recovery using Image created by True Image 2011

#1 Yes
#2 No you can't assuming that your are creating a backup archive. Yes if you clone the drive. The Rescue Media is the preferred method for restoring when needed.
See Grover's Guides http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3426 sections 2 and 3 for more details.

My preferred method is to create a full backup archive each night and keep two nights of backups. Cloning is normally used when replacing the hard drive with a larger one.

Many thanks for the response to my #1 point that issue is resolved

Re #2 I am unclear as to your meaning.

Let me clarify

I now run daily versioned backps of my data (libraries and e-mails) on another external HDD

My second question was to be prepared in case my desktop HDD fails completely. In that scenario my OS & programs are lost .

Thus I thought if I created an image of my desktop C Drive I would be able to recover mky desk top C Drive completely

Where am I going wrong?

PS I am not challenging you I am just not well informed

Peter

Thus I thought if I created an image of my desktop C Drive I would be able to recover mky desk top C Drive completely

Yes you can but you cannot do it just by swapping the hard drive with the image file on it. You would boot from the Rescue CD and restore(recover)the image to the new drive from its location on your external hard drive for example.

In order to do what you propose you would use cloning to make a copy of the hard drive to an external drive. In that case you would be able to swap the drives. See Grover's Guides http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3426 sections 3TT and other links in that section that discuss cloning.

Index item 3-DD would also help to understand backups. Should your harddrive fail or be a virus casualty and you need to create replacement drive, the best type backup to have is one that includes all partitions. In TrueImage, this type backup is referenced as a "disk mode" or "disk option" backup and it does include all partitions. This is discussed in index item 3-DD.

Thanks you are helpful

I assume that when the term "cloning " is used reference TI, it means creation of an image as an intermediate step?
Based on the warnings you gave about possible cloning risks I will stick to the image process
I read item # 12785 which explains your point

here is what I understand should be my recovery process if my desktop HD fails completely.
1. Replace failed desktop HD with same size formatted blank HD
2. Turn on PC, enter BIOS settings make CD drive first in boot order
3.Exit bios , open CD drive, close turn off PC and restart
4.Connect (USB)external HD with TI image backup file created earlier
5. Use the TI rescue disk to convert& transfer image from external HD to blank HD in the desktop

again my appreciation peter

Cloning differs from an image. Cloning makes an exact copy the old boot disk onto a new one. There is no image file created when cloning just an exact copy of the original disk.

1. The replacement hard be can be larger, in fact this is usually the case. See Grover's Index http://forum.acronis.com/forum/3426 sections QQ and SS.
2. Correct
3. Correct
4. Its best to connect the external hard drive before restarting. mine is always connected.
5. The process is called Recovery and I recommend you actually try this up to the point where you tell it to complete the process. Also validate your backup file to make sure you will not have any issues with corruption.

Item 1 at this link is very applicable--especially if using Windows 7. If using XP, post a screen capture of your Windows Disk Management graphical view so we can see the layout of your partitions.

http://forum.acronis.com/forum/29618

Thanks

I am using win 7 pro
I think that "Acronis" creates Images as backups -it does not create clones (as per the true definition of clones) and that those in these Forums who use the term "Clone" are incorrect or they are using different software that does create clones . Am I correct?

Thats said , thanks I have learned much from this

Peter

One interpretation is how you define clone--whether simply or extensively. To some, it is just a copy and to others, it is much more. The reader has no understanding of what the writer actually means to imply by their use of the term "clone".

Acronis provides two methods to create a duplicate disk. Duplicate being defined as having the same content and is bootable. Capacity can differ and partition sizes can differ.

One method is to attach an additional replacement disk and use the TrueImage clone procedure. This will copy from the source to the target and the final result will be a new bootable disk with the same basic content of the source. Basically, two identical (?) disks with the same number of partitions on both disks--no less and no more. Data may not be on the exact same sector on both. This method is used by many but there is the risk of a user error (wrong selection of disks) or a hardware malfunction which can cause the loss of both disks. For many us, the TrueImage cloninig procedure is not the preferred method of creating a replacement disk due to its risk factor.

The cloning procedure offers user 3 variations. Automatic; or "as is" duplication; or manual where user can change the partition sizes. The automatic is the most frequently used and least understood (IMHO) in that the program has complete control over what partitions will be resized with no user options under the automatic mode. To me, if I were cloning, the automatic would be the last choice as it offers no options.

The second or more common method of creating a replacement disk (sometimes called a clone) is to create a backup image of the entire disk. This is done using the TrueImage disk & partition backup. This image is stored in a file with an extension of *.tib. As it is just a normal file, many of these files can be stored on one disk. The *.tib file can then be restored (via Truei Img e Recovery) onto a new disk and the resulting disk will be basically identical as to what would have been created by the clone--except that the Recovery method offers the user has more control over the what is restored or omitted from the restore. The source disk is not at risk of a wipe out as the user is only creating images of the existing disk.