Seeking Newbie-type instructions

Hi.
I am a newbie.
I just paid for and downloaded the newest acronis true image from acronis's website and am ready to use it. but it is very confusing for someone like me.

Could someone please direct me to instructions that have been designed for newbies, where no previous knowledge is expected?

I just bought a laptop, didnt like all the bloatware preinstalled, so i reinstalled the operating system (XP MCE) from the CD that came with the machine.

Then i set up everything the way i like it. I want to create a dvd of exactly what i have now, so that at any time in the future, i can reinstall the operating system, pop in the dvd and bring me back to where i am now.

i would also like to be able to use this same dvd on my wife's laptop when it is delivered, after i reinstall its own operating system. will that be possible? or, does microsoft somehow prevent that when its a different machine?

please help!

 

Hello Dave,

Welcome to the Acronis True Image Forum .

Make sure that you create an image of the whole disk, not just the C: partition, by ticking the checkbox next to the Disk Number (usually Disk 1). This will ensure that the laptop's Master Boot Record is included in the image. When the time comes to restore the image, again make sure that you select the whole disk for the restore.

Please check out <Acronis True Image 9.0 Online FAQ #27> plus this <previous reply> for details on how to save images onto DVDs.

Firstly, there would be no point in reinstalling your wife's laptop's operating system (OS). It will be overwritten with the OS, applications and data from you own laptop when you restore the image contained on the DVD(s).

Secondly, unless the two laptops use exactly the same hardware, the device drivers from your laptop will differ from those required by your wife's laptop. In which case, the very least you will need to do is boot from a genuine Windows installation CD (not manufacturers special recovery CD) and carry out a Windows "Repair" re-install in order to load the required drivers.

Thirdly, even if the hardware on the two laptops are exactly the same, you will need to reactivate Windows on your wife's laptop once everything is working. This may not be possible if the Windows OS installation disk is an OEM version.

Regards

 

Hm, then i have a serious problem.

Lets say that in a year from now my pc has many problems, and, under my warranty, Dell sends me a new laptop to replace this one (this has happened before). lets say its a newer model so its a little different.

what can i do with acronis to easily put everything that is on my current laptop today (not the state it will be in in one year) onto the new one, including windows settings and everything else...

 

Hello daverose808,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please accept our apologies for the delay with the response.

We recommend you to prepare your Windows installation for transferring using Microsoft System Preparation Tool (sysprep) as it is described in this FAQ article in order to be able to restore your system to a working (bootable) state in case of a computer replacement (different hardware configuration). Please be aware that we do not guarantee the successful transferring of your operating system to a computer with the hardware configuration different from that of the original machine, even in case of using Microsoft System Preparation Tool.

If you want to be completely sure that you will be able to restore the beforehand created image to a computer with different hardware configuration then we recommend you to use Acronis True Image 9.1 Workstation in conjunction with the optional feature named Acronis Universal Restore which allows you to transfer your operating system to a computer with different hardware configuration. Please read Acronis True Image 9.1 Workstation User's Guide for more details.

We also recommend you to download and install the free trial version of Acronis True Image 9.1 Workstation to see how the software works on your computer.

Please visit Acronis online store to purchase the full version of the product.

Please also note that we have a flexible system of discounts and the amount of the discount varies depending on the number of copies you want to purchase.

In case you are planning to purchase many copies, please contact our Sales Team at sales@acronis.com.

If you have any further questions concerning Acronis software, please feel free to submit a request for technical support or post any of them on this forum. We will certainly try to help you in resolving any issues.

Thank you.
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Alexey Popov