ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE 6.0 User manual

User's Guide
TrueImage 6.0
Compute with confidence
www.acronis.com

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1. INSTALLING ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE AND GETTING STARTED .6
1.1 ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE SYSTEM PACKAGE ...................................... 6
1.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ................................................................. 6
1.3 INSTALLATION................................................................................. 6
1.4 REPAIRING/UPGRADING ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE.............................. 7
1.5 REMOVING THE SOFTWARE............................................................. 7
1.6 USER INTERFACE............................................................................. 7
1.7 STARTING WORK WITH ACRONIS TRUEIMAGE ............................... 8
CHAPTER 2. CREATING DISK/PARTITION IMAGES ........................................ 9
2.1 SELECTING PARTITIONS TO IMAGE ............................................... 10
2.2 IMAGE ARCHIVE LOCATION .......................................................... 11
2.3 COMPRESSION LEVEL.................................................................... 13
2.4 IMAGE ARCHIVE SPLITTING .......................................................... 14
2.5 PROTECTING AN ARCHIVE FILE WITH A PASSWORD ..................... 15
2.6 IMAGE ARCHIVE COMMENTS ........................................................ 16
2.7 AN ARCHIVE FILE CREATION SCRIPT............................................ 17
CHAPTER 3. RESTORING A DISK/PARTITION FROM AN IMAGE .................. 18
3.1 SELECTING AN ARCHIVE FILE ....................................................... 19
3.2 SELECTING A PARTITION TO BE RESTORED .................................. 21
3.3 SELECTING A DESTINATION PARTITION ........................................ 22
3.4 SELECTING THE RESTORED PARTITION TYPE AND FILE SYSTEM .23
3.5 RESIZING A PARTITION.................................................................. 25
3.6 SELECTING A PARTITION LETTER.................................................. 26
3.7 SELECTING THE NEXT PARTITION TO BE RESTORED .................... 27
3.8 PARTITION RESTORATION SCRIPT WINDOW ................................. 28
3.9 PARTITION RESTORATION PECULIARITIES .................................... 29
3.10 PECULIARITIES OF RESTORATION FROM REMOVABLE MEDIA...... 30
CHAPTER 4. RESTORING INDIVIDUAL FILES................................................ 31
APPENDIX A. PARTITIONS AND FILE SYSTEMS.............................................. 36
A.1 HARD DISK PARTITIONS................................................................ 36
A.2 FILE SYSTEMS................................................................................ 36
A.2.1 FAT16......................................................................................................37
A.2.2 FAT32......................................................................................................37
A.2.3 NTFS........................................................................................................38
A.2.4 LINUX EXT2 .............................................................................................38
A.2.5 LINUX EXT3 .............................................................................................38
A.2.6 LINUX REISERFS ......................................................................................38
Acronis TrueImage 3

Introduction
Introduction
What is Acronis TrueImage
Acronis TrueImage is your ultimate data insurance policy! It takes an exact
image of your hard disk drive or separate partitions for complete backup, and
allows you to restore all of their contents, including operating systems,
programs, personal data and settings. In the event of fatal software or
hardware failure Acronis TrueImage protects your data, even when ordinary
file backup software does not work.
Acronis TrueImage stores disk images on hard and floppy disks, any
recordable CD/DVD media, ZIP®, Jaz® and other removable storage
devices, allowing to protect archives by a password with an extremely easy
Windows XP-like wizard-driven interface.
Acronis' exclusive innovative technology allows to create and restore
complete disk images online in Windows, so you don't have to deal with
annoying reboots to DOS or other systems, even when backing up system
partitions.
Archive File
Acronis TrueImage creates archive files, that is files containing images of
partitions and disks. The images contain both data of partitions and/or disks
and information, allowing you to restore a partition (disk) from the image.
Partition images include all its files and folders, irrespective of their attributes
(hidden, system, etc.), Master Boot Record (MBR), File Allocation Table
(FAT), and a root directory (Root).
Acronis TrueImage software stores only the data sectors of a hard disk in its
partition image.
Acronis TrueImage software creates an archive file with a ’.tib’extension.
The .tib file can contain images of several partitions and/or disks.
An archive file of large disk partitions or several partitions (and disks) can
become quite large. In this case Acronis TrueImage will split the image into
more than one archive volume or archive volume files. Splitting an archive
into separate volumes may also be required for writing to removable media
Create an image of your hard disk in an archive file on any media, be it
another hard disk or CD-R, CD-RW. Install a new disk, boot with a CD (or
diskette) containing Acronis TrueImage, and restore the old disk contents from
the image to a new disk. You can also change disk partition size and location
along with their type and operating system if needed.
4

