TSGL: Backup Program Advice, Please

[Mike]

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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