Creating a Hard Drive Image using Acronis True Image

For the sake of this review of Acronis True Image, lets say that I have just spent hours loading Windows XP on a new computer. I used Windows Update to install all 93 security updates, loaded and tweaked all of my applications to get them just the way I need them to be able to have my computer function exactly the way I like it. I do not want to do that job again any time soon. Another scenario would be that you are about to try something that you are not sure will work, like trying the latest and greatest video driver, and it has the possibility of crashing your computer. If you need to upgrade your hard drive without reinstalling Windows, this is the easiest way to get the job done.

The first thing that needs to be done is to take an exact image of the hard drive just in case it crashes or you accidentally step in some scumware and do not feel like taking the two hours it probably would take to remove it. The tool for the job is Acronis True Image. Here is the step-by-step tutorial or walkthrough of Acronis True Image in action.

Although there are many different ways to image a hard drive, the easiest way to image a computer hard drive is to use the Acronis True Image hard drive cloning utility. The installation is a snap. The defaults work just fine. When you open the program, you will see the user interface below with a lot of options to manage and protect all of those megabytes and gigabytes.

We want to take an exact image of the hard drive. For that task, click on the Backup option on the program interface.

Then choose the "My Computer" option on the folowing screen.

Acronis True Image will analyze the configuration and have you choose which partition to make a backup image of. Choose your main partition to image.

Then you will be asked where you want to store the image. In this case, there are two hard drives installed in the computer so I will choose the Data drive to store the image.

Then we will have it create a full backup archive.

You can just use the defaults on the next few screens and then you will come to the following screen. True Image is basically telling you what it is going to do. Double check this screen to make sure that all the backup options are correct and then click proceed.

You then will see a progress indicator for a short time. The following screenshot is the operation in progress. You notice that you can still be working at your computer while the image is being taken.

When the image has been successfully created, you will see the following prompt.

Go to the location where the image was created to see the image file.

That file should be stored in a safe place away from the computer. There are many home computer backup scenarios to consider but just remember to backup your files regularly. I recommend using an online backup solution. Whatever you choose to do with it, choose a safe location for it so if the computer crashes, the image file will not be lost. What is a Hard Drive Crash? Now if the computer does crash or maybe you step in some scumware or something, you can restore it to the original state in a matter of minutes. Even if you just want to upgrade your hard drive without reinstalling your Operating System, this image will work on a bigger hard drive too!

On a scale of Bytes to Brontobytes, the Acronis True Image disk imaging process gets a Brontobyte. It just works.

The next tutorial shows just how easy Acronis makes it to restore the image.

Another tutorial shows you how to make a bootable CD in case your system is unbootable and you need to restore the image.

Acronis True Image 2009 - Complete disk imaging and system disk backup for home PCs

Acronis True Image 2009

Acronis True Image 2009 - Just released!. The complete disk imaging, system disk backup, and bare-metal restore for workstations and home PCs. See our review of Acronis True Image 2009 Home. Great for Seamless Hard Drive Upgrades: Transfer Windows and all installed programs from one drive to another. A perfect solution if you're looking to upgrade your hard drive and don't want to reinstall Windows. Get 25% off Acronis True Image 2009 by entering the following coupon code when you order: Coupon Code: WN1-6G3-637 This is a limited time offer! You can also download a free trial of this backup and imaging software here.

The image you make with Acronis True Image should be stored in a safe spot away from the physical computer. We recommend a large flash drive, an external hard drive or an online backup solution. Check some of our recommended storage solutions.

See some External Hard Drives>>

See some Flash Drives>>

Post your Questions or Comments or Reviews about Acronis True Image Home

By Randy	2009-01-26 12:03:09
Bob, As with most software, you will need a separate license for each computer.
By Bob Austino	2009-01-26 09:45:49
Can this software be used on more than one machine, or are multiple copies of True Image needed?
By Waldo	2008-12-02 11:12:48
Great Article - Very Helpful -THANKS!
By Randy	2008-10-25 09:31:57
The image you create is a file that is at least half the size of the used Gigabytes on your hard drive. For instance, if you are using 100 Gigabytes on your hard drive, the image size will be less than 50 Gigabytes. You will still have 950 Gigabytes left on your Terabyte drive.
By Raheem Reid	2008-10-24 20:10:33
This was helpful. I still have a question about imaging my notebook which has a 320 gb hard drive to a 1tb usb drive. How would that work. What happens to the extra 680 gb?
By ben croft	2008-10-02 07:45:08
this infromation was realy help full this will help me pass my task fanx a lot
By Bhupesh	2008-09-12 05:44:48
this info. was helpful .I want little more info

Comments	Date
By Randy	2009-06-01 09:19:14
George, Acronis True Image for Home will not let you backup multiple computers. You may want to look into the Echo Workstation. http://www.whatsabyte.com/P1/echoworkstation.htm The Workstation allows you to remotely deploy and manage multiple licensed computers from a single location. No you don’t need the USB disk connected while making the recovery disk. A full backup is more of a file backup, backing up data only. The system backup would allow you to restore the entire computer, including the Operating System. Hope this helps.
By George	2009-06-01 03:37:13
pss Whats the difference between a "Full Backup" and a "System Backup"?
By George	2009-06-01 03:31:49
Further questions after a weekend comparing it with 2 other back softwares. Do I need the USB disk comected while making the "Recovery Disk" if that is were I plan to store the copies? Can it make a full disk copy of a USB disk? Can it create the image on another computer over a network? and does this second computer (that just stores the backup) need to also have a liecence?, Does this second computer need to be up when the recovery disk for the first computer is made so it can retrieve it's image? And could this second computer (if liecenced and installed) be used to recover the original computers disk even though it didn't create the backup just stored it. PS the special offer finished last week, dam it, however of the three I'm trialling one has already been rejected and this is looking like being the winner although I do not plan to get the full 6 liecences but am looking at conecting other computer disks to the liecenced computer(s) ever 3/4 months to make a stored backups (thet are only kids computers after all) or use the other software on those wich is cheaper.
By George	2009-06-01 02:19:54
Thanks for your quick reply and sorry for the unclear mening of my question.... I am aware of the leicence requirements but ment is it possible for Computer A to take a full backup of computer B's disk over a network. where they both have leicences. I'm guessing after a bit more reading the answer is No.
By Randy	2009-05-26 10:34:58
George, Unfortunately, as with most software, you will need a separate license for each computer. But there is a deal on multiple licenses. You can save $30 when you buy a 2 copy bundle. If you order 3 bundles you would save $90 compared to purchasing 6 separate copies.
By George	2009-05-26 01:33:06
Similier to Bobs Question I have Six computers in a home network (4 Kids) and am not keen on purchasing 6 lieciences, As all are networked with full access on each others disks is it possible to install on one machine and still take full backups of the others over the network that would still allow a full recovery of that disk.
By Randy	2009-05-04 08:07:34
Cathy, You would use the Acronis True Image cloning utility to clone the smaller drive to the larger one. The cloning utility can be found on the Tools menu > Clone Disk.
By Cathy	2009-05-03 17:10:43
I bought a larger drive and have misplaced my recovery disks. I have a vaio laptop and they stopped making the recovery disks and I have too many apps that I would rather not reinstall. Can I use True Image? I bought the external hard drive case and cable too. If I can, do I create the image file on my new hard drive? Thanks, Cathy
By Randy	2009-03-25 15:09:29
Kathy, You will need the Acronis True Image Echo Server for server imaging and backup purposes. http://www.whatsabyte.com/P1/Echo_Image.htm
By kathy	2009-03-25 13:53:29
Can this product work on windows server 2003 or 2008?

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