Initial Installation

(Vista Home, Dell E521)

I received my copy of Acronis True Image Home 2009 from Newegg.

The software was shipped as one CD labeled "Acronis True Image Home 2009 Bootable CD."

This package has the 64 digit Serial Code printed in full over the CD in the CD case.

I have not installed it yet nor have I run the CD. Instead, I first registered it and manually downloaded:
1. Version 9709 (TrueImage2009.9709_s_en.exe)
2. BartPE & SafeMedia (TrueImage2009Addons_s_en.exe)

Questions:
1. Since I will be using it only for full system drive Image Backup and Restore, do I need to install the ATI 2009 Windows program at all?

2. If the Windows program is required, is it best (or even possible) to just install the 9709 version directly from the downloaded .exe file and skip the CD installation, or should I just proceed with the installation from the CD?

Thanks.

 

No.
Start with your purchased CD and clarify whether all devices are shown and recognised (source device and destination device for the image).
If YES, then there is no need to install Ti.
(Be aware that the SafeMode&BartPE-Plugin is not included)

If the devices are NOT shown correctly then install Ti2009/9709 and the SafeMode&BartPE-Plugin and create a new rescue-CD.
Then there is SafeMode&BartPE-Plugin included...

When you start with the new rescue-cd you check once more whether the hdds are shown.

If YES, you can uninstall Ti from Windows... (or not).

If NOT, please post here again.

Install downloaded file directly.
It is not recommended to upgrade Ti over an old version.


EDIT:
If you install Ti under Windows please avoid to create a "Acronis SecureZone". Read the manual thoroughly concerning ASZ.

 

Thanks.

Our Dell E520 employs the Intel G965 chip-set and the ICH8R RAID controller chip-set and runs Vista Home.. It has a floppy, an internal SATA drive, and a CDROM. It also has a USB adapter connected SATA drive that has 2 primary partitions.

The bootable CD that was shipped to us is Version: 12,0,0,9608.

The CD booted up OK and the screens behaved normally.

Here is a comparison of the drive letters:

Code:

Item                 
                  Vista Computer Mgn’t       Booted ATI 2009

Disk:             0                        2
Volume:           (unlabeled)               (unlabeled)  
File System:      EISA                      FS FAT16
Letter:           (none)                     (none)
Capacity:         55 MB                     54.88 MB

Volume:           Recovery                  Recovery
File System:      NTFS                      NTFS
Letter:           D:                        D:
Capacity:         10 GB                     10 GB

Volume:           OS                        OS
File System:      NTFS                      NTFS
Letter:           C:                        C:
Capacity:         138.96 GB                 139 GB

Disk:             1                         1
Volume:           Boot-Drive-Image-1       Boot-Drive-Image-1
File System:      NTFS                      NTFS
Letter:           F:                        H:
Capacity:         151.6 GB                  151.6 GB

Volume:           Boot-Drive-Image-2       Boot-Drive-Image-2
File System:      NTFS                      NTFS
Letter:           G:                        F:
Capacity:         126.95 GB                 127 GB

It appears that Boot-Drive-Image-1 shifted from F: in Windows to H: in the booted ATI. Boot-Drive-Image-2 shifted from G: to F:. Nothing appeared in ATI at drive letter G:.

I haven't created an image yet. Given this result and possible future problems, should I move to version 9709 before creating the first image?

 

My goal was to keep the Windows version off the critical (target) computer

I loaded ATI 2009 ver. 9709 and made a rescue-cd using another (stand-in) computer. So no Windows ATI 2009 version was ever installed on the critical target computer. I then uninstalled the Windows version on the stand-in computer.

So now I had an up-to-date 9709 rescue-cd and no Windows installation anywhere and no possibility of remnants of a Windows installation on the critical (target) computer.

That seemed to do it. Booting up the target computer with that and going to the full-drive image back-up screen, the drive letters were all correct (that is, they agreed with Vista's Computer Management letters).

So in that regard at least, the two ATI 2009 versions did perform differently.

