change
the boot priority order to boot to the destination drive, in this case your
secondary HDD.
The process is not "tricky" at all. Just proceed through the Acronis screens
with reasonable diligence and you should have no problem.
Incidentally, I revised the step-by-step instructions for the Acronis v11
program as it involves its disk-imaging process. I would appreciate it if
you (or anyone familiar with the ATI Home v11 program) would check out the
following step-by-step instructions and let me know if there are any
misstatements or unclear material. I don't generally use the Acronis program
for comprehensive backup purposes any more since I prefer the Casper 5
disk-cloning program. (Casper does not have disk-imaging capability).
Thanks.
Disk Imaging: The following are step-by-step instructions for using the
Acronis True Image Home 11 program to create disk images for backup purposes
and using those disk images for recovery of the system...
Note: The recipient of the disk image, presumably a USB external HDD or an
internal HDD, ordinarily must be a formatted drive and have a drive letter
assigned to it.
Before undertaking this disk imaging process it's probably best to close all
programs running in the background including your anti-virus and other
anti-malware programs. It's also best that the only storage devices
connected to the PC are the two hard drives that will be involved in this
disk-imaging process - the "source" and "destination" drives.
1. With both your source and destination hard drives connected, access the
Acronis program and click "Backup and Restore" on the main menu.
2. On the following "Backup and Restore" screen click Backup.
3. The "Welcome to the Create Backup Wizard!" screen opens. Click Next.
4. The "Select Backup Type" screen opens. Select the default "My Computer"
option and click Next.
5. On the next screen select the default "Disks and partitions" option. By
so doing you will be backing up your entire system. Click Next.
6. The "Partitions Selection" screen opens reflecting the source and
destination disks and their partitions. Assuming you want to back up the
entire contents of your source HDD, check all the source disk's partitions.
Presumably this disk will be listed as "Disk 1" in most cases. Click Next..
7. On the next screen - "Source Files Exclusion" - do not check any of the
boxes; just click Next.
8. An informational message appears concerning the incremental or
differential backup process. Since this disk-imaging operation is the first
backup of your system, just click OK.
9. On the "Backup Archive Location" screen that opens click on the "+"
symbol next to the "My Computer" item so as to list all the drives connected
in the system. Select (highlight) the disk and folder you want to serve as
the destination drive for the disk image. The program will enter the drive
letter of that disk (we'll assume it's F: in this example) in the "Folder:"
text box at the bottom of the screen. Enter a file name for the backup file,
e.g., "Backup 1-30" so that the entry reads "F:\Backup 1-30.tib". Note that
the Acronis program automatically appends the ".tib" file extension to the
filename. Click Next.
10. The "Select Backup Mode" screen opens. Select the "Create a new full
backup archive" default option and click Next.
11. The "Choose Backup Options" screen opens with two options:
a. Use default options
b. Set the options manually.
If you select the "b." option, you can select various options listed on the
next screen. Two of them are of interest to us:
Compression level - Four options - None, Normal (the default), High,
Maximum. There's a "Description" area that shows the estimated size of the
backup archive depending upon the option chosen, and the estimated "creation
time" for each option.
Backup priority - Three options - Low, Normal, or High
Low - "...backup processed more slowly, but it will not influence other
processes running on computer."
(Default) Normal - "...normal speed but backup process will influence other
processes running on computer."
High - "...maximum speed but backup process will strongly influence other
processes running on computer."
With respect to the compression levels, we've found that when using the
Normal option the original data is compressed by about 20% - 25% (in most
cases in our experience closer to the former than the latter) and that the
High and Maximum options will compress the backup file (archive) only
slightly more than the Normal option. However, in general the amount of time
to create the backup files when using the High or Maximum compression level
is substantially greater than when using the Normal compression level. So
unless disk space is very tight on the destination drive, i.e., the drive
where the backup file will be saved, we recommend using the Normal
compression level (at least initially). Afterwards you may want to
experiment with selecting different options.
We generally select the "High" backup priority & "Normal" compression level
options.
NOTE: You can set the Compression level and Backup priority defaults from
the Acronis Tools > Options > Default backup options menu items.
12. The "Archive Comments" screen opens allowing you to add comments to the
backup archive which you can review during the Recovery process. Click Next.
13. The next screen summarizes the backup operation to be performed.
Carefully review the information for correctness and click the Proceed
button.
14. The next screen will display status bars reflecting the progress of the
backup operation. After the backup operation finishes, an informational
message will appear indicting the operation was successfully completed.
