Adding an external hard drive

My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1 fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match.
You should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another.
This makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy
way of saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information
needed to boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector
copy of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a
single file on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need
to start your computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of
the program into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image.
It's that simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and
your disk looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique
and software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back
and forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is
to start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time
you can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1 fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match.
You should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another.
This makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy
way of saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information
needed to boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector
copy of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a
single file on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need
to start your computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of
the program into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image.
It's that simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and
your disk looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique
and software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back
and forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is
to start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time
you can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1 fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

"Patti Barden" wrote in message
...
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600) on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk (disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)


snip

re this last bit, Patti: it won't be an issue if you're going to format as
opposed to "convert" disk 2. But it tells you when you click on "Format...";
look under "allocation unit size" - 4096 bytes = 4KB.

If you want to check the cluster size once formatted, before proceeding
further, you can do one of these two things:

Open a command prompt by clicking on Start Run type "cmd", press Enter
(or under the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories)

and in it type

fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo e:

where "e:" refers to the drive in question - replace as appropriate for you.

In the output look halfway down under "Bytes per Cluster". If yours says
4096 bytes (being 4KB) you're fine.

Alternatively do an analysis of the partition with XP's defragmenter utility
(no need to actually defragment it):

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter

Select the partition, click Analyze, then View Report. Cluster size is given
under Volume Information.

"Patti Barden" wrote in message
...
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600) on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk (disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)


snip

re this last bit, Patti: it won't be an issue if you're going to format as
opposed to "convert" disk 2. But it tells you when you click on "Format...";
look under "allocation unit size" - 4096 bytes = 4KB.

If you want to check the cluster size once formatted, before proceeding
further, you can do one of these two things:

Open a command prompt by clicking on Start Run type "cmd", press Enter
(or under the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories)

and in it type

fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo e:

where "e:" refers to the drive in question - replace as appropriate for you.

In the output look halfway down under "Bytes per Cluster". If yours says
4096 bytes (being 4KB) you're fine.

Alternatively do an analysis of the partition with XP's defragmenter utility
(no need to actually defragment it):

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter

Select the partition, click Analyze, then View Report. Cluster size is given
under Volume Information.

Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard Grey" wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard Grey" wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

Thanks "Olórin"
Just what I wanted to know.
Patti

"Olórin" wrote in message
...

"Patti Barden" wrote in message
...
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600) on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk (disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)


snip

re this last bit, Patti: it won't be an issue if you're going to format as
opposed to "convert" disk 2. But it tells you when you click on
"Format..."; look under "allocation unit size" - 4096 bytes = 4KB.

If you want to check the cluster size once formatted, before proceeding
further, you can do one of these two things:

Open a command prompt by clicking on Start Run type "cmd", press Enter
(or under the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories)

and in it type

fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo e:

where "e:" refers to the drive in question - replace as appropriate for
you.

In the output look halfway down under "Bytes per Cluster". If yours says
4096 bytes (being 4KB) you're fine.

Alternatively do an analysis of the partition with XP's defragmenter
utility (no need to actually defragment it):

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter

Select the partition, click Analyze, then View Report. Cluster size is
given under Volume Information.

Thanks "Olórin"
Just what I wanted to know.
Patti

"Olórin" wrote in message
...

"Patti Barden" wrote in message
...
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600) on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk (disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)


snip

re this last bit, Patti: it won't be an issue if you're going to format as
opposed to "convert" disk 2. But it tells you when you click on
"Format..."; look under "allocation unit size" - 4096 bytes = 4KB.

If you want to check the cluster size once formatted, before proceeding
further, you can do one of these two things:

Open a command prompt by clicking on Start Run type "cmd", press Enter
(or under the Start Menu, Programs, Accessories)

and in it type

fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo e:

where "e:" refers to the drive in question - replace as appropriate for
you.

In the output look halfway down under "Bytes per Cluster". If yours says
4096 bytes (being 4KB) you're fine.

Alternatively do an analysis of the partition with XP's defragmenter
utility (no need to actually defragment it):

Start Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Defragmenter

Select the partition, click Analyze, then View Report. Cluster size is
given under Volume Information.

First, a bit of terminology: Technically speaking, Acronis True Image
creates an /image/ of a hard disk (or a disk partition). That means it
copies all the sectors on the disk - including the meta-data but
excluding empty sectors, i.e., free space - to a single file. Like most
disk imaging programs, ATI excludes the paging file and the hibernation
file, which don't need to be backed up. Also, the image is compressed.

A /clone/ is an identical copy of a hard disk (or a disk partition),
which includes everything and is usually not compressed.

