Restore To Different OS?

Hi! I have searched for 3 days now, but can't find an answer to my question.

I am using ATI 11, build 8,053. Computer currently has MS Media Ctr Edition 2005 installed - It is a Gateway with OEM recovery disk. I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE! that it will not allow me to do a regular repair reinstall from Windows, because if anything AT ALL goes wrong I have to start from scratch!

Here is my question: I have a full image backup created with the above version/build. If I were to decide to buy an official Windows XP Pro w/SvcPk2 (same computer, different OS), is it possible to install it and restore all of my apps/settings, etc from the previous Media Ctr image?

Easier way to put it? -- Can I image from Media Ctr and restore to XP Pro?

Thank you very much. This seems to be a very helpful forum.

 

Your applications are tied into your registry. If you reinstall the OS you will need to reinstall your applications. You may be able to port across your data files, but you will need to identify where they are stored in each case.

Far better to to think about having a partition for OS and one for data. This does not eliminate the need to reinstall applications, but it does make managing backups and restorations a lot easier.

F.

 

ATI can't do what you are describing. What you are trying to accomplish is best achieved by upgrading your OS, not image swapping. What you want to do, if possible, is upgrade from XP Media Center Edition to XP Pro, retaining all your settings and data. Unfortunately, that upgrade path is not supported:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/matrix.mspx

You can, however, do a clean install of XP Pro, perhaps using the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to retain as many of your settings as possible. You will still need to reinstall all of your software.

An ATI image of your OS can provide you with a fallback position in case you are faced with insurmountable problems (ie unsupported hardware, driver issues, etc.) and can't successfully complete the upgrade.

That said, I would approach the situation differently. Why not keep your current OS but set up your system so you don't have to rely on doing a Repair Install if/when things go wrong?

1) Create a second partition if you don't already have one, and use it to store all of your data. (This can be backed up separately from your OS. Many of us here use ATI just for imaging our OS and use an entirely different backup strategy for our data.)

2) Make regular ATI images of your OS partition.

3) Build the Acronis Rescue CD and confirm that it works on your system.

4) If something goes wrong with your OS and you can't fix it, merely restore the OS from your latest image. You no longer have to start from "scratch", as the image will include all of your latest software and settings. As long as you have a recent image you can accomplish a full recovery in about 15 minutes.

(Foghorne, you beat me to it! Sorry to be repeating some of your advice, but I don't want to rewrite my whole post.)

 

Thank you VERY much, Foghorne and Dantz, for your replies. (See? This IS a very helpful forum!!)

Dantz, I do "believe" that I have my system set up just as you recommend! Yay! (I actually did something RIGHT?? ha!) Anybody feel like analyzing my setup?

Here it is:
1) OS on C:\
2) "My Documents" (where I basically save EVERYTHING) on D:\
3) External USB hard drive (where I store all scheduled backups of Documents, my original images and my monthly scheduled image) on L:\
4) A separate partition (on my one internal hard drive) to which I copied my original images on Z:\ (can't remember why I did that, but I did)

Does it look like it is set up OK?

Also, what is the best way to create the image? Main partition (C:\) only? or the entire hard disk?

Thank you all so much! I really appreciate your help.

 

Just image your OS partition (C drive). It can easily be restored as needed without affecting your data partitions. If your hard drive fails then this image can also be restored onto a blank replacement hard drive that you install into the same computer. In that case you can use either Windows XP or ATI to create your data partitions and then restore your data from a recent backup.

It's ok to store some images in your Z partition, but keep in mind that you probably won't be able to access those images if your hard drive fails. An external drive is much more useful in that respect. Of course an external drive can also fail, so it doesn't hurt to store some images in both places. Just hope that both drives don't fail at once!

The main thing is to make sure that your images are current. Any time you add, remove or reconfigure any of your software you should make a fresh image. Alternatively you can update an existing image by performing an incremental or differential backup, but don't overdo it, as this tends to reduce the overall reliability. You should still make a full image backup regularly. If storage space is an issue then you can delete older images as you create new ones, and in fact ATI can even do this for you if you so configure it.

Don't forget to implement a data backup strategy as well. Be aware that certain programs (i.e. Windows Address Book, Outlook Express, etc.) tend to save user data in the Documents and Settings folder on Drive C, so you may need to adjust your backup strategy to include this data as well.

 

Once again, thank you very much. You have been very helpful. I am printing this thread as we speak and will make sure to follow your directions, etc very carefully. I think I am all set!

 

Many TI users prefer to mostly backup the main OS ( or OS's) . Data is easily backed up using native or 3rd party dedicated software designed for "data" back-up including 'incremental' operations.

That is not to say that TI cannot do this. It often is a matter of compatibility/time/ease issuses on any particular set-up... ( these seen to be infinite in number--almost).

A smaller "OS" and "applications" partition is easily restored as mentioned above and with-out data can be restored relatively fast, time wise.

We all must come to understand our particular set-up and decide our back-up strategy based on idiosyncrasies that only we ourselves can unravel through trial and error. I have bought XPs (both home and Professional-- and I have not regretted this, so that I can more easily control what I can back up with out the enormous and crude bloat-ware and lack of a genuine (and thus without a 'recovery console' capability native to the retail XP's) WINDOWS CD that comes with 'ready made computers'.

Acronis is a relatively cheaply priced application and many claim that Acronis cannot be expected to be competitive with those highly integrated Windows applications that ( from what I am told) cost hundreds of dollars and can accommodate an vast variety of set-ups . Nonetheless for reliability, I prefer to rely on 4 backup applications (one native and three third party).

I am aware that Acronis is highly accommodating if one decides to research and compile tools to complete what Acronis itself cannot complete without corruption (this is why I like Acronis so much!). Others expect ( regardless of price [as advertised by Acronis]and should righteously get) an easy out-of-box Acronis solution. Acronis should have a Knoppix-like capability to repair itself.

As this forums members have repeatedly maintained: Back up to as many media as your system allows--this is the 'key" many believe to restoring after a failure.

 

Actually I think that my directions were very incomplete, more of a rough outline really, but I suppose you are 'all set' for the moment, anyway.

By the way, there is also a great deal of information to be found in the 'sticky' posts at the beginning of this topic, especially the one with the FAQs. ATI also has a fairly decent built-in Help feature.

Please feel free to check back here when you have more questions.