Incremental Backups (Disk Images)
1. After the initial backup archive has been created you can create
incremental backups reflecting any data changes since the previous backup
operation. This incremental backup process proceeds considerably faster than
the initial backup operation. This, of course, is a major advantage of
creating disk images rather than undertaking the disk-to-disk cloning
process. Then too, since these created disk images are compressed files they
are reasonable in size. And because the incremental disk images can usually
be created very quickly (as compared with the direct disk-to-disk cloning
process), there's an incentive for the user to keep his/her system ...
read more »
Thanks Anna for the step by step instructions. Great work! I followed
them while checking all steps in acronis TI Home 11 and it answered a
few minor questions/doubts that I still had. The acronis help file is
so unstructured, as if random articles were thrown together. I was
reading the following in the program's help file and I can't seem to
find it in the restoration wizard, neither in your step by step
instructions. It does sound very important though so maybe you can
help me out:
quote:
"Changing the Restored Partition Type
When restoring a partition, you can change its type, though it's not
required in most cases. By default, the original partition type is
selected.You can choose one of the following:
• Active - active partition is used for loading an operating system
from it. Selecting Active for a partition without an installed
operating system could prevent your computer from booting.
• Primary - if you are going to restore a system partition, choose
this parameter. Acronis True Image Home automatically corrects the
boot.ini file and Windows Registry during restore of the system
partition to make it bootable even if it was restored to a non-
original partition (or disk).
• Logical - logical partitions are used for data storage. If you
restore a system partition to another hard disk with its own
partitions and OS, most likely you will need only the data"
unquote.
I am figuring this should belong somewhere in step 9 of your
description on how to restore the image:
quote:
"9. After a few moments the "Restored Hard Disk Drive Location" screen
opens.
Select (highlight) the HDD to be restored, presumably "Disk 2", and
click
Next."
unquote
A
Alex
Thanks Anna for the step by step instructions. Great work! I followed
them while checking all steps in acronis TI Home 11 and it answered a
few minor questions/doubts that I still had. The acronis help file is
so unstructured, as if random articles were thrown together. I was
reading the following in the program's help file and I can't seem to
find it in the restoration wizard, neither in your step by step
instructions. It does sound very important though so maybe you can
help me out:
quote:
"Changing the Restored Partition Type
When restoring a partition, you can change its type, though it's not
required in most cases. By default, the original partition type is
selected.You can choose one of the following:
• Active - active partition is used for loading an operating system
from it. Selecting Active for a partition without an installed
operating system could prevent your computer from booting.
• Primary - if you are going to restore a system partition, choose
this parameter. Acronis True Image Home automatically corrects the
boot.ini file and Windows Registry during restore of the system
partition to make it bootable even if it was restored to a non-
original partition (or disk).
• Logical - logical partitions are used for data storage. If you
restore a system partition to another hard disk with its own
partitions and OS, most likely you will need only the data"
unquote.
I am figuring this should belong somewhere in step 9 of your
description on how to restore the image:
quote:
"9. After a few moments the "Restored Hard Disk Drive Location" screen
opens.
Select (highlight) the HDD to be restored, presumably "Disk 2", and
click
Next."
unquote
But I can't find the option/checkbox. I assume that by highlighting
the disk 2 this drive will automatically be configured as a primary or
bootable partition?
PS: my images are on the external usb drive and I would do the test
backup towards the internal secondary D drive, that's why I said the D
drive my be formatted anyway but I guess you overlooked this. It's
common sense that you cannot restore to the same drive that contains
your disk image files (source=destination won't work)
them while checking all steps in acronis TI Home 11 and it answered a
few minor questions/doubts that I still had. The acronis help file is
so unstructured, as if random articles were thrown together. I was
reading the following in the program's help file and I can't seem to
find it in the restoration wizard, neither in your step by step
instructions. It does sound very important though so maybe you can
help me out:
quote:
"Changing the Restored Partition Type
When restoring a partition, you can change its type, though it's not
required in most cases. By default, the original partition type is
selected.You can choose one of the following:
• Active - active partition is used for loading an operating system
from it. Selecting Active for a partition without an installed
operating system could prevent your computer from booting.
• Primary - if you are going to restore a system partition, choose
this parameter. Acronis True Image Home automatically corrects the
boot.ini file and Windows Registry during restore of the system
partition to make it bootable even if it was restored to a non-
original partition (or disk).
• Logical - logical partitions are used for data storage. If you
restore a system partition to another hard disk with its own
partitions and OS, most likely you will need only the data"
unquote.
I am figuring this should belong somewhere in step 9 of your
description on how to restore the image:
quote:
"9. After a few moments the "Restored Hard Disk Drive Location" screen
opens.
Select (highlight) the HDD to be restored, presumably "Disk 2", and
click
Next."
unquote
But I can't find the option/checkbox. I assume that by highlighting
the disk 2 this drive will automatically be configured as a primary or
bootable partition?
PS: my images are on the external usb drive and I would do the test
backup towards the internal secondary D drive, that's why I said the D
drive my be formatted anyway but I guess you overlooked this. It's
common sense that you cannot restore to the same drive that contains
your disk image files (source=destination won't work)