Regardless, both achieve the same objective: creating a backup. (The
term /ghost/ is a marketing term used by Symantec for its Norton Ghost
product; the term was originally coined by Binary Research.)

Getting to your question: You should absolutely backup regularly. Every
day. Any worthwhile disk imaging program, including ATI, allows you to
schedule backups and you should definitely take advantage of this
feature. It's also a good idea to backup before you make any major
changes to your system.

Let's say you try upgrading to IE 8 and it goes badly. "Ha ha ha" you
laugh, as you restore the image you made immediately before upgrading.
In less time than it takes to enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio, your
computer is back to the way it was.

You may even decide to keep a rotating history of backups, for example:
I maintain the most recent 7 backups of my system partition.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 9:59 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

First, a bit of terminology: Technically speaking, Acronis True Image
creates an /image/ of a hard disk (or a disk partition). That means it
copies all the sectors on the disk - including the meta-data but
excluding empty sectors, i.e., free space - to a single file. Like most
disk imaging programs, ATI excludes the paging file and the hibernation
file, which don't need to be backed up. Also, the image is compressed.

A /clone/ is an identical copy of a hard disk (or a disk partition),
which includes everything and is usually not compressed.

Regardless, both achieve the same objective: creating a backup. (The
term /ghost/ is a marketing term used by Symantec for its Norton Ghost
product; the term was originally coined by Binary Research.)

Getting to your question: You should absolutely backup regularly. Every
day. Any worthwhile disk imaging program, including ATI, allows you to
schedule backups and you should definitely take advantage of this
feature. It's also a good idea to backup before you make any major
changes to your system.

Let's say you try upgrading to IE 8 and it goes badly. "Ha ha ha" you
laugh, as you restore the image you made immediately before upgrading.
In less time than it takes to enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio, your
computer is back to the way it was.

You may even decide to keep a rotating history of backups, for example:
I maintain the most recent 7 backups of my system partition.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 9:59 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently. Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

Just an aside....I have assisted a number of people who used an external
USB hard drive for backup and then suddenly could not get the USB drive
recognized by any computer. In some cases, the drive had to be removed
from the enclosure (not always easy to do) and installed as an internal
drive to access the data again. In other cases, the data was just gone.
As a result, I am leery of using USB hard drives for my only backup.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Leonard Grey" wrote in message
...
First, a bit of terminology: Technically speaking, Acronis True Image
creates an /image/ of a hard disk (or a disk partition). That means it
copies all the sectors on the disk - including the meta-data but
excluding empty sectors, i.e., free space - to a single file. Like
most disk imaging programs, ATI excludes the paging file and the
hibernation file, which don't need to be backed up. Also, the image is
compressed.

A /clone/ is an identical copy of a hard disk (or a disk partition),
which includes everything and is usually not compressed.

Regardless, both achieve the same objective: creating a backup. (The
term /ghost/ is a marketing term used by Symantec for its Norton Ghost
product; the term was originally coined by Binary Research.)

Getting to your question: You should absolutely backup regularly.
Every day. Any worthwhile disk imaging program, including ATI, allows
you to schedule backups and you should definitely take advantage of
this feature. It's also a good idea to backup before you make any
major changes to your system.

Let's say you try upgrading to IE 8 and it goes badly. "Ha ha ha" you
laugh, as you restore the image you made immediately before upgrading.
In less time than it takes to enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio, your
computer is back to the way it was.

You may even decide to keep a rotating history of backups, for
example: I maintain the most recent 7 backups of my system partition.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 9:59 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it
up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup
program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people
would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in
order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing
match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place
to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but
you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently.
Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to
another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy
way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information
needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to
install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector
copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single
file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start
your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the
program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's
that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your
disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup
technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back
and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is
to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time
you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3
(build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external
Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster
size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image
from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

Just an aside....I have assisted a number of people who used an external
USB hard drive for backup and then suddenly could not get the USB drive
recognized by any computer. In some cases, the drive had to be removed
from the enclosure (not always easy to do) and installed as an internal
drive to access the data again. In other cases, the data was just gone.
As a result, I am leery of using USB hard drives for my only backup.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/


"Leonard Grey" wrote in message
...
First, a bit of terminology: Technically speaking, Acronis True Image
creates an /image/ of a hard disk (or a disk partition). That means it
copies all the sectors on the disk - including the meta-data but
excluding empty sectors, i.e., free space - to a single file. Like
most disk imaging programs, ATI excludes the paging file and the
hibernation file, which don't need to be backed up. Also, the image is
compressed.

A /clone/ is an identical copy of a hard disk (or a disk partition),
which includes everything and is usually not compressed.

