Image Backups

True Image version 10.0. A newbie question that I have been unable to find the answer in the User's Manual.

I have a 120 GB drive C: and a 60 GB Drive D:. What I want to do is to dedicate Drive D: to storing an image backup of Drive C:. My guess is I'm currently using less than 30 GB on Drive C:.

I have set up a secure zone for all of Drive D:, rebooted and no errors were received. I then used the Backup Wizard to do the initial full backup, and it appears to be saying it can't fit Drive C: at 111.75 on Drive D: at 57.65 GB. I know there's a compression capability built into True Image, but I have not been able to find information about it.

 

acronis secure zone is meant to be used when you only have one physical hard drive so I would start by uninstalling ASZ - Acronis have written a FAQ which says that it is not advisable to have asz on "another" drive. . The keeping it simply just make a full image of C: to D:

make sure this simple basic operation works before trying out anything more complex.

Personally I alawsy keep it simple and just make full image backups and do not use ASZ.

 

Your post suggests you are trying to put a quart into a pint pot

When you allocate hard drive space in which to store images it must be of adequate size to do the job effectively. This hold true whether you are using a secure zone or not.
My estimate for a MINIMUM space would be two and a half times the size of the source data. The reasoning behind this is that there should be enough room for at least two complete images plus a margin for contingencies. It may be that some such minimum is actually built into the secure zone creation process but I have not checked this out.
My view is that with only space for one image one would have to delete it to make room for a new image so there would be a period when no backup is available.
With only space for one image plus a few incrementals or differentials the free space would become filled and would take no more till the original base image was deleted. Again there would a gap in protection.
Compression can be applied to images. I always use the normal level which is the best speed/space saving compromise though I would still stick to the above minima.

I have always used a secure zone through Version 8 to 10. Having it on an internal slave drive has a whole string of advantages over other methods. I will just mention two. Automatic unattended backup preparation and automatic FIFO management of images.

One approach you could take would be to change over your drives so the bigger one became the backup drive.
FWIW my backup drive is three times the size of my main drive and I have room for ten complete images.

Xpilot

 

Well, I am using the ASZ on "another" external hard disk. I have NOT activated startup recovery manager. Since the secondary internal drive can konk off also along with the primary drive in case of power problems etc., my external hard drive is an 'off-site' backup which I can restore easily using the bootable rescue media. I turn this hard disk on only at the time of creating images.

 

An Acronis FAQ follows:

Perhaps the operative word is "detachable" ? I will have to try ASZ sometime - I have never really seen it as being of any practical use and simply image to other partitions or drives ( internal, external and networked)

Can I create an Acronis Secure Zone on an external drive?

Acronis does not recommend creating the Acronis Secure Zone on a detachable drive. If you activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager and then for some reason disconnect the drive Acronis Secure Zone resides on, your computer may boot with a long delay or not boot at all. You will need to either reconnect the drive with the Acronis Secure Zone or fix the master boot record (MBR).