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Community Newsletter: Q&A: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was...
- 8/30/07 3:39 PM
And that's why you should clone your hard drive
by dlauber - 8/31/07 7:22 PM In reply to: Acronis has its limitations by jsm55555And that's why you should clone your hard drive with Acronis, not make a backup image. Acronis has saved my proverbial butt several times thanks to exact clones I make on a weekly basis. I'm not quite sure I understand why you would simply make an "image" when you can simply clone your hard drive. It's a great safety value. Whenever I upgrade a computer's motherboard, I first clone the hard drive using Acronis in case something goes awry. Again, cloning saved the proverbial butt a few times.
"cloning" or "backup image"... what is the difference?
by elculo - 9/2/07 9:55 AM In reply to: And that's why you should clone your hard drive by dlauberI thought that "cloning" and "making a backup image" means the same thing...
I know that "differential" or "incremental" backups are something different, meaning that you just have a copy of your files, but you have no copy of your system.
But please somebody explain to me what is the difference between "cloning" and "making a "backup image" with Acronis.
Thanks in advance
Backing up your computer
by Chichen_george - 9/1/07 5:28 AM In reply to: Backing up your computer by SojournMediaI find the info here invaluable. Could you advise me if I buy an external drive with acronis can I back up my wife's laptop on the same drive as my desktop?
Acronis True Image Home 10
by jonesy_uk - 1/27/08 1:01 PM In reply to: Backing up your computer by SojournMediaJust re-installed my entire system following a ridiculous virus, and the whole process from inserting the Windows disc to the point where I had all the updates, and all my regularly-used software was 3 Hrs. In order to avoid a similar problem, I installed Acronis true Image onto my machine, and created an image in a number of minutes. I also added a secure partition which Acronis uses for the backups. So far, everything was going as planned, UNTIL, I tried to test it! I booted into Acronis using F11, but my Hard Drive is NOT found. It asks me to select the image that I created(the one on the secure partition), but says, "No Hard Drives were detected", so I'm stuck. I've put the image on a DVD, and when it boots, I can go into Acronis, select the image on the DVD, but then it asks me for the destination, and says,"No Hard Drives were detected". At this point, My PC is in prefect working order, with Acronis Partition, etc. on the system, but one day it's going to crash, and when that day arrives, how on earth am I going to restore the system with the image that I've created??? Is there anyone out there that has had the same problem?? I appreciate your help.
Acronis True Image Home 10
by gokul1942 - 1/27/08 3:54 PM In reply to: Acronis True Image Home 10 by jonesy_ukI hope your email to gene@ugr.com will solve the problem. Pl post the reply when you receive a reply and your rating of the site.
gene@ugr.com.
Acronis True Image Home 10
by gokul1942 - 1/27/08 4:40 PM In reply to: Acronis True Image Home 10 by jonesy_ukFrom your post, I presume you wanted to test the working of Acronis True Image backups. First of all have u made one booting CD using Acronis? If so when your system fails, you should enter the system setup and activate the boot from cd option and insert the boot up cd created with that of Acronis and follow the required action as described in the Acronis main menu and your system will be back to your original state in minutes as per the backup which you restored. Since new programme and other add-ons will be definitely there as and when we work, it is advisable to back up regularly say once in a week so that much will not be lost. I hope I had clarified your doubt. Since it was universally agreed that Acronis is best for backup, please do not try to test it when the system is working fine.
Try Acronis and visit ugr.com
by wamaruna - 8/17/07 5:04 PM In reply to: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was... by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I've been using Acronis True Image Home for a few years now, and it is great. It is very intuitive, easy for casual computer users. Get yourself an external USB drive to keep your backup image files on, and if your computer does not have high speed USB, get it - add-in PCI cards for a desktop or a PCMCIA plug-in card for a laptop can be had for under $20. For a very helpful walk-though on using Acronis, and a treatise on "the perfect backup approach", visit www.ugr.com. The fellow who runs it sells Acronis at a very competitive price.
100% reliable backup
by PCBiker - 8/17/07 5:13 PM In reply to: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was... by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
This has worked for me for several years now, as the ONLY reliable backup approach. Buy a new hard drive the same size as your existing hard drive. It will come with software to clone your existing drive to the new drive, presuming that you bought the new drive because you have indication that your exising drive is failing. Install all the latest updates for your programs and Windows, and do disc antispyware check, virus scan, disk cleanup, and defragmentation of the old drive before cloning it. After cloning the existing drive, do not install the new drive .. just put it on the shelf for a rainy day when your exisiting hard drive fails. At that time, whether be it a virus or other issue with the exisiting drive, simply replace it with the one on the shelf. Go online and install the latest updates to your Windows and programs.Then, use the bootable CD that comes with new drive, boot from the CD, and format the old drive to erase any virus traces, and clone the new drive to the old one and put it on the shelf, or put it back where it it started and put the clone on the shelf again. Total recovery time ... 10 minutes, plus the time to format and prepare the new clone for the shelf. Every few months, take the clone off the shelf and reclone to assure you have the latest program and Windows updates on the shelf. ALSO: Everyone should have an Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS) through which passes telephone, cable, and electrical. Computer, modem, router should be plugged into the backup power plugs, and other components plugged into the surge protection only. This will save wear and tear on your drive and other electronics resulting from instant power off impacts of power brownouts and blackouts, in addition to the electrical surges from lightening and power system fluctuation. Satellite and cable TV devices which have recording features should also be serviced through a UPS, since they also contain a spinning hard drive subject to head crashes on power loss.
