BACKING%20UP%20DRIVES%20AND%20DATA%20USING%20ACRONIS%20TRUE%20IMAGE

1
BACKING UP DRIVES AND DATA USING ACRONIS TRUE
IMAGE
Presentation by Mike Boesen and Terry Bibo for
the PC Users Group 14 April 2009
Version 2009_04_15
2
FEATURES OF A GOOD BACKUP STRATEGY

• Easy to remember
• Uncomplicated few steps
• Easy to learn
• Affordable cost for
• hardware
• software
• Fast or runs unattended
• Robust and flexible
• Dependable outcome - when recovery is needed, it
  works!

3
BACKUP WHAT?

• Registry
• Restore points
• Selected files and/or folders
• All the content in a partition of the drive
• The whole drive

4
BACKUP TO WHAT?

• Master hard drive (not good)
• Secondary internal drive (better)
• Other drive on network (better still)
• Host server on the Web - e.g. Google (??)
• USB flash drive, thumb drive (limited capacity
  not cost-effective)
• CD, DVD (slow limited capacity)

Continued
5
BACKUP TO WHAT? - cont.

• Drive in removable caddy
• slides into a cradle inside the PC
• complex but very good
• Drive in external enclosure
• High Speed USB 2 (good cheap common)
• e-SATA (external Serial ATA) (uncommon a
  little complex but best of all)
• Firewire (good but uncommon)
• Note 2.5 and 3.5 drives for enclosures or
  caddies
• 2.5 - cheap light but use Y-cable
• 3.5 cumbersome swappable for internal drive
  fast

6
WHAT IS ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE?

• Backup application for XP or Vista PCs
• Supported file systems FAT, NTFS, Linux Ext2/3,
  FS, SWAP, sector by sector
• Supported backup devices/media all
• Alternatives Casper, etc

7
VERSIONS OF ACRONIS

• Current payware version Acronis True Image Home
  2009
• Replaced Version 11
• No restriction on brand of drive
• 70
• Free old version of Acronis True Image Personal
  
• Version 8 Build 892
• Limited functionality
• Will create compressed archives but not clones
• No restriction on brand of drive
• Problems with some mice and/or laptops that have
  special partitions

Continued
8
VERSIONS OF ACRONIS contd.

• Free rebadged versions of Acronis
• Seagate DiscWizard and Maxblast 5 identical
• One temporarily or permanently visible drive
  needs to be a Seagate or a Maxtor
• Reduced functionality but will create both
  compressed archives AND clones
• On Seagate site Version 11 Build 8053 (but some
  problems creating Rescue CD)
• No problems creating bootable CD with Version 10
  Build 5028 (see Mike)
• Problems with some mice (radio, bluetooth)
• Bootable CD created from Acronis payware version

9
COMPRESSED ARCHIVE BACKUP

• Backed up stuff is compressed into a single file
  (or linked files) with a .tib extension
• With payware versions can be selective in whats
  to be included in the archive
• partition/s
• folders
• files
• email system
• Can read and/or extract files and folders from
  the archive
• In Windows, simply mount the archive as a
  virtual drive then copy stuff from the mounted
  archive
• Cannot boot your PC from the archive
• Complete fire drill has some risk - recreate
  total contents of the source hard drive (if the
  archive has everything in it) using the Acronis
  recovery CD and then boot using the recreated
  source drive

10
CLONE BACKUPS

• Clone of the source DRIVE is normally a bit for
  bit mirror image of the source drive
• No compression
• All partitions are included
• Contents directly visible in any Windows explorer
  application
• Contents operable on directly
• Can read and/or extract files and folders from
  the clone using any Windows explorer application
• Can boot from the clone drive
• Boot by swapping the source drive with the clone
  drive, or changing cabling, or changing drive
  jumpers, or changing drive order in BIOS
• Sealed USB enclosures hinder swapping
• Complete fire drill relatively easy and risk
  free if you can boot using the clone

11
RECREATING THE MASTER DRIVE

• Can recreate the master drive from backup archive
  (if archive contains total content)
• Will require Acronis recovery CD to boot PC and
  perform the recovery
• Can recreate the master drive from a clone
• Might not require Acronis recovery CD to boot PC
  and perform the recovery
• Problems with recreating master drive from backup
  archive or clone, for some dual boot systems if
  one system is not Windows (MBR)

12
COMPRESSED ARCHIVE DEMONSTRATION BY TERRY BIBO

• Creating the compressed archive using free
  Version 8.0.0.892
• Acessing stuff in the archive using Mount

13
DEMONSTRATION OF CLONING

• Using free rebadged version Seagate DiscWizard
  Version 10 Build 5028
• Using Acronis True Image Version 11 build 8101
  via rescue CD

14
CREATE BOOTABLE RESCUE CD

• Create a BOOTABLE CD and test it to see if it
  IS bootable and functional
• Demonstration of bootable CD Acronis V11 build
  8101

15
BACKUP PLAN A - COMPRESSED ARCHIVE OF WHOLE
DRIVE

• Create a rescue CD and test it to see if it is
  bootable
• Every 5 to 10 days
• Connect backup drive in caddy or enclosure
• Make enough space on the backup drive for the
  backup archive to be created (delete stalest
  backup archive if necessary)
• Create backup archive comprising a compressed
  image of the whole of the master drive
• Validate the backup archive (ideally configure
  Ssettings to do that automatically)
• Mount the backup archive and inspect contents.
  See if files and partitions can be accessed do
  some cutting and pasting
• Store caddy or enclosure in a safe place
• Once only shut down PC, connect backup caddy or
  enclosure, boot PC using the recovery CD and see
  if it looks like you would be able to revert the
  master drive from the backup archive
• Optional daily Syncback updates for selected
  folders put on any drive other than the master
  drive (e.g. backup drive, 2nd internal drive,
  network drive)

16
BACKUP PLAN B - CLONING THE WHOLE DRIVE TO A
BACKUP DRIVE

• Create a rescue CD and test it to see if it is
  bootable
• Every 5 to 1010 days
• Connect backup drive in caddy or enclosure
• Create a bit-for-bit clone of the complete master
  drive onto the backup drive
• In Windows Explorer (yuk! xPlorer2 is better!)
  check the contents of the backup drive to see if
  it looks identical to the master drive do some
  copying and pasting
• Store caddy or enclosure in a safe place
• Once-only fire drill if you have the skills
  shut down PC, swap the backup drive for the
  master drive, boot using the backup drive, see if
  it behaves just like your master drive. If
  everything works OK, shut down, swap backup drive
  out and master drive in.
• Once-only test of rescue CD boot using the CD
  and rehearse cloning from backup drive onto the
  master drive but dont action the last step.
• Optional daily Syncback updates for selected
  folders put onto any drive other than the
  master drive (e.g. backup drive, 2nd internal
  drive, network drive)

17
LINKS

• Terry Bibo
• www.users.on.net/tbibo/
• Mike Boesen
• www.pcug.org.au/boesen/
• Acronis
• www.acronis.com.au/homecomputing/
• Seagates Diskwizard and Maxblast 5
• www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/