[Note: Having created the rescue-CD temporarily using either a Vista or a XP computer and then uninstalling the Windows Acronis program from the "stand-in", "disk creating" computer. You can then use the rescue CD for the intended target computer that you will be servicing - even - if it is a Windows 2000 computer. Use only for one computer in keeping with the license.]

I have not yet made any backup images or restores.

 

Drive letters are not important because if you start with the rescue-cd you work under Linux.
Linux has another logic to identify partitions.

Importent is another point:
Give your partitions unique names with which you can identify them.
The you can look for the name instead of the drive letter.

And now try a fullbackup of your boot partition or the whole disk (what ever you want).
Don't use "file-/folder-backup. This type of backup don't save the MasterBootRecord, etc...

 

Thanks.

There is only one partition that has no name and its tiny and easy to identify. This is probably one of Dell's unique mystery partitions so I just as soon not play with it.

Whether or not differece in drive letters between Windows and Linux are important, it was still interesting to me that the rescue CDs from ATI Version 9608 treated drive letters differently than Version 9709 and that 9709 agreed with Vista's letters. The fact that the two versions behave differently in this regard could be a sign of more important underlying issues and may be reason enough for users to simply avoid using the older versions.

 

Version Checking Notes:

To check the version you have if Windows version of ATI 2009 is installed at C:\:
From Windows Explorer, right click on: C:\Program Files\acronis\TrueImageHome\TrueImage.exe, click on "Properties then click on "Details."

To check the version from the retail ATI CD:
From Windows Explorer find the CDROM and right click on Acronis\TrueImage\Setup.exe, click on properties then click on "Details."

(I don't know how you would check the version of the source looking at any rescue-CD you might create.)

 

Under Windows Ti2009 you can press ALT-key and a menu appears where you can check the version.

I don't know whether it's the same way using rescue-cd.

 

Performed a full backup of the whole system disk using the rescue-CD.

The .tib image file was created and produced where I wanted on the USB connected SATA drive. Size is about 78.5GB.

Validation was successful. (BTW: Validation could not be initiated from the drop-down menus but it was possible to initiate validation from the task bar.)

It took about 4 hours to produce this image and about 45 minutes to validate it. I'm not sure if these backup and validation times are typical for full drive backup of this size using the rescue-CD.

 

Restore:

So far the attempt has been to use ATI for whole disk imaging in the most predictable, least complex manner. We had decided to forego any operation in any flavor of Windows and forego using all the ATI bells and whistles in the hope that the simplest modes of operation would be the most predictable and reliable.

Having used a rescue-CD to create a backup image and having never installed ATI on this Vista machine, I am assuming that Windows doesn't remember anything about ATI or the backup except it sees a .tib file on a USB connected drive. It's hoped that will eliminate Windows' role, minimize the operation's complexity and reduce probability of grief (We'll see).

The next step is to connect up a new drive that physically replaces the present Windows system drive, and using the rescue-CD, "restore" to it the image presently stored in the USB drive. We want to do it in the most straightforward predictable manner possible.

One conservative plan would be:
1. Restore as stated above from the image in USB drive to the new drive with no other drives present.
2. Before trying to boot up the new drive with the CD removed, remove the USB drive (and any other drives) so that the new drive is the only drive present and no drive letter shenanigans are possible.
3. Boot up.

 

In the interest of using ATI in what is likely to be the most reliable and predictable way, it appears that whole drive backup and restores will invite less problems than choosing a selection of partitions to backup. For example many Dell computers have special partitions that could prevent successful restore if overlooked.

ATI initially appears to be a very polished program but in use it seems to me too many have had to conclude that in many instances, the use of ATI isn't trouble-free enough to do much of what it attempts to offer. It appears that by limiting its use, following very conservative guidelines like those above and by avoiding the temptation of more ambitious use of ATI, users who are looking for a predictable rescue means rather than an untimely challenge, may be better served.

For general backup, more limited programs like Windows Live OneCare would seem to be a better bet for most.