[Macboatmaster]

jdohr
Do you still reqire help on the matter please.
Would you kindly post indicating the present situation.
Thank you

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Ok, Macboatmaster...I finally got this done. I downloaded the software and read through the manual. I created a clone of my C: drive on my external hard drive...but I think it wiped all of the files that used to be on the external drive off... I'm not sure that's what we intended... In fact, the external drive now has the same name as the C: drive - "HP Pavilion". Hmmm. It seems that now, I'll need to back up all of the files on my C: and D: drives all over again. Please advise.

[jdohr]

Ok, Macboatmaster...I finally got this done. I downloaded the software and read through the manual. I created a clone of my C: drive on my external hard drive...but I think it wiped all of the files that used to be on the external drive off... I'm not sure that's what we intended... In fact, the external drive now has the same name as the C: drive - "HP Pavilion". Hmmm. It seems that now, I'll need to back up all of the files on my C: and D: drives all over again. Please advise.

[Macboatmaster]

Well I can assure you that the image backup using WD Acronis, depending on how you configured it, does NOT automatically format the drive

HOWEVER I APOLOGISE as I realise now that I have missed that you were reading the FULL IMAGE BACKUP as the CLONE DISK operation.
I should have noticed this before.


Here is a screenshot from one of my external drives and you will see the WD Acronis image and the Seagate Disk Wizard image from another of my computers.

[attachment=54812:Untitled.jpg]

Without going through step by step what you have done, it is really rather difficult to say.

My first response would be that you already had a WD recovery on the drive and missed thisin he instructions

After selecting the Full method, you can also choose what to do with the previous full backup when creating a new one. By default Acronis True Image WD Edition overwrites the previous full backup, but you can choose to keep it by unselecting the A new full backup overwrites the previous one box.

Alternatively you selected the option in the Acronis to CLONE the disk to the external drive.
YOU do not want to CLONE it, as that is used when you have a hard drive, which for instance you are replacing with a larger hard drive or another drive as the original drive is suspect.

To be better prepared for a disaster, you need to make a full backup of your system disk (or at the very least the partition containing Windows and your applications).

Does this help
[attachment=54813:Untitled.jpg]

OR THIS

Description
The Backup operation of Acronis software creates an image file for backup and disaster recovery purposes, while the Disk Clone tool simply copies/moves the entire contents of one hard disk drive to another. Here's how both tools work and when you should use them.

When you create an backup with Acronis True Image or Acronis Backup & Recovery, you get a compressed .tib file containing an exact copy of your hard disk, a disk partition or individual files or folders (you make this choice when you create an image archive).

If you create a backup of disk or partition, this backup contains everything that resides on the selected disk/partition, including operating system, applications and all files and folders. You can save this image to any supported storage device and use it as a backup or for disaster recovery purposes.

When you use the Disk Clone tool, you copy all contents of one hard disk drive onto another hard disk drive: as a result, both the source and the target disk have the same data. This function allows you to transfer all the information (including the operating system and installed programs) from a small hard disk drive to a large one without having to reinstall and reconfigure all of your software. Disk Clone operation it is not generally used as a backup strategy, as it offers little flexibility.

In general, disk clone is a one time operation designed to clone one disk to a different one for the purpose of migrating to a larger hard drive or to a new machine.


So the way forward is:
1. Delete that cloned image on the external drive.
2. Create a full image backup of C Drive
3. Create a backup of all the files on D drive
4. Create as you wish and require separate backups on a simple copy and paste or drag and drop of your personal data as you add to it.
5. If any substantial changes are made to C drive, delete the full image backup of that and make a new one.

[jdohr]

Ok...what you have said above makes sense...although I'm still a little tentative. When you say "Delete that cloned image on the external drive", do you mean to just Select All and hit Delete? Should I then rename the drive back to the old name before continuing? ...or is there a better/more appropriate way to do this? I think from your guidance above, I can figure out how to create a Full Backup of the C: drive (#2 on your list) as opposed to the Clone I just created... For #3 on your list (backup D: drive), do you recommend that I use the Acronis tool? It seems to me that would be the right choice, but I thought I'd ask. I can also say that I understand the "maintenance" instructions that you've listed in #4 and #5 on your list. I'll wait for your reply before deleting the cloned files and creating the C: drive full backup.

[Macboatmaster]

Should I then rename the drive back to the old name before continuing?

Irrespective of what the cloned image is called - PLEASE confirm that the drive is still the original letter allocated to it before you started.

You had C drive as your system drive in the computer.
You then had D drive your other internal drive

Presumably your optical drive was E and if you have two - and F.
So your external was I should think either F or G.

Is it still the same letter.
The CLONE you created and I stress again it is my error in not specifically pointing out to you that your procecdure was a full image backup, should not as far as I know have changed your drive LETTER in My Computer or in Disk Management.

YOU NEED to establish this before you proceed.

[jdohr]

I will double check when I get home, but I am 99% sure that none of the drives have changed letter. For reference, I have the following:

A: floppy drive
C: System drive
D: and E: a single internal hard drive with a partition, hence the two drive letters
F: CD ROM drive
G: DVD drive
H: External hard drive

The above is how it was before I cloned the C: drive...I will make sure, but I am quite certain nothing has changed. The only changes that were made were that the H: drive was made an exact clone of the C: drive -- that is to say that the drive name was changed and the contents were replaced so that it is an EXACT duplicate of the C: drive, just with lots more free memory...

Once I verify this, should I 1) rename the H: drive back to "MyBook", 2) use the Acronis tool to create a Full Backup of the C: drive to the H: drive, and 3) use the Acronis tool to also do a Full Backup of the D: and E: drives on the H: drive?

[Macboatmaster]

1. I would create a full image of everything On C DRIVE as that is your system drive. BUT SEE BELOW

I would then backup D & E.

2. It does not really matter - renaming My Book 2 to that as the CLONE process formatted the drive, before it created the CLONE
However NOW I know it is a MyBook hard drive, may I suggest that you look first at this
http://www.wdc.com/w...4178-705127.pdf

and this - YOU NEED TO VERIFY your actual drive
http://support.wdc.c...&sid=72&lang=en
as the software may be particular to the drive.
That drive, as I suspect you realise already included automated backup software.


3. You do NOT have to use that software, however you may and still create the complete image of C Drive.
I have a Maxtor (now Seagate) which has automated backup software, initiated by clicking a button on the drive that is known as One Touch.

I still however have a completed image created with Seagate Disk Wizard.

IN respect of the NOW existing CLONE
[attachment=54828:Untitled.jpg]

My arrow at ONE is the backup and I believe the same will show for your clone
My arrow at 2 is the REMOVE on the main menu shortcut bar

ADVICE
CHECK extremely carefully that you are removing the correct ONE.

[jdohr]

I'm trying to figure out what model of MyBook I have...it's an older one. From what I can tell, it's a MyBook Essential, 250GB. I never got any indication that it had an autobackup feature. It has never tried to back anything up before, nor has my PC ever asked me if I wanted it to...I'm wondering if the backup feature was added to the MyBooks after this model... Anyway, I'm not worried about that...I'm perfectly fine using the Acronis full image to save the contents of my C: drive to the external H: drive. Anyway, I HAVE confirmed that all of my drive letters are the same as they were before the cloning operation, fyi...

The above said, I now plan to use Acronis to remove the cloned image from the H: drive (carefully), and then I will use Acronis to create the full image of the C: drive and also to backup the D: and E: drives. Agreed?

[jdohr]

For reference, I looked at the features of MyBook Essential model - it does imply that I probably do NOT have the backup software. Here are the features from the WD product support site:
Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows
My Book Essential/Premium Edition Windows 98SE driver
External USB/FireWire Fat32 Formatting Utility
Spindown or Stop Utility version 1.0
WD Logo Icon
My Book Essential Edition Backup Software (For UK Dixon's Retail Customers ONLY)
WD Button Manager (PC)
WD Button Manager (Mac)

[jdohr]

I went into Acronis and selected "Recovery", then "Data Recovery and Backup Management", to get the screen you showed in your last post. It does not show that I have any backed up data...the screen is blank. Then, I selected the Acronis Drive Cleanser, thinking that I would use it to clean all files from the external H: hard drive... When I did that and selected the two partitions on the H: drive, it gave me a warning saying "Warning - You have selected the Active partition." I am certain that I have the H: drive selected and not the C: drive... I am hoping that does not mean that my PC has booted from the H: drive...I am going to reboot the computer and see if I can remember how to check where it is booting from... I need to make sure I don't make a bad mistake here.

[Macboatmaster]

Disconnect the external drive and then you will have no doubt.
You must then be booting from C Drive.

Or Go Control Panel, Administrative tools, Computer Management, Disk management.
There you will see the drives and you can format the external drive from there.
The drive you actually have open ie C Drive will not have format option available on the right click.

[jdohr]

I chose to format the external drive. The formatting completed successfully, however once complete, it says that there is a partition on it named HP_Recovery...the size of this partition is 14.56GB. This partition was NOT there prior to the format, and if I am going to do a full backup of the C: drive, I'm not sure I want it there... Please advise as to what you think I should do.

[Macboatmaster]

From your post 30

On the left side of the screen, it says:
Disk 0
Basic
74.55 GB
Online

There are two entries for this disk:
HP_Recovery
4.66 GB FAT32
Healthy (EISA Configuration)

and,
HP_Pavilion (C:)
69.89 GB NTFS
Healthy (System)

That was on disk management in Control Panel Administrative tools, computer management and then disk management. GOING BACK to that is the situation still the same on C Drive.
Have you CONFIRMED that the computer will boot and load Windows and everything is working without the external drive connected as I recommended in my last post.

HOW have you formatted the drive? If you have formmated it using Acronis or the Disk management, there is NOTHING in that partition, it is simply the size of the partition
Created when you cloned the drive. As the DISK CLONE copies all your partitions from the drive you are cloning to the target disk. You now simply need to use either Acronis Drive Cleanser and on post wiping actions delete partition.


Does this help you
http://mgmcc.forumot...very-procedures

Some of the procedures described here DO NOT apply to the Western Digital version of Acronis as they are available only on the full purchased version.

[jdohr]

Yes, I have confirmed that it is booting from the C: drive. I am now going to use Acronis to cleanse that disk and wipe the partition.

[Macboatmaster]

By coincidence I have just backed up a system using the WD Acronis.
After you have completed the backup of C Drive create another name for the backup and backup the other drives.

Then on a daily or weekly basis backup your NEW documents, images etc as a simple copy to a folder on the external drive.

Finally in case the computer will not allow you access as in this case, create the bootable media on CD - using Acronis to get you back into the system on Acrnois from where you may then restore. - if necessary.

DO NOT forget to vlaidate the backup after making it.


This is all in the guide - or on the Acronis GUI simple highlight the item and click the ? symbol