Sarasota PC Monitor
Tech Talk (07/04)
Backing Up With Acronis True Image
by Brian K. Lewis, Ph.D.*
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.Backing up a complete hard drive by using imaging software is a useful method for reducing the time required for restoring to a new hard drive. Programs such as Symantec's Ghost and Drive Image have been used for this purpose for a number of years. They have both required that the computer be in DOS mode in order to write the image file. Although Drive Image 7 now indicates it will work in Windows, it also requires the Microsoft .Net software. This adds to the overhead of the system and greatly increases the size of the files needed for restoring a drive in case of disk failure. The Acronis True Image software allows the image file to be written while in Windows. It also can write the file to the partition that is being imaged.
During the installation of Acronis, it asked if I wanted to make a bootable disk. This would allow the system to be booted and for Acronis to run if I needed to recover from a hard drive crash. When I clicked on "Yes", it asked if I wanted a bootable floppy or a CD. I selected a CD. The CD it created contains Windows XP boot files, Acronis run-time and drivers for the various computer components. If I had an external USB drive, it would have included drivers for that. After making the bootable CD it continued with the installation.
There are a number of things I like about this software. The first is its simple graphic interface. Running the application brings up the primary window. This window has three main sections. When you click on an icon in each section it displays a "help" screen on the left explaining the function of that icon. Frankly, I don't think the interface could be any simpler. Another is its ability to do a complete drive image in the background while you continue to work on something else. Incidentally, I am running an image file backup at the same time that I'm writing this article. This is something I can't do with any other imaging software and most standard backup software. In addition, when you have made your initial image file, future backups can be incremental backups instead of making another complete disk image.
With most backup software you can restore everything or just a file or two. In this respect Acronis works just like a backup program. You can browse the image file and restore one or more files. The icon needed to start this process is in the main window in the disk imaging section. The icon for this is not the "Restore Image" icon, but the "Browse Image" icon. While browsing the image file you can select files to restore. Step by step instructions for all of the Acronis functions are contained in their PDF help file. One of the better help files that I have encountered.
Acronis has a scheduler function that can be used to automate the process of creating image files. This can be setup for both complete disk image and the incremental backup processes. Timing of the backups can be set using the following options:
* Weekly - a task will be executed weekly or in some weeks at the specified time and day.
* Monthly - a task will be executed monthly at the specified time and day.
* One time only - a task will be executed once at the specified time and day.
* When my computer starts - a task will be executed at OS startup.
* When I log on - a task will be executed, when you log into the OS.
* When my computer shuts down - a task will be executed before every shutdown or reboot.
* When I log off - a task will be executed when you log off of the OS.
This should enable most anyone to do the type of backups that fit their work schedule. Another thing I learned in using this software is that it will backup to DVD media, but only if you have UDF packet writing software on your computer. This refers to software such as Nero's InCD or Roxio's DirectCD. However, you can still write to a DVD by writing first to your hard drive and then burning the file to a DVD using any DVD burning software. The only catch is that the image files must be 2 GB or less. Why, I haven't figured out, nor could I get a quick answer from the Acronis web site. Acronis does allow you to specify the maximum size of the file.
There are two other functions that Acronis lists in their main window. These include a disk cloning function and an additional drive installation. Cloning allows you to make an exact copy of your current hard drive complete with system files. This can then be used as the boot disk replacing the old drive. The new disk function is used to partition and format an additional hard disk. Acronis will carry out this process once you provide the necessary parameters such as number and size of partitions and the file system you want installed on the new hard drive.
Quite frankly, I am impressed with this software. It certainly does what it advertises and with very little user difficulty. Another factor worth mentioning is that you do not have to be in Administrator mode in WinXP Professional in order to run the software. This does simplify my life, as other backup software always seems to demand that only the administrator can run it. That in spite of the fact I'm set up as a "power user".
Acronis True Image 7.0 is available from the Acronis web site (www.acronis.com) for $49.95. Their U.S. offices are located at 395 Oyster Point Blvd., Ste. 213, South San Francisco, CA 94080.
*Dr. Lewis is a former university & medical school professor. He has been working with personal computers for more than thirty years. He can be reached via e-mail at bwsail@yahoo.com.
Copyright 2004. This article is from the July 2004 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
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