acronis free

Hello
I just read the posts when I typed the title but would like to ask,"When free Acronis is installed, does it get installed in both the pc and ext hard drive or just the pc
I ask b/c I have the paid version for one pc but would like the free one for the other. It seems when I attach my usb cable to the WD drive the process is ok whereby the download takes place. I was just hesitant to install it.
Anyone tried it?

 

The only free versions of Acronis I know of are old versions such as 7 and 8, and they won't run in Win 7. If you are using certain makes of hard drive, such as Seagate or Maxtor, you can d/load backup utilities from the drive maker's site which appear to be based on Acronis, though which version, what features, and whether they are OK on 7 or not I don't know.

Whatever version you are looking at Peter it has to be installed into the computer's OS partition. You would never install it to an external drive.

 

I've just been having a look around the Seagate site and haven't been able to find the free imaging utility. Looks as if it is no longer being offered - unless I can't see it for looking

 

I think it may have been 7 or 8 and I'm glad you reminded me of its incompatibilty with Win7.
With Wd plugged in to the pc, the download went smoothly. I have deleted it and I am glad I waited for the reply.
The question I asked about the installation had to do with the fact that WD sold some Books that had junky software and I did not want to get into that.
I was making sure that none of the download touched my HDD and just went to my C::wave

 

peter - I have tested the Seagate version by installing it in XP and it works fine. The spec says it's for Vista so I think you can safely assume that it's OK for W7 too. I was able to verify the backup both in the Seagate DiscWizard and also in ATI 2011, so providing your other comp has a Seagate, Maxtor or WD drive attached I can't see any reason why you shouldn't install one of these versions in your other W7 machine. For manually creating disk images it's every bit as good as the real thing, just without the bells and whistles.

 

At my level of expertise, I only know how to create an image with Acronis. I recently recovered an image due to a problem. This was with my desktop. I was considering Acronis for my laptop as I alternate between the free Macrium and Win 7 backup and recover.
I do not know about iso which I think is another way of saying an image. I back up or image the entire first disc so I don't know if this means C: or if sytem is more than C: which I think it is. If It only does C: I would not use it.
The literature implies it only does image C:.
So,I don't want to wander too far from what I know.
I am probably better off leaving things as they are due to the lack of clarity by the companies.
Stay cool

 

The free versions from Seagate, WD etc, look and behave exactly like Acronis and create image files which are 100% Acronis compatible. This makes them a better choice than Macrium etc for a second computer for someone like yourself who already uses Acronis.

An iso is, as you say, an image file too, but an image of a CD/DVD, not of a hard disk drive, and Acronis, Macrium etc can't handle isos. You need something like Nero or Alcohol to create or read iso files.

Think of your hard disk as a book with chapters. When you start a backup or recovery with Acronis it lists all your attached hard drives, both internal and external, and if your hard drive is partitioned - divided into 'chapters' - it will list the partitions making up each physical drive and show a drive letter for each partition. If you started the program from within Windows the drive letters will be the same as those Windows uses, but if you start it from your rescue CD the drive letters may change, so drive letters can be misleading and for this reason it is highly advisable to assign a name to each drive or partition, so you will always know where you are.

When making an image with Acronis etc you are asked to choose which drives and which partitions you wish to include in the image. Obviously you are safe if you include the entire drive, but this isn't always practical or even always desirable. What to include depends on how the disk is organised, but usually you just want the partition that contains your operating system and, in the case of Win 7 (only), the 100MB partition that precedes it - if that partition exists. The OS partition is usually, though not always given the letter C, but as I said, don't rely on letters alone - give it a name.

These free versions, just as with Acronis, can include in an image an entire disk, or any selected partitions. You are not restricted to C

If you are happy using Acronis you would be equally at home with these free versions, and I would encourage you to try them.

 

For ages, I don't run any backup software from within Windows.
How will you run it when your windows drive has gone up in a ball of fire and smoke?

When I was first testing Vista, I downloaded the Seatools program from Seagate (and MaxBlast, from Maxtor) and ran the backup program (Acronis True Image) to make the recovery CD. Once I knew it worked I removed all the Seagate software from my HD. *

* Once you have your backup software on a bootable CD, you don't need it taking up space on your hard drive.

Since Vista and W-7 use the same type of MBR and core, what works for one will work for the other, as far as backing up is concerned.

Also, for the 'Ghost' fans, Ghost 11.5 (DOS version) works well on all versions of Windows up to and including Windows 7.

The best software in the world, is FREE, (and legal) if you just know where to look.

Cheers Mates!
:cool

 

From the rescue CD of course rolleyes

 

>The free versions from Seagate, WD etc, look and behave exactly like Acronis and create image files which are 100% Acronis compatible. This makes them a better choice than Macrium etc for a second computer for someone like yourself who already uses Acronis.

