Solved: Info/Help with Acronis True Image Software

[Cindy62707]

I am thinking of buying Acronis True Image software to rescue me from a problem that developed with Vista Home Premium. I lost my ability to print in Landscape mode and through many hours of telephone time with Microsoft they determined that some OS files were corrupted. A REPAIR of Home Premium did not fix the problem so they wanted me to do a destructive recovery. I have too many months of work and too many different applications added to this computer to do that. I upgraded to Vista Ultimate because they thought an upgrade might work saving me from a reformat and clean restore. It did not I still have the same problem.

So I guess I will have to do a destructive recovery but I do not want to spend HOURS installing back all my applications, updating them, and then restoring the data files. Hence looking at Acronis.

In reading about it, it says I can back up applications with it saving time from having to reinstall them and update them if anything ever happens to the computer HOWEVER in reading the online manual I could not find how I can save ALL my applications WITHOUT backing up my corrupted Vista files at the same time.

Does anyone know if this is possible? I want to back up EVERYTHING EXCEPT the Windows OS, do a clean install of Vista, then put all my program applications and data files back in place. I could not find my exact scenario in their online manual (nor an easy way of asking them for this info!). I thought since there were so many experienced computer people here that someone might be able to help me with this question.

Thank you in advance for your time!
Cindy

 

[letchworth]

You have already found the stumbling block for what you want to do. Acronis will definitely back up your entire drive (or other custom portion of it). However, since the installation of programs involves multiple references in the OS registry-- you can't use it to install the old instances of the programs in your new installation of the OS.

When you wipe out the drive, you will take the original registry with it- therefore the new installation will not be aware that the programs are there. (How I wish there were an easier way to do it!)

I wish the news was better
letchworth

 

[fairnooks]

Acronis True Image would be perfect to use before there is anything wrong. It takes a snapshot of everything that can be restored later if and when something goes haywire.

So Acronis wouldn't work at this point because it would backup your problem and then restore your problem again.

Ideally, as soon as you noticed the problem, doing a system restore to an earlier date when there wasn't such a problem should have fixed it but you may have had this problem long enough and made so many other changes that it is no longer an option.
You should be able to repair printing problems by updating or uninstalling and reinstalling the printing software since it is responsible for orientation.

If you do have to reinstall from scratch and when you get everything reinstalled just to your liking and there's nothing wrong, then creating a full backup image with Acronis would save you those hours and hours....next time.

 

[Rich-M]

As everyone is sayting you can make an image file with Acronis and restore a good working system, but not reinstall programs from a messed up one. What is easy to do though is make an image file of the messed up OS and then use it to restore the files and data from the existing system to the newer one. I do that all the time as you can use explorer inside an image file to do that.

 

[Cindy62707]

Since Acronis won't work for my problem is there a program out there that will back up and restore installed program applications and their data after I reformat the hard drive?

Someone on another site recommended Laplink but the site says it can only be used from ONE old PC to ONE new PC so I question whether it can go from the Vista PC to a backup hard drive and then back again to the same Vista PC.

Also, I would like for it to be usable on my other PC's in my home since I would be paying good money for it but it looks like that would not be possible either. If I am going to pay for a program I would like to use it between my desktop and my laptop for sure as well as a back up on another desktop when I have to send the main one in to the shop if it ever needs a repair.

Thank you for any input for my problem!
Cindy

 

[Rich-M]

Not that will just install programs to another Windows.