TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please

Wed Nov 1 04:20:52 EST 2006

Ron,

You can create multiple primary partitions,

You can create logical partitions, but you can not create an exact
duplicate of a primary bootable active partition to a logical or
primary bootable non-active partition with any of the programs on the
market that I am aware of.

The partition would lose part of it's structure.

There would have to be various things that need altering in order for
a logical partition to become a primary bootable active partition
again.

Regards,

Justin

On 01/11/06, Ron Brunton <rbrunton at accesswave.ca> wrote:
> You are correct about primary partitions - one per drive. However, you can
> create multiple logical partitions. Each appears as a logical drive and
> PowerQuest Drive Image and the Ultimate Boot CD Drive Image programs allow
> you to save the image on any logical partition.
>
> Ron
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: list-bounces at tsgserver.com [mailto:list-bounces at tsgserver.com] On
> Behalf Of The Computer Whisperer
> Sent: October 31, 2006 5:05 PM
> To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> Subject: Re: TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please
>
> Thankyou for elaborating Russ
>
> You can't create 4 primary active partitions on one HDD,
>
> You can create up to 4 primary partitions (they would not be readable
> in windows, only the first i think)
>
> But you cannot create 4 primary ACTIVE ones (the active partition has
> boot attributes).
>
> Only 1 partition can be primary and active
>
> I'm not sure if you could duplicate secondary(logical) partitions but
> this is not what you are trying to do anyway.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Justin
>
> On 31/10/06, Michael Sweeden <michaelsweeden at comcast.net> wrote:
> > I use Norton Ghost (formerly PowerQuest Drive Image) and I am able to
> backup
> > multiple drive partitions to a single physical backup drive.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: list-bounces at tsgserver.com [mailto:list-bounces at tsgserver.com] On
> > Behalf Of Russell W. Coover
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 12:24 AM
> > To: 'Tech Support Guy Mailing List'
> > Subject: TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please
> >
> > Justin,
> >
> > Justin,
> >
> > I was the one asking the question, so I shall restate it, with a general
> > history of the problem.
> >
> > My friend uses external drives to back up his four computers. He has been
> > making the backups by Cloning, that is, by making exact copies of the
> > original hard drives on the external hard drives.
> >
> > He has had problems in the past with hard drives going bad, and his
> > intention is to be able to replace them with another in case they fail. He
> > has made it a habit to carry the four external drives with him, where ever
> > he goes. However, two weeks ago he spotted a large drive that he figured
> was
> > large enough to hold the cloned backup of all four of the computers and
> > decided that it would be easier to carry one external hard drive that to
> > carry four.
> >
> > He realized that the backup software he used, Acronis True Image would
> only
> > allow the cloning of only one hard drive on the external drive's
> partition,
> > but figured that if he divided the external drive into 4 partitions, he
> > could clone all four hard drives, one on each partition.
> >
> > Using Partition Magic, he did partition the large hard drive into 4 parts.
> > He then tried to clone the first computer. Acronis, however, disappointed
> > him, and wanted to get rid of the four partitions and place only one
> > partition on the hard drive. This made the cloning of the four computers
> on
> > one external drive impossible.
> >
> > I told him that the Acronis software can also be used to make a full Image
> > backup, though not a clone backup on the drive using the four partitions.
> > But he was not satisfied with that and would like to find software that
> will
> > do a clone backup on a single drive with multiple partitions, one for each
> > of the four computers.
> >
> > Russ Coover
> >
> >
> >  Behalf Of The Computer Whisperer
> > Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 1:29 PM
> > To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> > Subject: Re: TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please
> >
> > Mike,
> >
> > So, this is multiple bootable partitions on one physical hard-disk
> > Mike? or is it one bootable partition on one physical disk??
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Justin
> >
> > On 29/10/06, Mike <mikecrw at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > Having recently used Acronis True Image to recover an entire hard disk,
> > I'm
> > > perplexed as to why your friend is using the Clone option as a normal
> > > backup.   The clone option is intended for replacing a hard drive with a
> > new
> > > one.
> > >
> > > True Image can make a full backup of the hard disk, including all hidden
> > and
> > > system files without using the clone option.   And it can be scheduled
> to
> > > "increment" the backup as frequently as you like, so you don't have to
> do
> > a
> > > full backup every time.
> > >
> > > And it works.
> > >
> > > As I mentioned, I had to replace a hard disk recently.   I had a current
> > > backup on an external drive.    I pulled out the dead drive, plugged in
> > the
> > > new one.   Booted from the Acronis recovery CD and told it to recover
> the
> > > data from the external drive.
> > >
> > > It completely recovered all the data to the new drive.   I rebooted and
> it
> > > was like my drive never died.    All was well.
> > >
> > > What is it about the clone option that your friend "likes"?
> > >
> > > I think he may just misunderstand the purpose of the various options.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: list-bounces at tsgserver.com [mailto:list-bounces at tsgserver.com] On
> > > Behalf Of Russell W. Coover
> > > Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 6:24 PM
> > > To: 'Tech Support Guy Mailing List'
> > > Subject: TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please
> > >
> > > I have been using Acronis' True Image software for several years and
> have
> > > been very happy with it, but last evening I ran into a situation that
> True
> > > Image cannot handle.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > A friend has 4 computers. He has been backing up using the True Image
> > "Disk
> > > Clone" option with 4 external drives, one for each computer. Deciding
> that
> > > he didn't need 4 external drives, he went out and bought a 320 GB drive,
> > > inserted it into an external drive enclosure, and then used Partition
> > Magic
> > > to place 4 separate Partitions, one for each computer, on the new
> external
> > > drive. Then he attempted to back up with Acronis.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Unfortunately, he found that the "Disk Clone" option wanted to delete
> all
> > 4
> > > partitions and replace them with a cloned partition from only one of the
> > > computers. If he then tried to backup a second computer, the first
> > computers
> > > backup would be erased. So, instead, he used the Acronis "Create Image"
> > > option and was able to successfully backup each computer.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > But he prefers the Clone option and would like to use it with only one
> > > external hard drive, rather than 4. Is there any software available that
> > > would allow this. One of the options of Partition Magic 8 is to "Copy" a
> > > partition. Can Partition Magic be used to do this?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > (Because of the on going discussion as to when various TSGL list emails
> > > arrive in your inbox, I am sending this email at 3:23 PM Pacific
> Daylight
> > > time on 25 October 2006).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Russ Coover
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I am trying to find myself. If you see me before I do, please ask me to
> > wait
> > > until I return.
> > >
> > >
> > >
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> >
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