How to Find the Necessary Information in this Guide
Acronis TrueImage user’s guide contains the following main chapters:
• Chapter 1. «Installing Acronis TrueImage and Getting Started» and
Getting Started» - this describes how to install, run, and remove the
software;
• Chapter 2. «Creating Disk/Partition Images» - this describes how to
create an exact disk/partition image;
• Chapter 3. «Restoring a Disk/Partition from an Image» - this describes
how to restore the entire hard disk or individual partitions;
• Chapter 4. «Restoring Individual Files» - this describes how to restore
accidentally deleted or damaged files without restoring the entire hard
disk.
• Appendix A. «Partitions and File Systems» - this describes the hard
disk structures, and interaction with an operating system.
Software Usage Conditions
The conditions for Acronis TrueImage software usage are described in the
«License agreement», included with this package. The supplied registration
card is the confirmation of your legal purchase and usage of Acronis
TrueImage on your system. Each registration card has its own unique
registration number.
Under current legislation the «License agreement» is considered a contract
between a user (you) and a software manufacturer (Acronis Inc.). The
contract has legal effect and its violation may entail a court examination.
Illegal use and/or distribution of this software will be prosecuted.
Technical Support
Users of legally purchased and registered copies of Acronis TrueImage
receive free technical support from Acronis Inc. In case you have problems
with installation or use that cannot be solved with this guide or read-me file,
please visit our support web-site or e-mail our support department at the
addresses shown below. You must also send us the registration number of
your Acronis TrueImage copy. This number is written on a registration card
supplied with this product.
Support URL: http://www.acronis.com/support/
E-mail: [email protected]
Acronis TrueImage 5

Chapter 1. Installing Acronis TrueImage
and Getting Started
1.1 Acronis TrueImage System Package
Acronis TrueImage system package includes:
• an installation disc,
• this guide,
• license agreement,
• registration card,
• advertising materials.
1.2 System Requirements
To take full advantage of Acronis TrueImage one should have:
• a PC-compatible computer with a Pentium CPU or similar,
• 32 MB RAM,
• a floppy or a CD-RW drive,
• VGA monitor,
• a mouse (recommended),
• free disk space for archive files.
1.3 Installation
To install the Acronis TrueImage:
1. Insert the Acronis TrueImage installation CD into CD-ROM drive and
start the installation procedure.
2. Carefully follow the installation program instructions on the screen.
3. After making your installation choices and copying of Acronis
TrueImage files onto your hard disk, you will be offered to create a
bootable diskette or CD-R/W (you may omit this step if you have
purchased the boxed product that contains a bootable CD). While
TrueImage creates disk images in Windows, it might be necessary to
run restoration procedure from a bootable diskette or CD-R/W.
Therefore it is strongly recommended you create either of them. You
can also create the bootable diskette or CD-R/W when the set-up
process is finished.
6 Chapter 1 : Installing Acronis TrueImage and Getting Started

After installation of Acronis TrueImage is completed, you should restart your
computer.
1.4 Repairing/Upgrading Acronis TrueImage
In order to upgrade or repair your software, start the TrueImage installation
program again. It will determine that TrueImage was already installed on
your computer and will ask you if you want to restore (update) the program
or completely remove it from disk.
1.5 Removing the Software
To remove the software select Acronis ÆTrueImage ÆUninstall Acronis
TrueImage from the Programs menu. You will see a dialog box asking if you
really want to remove the software from your PC hard disk. Press Yes to
confirm removal. Acronis TrueImage software will be completely removed.
1.6 User Interface
Acronis TrueImage has an extremely easy to use wizard-driven Windows
graphical user interface and can be managed with a mouse or Tab ,
Shift+Tab,Left, Right, Up, Down, Space, Enter, and Escape keys.
If you work with Windows, X Window, or OS/2 applications on a regular basis, you will
have no problems understanding and using Acronis TrueImage interface.
While working with a partition store and restore wizard, a user sees a
sequence of Wizard pages, on each of which he (she) selects from several
available actions, and thus sets switches to the desired state.
Acronis TrueImage 7

The switches can be set with the mouse or keyboard.
Each dialog box contains detailed text comments for the dialog’s purpose and
switches (control elements) as well as for each switch state.
There is no Help button on Wizard pages. It is unnecessary because on each pa
g
e
there is detailed information about the purpose of the pa
g
e and its controls.
Moreover, there is detailed information about what possibilities you
g
et if you select
any of controls in any possible state.
Almost all Acronis TrueImage windows are Wizard pages.
1.7 Starting Work with Acronis TrueImage
Acronis TrueImage software runs in different modes during disk/partition
image creation or restoration, in case of a serious system malfunction or disk
filing structure damage.
To create a disk/partition image under Windows, select Start ÆPrograms Æ
Acronis ÆTrueImage ÆAcronis TrueImage. You will immediately see a
welcome window containing the partition (disk) image creation and restoration
wizard.
If your operating system is damaged and you are unable to boot the PC from
its system partition, you should use the bootable diskette or CD-R/W that
you previously created, selecting Start ÆProgram ÆAcronis ÆTrueImage Æ
Bootable Rescue Media Builder.
8 Chapter 1 : Installing Acronis TrueImage and Getting Started

