Vista partition question

[rbi]

I just got my new R61 89185MM with Vista business preloaded. I have 120GB but it shows 70GB free of 120GB with 7.7GB in hidden R & R. If I want to do the partition with Acronis, how much free space I need to reserve for C drive? So fat is the Vista!

[K0LO]

rbi:

You can estimate as follows:

1. Take the total space occupied by all files on the C: partition
2. Subtract the sizes of hiberfil.sys and pagefile.sys because Acronis does not copy these files to the image (only placeholders)
3. Multiply the result by about 70% to account for compression.

The result is an estimate of the image file size. You can also reduce the size further by doing a disk cleanup to delete temp files and browser cache files and any other crud that you don't need.

Since you are running Vista Business the system is automatically creating Shadow Copies (previous versions of files) on a daily basis. The default size reserved for the shadow copy files and restore points is 15% of the drive space; in your case about 18 GB. Before imaging the machine you could, using the Disk Cleanup tool, delete all but the most recent restore point to shrink this to a minimum.

If IBM RnR is making automatic backups then you could have several GB of backup files, so you can also start the RnR utility and view your backups. Delete the ones that you don't need or copy them off to somewhere else.

If you do all of this before creating your backup image you might get the image file down to around 12 GB or so, depending on how many files you have on the machine. My Vista images are about that size and include 5 GB of user files.

[rbi]

Really appreciate it K0lo and I will try it tonight.

[rbi]

rbi:

You can estimate as follows:

1. Take the total space occupied by all files on the C: partition
2. Subtract the sizes of hiberfil.sys and pagefile.sys because Acronis does not copy these files to the image (only placeholders)
3. Multiply the result by about 70% to account for compression.

The result is an estimate of the image file size. You can also reduce the size further by doing a disk cleanup to delete temp files and browser cache files and any other crud that you don't need.

Since you are running Vista Business the system is automatically creating Shadow Copies (previous versions of files) on a daily basis. The default size reserved for the shadow copy files and restore points is 15% of the drive space; in your case about 18 GB. Before imaging the machine you could, using the Disk Cleanup tool, delete all but the most recent restore point to shrink this to a minimum.

If IBM RnR is making automatic backups then you could have several GB of backup files, so you can also start the RnR utility and view your backups. Delete the ones that you don't need or copy them off to somewhere else.

If you do all of this before creating your backup image you might get the image file down to around 12 GB or so, depending on how many files you have on the machine. My Vista images are about that size and include 5 GB of user files.

May I ask in the RnR uitility, what I can't delete? Also as it is said, the reserved free space for Vista is 15% of the total HDD, so how much is enough for the future use in C drive? Thanks.

[K0LO]

rbi:

I haven't used RnR for a couple of years now since discovering Acronis TrueImage, but if I recall correctly you could view the backup files by starting the Rescue and Recovery utility in Windows. In the utility there were menu choices for deleting backups and/or copying them to a networked PC or to CD/DVD.

If you are going to create a complete image of your machine then you could delete all of the RnR backups because they will then be redundant.

The 15% (of the partition size) is the default amount that Windows reserves for System Restore and the shadow copy files. You don't need to do anything to get this; Windows will do it automatically. If you're talking about reserving space for future expansion then that's a judgment call on your part.

I'm wondering now if I misread your original question -- are you asking how large the image file will be if you back up your C: partition with Acronis TrueImage? Or, are you asking how small you can make the C: partition if you are going to shrink it with a disk partitioning program? I assumed the former.

[rbi]

Actually I want to use Acronis DiskDirector Suite 10 trial to do the partition. Do I really need to back up my C partition first to do the partition? I just want to have more room for C drive for the temp files. Thanks a lot mate.

[bill bolton]

I have 120GB

Which is probably no more than 115GB when formatted, so make sure you have the correct starting capacity for your calculations!

Cheers,

Bill B.

[K0LO]

rbi:

Then I misled you. When you said "Acronis" I thought that you were asking about Acronis True Image. Apparently you were asking about Acronis Disk Director.

It appears that your question involves how small you can make your existing C: partition so that you can add an additional partition or two. Is this correct?

By the way, the trial version of Disk Director will only let you create a small test partition of 7.8 MB. If you want to do anything more than this you'll need to purchase the product or use something else.

[rbi]

rbi:

Then I misled you. When you said "Acronis" I thought that you were asking about Acronis True Image. Apparently you were asking about Acronis Disk Director.

It appears that your question involves how small you can make your existing C: partition so that you can add an additional partition or two. Is this correct?

By the way, the trial version of Disk Director will only let you create a small test partition of 7.8 MB. If you want to do anything more than this you'll need to purchase the product or use something else.

Is it right? For the trial version, I can only do a 7.8MB?? Thanks for the info first. Any suggestion for the free one for Vista use?

[K0LO]

Is it right? For the trial version, I can only do a 7.8MB??

Unfortunately, yes. http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/do ... kdirector/

[rbi]

Is it right? For the trial version, I can only do a 7.8MB??

Unfortunately, yes. http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/do ... kdirector/

Thanks K0lo. Very sad and I did try. Any other free software to partition the HDD FOR VISTA? Many thanks.

[K0LO]

You could try gparted LiveCD. Be sure you have two things before starting:

1. A full backup of your disk
2. The Vista DVD to repair Vista if you move the starting sector of Vista when doing partitioning operations.

Here's an article that you may find helpful.

[rbi]

You could try gparted LiveCD. Be sure you have two things before starting:

1. A full backup of your disk
2. The Vista DVD to repair Vista if you move the starting sector of Vista when doing partitioning operations.

Here's an article that you may find helpful.

Really appreciate it mate. It helps. But it is risky as we all don't have Vista installation DVD. Is the R & R discs equivalent to the installation DVD?

[K0LO]

Really appreciate it mate. It helps. But it is risky as we all don't have Vista installation DVD. Is the R & R discs equivalent to the installation DVD?

I don't believe so but perhaps someone else on here can respond. If you don't have a Vista DVD to repair the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file used by Vista's bootloader then you'll need an alternative. Look on Google for some of the BCD Editing tools. I can't vouch for any of them because I've only done repairs with a Vista DVD, but I've read posts by others who have been successful.