Making a Full Backup using Acronis TrueImage

will this also back up the OS

Yes. That's one reason it's called a full backup.

26-Aug-2009

I use Acronis and have always wondered whether (how) it can make a full backup of a Windows machine when Windows is running. Aren't there file locks? And what about the verify of the backup (which I always run)... if the OS is running, won't there be system files that have changed during the backup?

I'm not certain about the validation step, but when you install Acronis is does install low-level drivers that have access to all files, in use or not. (That's typically why you have to be admin to install it.)

26-Aug-2009

Leo, I'd appreciate your comments on an alternate way of creating a full disk backup of the system drive (OS: WinXP Pro, SP3).

I use _Paragon Disk Copy 8_ to generate a full disk copy of my C: drive (the boot drive) to my D: drive (an identical drive, which is installed as a slave). When the disk copy is done, I have two identical, bootable drives -- but of course only the C: drive is currently bootable. The D: (slave) drive is there as just another drive, and it can be written to or read from normally, and it has all the data, down to the last byte that was on the C: drive at the time the drive copy was made. If my C: drive ever crashes or is trashed, all I have to do is remove it from the PC, switch over the slave drive (after jumpering it as master) and boot into Windows normally. I would then either replace the trashed C: drive, or reformat and reinstall it if it is working order.

Can you see anything wrong with that procedure?

Frank D

Not really, it's a fairly reasonable approach. The biggest risk is that your backup is live and inside your system - meaning that if your system suffers physical trauma or theft, it's gone. Also, like an always connected external drive, if some rouge process goes out and starts deleting (or infecting) things it has access to the backup as well.

26-Aug-2009

What is the difference between a full backup and cloning a disc?

There's no specific definitions that everyone agrees on, but in a nutshell: a backup is file-by-file, and a clone is sector-by-sector. When you restore a backup, the files may be laid out differently, perhaps even defragmented as a side effect. A clone typically puts every sector, used or not, back into the exact same location. Sometimes a clone will only work on the exact same size drive.

26-Aug-2009

What to do if i replace motherboard ?
Can i use the backup which i have made before replacing the motherboard ?

If you keep the old hard drive, then you have no need for the backup. If the hard drive works, then the backup is unnecessary, and if the hard drive doesn't work (because new software is required) then the backup would also not work for the same reasons. (Though you would still be able to restore files from it after you have your system working again.)

26-Aug-2009

I have the same question as Michael Hersh. I have Acronis ver. 9 and I periodically create a clone of my C-drive on to a separate drive called D. This process is similar to what Frank D does with Paragon Disk Copy 8. If the C-drive crashes for some reason, I just manually put the D-drive in place of the crashed C-drive then switch jumpers and BINGO I am back in business.

Is this what you are discribing or am I doing something different?

@Thomas

Every Single Windows File can be Accessed. Windows has a nifty feature called SFC, short for Shadow File Copy. What it essentially does is "pauses" the file that is running and copies it "on the fly" so that you dont notice that the file isnt in use. From memory, this can only be done by the SYSTEM account, hence why you cant do it. Also, any system files that change during the backup will simply contain stuff about what the pc needs to do next and is regenerated each time the pc boots.

@Michael Hersh

A full backup copies each file of the pc and maintains te directory structure when it saves it. A clone is an EXACT copy of the harddrive including any free space. It copies every sector exactly as they appear so when you restore a clone, it will even format the drive to exactly the same size if you wish. The freespace doesn't take up any extra room as the clone has a file that says "these sectors are to be left empty". A clone is by far the best solution as you wont have to reactivate windows, unless you restore it to a different pc, whether you often have to reactivate windwows when you restore a backup of files.

Also, when you do a backup of files it is INSECURE. When you install Windows, it locks down the HDD sectors for certain system files so that they cannot be touched. When you do a backup restore, you lose those protected sectors. A clone does not suffer this problem.

To see what I mean, open disk de-fragmenter and analyse the Windows partition. You will see that there are sections in green that cannot be touched.

I disagree with the "insecure" comment. The very system-level copy operation you mention above applies to the files you claim can't be touched. Even if it did, it's not an issue of security at all, but simply the completeness of the backup.

26-Aug-2009

I'm coming in in the middle here but does all this work with Vista or just XP?

XP and Vista. In fact, the video was recorded using Windows 7, so that's on the list as well.

26-Aug-2009

Hey Leo~I'am a newbie to your site,yet find it most helpful,for all types of users~very educational as well~in laymens english too~Super-duper!! This last series is great,a very well written set of instructions for creating reliable backup(s) of our collective systems~which,we all know by now~is a must-do..Call it "insurance" for Windows*!!* Can't wait to get your next installment on this series..."incremental backups"..Thanks for all the great work~Leo,and the time you give~to all of us!! especially for us newbie-geeks!!~~Cheers~Brian,west la~

Leo~I almost forgot : Once the bootable media is created,and the backup is done {full b-up Acronis},how/what is the correct way to put the two together??~my backup will be slightly large than 4.7G-th max for DVD media{I believe??}..so it looks like I will have to backup my system {XP Pro SP3} to my external hdd,or a notebook hdd,and I want it to be bootable~in case my laptop {CF-51 ToughBook!!} one day decides NOT to boot-up..'cause we all know~you can't burn meat~without fire*!!* I would appreciate any help/comments..and will patiently await for your professional opinion/advice on this matter~which is quite probably a simple oversight on my part~or something I have missed!! Sincerely,Brian Hall,west la~A Really Big Fan of Leo's*!!*

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