Chapter 2. Creating Disk/Partition
Images
Acronis TrueImage software starts with the welcome page.
The next wizard window will offer you to select an action to perform with the
help of Acronis TrueImage. There are three actions available:
• create an image of a disk partition and/or the whole hard disk drive (a
group of partitions, several partitions);
• restore a partition (disk) from an image file, stored in an archive file;
• connect an image, stored in an archive file, as a temporary logical
drive to restore separate files and/or folders.
Action Selection window
Acronis TrueImage 9

2.1 Selecting Partitions to Image
In the next Selecting Partitions to Image window you will see the structure of
the disks connected to your PC. Click a rectangle representing a partition to
select it. As a result this rectangle will become underlined red. You’ll be able
to consequently select several hard disk partitions and/or different disks.
Click a rectangle representing the whole hard disk (with an icon, disk number
and capacity) to select it for image creation. As a result all disk’s partitions
will become underlined red.
Selecting Partitions to Image window
Having chosen the partitions and/or disks, click Next to continue. Have in
mind that this button will be disabled until none of partitions and disks is
selected.
10 Chapter 2 : Creating Disk/Partition Images

2.2 Image Archive Location
In the next Image Archive Location window you’ll need to select a type of a
device to create a disk/partition image. Acronis TrueImage supports three
device types:
• hard disks,
• network disks,
• removable media – CD-R/RW, DVD+RW, Iomega Zip, Iomega Jaz,
magneto-optical, and other drives.
Selecting Image Archive location
In the next Image Archive Creation window you’ll need to provide an archive
filename to store images of chosen partitions (disks) to as well as its full
path. Enter a filename to the File name field.
Acronis TrueImage 11

You can also use a connected disks tree in the left part of the window to find
archive files (if previously created) and their locations.
Selecting a folder and an archive file name
If an archive file with the entered filename already exists in the chosen
folder, you’ll be prompted about it by Acronis TrueImage with a question if
you want to create a new file with the same name, that is to delete an old
archive file and create a new one instead.
You can store ima
g
es of several partitions or even disks in a sin
g
le archive file, but you
can’t append images to an existin
g
archive file. You can also create an archive file with
an image of the partition (disk) on the same partition (disk), included into an archive, if
there’s enough free space.
There’s a simple rule: do not store archive files with partition images on the
same hard disk you create back-up copies of. As in case of filing structures
(for example, Partition Table) damage, you’ll just not be able to access these
images!
12 Chapter 2 : Creating Disk/Partition Images

2.3 Compression Level
In the next Compression level window you’ll need to select a data
compression level of a partition image. A compression level can be selected
by moving the slider. If you select zero compression, files will be obviously
moved to an archive file without any compression, which is inefficient. On
the other hand the work speed might drop and image creation time might
increase, if you select the maximal compression. Certainly, the optimal
compression level depends on the type of files, stored on a disk/partition,
and can only be determined empirically.
Image’s data compression level
Acronis TrueImage 13

2.4 Image Archive Splitting
In the next Image Archive Splitting window you’ll be able to select if the
software should create a single archive file or split it into a number of
volumes. If you set the switch to Automatic, Acronis TrueImage will try to
determine settings for certain situations itself. If there’s enough space on a
hard disk that you’ve chosen for locating an image on, the software will
create a single archive file. If there’s not enough space, Acronis TrueImage
will prompt you a warning and wait for your actions. You’ll be able to try to
and free some additional space on the partition, where an archive file is
being created, and then continue the image creation. But you will also be
able to terminate Acronis TrueImage, prepare a partition for image creation,
and run the process anew.
FAT16 and FAT32 limit file sizes. In particular, the maximal file size of FAT16 and FAT32 is
4 GB. FAT32 file system is currently the most widespread in individual users’ PCs. At the
same time modern hard disks have 20 GB, 40 GB, and hi
g
her capacities! Hence the
maximal file size can be easily exceeded at creating an archive file. In this case Acronis
TrueImage will automatically split an archive file into separate volumes.
If you are creating an archive file on CD-R, CD-RW disks in Automatic mode,
Acronis TrueImage will simply pause and prompt you to insert a new disk into
the drive, if the current disk space is fully occupied.
You can also appoint a fixed archive size switching to Fixed Size and setting
the volume size manually.
Splitting an archive file into separate volumes
14 Chapter 2 : Creating Disk/Partition Images

