Real Newbie - Please try to be patient.

Hi,

Having just built my first computer, having it work for a couple of weeks and then crash 2 times in one weekend, meaning I lose everything, twice!

I decided I really should use a proper backup program to prevent me having all these dramas again!

I have purchased ATI 10 Home, which I'm pleased with so far.

I dont fully understand the manual though and I have some really basic questions that are narking me.

I have so far:

1 - Made a backup image on my second HDD of my entire C drive.
2 - Created a bootable CD
3 - Created and activated acronis secure zone on my C drive (with new MBR)
4 - Created a second backup image of the C drive in the secure zone on drive C.
5 - Created another backup image of the C drive on a DVD.
6 - Validated all backup images succesfully.

Please excuse me if my terminology isn't quite upto par. I hope you understand what I mean.

What I want to know now, is how I would restore my C: drive if:

1 - The C: HDD actually mechanically failed.
2 - Windows will not load.

The way I understand it at present is:

1 - Install a new HDD as master. Then bootup and press F11 for Acronis. Then use backup from either D: drive or DVD to restore the brand new master HDD to C: again.

(a) - Is it that easy?

2 - Press F11 at boot, to enter acronis, and then restore files from Secure zone on C drive to repair/overwrite windows installation.

Have I got this right? I'd really like to know that I have got a good fall back plan now.

Many thanks to all that help,
regards,
Ben.

 

Hi,

Thanks for your input, much appreciated!

I have created an image on my C drive and also my D drive incase of C drive failure.

I have also created a backup on DVD too incase of a freak example where both hdd fail.

So, do I understand the restore process correctly?

Many thanks,
Ben.

 

Is your drive D a second drive, then you are safer.
If D is a second partition on system drive, then big problems.

Check my guides. Link below.

Also check the Useful forum threads on the topic of Secure Zone.

 

farmerb,

If the ASZ is on the C: drive and the C: drive crashes/dies, then you will not be able to restore by pressing F11 because nothing will load from the drive. If only Windows has crashed or become corrupted, then it would work to restore from the ASZ on the C: drive.

You can boot from the rescue cd and restore the image from your second internal or from your DVD backup (or from an external USB drive, network share, etc.).

If you haven't already checked, you should boot from the rescue cd and make sure you can at least verify both the image on the second hard drive and the image on the DVD.

 

Hi,

Thanks very much people.

My D: drive is indeed a second hdd in my system.

So the way I understand it, I can boot from the CD if the C: hdd is bust and then restore from the second D: drive or the DVD?

Thanks for the links GroverH, will have a good, thorough read through those now.

Thanks to all, I think I'm starting to understand what I've got now.

 

Hello farmerb,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Yes, in this case as MudCrab said in order to restore the system you will need to boot the computer from Acronis True Image Bootable CD and perform the restoration.

The Bootable CD from which you loaded the program does not keep you from using other CD\DVD discs with backups. Acronis True Image is loaded entirely into RAM, so you can remove the bootable CD to insert the archive disc.

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov