recovery

Peter
I have a recovery program which starts with F8 and restores to factory state.
I do not want to lose it.
When I try to image with Acronis or Macrium, although stated a bit differently, they both offer 1-o.s, 2-fat 32, 3-recovery or utility.
I believe I skip FAT 32 , select O.S. but am unclear about recovery or utility[which I believe to be the Dell partion for F8]
Besides that, some are primary, some active and one is both.
I must know what to select for backup so I can select the correct recovery option. I have tried writing down the initial choices so I can handle the latter but seem to have trouble keeping it simple so there are fewer questions.
It would be nice if O.S> would include the utility or recovery but I do not know this.
Which options allow for an effectively recovered image, please.
Thank you

 

Hi peterr

It would clarify things if you posted a screenshot of disk management -

R/C (My) Computer > Manage > Disk Management

 

I hope this helps. This is the desktop which I use Acronis with.
If I may, I cannot get to the other room where the 2nd pc is until I have help;I would like to submit a second picture which would be of Macrium and the other pc which is the more troublesome of the two to me.
I will document any new information with this and the other when I have a chance to send the other.
Both will be very beneficial I am sure and thank you.

 

That pic is not consistent with your first post, no FAT 32 there for instance :confused

I think we had better see how that same PC looks in Acronis when Acronis is started from Windows. And just one PC at a time please peter

Will be around again tomorrow.

 

B
This is the second PrtScN with a picture of the laptop and Macrium.
If not sufficient due to small screen, tell me a program to use besides Paint and I will.
Thank you - Peter

 

>>B. I am am sorry as I just read this post after sending the second. I agree with you and there is absolutely no rush. at all.
Peter

 

peter - this is the screenshot we need, taken when selecting disk backup

 

'Morning B.
I think this is the picture you want of the desktop, using Acronis.
You are right in that one issue at a time is quite sufficient.
If time and resources allow later, perhaps we can look at the laptop with Macrium.
I do not mean to be at all pushy as I appreciate any information I can gather.
I'll guess I do not check FAT 32 only?
Peter

 

OK, if you simply want to keep a backup of your computer's recovery partitions you need to select both the second and third in the ATI list. My understanding is that one of them contains everything needed to restore your comp to its original state, by F11 at boot I believe, and the other contains the images need to recreate the original recovery CD/DVDs which would be needed if the comp couldn't boot off its hard disk.

As these partitions never change they only need imaging once, and if you do not at present have recovery CD/DVDs it might be a good idea to do that now.

 

I must have misstated as I want to be able to recover both my o.s. and the recovery tool if my pc met with catastrophe.
Does that change the boxes to check?
I have created the dvds upon arrival.
May I state that most of my issues occur with recovery choices.
Are there any obvious selections to check or avoid in that area?

 

In that case you have to tick the Disk 1 box at the top, and in the event you wanted to restore you would first restore the entire backup to Disk 1, and then restore your latest OS backup only to the OS partition.

 

It might help peter if I explain a little more how Acronis type backups can be used. When you backup a disk which contains more than one partition, as yours does, when restoring you do not have to restore everything you backed up, you can choose to restore just one or more individual partitions, and they don't necessarily have to be restored to the same position on the disk either. So if your hard disk failed completely and had to be replaced (as has just happened to one of the comps here), you could simply restore the OS partition only to the start of the new disk and everything would boot up just fine. The fact you no longer have the recovery partitions has no effect whatsoever and unless you foresee having the need to put the computer back to its original state the fact is you no longer have any need for or potential use for the original recovery partitions and they can be dispensed with entirely.

 

If my pc had serious issues, I would want it to be able to be restored to factory condition - I could not do this by ticing the first box using Acronis as the factory partition would not be there. I would then resort to the dvds I made.
I guess I am not digesting partitions/discs well as I have always used just the o.s. on one.
I think some off my recovery issues have been trying to place a partition/disc in the wrong place.
If I tic to backup the o.s. I would then tic to recover it to the o.s.?
If I am not getting this now, it would be fine with me if I backpeddle and study the helps, rather than consume your time with hypotheticals; some people do have serious problems to which you could attend. If in trouble I'll ask a specific -ok?
Thank you for your kind help.
Peter

 

Well I wouldn't! I would want it restored to how it was just before it failed. You would have to reinstall all your software, and all those M$ updates, it just makes no sense at all.

 

You misunderstand peter. By ticking the first box, Disk 1, the image will include EVERY partition on the disk. You would start by restoring this and then follow up by restoring individual partition images which postdate the whole of disk backup.

 

Assuming I could image properly, I too would want to restore to the point just before the failure;however, historically I have needed the recovery tool provided by the manufacturer to help me with the more tedious but at least successful option.
The reference to which box to tic, goes back to my confusing terms like partition and disk.
I believe you are saying to tic the very top box which is the disk(including all partitions) and I was down lower to which of the the partitions to tic.
Your patience and instruction have been appreciated.
I'll be back when I need a specific Q + A.
I am now studying the helps at the Acronis site.
There is a reason they make that little rudimentry backup and restore partition in Win 7 .:-o