Splitting an archive file into separate fixed size volumes makes sense when storin
g
it
on a hard disk as well, as you’ll be able to move archive volumes to CD-R/RW,
DVD+RW disks in the future. Creating an archive file directly on a to CD-R/RW,
DVD+RW disk would have taken much longer time then in case of a hard disk.
2.5 Protecting an Archive File with a Password
An archive file with a partition (disk) image can be protected with a
password. If you think a partition (disk), you create an image of, shouldn’t
be restored by anybody except you, enter a password and its confirmation
into the text fields of the next Image Archive Protection window. A password
should consist of at least 8 symbols and contain both letters (in the upper
and lower cases desirably), and numbers. (So it would be harder to hack it.)
Protecting an archive file with a password
When you try to restore a password protected partition (disk) from an image,
stored in an archive file, Acronis TrueImage will prompt you to enter it into
the appropriate window and won’t allow restoring it by a person without this
password.
Acronis TrueImage 15

2.6 Image Archive Comments
In the next window you’ll be able to provide an archive file with any
comment that may include any information on the PC and its user, the hard
disk, partition data, image creation time, and any peculiarities and
conditions. For example:
True Image of Primary Partition HDD1:
OS:
Windows XP
Applications:
Office 2000 (Word, Excel, Outlook)
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Acrobat
True Image of Primary Partition HDD2:
My work files
10 July 2002
Commenting an archive file
16 Chapter 2 : Creating Disk/Partition Images

2.7 An Archive File Creation Script
In the next window you’ll see a partition (disk) image creation script (several
images, perhaps). It will contain a list of operations to be performed on
partitions (disks) along with their main features.
An archive file creation script
All operations of a partition (disk) image creation in an archive file are
delayed in Acronis TrueImage. A partition (disk) image creation script is
created first, and then it’s executed.
Now Acronis TrueImage software is ready to perform a procedure of image
creation in an archive file. If you click Back , you’ll be able to select other
partitions and/or disks for image creation, other compression level, etc.
After pressing Proceed Acronis TrueImage takes care of everything
automatically.
Acronis TrueImage 17

Chapter 3. Restoring a Disk/Partition
from an Image
Partition or disk restoration from an image is a more complex procedure than
storing. When you store a partition, you can do it directly under Windows or
from a bootable CD. But your system is assumed inoperable in general.
If you need to restore individual files only, you’ll be able to work directly
under Windows.
However, if your system or a system partition (usually the primary one) is
damaged, it gets more complex. In this situation there’s only way to restore
everything: booting from a diskette, created with Acronis TrueImage, or from
a bootable CD with Acronis TrueImage.
You can run Acronis TrueImage from a CD and then replace a bootable disk
with an archive file CD, containing the image of a partition to be restored.
But an archive file can be possibly stored on a special back-up hard disk. In
this case you’ll have to connect it to PC.
So, the main thing for partition restoration is the availability of a bootable media
(a diskette or CD), created with Acronis TrueImage, and also the access to an
archive file with a partition image (on a hard disk or removable media).
After you ran the software from a diskette or a CD and got to Acronis TrueImage
welcome window, the further steps should not be of any difficulty to you.
18 Chapter 3 : Restoring a Disk/Partition from an Image

3.1 Selecting an Archive File
To restore a disk/partition from an archive file you must set the switch to
Restore a partition or the whole hard disk drive or deploy a new PC in the Action
Selection window.
Selecting an action: restore a partition
In the next window Acronis TrueImage will show you the complete list of
storage devices connected to your PC, including hard disks as well as any
other storage drives. You’ll be able to navigate the files and folders tree,
using standard Windows controls, to find the archive file with the image of a
partition to be restored and select it by clicking.
Selecting an archive file
Acronis TrueImage 19

If you commented the archive file when creating it, the description will help
you understand if you selected the right archive file or the partition image is
located in some other file. Your comment will be shown in the right part of
the Image Archive Selection window. Notice that a comment is available
without entering a password that protects an archive file. However, you
won’t be able to either restore, or browse archive file contents without a
password.
Contents of a password unprotected archive file
The more detailed is your comment, the more assured your actions would
be. In particular, you can store several system partition configurations in
archive files, if working intensively with your operating system,
experimenting with various applications or device drivers, to restore one of
them if needed.
Having made sure that you are to restore a partition from the right archive
file, click Next to continue.
So, if an archive file is protected with a password, Acronis TrueImage will
prompt you for it in the next window. You won’t be able to move to the next
wizard page, i.e. to continue the restoration without entering a password, as
the Next key will be disabled. If you enter the right password, you’ll be able
to move to the page of selecting a partition to be restored.
20 Chapter 3 : Restoring a Disk/Partition from an Image