** Reply to message from Michael Norman
on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:32:13 -0400
> Robert, can you explain what you mean by a "boot image?"
A copy of the whole HD including the boot partition. Acronis
doesn't really make an "image" (a 1:1 clone including free
space), rather just a copy of all the data. I do staggered
backups (complete, not incremental) so that I have at least two
weeks' worth at any one time.
> I too use Acronis weekly to create an image of my HD.
> And I have ... BartPe with an Acronis plug-in on it.
Me too. BartPE is a crucial utility -- a lot better than
booting from a Linux or DOS disc because you can run native
Windows programs/utilities. I've written a bunch of plugins for
it: XyWrite, UltraVNC, UltraVNCSC, I forget what else... went
on a plugin binge a few years ago...
> Is that the "boot" you mean -- booting up with either of those
> disks, then using Acronis to restore the image that's stored
> on the external HD?
No. Usually I reinstall the operating system from a Windows
installation disk, partition the HD, do CHKDSK /R on all
partitions several times, use BartPE/Acronis to overwrite the
data in the new boot partition with my old boot partition, make
sure it boots properly, then copy the other partitions.
Obviously you have to be alert to the possibility that in
reinstalling your old system, you are also reinstalling problems
-- perhaps the problems that caused the old machine to crash!
All IBM/Lenovo TPs have a hidden FAT32 partition with a clean
reinstall on it. I always order that on a separate set of
CDs/DVDs, then wipe it off the HD, and disable the proprietary
System Restore utility (the hidden "RRbackups" directory on the
boot drive). Those two steps liberate a whole lot of disk space.
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Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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