How to backup on CD

I couldn't handle Ghost anymore (for which I paid $70), so I've put it away and got True Image. It seems just about as complicated as Ghost. I recently wasted 25 CD-R disks trying to make a hard drive backup in Ghost. I couldn't use the Image Browser to view the bu. I want to make a full bu of my hard drive: the entire system with TI and have read the manual as to how to backup on CDs but can't find specific instructions. I'd appreciate any help I can get about how to make the full bu on CD. Also, do I have to use either CD-R or CD-RW, or can I use either? I have a feeling these backup programs are going to kill me and I'll have to go to an external bu drive. It's not worth the aggravation. ec

 

You can use regular 700MB CD-R disks which are faster than CD-RW.

To do a back up of an entire drive just follow the "create image" instructions. Make sure you check the top box for backing up the entire hard drive vs. partitions. This will make your restored image fully bootable because it captures the master boot record.

You can choose to back up to CD's and you have a choice of 650MB or 700MB disks. Be patient and your backup should proceed just fine. Remember to label your CD's properly.

Of course there's nothing faster or easier than an external hard drive. You can get an external USB2 drive for under $100 and save lots of CD shuffling as well.

Good luck.

 

Alternatively back-up to DVD.

I have an earlier version of the true Image software, v7. Had it for about a year..ish, very satisfied an excellent prog. The only problem I've ever had with it is its apparent inability to write to DVD's. Every disk I have provided it with, according to true image, is corrupt, unwriteable. In a roundabout way it says the disks I'm using are cheapo's/nonamers. No probs backing up to an alternate device though, converted sata HDD on usb

I guess if I get a response it will be to upgrade, but why the hell should I (no flame, I'm British ). It claims to back-up to DVD but clearly doesn't.

A blemish on an otherwise excellent product.
I don't see any major improvements in v8 to warrent an upgrade!

 

Did you format the DVD-RW or DVD+RW disks for packet writing (UDF) with a program such as Drag-to-Disk, InCD or DLA before trying to write to them with TrueImage. The manual specifically states that this is required since TI doesn't provide drivers for all the various DVD writers. DVD-R disks cannot be used, and DVD+R disks can only be used if you have the Roxio utiltity to format them.

 

Definitely give up on CDs and use an external USB hard drive. The probability of one bad CD out of 25 is too high to accept, plus you can't Explore the image to restore individual files or folders. Checking the image is so labor instensive with all the disk swapping that you won't do it and won't know if you have an non-restorable image. All these problems are eliminated by using an external hard drive.

 

Hi John,

Not wishing to appear picky but you can mount and explore the image provided the .tib files on all the CDs are copied back to a single partition or folder on the hard drive first.

Kind regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,

Good "pick." That is an important point for anyone with images on multiple optical disks.

John

 

I put my Genie back-ups and True Images onto a separate internal hard drive; that's something that I don't see being mentioned here. Before I started doing this, I had been told that for *both* my hard drives to fail was an extremely remote possibility.

Recently I forgot to put my Quicken data file(s) onto my new computer. The backups were on floppy discs, and my new computer does not have an a: drive. And I regularly only back up my documents and emails. Then I remembered I had done a True Image the day before I switched computers. Within two minutes I had located the Quicken data and restored three years worth of bank transactions onto my new computer. Very nice.

 

Hello winterday,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Could you please describe the problem with burning the image to CDs in more words?

Please also tell me what exactly do you mean when saying that you "couldn't use the Image Browser to view the bu"?

Have you received any error messages? What exact error messages?

Please describe actions taken before the problem appears step-by-step.

Please also note that to mount a virtual disk and explore the backup you should copy all files from all CD/DVD discs to one directory on your hard drive and only after that - start a mount process.

Thank you.
--
Alexey Popov

 

I agree with the person who said the Acronis web page gives the impression that TI itself can burn CD's.

I've spent a lot of time lately trying to find out how to move a full True Image from my internal backup HD to DVD (see "Transfer" thread) and gotten no help. Your comments make me wonder if using DVDs to store images is even worth doing. One of you mentioned Drag to Disc; I've never used it, but I do have it, so it seems I *do* have the means to make the transfer. The Acronis manual doesn't mention Drag to Disc -- it mentions DirectCD, also Roxio.

NG

 

Hello NoGuru,

Assuming you meant CDs rather than DVDs then it's fair to say that TI can burn images to CD by itself without use of third-party software.

Well a good place to start is with <Acronis True Image 9.0 Online FAQ #21> (it also mentions Drag-to-Disk by the way) and the TI 8.0 User's Guide under Chapter 11 (Troubleshooting), Section 11.2 (Frequently asked questions). In addition, this forum is chock-a-block with advice from Users like myself on how to burn images to DVD, either "direct" using third party packet writing software (if that's not a contradiction of terms!!) or via the "indirect" two-step method.

Regards