Re: Using Acronis Imaging Software with XP advice required.`

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"Rod Williams" <rodw@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:TW4te.6200$EH1.58@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Ok Sam.
>
> Let's say you have four partitions on one drive. (C:,D:,E:,F:)
> F: contains the image of the entire drive.

Thats pretty much how things are set up Rod.


> If your operating system is on C: partition and had a problem you could
> restore the c: partition and would have exactly the same sector to sector
> C: partition you had when the image was made.

Sounds good so far, thats what I had been led to understand that it creates
a complete clone.


One problem, like I mentioned before, is if your entire hard drive crashes
you lost the
> partition that contained the image.

Thats true, but thats not what I am worried about nor asking about, because
as you mentioned before
a person should and can make "external backups" when required.

Acronis however, will not guarantee> that it will boot because the MBR does
not get replaced when only
> restoring one partition.

Now this is getting to an area I was not aware of. I understood that the
"entire C partition" would get cloned
thereby making an identical replication. Meaning that it should be able to
be rebooted again as per normal, otherwise what is it actually copying or
cloning.


> The only way you can be guaranteed it will boot
is to restore the entire drive.

This is not what I had planned to do nor can do as I don't have an external
drive! :( So now it seems from this new info that I can't
do exactly what I had planned.


I don't see anyway that can happen since the drive is wiped clean
before the complete drive restore happens
> and your image would be wiped out too.

So you mean I can't restore the entire "disc image" from my partitioned
drive when I only have one "main drive" as you mentioned above.

> Bottom line is you need a second hard drive, either internal or external
> to store the image on. I wouldn't do it any other way.

Are you absolutely sure about this? Somewhere in this conversation lays some
contradictions, or most likely its my lack of understanding,
I specifically asked the live help at Acronis and they didn't mention this
point. Then it seems this can't do what I require it to do unless I have two
separate drives in my computer which I do not or an external drive which I
do not. Is this correct?

>
> Here is what I do: I make a full backup image of my entire drive to a
> second hard drive.

Ok, so my understanding is correct at least of what your saying, but I do
not have a second hard drive.

> Then every so often I backup the information that has changed by doing an
> "append" to the full backup.

Yah, I have managed to figure that part out.

That way it only adds what has changed
> since I did the first full backup. The image is never recopied. The
> changed information just gets added to the full backup as an additional
> file. After a month or so I then do another full backup and keep at least
> one other full backup in case there is a problem. I can tell you this
> method works because I restored to a third hard drive and I had an exact
> working copy of my original drive. I did the test twice over a couple
> months.
>
> I know this sounds confusing when you try to read it but it really isn't.
> The time you spend learning how to use TI and the time to make the backup
> images will never equal what it will take to reinstall an operating system
> and all of it's software. Not to mention what valuable files you might
> lose forever.

That really really helps alot, and its not at all difficult to understand.
Basically the only confusing bit for me or the bit I do not understand
is the fact that it does not "copy the boot thingy" that you mentioned on
the C partiion. This is exactly what is the condratictory understanding, I
understood
that Anacronis copied everything, so why not the boot records?

Thanks very much.
>
> Hope this helps.


.

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