Installing ATI Home 2009, is it better to start by deleting everything from my ext HD

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by Buzzard104, Apr 9, 2009.

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  1. Buzzard104

    Buzzard104 Registered Member

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    I am about to install ATI Home 2009. I have 3 questions:

    First question:
    Is it better to wipe clean my existing Freecom 500GB ext HD and start with a clean slate?

    Second question:
    I have been using NTI Shadow to backup to my ext HD. Shadow backs up all docs as they are edited/altered/saved.. will ATI Home 2009 do this as well?
    (I am changing because Shadow crashes umpteen times a day because, so the makers say, it is not designed to back up the OS, which I want).

    Third question:
    Would it be advisable to partition my ext HD before installing ATI Home?

    My system is:
    Windows XP Home SP3; 2.5GB RAM
    5-year old Fujitsu Siemens Cordant desktop, Intel Pentium 4; 80GB int HD (with about 30GB unused).

    Thank you.
     
  2. bodgy

    bodgy Registered Member

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    1. Not necessarily. What sort of files are on your external and how much free space do you have?

    2. Not exactly. With TI it is an all or nothing approach, so you could have specific folders backed up every hour or so, and a seperate task for the complete drive including the OS once a day. Perhaps you would now be able to have NTI Shadow back up your documents, and TI to do the OS, maybe this would stop NTI crashing.

    3. I don't think so, unless for example you wanted to have the NTI stuff seperate from the TI files in case the external drive suffers problems. Of course unless you use something like DD 10 to repartition the drive, you are likely to wipe out all that you've got on there, so question 1 becomes moot.

    I would suggest having a TI folder on the external drive for your images.
    I would also suggest you keep a copy if TI installer on the drive along with a text file containing your licence number. It would also be advisable to make a rescue CD and make sure it can boot your PC and see your external drive.

    Hope that helps

    Colin
     
  3. Buzzard104

    Buzzard104 Registered Member

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    Thanks very much for your help Colin.
    I was wondering about keeping NTI Shadow just for my docs, and I DID mention it on my first attempt at posting the question, but when I hit 'Preview Post', it said I wasn't logged in so I lost the damned lot and had to try and remember what I'd written very carefully before, grrrr, lol.

    1. All types of files are on my ext (NTFS), just as are on my int.

    2. Already mentioned, above.

    3. Regarding partitioning: I'm a bit fazed by the fact that when I look at the ext HD contents that NTI Shadow backed up there.. there is no partitioning.. they are all in one partition. I was wondering if they ever were required to be restored to their original positions on the int HD, would they know where to go? On my int HD I have C, D and E partitions. Would TI mirror the drives as well when it does the 'mirror image'?
    And I have been looking at GPart for partitioning, what do you think?

    Finally, I do feel that it might be a good idea to 'wipe' the contents that are on the ext HD because it says that there is nearly 5 times the amount of data that is on the int HD. So there must be a lot of junk on there, in the form of duplicated folders, because it really should have the same used volume as the int HD. (On my int HD I have 43GB free space out of 80, whereas on the ext HD I only have 301GB out of 500.. so something's wrong somewhere!)
    But what do you think?

    Thanks again for you most valued advice.

    Ian
     
  4. bodgy

    bodgy Registered Member

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    I can't answer specifically for NTI, as I've never used it. However, I imagine it does have some method to restore back to the same location.

    If you don't need what is on your external, then there is no harm in formatting the drive. You may well have a hidden file on your external drive causing the large mismatch on free space. Don't forget you may well have a copy of Recycle Bin on there and depedning on how you have the 'bin' setup depends on how much space it takes up.

    Colin
     
  5. Buzzard104

    Buzzard104 Registered Member

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    Thanks very much Colin for your advice. I think I will reformat and partiton my ext HD as all that is on there should just be copies saved from my internal. I shall try partitioning with Gparted as I've read good reports of it.

    My plan is to create similar C,D and E drives on my external (increasing the capacities of each), plus maybe another partition for the whole mirror image that ATI will produce. And I will leave my NTI Shadow program to back up my data constantly. Do you think this is a reasonable idea?

    I keep putting this job off as it is a little bit daunting but with my machine being over 5 years old, I know it's only a matter of time before something terminal is likely to happen to it (careful as I am).

    Thanks again,

    Ian
     
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