TSGL: Acronis Full HDD Backup Question

[Tilman Brandl]

Hi Lee,

Don has given you full directions already, let me just add some of my experience here:

* from what I've learned, all the options Acronis offers are 'backups'. I just don't know exactly how they call it in the English version (what I use is German). From my experience you can backup your data using
- image backups (of a partition or a full drive) or 
- folder and file (data-) backups where you select what you want from any place on your PC

'When I look at the files, I can't tell what is what...'

That's true, you can't tell from the contents of the backup, you need to know what kind of backup you did. There are 2 methods:
- with scheduled tasks - move your mouse over the task, you'll get a window with it's description (here this function works a bit sluggish). It must say 'Image' here for image-backups, for instance of your system partition
- with simply a backup file on your HD you may find it hard to tell what it is by checking the contents in explorer (sometimes you can), but you can select it for restore. Acronis will then tell you what kind of backup a selected file contains, a data-archive or image-archive.

I've just checked one of the image-backups I've made: I can look into it using explorer, can even view or open files inside it. You can of course do the same with the folder+file backup type. 

An image backup of my system with abt. 14 GB data from a 15 GB C: partition takes up abt. 7.8 GB and needs abt. 15 mins to finish, btw. Easy, isn't it?
Here I have Acronis True Image Home ver. 10.0

Hope this helps
Tilman

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Lee Bunyard 
  To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List 
  Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 3:45 PM
  Subject: TSGL: Acronis Full HDD Backup Question


  Well, after my experience a month ago with the HDD failure on my desktop 
  pc and loss of much of my key data, when I bought a new desktop two 
  weeks ago, I also bought a SimpleTech 250 GB external USB HDD for backup 
  purposes.  I tried running a full HDD backup of the HDD on the new 
  desktop to the external HDD using the SimpleTech instructions but found 
  it very confusing for a relatively casual pc user like me.  So 
  yesterday, based on the recommendations from a number of you on this 
  Forum, I bought the Acronis True Image V11 Home backup software 
  package.  I actually ordered the CD Acronis package thru Amazon, which 
  will take a few days to get here, then I discovered that Acronis will 
  allow a free 15 day trial use of the software so I downloaded it and 
  gave it a try.  By the time the 15 day trial period ends, I will have 
  the Acronis CD package.  I found Acronis to be pretty user friendly 
  actually.  I set it up to do a FULL HDD backup of the entire C Drive on 
  my new desktop pc to be stored on the external HDD unit. The desktop HDD 
  contained an indicated roughly 80 GB of data.  Acronis and the external 
  HDD ran for about 40 minutes and when it was done, the external HDD 
  shows that it has stored approximately 60 GB of data--I assume the 
  difference between the 80 GB on the desktop HDD and the 60 GB stored on 
  the external HDD is due to compression on the latter?? 

  My question is:  the Acronis manual indicates that doing a full HDD 
  backup will include ALL files on the HDD, including the OS (Vista 
  Premium Home version is on my new desktop).  When I look at the files 
  stored on the external HDD, how can I tell whether the Vista OS is 
  included??  When I look at the files, I can't tell what is what.  How 
  can I tell if the OS itself is included in the backup??

  Also, the Acronis software indicates it can be used to backup up email, 
  it has a setting called "My Email".  But when I check that box, it 
  indicates it will backup and restore email for Microsoft Outlook.  I 
  thought Acronis could be used to backup all email, not just Outlook.  Am 
  I mistaken on that??  I use the Mozilla Thunderbird email client and 
  really like it, and my wife uses IncrediMail and doesn't want to switch 
  either.  I'm hoping that Acronis will backup and restore both of those 
  email clients.

  Any help appreciated.  Thanks in advance.
  Lee in the Mountains of Northern California