[Download a pdf A4 print of the information below]

As a PCUG member pointed out recently: there are two types of PC users - those who have experienced a hard disk crash and those who will experience one in the future. The same can be said for data in general: those who have suffered from lost or corrupted files and those who will suffer in the future. In the presentation, Terry and Mike will demonstrate two specific approaches to backing up PCs that have Windows operating systems, using the highly regarded and popular backup software Acronis True Image.

They will show how Acronis True Image (and the free versions thereof) can be used with backup drives that are either in removable caddies or in external USB enclosures, and to create a backup "clone" of a whole drive or to make a compressed backup archive. The pros and cons of caddies Vs enclosures and clones Vs archives will be discussed. Also covered in the presentation will be: the importance of "validating" an Acronis archive; the need to undertake a fire drill using a created backup; how to access the contents of an Acronis archive through the "mount" process; creating and using a bootable Acronis "rescue" CD; the availability and limitations of free rebadged versions of Acronis True Image version 11 (Seagate Diskwizard and MaxBlast5) and the free version of Acronis that has limited functionality; potential problems with USB cables and sockets; and the creation of supplementary straight copies of selected files using Syncback.

POST MEETING INFORMATION FROM THE PRESENTERS: