T/I 11: Restoring Image on larger drive than source

I'm an I/T tech for a small company. Many of our clients use Acronis for backup purposes.

When restoring a .tib file with True Image, I seem to have two options for restoring (from the T/I rescue CD). The first option restores the entire image and MBR (if I select that). The problem with that option is the size of the partition it restores. Example: A client has been using a 13Gb drive and it may be starting to fail. Create a .tib file and restore to a new drive (which is of course larger) only creates a 13 Gb partition, the rest of the space is unallocated. This is clearly not acceptable to the client. How can the restored data be configured to use the full partition size (in this case a 160Gb drive)

Thanks,

S.

 

S:

When you start a restore, select only one of the partitions in the backup archive. Do not select the entire disk. If you select the entire disk the result will be as you describe. If you select one of the partitions then the restore wizard will present screens that allow you to resize the partitions as part of the restore process. If restoring multiple partitions, keep looping through the restore wizard one partition at a time until you have everything set up.

For generic Windows systems it is not necessary to restore the MBR. You may only need to do this if using a third-party boot manager (Linux GRUB, LILO, etc).

 

Mark:

I have tried both ways...by selcting "Disk _" which selects also the MBR, and selecting only the partition I wish to repalce. I still get a small aprtition on a large drive.

Steve
service@dedicatedit.ca

 

Steve:

Which version of TI are you using? The attached screen shots are from TI 10 running on XP (in a VM) and show the restore wizard sequence. First, select a single partition from a backup archive:



Next, select the destination partition:



Finally, choose the size of the restored partition by dragging the slider in the graphic image:

 

Thanks for the screen shots, Mark.

It appears though that you're doing this from within the XP environment (even if it is VM). I'm trying to restore using the boot media CD. The new disk is formatted but contains no OS.

The whole idea is to not have to install XP and then recover over that... as would happen if my customers had been doing regular backups, experienced a disk failure, and then replaced the HDD with a new one.

 

Steve:

I'm not seeing why you are unable to do this. The program should work exactly like you think it should, whether from the Windows version or from the boot CD. I just tried again on my VM by booting the VM from the Acronis ISO and capturing this screen shot of the recovery wizard showing that a resize is possible in the Acronis recovery environment:



I did it this way so that I was able to easily grab screen shots. Doing an actual boot on the PC from the recovery CD would require a digital camera to get the screen images. I ran the "full" (Linux-based) recovery environment but the "safe" (DOS-based) environment should look and act the same. Both are able to restore a partition image to uncommitted free space on a blank disk and allow you to choose the size of the restored partition as part of the restore operation. I have done this many, many times (for real; not just on a VM) and it works as advertised.

Again, which TI version are you using? Which recovery version (full or safe)?

 

Marl:

Yeah, I can't figure out why these options aren't available either. I simply don't get them when I restore.

I'm using TI 11, full version. Does the image creation method have any affect on how the restore will proceed? I wouldn't think it would, but still it leave the question to be asked.

The other thing that is annoying, and unrelated to my customers problem, is that the CD boot s/w asks for my network authentication (Username/PW) over and over again... the TIB file is located on a network drive, which is available

 

Steve:

The only thing that comes to mind is the method of image creation. Did you create a normal image or a "sector-by-sector" image? The latter may not allow resizing; I'm not sure because I have never used the feature.

Here is a link to the version 11 documentation if you don't have it available. Also, make sure that you are using the latest build -- some of the early builds of V11 were buggy. If you do update to the latest build (available on the Acronis web site after logging into your account) then be sure to make a new boot CD.

 

Well, since I have a test environment here at home, I am able to simulate the situation I would be in at the clients location.

I did not use sector-by-sector; And usually the drives I'm dealing with only have 1 partition, as is the case here.

As an added slap in the face now, the Acronis software ( the boot disk ) seems to want to crash. I managed to get to a screen I'd never seen before something regarding partition sizing, this might be what you were getting at?

SOLVED...

Somewhere along the way I ended up traveling into ACRONIS SECURE ZONE. Once I resized the ASZ partition to the full drive size, then deleted it, I was able to get to the partition screen that allowed me to graphically resize the partition as you had indicated previous.

While I'm now satisfied it's working correctly (since I've booted the system and drive is correctly sized) I'd hate to think I would have to explain this to an end user....

Maybe for T/I 12 they could rethink the logic around this.

Thanks all for your help.

 

If it looks like the screen in post #6 then that's it...

 

Check line 3 of my signature below. As k0ko indicated above, when moving to a larger drive, you need to perform a "Partition restore with Resizing."

Additionally, the guides listed on line 2 of my signature might assist your clients.

 

Timely Thread

I am going thru this same nonsense my self. My HP Pavilion notebook 60g drive was full. Installed a 160 g. Restored my image with the v 11 rescue CD. Took two trys with one where remaining time grew from 2 hrs to One day 4 hours till I cancelled. Second try took a few hrs and then booted a 60 gig partition with remaining unallocated.

I had this Spotmau Power Suite utlity that can resize. I used that and was unable to boot at all. Add that to Acronis on the list of real crappy software

I booted the Acronis rescue disk and went thru the add disk routine which seemed to now recogize the whole drive. Now I started the restore again.

I don't think it will work. It still shows restoring 60g partition. I don't see any restore with resize option screen like post #6 either. Its a v 11 rescue disk. and a normal image.

 

No Didn't work again. I have been struggling with Acronis for several years. Tamed it enough to do manual backups. All I want is to create a full image periodically to an external USB.

A truly lousy program.

 

The final quick solution was Easeus Partition Master has a free home version did a quick resize. Just read the directions in the help manual.

 

Check line 3 of my signature below. You will find numerous instances of the image shown in post #6 inside the training guide.

 

Yes that has a great information for more complicated jobs.

This was basic: One partition from a smaller hard drive copied to a larger hard drive. Should be the most obvious task in the application.

 

The procedures are the same except you have fewer repeats.

Check this simplified resize via a restore of C only plus mbr.

Restore/resize-C_only PDF