Bootable CD--XP Home vs. Pro

There are very few new questions about TrueImage. Most have been asked numerous times and answered via the forum. The search feature of the forum plus the search feature of Google can be of real help in getting answers quickly and from varied view points. The biggest deficiency of the search feature is that you must read it all to find what you are really looking for. Nevertheless,search can be a potent tool to increase your learning.

If you examine this page, you will note the Search option located upper right under your login name. Explore the advanced function which gives you more tools and can search via login names if desired.

Also, you can use the Google search function in your own browser
type in your search words and add the phrase "site: www.WildersSecurity.com" (without the quotes)
and perform the search. Search words can include topics or dates or login names, etc.

For example: use Google and copy/paste this search info into the search window.
"When/why do people mount" site:www.WildersSecurity.com

and the results will point you to this link below.

When/Why do people mount
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=154735

The more you practice you searches the better the results.
Just be sure and that every google search includes the object of your search plus Site:www.WildersSecurity.com

 

Thank you yet again, Grover--for both responses. I often use Google and do it well, but I hadn't thought of it for this area. I appreciate the link to the earlier thread on mounting, and I think I understand the concept now. I'll follow your directions for mounting an archive on my C: drive.

One more question, though.

I've been following the thread on "corrupt archives" that won't restore, even though they were successfully validated; but I haven't seen anything that spells out how to make sure a backup is restorable. (I know you can't be 100% certain, of course. In fact, some people either here or on another newsgroup reported that Acronis claimed an archive on a USB drive was corrupt and wouldn't restore when the USB drive was external but restored it properly when they made the drive an internal slave or moved it to another computer on their network.)

If I successfully mount the backup and copy from it, is that a good indication that the backup will also restore OK? If not, what else should I do? (I'm alternating my full Acronis backups between two WD160GB exernal drives.)

Thanks again!

Jo-Anne

 

When you're done with the mounted drive. Then use the program to unmount. This is not something that needs to be mounted except to copy the test files, etc.

I haven't followed the corrupt thread.

The only way you know whether a archive will restore is to actually do it. If you have a data only partition, you could start by restoring that by itself.

The next best thing is to validate the backup files when booted from the Rescue CD.

And then to mount can copy files from it.

Sooner or later, you have to perform the restore in reality. You need to know whether it will work by doing it. This must be done either to a test disk or to the real disk. Certainly, a test disk is the best option. Perhaps you current disk need to be replaced with a larger capacity disk. That would be a good test.

As long as you have a "disk" option backup as described in my guide, you have some security.

Good luck.

addendum addition:
Best way for making functioning images
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?p=1047306

 

I guess to some degree I'll have to trust that the restore function will work, since I don't have either a spare disk or a partition to try it on. (My Dell desktop computer has only one small FAT16 partition--which I've been told is where Dell puts its diagnostics; the rest is simply the C: drive.)

Re validating from the Rescue CD, are you saying that I should do a full backup with Acronis running from its regular Windows XP location, then reboot the computer with the rescue CD and validate the backup with Acronis running from the rescue CD? If so, after the validation, would I then reboot normally and mount the backup?

Thank you!

Jo-Anne

 

The backup function can be done from either Windows or the Rescue CD. Some people do both--others do only the one or the other. Where the backup is done is a matter of choice--or user comfort level.

As for the validation, since the restore function on a disk replacement must occur when booted from the Rescue Cd, it is best that the validation be from the CD. Many of us have the validation set to automatic during the backup so doing the CD validation may be an extra but necessary step.

Once you have some comfort level that the CD validations works, many of us do not validate each and every backup--just randomly.

Should you ever need to restore your backup to a new disk, be sure and choose the disk option for the restore function--as you have that extra FAT16 partition.

 

Thank you, Grover! I'll do the Rescue CD validation later today for my latest backup and will continue doing it periodically if it appears to be OK.

Jo-Anne