Anybody Using Acronis True Image Home 2009 for BACKUP?

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, guys,

I've been asked to write a review of Acronis True Image Home 2009, so I'm trying it out on my T61p. I think of the program mostly as a cloning app, but I need to approach it from a backup angle for a series I'm writing.

Specifically I'm wondering if I should let it change the MBR for their startup manager or if that is just ASKING for problems.

Also, if there's anything specific anybody would like me to check out in True Image 2009, please let me know in the next few days. (Well, I'll probably keep it installed if the backups go smoothly.)

Thanks!

Lamar

[SafeHarbor]

Well, this one I can answer already: it's not necessary to let it write to the MBR if you use the rescue disk it can create. Finding the backup on an external USB hard drive, surprisingly was NOT automatic after booting (some Linux version) from the rescue disk. The user has to go find it and point to it.

Graphically, the program's more attractive than the last version.

Lamar

[carbon_unit]

When you let it change the MBR it adds a "Press F11 to recover" type message that allows you to boot directly into Acronis just like booting to the cd. If you have the Acronis Secure Zone with a backup in it you can restore without having any external discs similar to using Rescue and Recovery.
Obviously this destroys the Lenovo MBR and makes it more difficult to boot to R&R.

[SafeHarbor]

Thanks! I'm going to forgo both changing the MBR and the "Secure Zone" as I'm concentrating on backing up to an external pocket drive.

After a day's use browsing, taking some screen shots, composing a little for the website, and a bit of email and work in the GIMP, the incremental backup ran for only 1 min 48 seconds. That's pretty impressive.

I also tried to restore some files using the boot CD. Using the built-in search worked, and that's fast, too.

More testing to come . . .

[jgrobertson]

I use bit locker and also encrypt some folders and files. The earlier version of Acronis stumbled on the encrypted folders and files. I upgraded to 9 and everything went fine. I have now a recorvery image on a HD that I put in the ultrabay.

[Bernard46]

I got a copy of Acronis Home 2009 as a Christmas present - I was expecting something pretty cool, but I have to say I am somewhat disapointed - actually I'm very disapointed.

I will leave the minor things like being unable to determine the version and build level from the program and focus on cloning and backup/restore.

I've spent 3 days now trying to clone the original 40 GB disk on my daughter's R50e and I have failed completely. I wanted to clone it to a 160 GB drive, so I tried the clone option - I forget the details now, it seems so long ago, but it to say it failed totally.

Then I tried to use backup and restore - I tried combinations of the whole disk and just the operating system partition, but none of them work successfully.

Finally I have been trying the Lenovo R&R package, and that too fails. I can get as far as restoring the R&R backup but when I try to boot I get the Windows Logo black screen with blue running square, followed by the all blue screen, followed by the screen with two dark blue bars at the top and bottom and a paler blue chunk in the middle - this gets the windows logo on it after a few seconds and then you should get the Windows logon screen but nothing happens - the disk light wirrs away for a while and it stays there with the last screen up for ever. IBM/lenovo really do make these system very difficult to work with - this is not my only poor experience of trying to do these things - I've found it almost impossible to clone IBM/Lenovo systems.

[jgrobertson]

The disk cloning works fine for me. Use True Image Home, then use tools/clone disk.

I always use Manual option as that gives me a way to control the partitions etc.

Some things to watch for.

It is easy to get the disks mixed up. I use different names because the cloning application may not number them in an intuitive way.

I also made the bootable CD first and that can be used to get out of a mess. Also be sure that the Bios settings allow booting from CD. If your drive holding the new disk is on a USB external drive, then be sure to enable accessing it in the Bios.

I have used a number of cloning programs over the years and Acronis is the best one for me.