>>Now that I know this I will be using Acronis for my laptop as it never failed me in 4 incidences with the desktop.

>An iso is, as you say, an image file too, but an image of a CD/DVD, not of a hard disk drive

>>This goes in my knowledge folder I peruse periodicaly until it is in my brain, then deleted from the folder.

>>The analogy between a book with chapters and a disc with partitions is graphic;I think I undrstood that concept but took the path of least resistance by imaging the disc - (for now).

>The OS partition is usually, though not always given the letter C, but as I said, don't rely on letters alone - give it a name.

>>I usually assign dates instead of letters but will try names.

>>I have not yet gotten to seperate partitons although I know it would be beneficial to do so. It is on the list of things to do. Neither have I gotten invovled with mapping - I know it is asy to assign letters to drives but I am still worlking on file transfer with homegroups.
Your information is much appreciated and I am off to obtain the Acronis download for the pc.
Regards
peter

 

Duh! Wasn't that my point? :confused
I thought that was obvious, at least for English speaking folks.

I've been running Ghost, the DOS version, since 1997, without ever having it on my PC. Works for me!

:cool

 

Well, just because you CAN run an imaging program from a CD doesn't mean that's the way you should ALWAYS do it, now does it? The CDs are missing a load of functionality in the Windows versions, and as for wasting disk space well, that stopped being an issue quite some time ago.

 

I wanted to let the forum know about the free Acronis.
There were three issues that I am not sure about;
1-unable to verify
2-time running displays as 5 minutes for a long time and keeps resetting itself.
3-It was difficult to loacate my backup but with perserverance it was possible.
I did not recover as my system is running well but wanted to report back.
I am unsure of choices because on the one hand Acronis(paid) has had a good track record for recovery in my house yet Macrium can verify and seems a bit more stable. It too has recovered but failed once.
Maybe it boils down to getting what you pay for b/c Wd was advertising to move to the paid version of Acronis.
Acronis free, macrium free or Win 7?
Btw, Win 7 recovered twice so it is a contender for those who just want disaster recovery w/o bells.
.

 

1 - Why can't you verify? I was able to in the Seagate version, no problem. (Can't test the WD version as no WD drives here)

2 - The time is notoriously meaningless. Same in paid version.

3 - Was the difficulty in finding them down to drive letters changing? If not that, then what? If drive letters then assign drive names as said before.

You are implying peter that the paid version may somehow be better or more reliable than the free version, but that is not the case. Functionally they are the same. It's simply personal choice as to which system you prefer, as they all work well enough, though the limitations of the Win 7 system - no individual file recovery and only one image per drive only storable at the root of a drive - make it bottom of the heap for me.

 

I never cease to be amazed at how many software companies put out fully functional versions of their Retail software, for FREE. Some come attached to hardware, like motherboards and hard drives and some come out as Special Offers with the idea of just getting their names out in the real world, like "Giveaway of the day".

Hearing some of the negatives about Acronis, etc., make me glad I don't rely on it for my weekly backups. I have tried it, when I first got Vista, but never made it my #1.

I use only Ghost. With it and the Ghost Explorer, I can go back into a Ghost backup image file, even several years old and extract/restore a file that I might have since deleted.

I've been at this stuff for a very long time, both at home and professionally so I've got it down to a Science. I just shudder at some of the responses and opinions I see posted on various Internet Forums.

Cheers Mates!

 

I will recheck the ability to verify;perhaps I overlooked it. I am going to use it if I can do so.

I wish the particpants in these forums would try to do so with an air of friendliness.
Most of the posts stick to the topic and try not to be offensive or display attiude. If you prefer one product over another, use it.
It is not always what we say but how we say it. Then there are those who are treated unkindly and become acerbic themselves.
Whether here, in the office or in life in general, we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk the way with us so be quick to be kind.
Thank you for listening. Peace

 

I was wrong about not being able to validate.
Unlike the paid version where validation is either obvious or in 'tools', you validate as one step along the process of creating the image.
In other words, it is not evident until you are into the setting up of the image process itself.
I am perfoming an image creation,with a name, as I type and all is going well enough where I am going to use this as my second pc's imaging program over Macrium and Win 7.
I hope this brief information is of help to some other participant.

 

Take a look at the attached pic peter - the validate operation is always available on the Operations tab of the main menu.

 

Yes, I see that it exists in Seagate. I do think, however, that WD only allows it to be visible while you are in the process as my previous post explains. Actually, the paid version does the same except that it is visible as an option before starting.
I went to the help to finally figure out where the WD version allowed validating.
I was pleased with today's image and validation and am using it for the laptop as I do with the paid for the desktop.
Good thing you persisted or I would still be flipping a coin over Win 7 and Macrium.