HD to HD with software that came with the HD
by boatsoneel - 8/26/07 9:07 AM In reply to: 100% reliable backup by PCBikerOver many years and many backup systems I,ve found that the best is to do a Clone backup from one HD to another HD using the software that came with the HD to be backed up to. My backup HD's are in removable trays so I can change them on a regular basis. By using this method you will have a bootable HD with everything on it - exactly as it was when you backed it up last.
Software with New Hard Drive
by waytron - 8/26/07 10:15 AM In reply to: HD to HD with software that came with the HD by boatsoneelAt one point I used the software that came with the new hard drives to clone the old drive onto the new drive. But it often did not work so I would use Acronis. Then I just stopped even trying the other.
based on what I have read here, next computer
by bus - 8/26/07 12:15 PM In reply to: Software with New Hard Drive by waytronDual Core, Dual graphic cards, why not dual backup
The next time I buy a new computer it will most likely be a Vista Home Premium laptop from Gateway. I want to buy Gateway because I have used their restore system which came with my last laptop and it worked (change the boot sequence, reinstall Windows, use their included driver CD, and then download an install all of the updates, it took 4 hours). I will also purchase a hard-drive that is identical to or an upgrade of the OEM hard-drive. I will then clone the laptop’s hard-drive to this new drive which will become the clone drive. I will use a system from Apricorn to clone the drive. I will then test the clone drive by installing the drive into the new laptop to determine that it does function correctly (the computer’s functions and devices will be systematically tested by performing standard usage for a period of time where by the user is satisfied the drive and computer are functioning correctly). The OEM drive will then be installed and tested in the same manner. Once both drives are found to be working correctly, I will store the clone drive in a safe place ready to be installed when the computer’s hard-drive fails. With that complete, I will then purchase an external USB hard-drive backup system. After I have set it up to function with the laptop, I will test the external USB hard drive backup system by erasing some test files and then do a restore. If that works I will take it a step further and erase a key file (I will copy the key file to another medium for pasting it back should the external USB hard drive backup system fail). If that works I will take it another step further and erase the whole drive and then do the restore again. If it passes this final test, I will set the USB hard drive backup system to perform backups automatically. With those steps done all the parts are in place and tested.
The USB hard drive backup system would allow restoring my current work files in the event of file corruption. This restore functionality provided by the external USB hard-drive backup system combined with the clone hard-drive will complete my dual backup system. During the life of the laptop, I will determine a schedule of re-cloning of the drives due to the updates of the operating system and component drivers (most likely, once a year). This will be my backup plan for “everything back the way it was” (to restore it to the state it was in at the last backup). Well that is my plan , not a 100% solution but at least a “Best Fit Approach”.
Sounds like a plan
by waytron - 8/26/07 1:10 PM In reply to: based on what I have read here, next computer by busThis sounds like a plan all accept the Gateway part. I am not fond of Gateway laptops. But that may be just me.
Good software is the answer
by donaldavis - 8/17/07 5:13 PM In reply to: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was... by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Mirror your harddrive. That's the only way to make a new computer like your old computer once you no longer have your old one. This means a program that copies EVERYTHING on your old drive to some other media. Although I can't endorse a single product, I use Norton's Ghost and copy my laptop to a stand alone harddrive. It's an easy program both coming and going-- click "backup" and, after choosing a few options, it backs up all the information on your computer. Plug a new laptop into the harddrive (yes, I have been in your shoes) and click "restore" and it's done. There are other good backup/mirroring programs. In between these complete backups, I use an online backup service, but it doesn't backup executables (.exe files, etc) and system files, but it is better than nothing when I am on the road; besides I rarely install new programs from my motel room. It's the system files that make the new computer like the old one and that's what you want.
Recovery after hard drive crashes
by krs99 - 8/17/07 5:17 PM In reply to: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was... by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm interested in the answer for Windows as well, but on the Mac you just make a clone on an external drive using the SuperDuper application (yes that's the name) and then you can boot directly from that clone as if it was your original hard drive.
Absolutely everything is intact - nothing to reinstall or change.
Your back in business instantly.
If your internal hard drive is toast, replace it, use SuperDuper to clone the internal drive from the external back up and you're back to where you were before the hard drive crash - or you can just continue to use the external drive as your main drive for the time being and move back to the internal one later.
Restoring Just Like It Was
by edbrady - 8/17/07 5:20 PM In reply to: How to back up and restore my PC to the exact same condition it was... by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The best method I've ever found is to create an image of the hard drive. There are several programs (all commercial) that help you do this.
You can create images to CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, external hard drives, etc. It depends on what is best for you.
When you create the image, EVERYTHING is saved just like it is on hour hard drive--errors, updates, fragmented files, etc. So it's best to run all tests and diagnostics before you create the image.
Then, should your drive or software go haywire, you just re-image and everything is exactly as it was when the image was made--which is a good idea to make a new image when you make major changes.
It's also a great way to re-create everything should your hard drive die.
I use an older version of Acronis Drive Image, but, as I said, there are several programs available to help you do the job.
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