Grover's How to Create a "Disk Image" or "Disk Mode" Image & more.
Grover's How to Create a "Disk Image" or "Disk Mode" Image & more.
Important Pre -Introduction: Sadly, all to often there are postings on the forum about backup issues where the cause was incomplete user backups which is why this topic and guide is so important. The mistake often made is that partitions without drive letters (visible only in the Disk Management console) are erroneously omitted from backup. Choosing the disk mode (illustrated in #3 below) will enable you checkmark the disk for a complete backup of everything on the disk--including non-lettered partitions and disk signature. Having a complete disk backup usually offers more restore options and usually with fewer restore issues.
Start the TI program inside Windows.
To create a new backup task, begin by completing steps 1, 2 and 3 as below. In step 2, unfortunately, the program normally opens initially into "partition mode" so the user needs to switch to "disk mode" (as shown in step 2) in order to have the preferred "disk image" type backup where it is the program which choose all partitions (step 3) rather then the individual making the choices.
Hover your mouse tip over the displayed disks as shown in red #3.
The first disk listed will probably be your system disk and the picture should include/display all partitions. A checkmark will include that disk and all its contents into the backup.
Clicking the "switch to disk mode" module will enable access to checkmarking the entire disk to be included withiin backup which includes the Disk Signature plus ALL partitions including any non-lettered partitions. This "Disk mode or Disk Image" backup is my recommended choice.
The "disk mode" backup is the preferred backup type to create a replacement disk or restore a non-bootable system into a bootable system because this mode offers the most restore options with the least complicated restore methods.
The "disk mode" backup is the only backup type which will enable a disk mode restore to bypass setting configuration requirements for each individual partition. This can be especially helpful when the restore disk is of the same size and attempting to create an identical disk. A "partition mode backup of all partitions" should be equivelent to a "Disk Mode" backup but it isn't. For more details on the differences, refer my comments in this link-- http://forum.acronis.com/forum/42602#comment-133593
More complete details, on how to create a backup task or illustrations of a sample backup schemes, are continued at this next important link.
Guide Illustrations 11-Full or 11-Inc or 11-Dif (next link) are good examples of how to set up a backup scheme for automatic deletion by the program without using consolidation. Accepting program defaults is NOT the best choice when creating a backup task. One of these #11 examples can be modifed for most users.
For best results, take the additional seconds and create your own custom backup scheme as per this next link--which covers more "how to" features of task creation.
Please click this next link. More important information to follow. Taking time to read the details can actually save you time in the future.
Or, if wanting to use the TI Recovery CD to perform a "disk mode" or "disk image" backup, this next link will show you how to create this type backup image by check-marking the disk option so all partitons & mbr will be included within the backup.
Example also applicable to 2011-2012 & 2013.
http://forum.acronis.com/sites/default/files/mvp/user285/guides/2010-ti…
Note: TrueImage does NOT have to be installed in order to use the Recovery CD to create backups or to restore a prior backup.
If involved with NAS equipment, Check out this link which is also applicable to 2013.
http://kb.acronis.com/content/23567
Also this link in troubleshooting NAS issues. http://forum.acronis.com/forum/45003#comment-140693
I also never realized this was an option.
Thank you.
Since it is better I don't understand why it is not the Acronis default.
First, thank you for taking your time and effort to provide the kind of support Acronis should offer.
Second, I think you've saved my future life. I will be pleased to send you my first born. (Age 36)
Third, I have been doing backups as I was originally instructed for 3 years, have about 20 hard drives full of them. Looks like they are all partition backups and it doesn't look like I can "image" a disk with them.
Fourth, I've read and re-read the Acronis site and find the application and the site confusing. Very confusing.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
David,
Thank you for the compliments. It is better to keep your first born as I am much more than twice that age.
If you have backups of all partitions, your backups could still be useful. Never throw away good backups until there is no other choice.
The lack of help from Aronis is the impetus for my guides and help. I needed help so I had to start helping myself and one thing lead to another and now 6 years later after becoming a new TI user, here I am. Do your own testing and you will be surprised how much you can benefit but you will need a machine to be used for the testing--such as if you upgrade.
Good luck.
Is it possible to move the Event Log from an old NAS backup device to a New one?
I'm using Win 7 64bit and Acronis 2014. My old STORA NAS back box is full so I have installed a new Synology NAS box.
I have successfully set up a backup partition on the new box, which I mounted as Z: - I created a new scheduled backup task which ran successfully to the new box, and have cancelled the old scheduled task which ran to the old box. However it appears that the Event Log file is still on the old device, which I want to leave powered off until/unless required for recovery. With the old box powered off, new backups are created but not recorded, and it is impossible to view the event log. Is there a way round this problem?
If I am understanding your question, you want to see the contents of the new log file for the new task. This link should show you how. If you have more questions, please post them in the 2014 forum as where you have posted is not for questions and answers.
How do you switch to disk mode in TI 2015? I've been having to use the bootable media to capture images because I can't capture disks under Windows.
When you start a new task in 2015 (Add backup/create new backup)
The first option provided for a new task is the clicking if "Select Source"
Next is the clicking of option "Entire PC.
The task name then changes to
"Entire PC(your computer name)"
one of my task names for a full disk image backup is
"Entire PC (Grovers-Asus)"