Regardless, both achieve the same objective: creating a backup. (The
term /ghost/ is a marketing term used by Symantec for its Norton Ghost
product; the term was originally coined by Binary Research.)

Getting to your question: You should absolutely backup regularly.
Every day. Any worthwhile disk imaging program, including ATI, allows
you to schedule backups and you should definitely take advantage of
this feature. It's also a good idea to backup before you make any
major changes to your system.

Let's say you try upgrading to IE 8 and it goes badly. "Ha ha ha" you
laugh, as you restore the image you made immediately before upgrading.
In less time than it takes to enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio, your
computer is back to the way it was.

You may even decide to keep a rotating history of backups, for
example: I maintain the most recent 7 backups of my system partition.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 9:59 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
Thanks again. Last question - promise.
Once I have the clone safely on the external hard drive, to keep it
up to
date
I assume I will need to a clone again regularly? Or, use a backup
program
and just backup the data, say weekly?
Patti

"Leonard wrote in message
...
On the contrary, you're on the right track. If only more people
would
learn to backup!

There's no need to format your external hard drive with NTFS in
order to
backup, but I'm not getting into another NTFS vs. FAT32 ****ing
match. You
should do whatever you feel works best for you.

I'll explain a bit about disk imaging, and that should answer your
questions.

Conventional backup software copies files and folders from one place
to
another. That's fine for restoring individual files and folders, but
you
can't restore Windows (or other software) that way.

Disk imaging is also a way of backing up, but it works differently.
Disk
imaging software copies hard drive sectors from one place to
another. This
makes it possible to capture the disk meta-data, which is a fancy
way of
saying the logical setup of the disk, including the information
needed to
boot into Windows.

A disk image includes everything on the disk. There's no need to
install
Windows to use a disk image. In fact, there's no need to install any
software at all.

In your case, Acronis True Image will make an exact sector-by-sector
copy
of the disk (normally excluding free space) and store it in a single
file
on your external drive. To restore your system, you'll need to start
your
computer with the Acronis boot disk, which loads a copy of the
program
into RAM. Then you can use the program to restore the image. It's
that
simple. Once you're done, you simply restart your computer and your
disk
looks exactly like it did when you backed it up.

Of course, there are fine details to learn about. You can learn them
later. Some people are heavily invested in their own backup
technique and
software, and there are long threads here with fights that go back
and
forth between different points of view. Big deal. Most important is
to
start backing up now. Any backup is better than no backup. Over time
you
can refine your technique.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/14/2009 9:29 AM, Patti Barden wrote:
My current computer is running XP Professional Service Pack 3
(build
2600)
on a 500GB disk (disk 1).
The disk is formatted NTFS and has only the one partition.

I want to be able to clone my current 71GB computer to a external
Hard
Disk
(disk 2).
I am going to format my disk 2 to NTFS. (I assume the 4k cluster
size is
the
default setting on the drop down menu on "Format"?)

If I do this using Acronis True Image 10 saved to disk 2 and disk 1
fails,
do I try and reinstall XP with the CD and then copy back the Image
from
disk
2?
Am I way off track?
Patti

Did you determine the reason why the USB drive was not recognized in
each case? What leads you to believe that the reason for failure was the
fact that it was a USB drive that was being used?

A USB hard drive is little more than a regular internal hard drive with
a USB adapter. In fact, you can make your own external hard drive from a
regular internal hard drive and an enclosure.

As a backup destination, an external hard is no more or less secure than
an internal hard drive or a network drive.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 11:42 PM, glee wrote:
Just an aside....I have assisted a number of people who used an external
USB hard drive for backup and then suddenly could not get the USB drive
recognized by any computer. In some cases, the drive had to be removed
from the enclosure (not always easy to do) and installed as an internal
drive to access the data again. In other cases, the data was just gone.
As a result, I am leery of using USB hard drives for my only backup.

Did you determine the reason why the USB drive was not recognized in
each case? What leads you to believe that the reason for failure was the
fact that it was a USB drive that was being used?

A USB hard drive is little more than a regular internal hard drive with
a USB adapter. In fact, you can make your own external hard drive from a
regular internal hard drive and an enclosure.

As a backup destination, an external hard is no more or less secure than
an internal hard drive or a network drive.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

On 12/15/2009 11:42 PM, glee wrote:
Just an aside....I have assisted a number of people who used an external
USB hard drive for backup and then suddenly could not get the USB drive
recognized by any computer. In some cases, the drive had to be removed
from the enclosure (not always easy to do) and installed as an internal
drive to access the data again. In other cases, the data was just gone.
As a result, I am leery of using USB hard drives for my only backup.