Acronis True Image 2015 User's Guide

Table of contents

1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................6

1.1 What is Acronis® True Image™ 2015? ....................................................................................... 6

1.2 New in this version .................................................................................................................... 6

1.3 System requirements and supported media ............................................................................. 7

1.3.1 Minimum system requirements .................................................................................................................... 7

1.3.2 Supported operating systems ........................................................................................................................ 7

1.3.3 Supported file systems .................................................................................................................................... 8

1.3.4 Supported Internet connection types ........................................................................................................... 8

1.3.5 Supported storage media ............................................................................................................................... 8

1.4 Installing Acronis True Image 2015 ............................................................................................ 9

1.5 Activating Acronis True Image 2015 ........................................................................................10

1.6 Trial version information .........................................................................................................11

1.7 Upgrading Acronis True Image 2015 .......................................................................................12

1.8 Technical Support ....................................................................................................................13

2 Getting started .............................................................................................................. 13

2.1 Protecting your system ............................................................................................................13

2.1.1 Step 1. Backing up your system disk ............................................................................................................ 13

2.1.2 Step 2. Creating bootable rescue media ..................................................................................................... 14

2.2 Backing up all data on your PC ................................................................................................15

2.3 Backing up your files ................................................................................................................16

2.4 Cloning your hard drive ...........................................................................................................16

2.5 Recovering your computer ......................................................................................................17

2.6 Recovering your files and folders ............................................................................................18

2.7 Getting started with Acronis Cloud .........................................................................................19

2.7.1 Subscription information .............................................................................................................................. 19

3 Basic concepts ............................................................................................................... 21

3.1 Basic concepts ..........................................................................................................................21

3.2 The difference between file backups and disk/partition images ............................................22

3.3 Full, incremental and differential backups ..............................................................................23

3.4 FAQ about backup, recovery and cloning ................................................................................25

3.5 Deciding where to store your backups ....................................................................................27

3.5.1 FTP connection .............................................................................................................................................. 28

3.5.2 Authentication settings ................................................................................................................................. 28

3.6 Using Acronis Nonstop Backup ................................................................................................28

3.6.1 Acronis Nonstop Backup data storage ........................................................................................................ 29

3.6.2 Nonstop Backup - Frequently asked questions ........................................................................................... 30

3.7 Backup file naming ...................................................................................................................31

3.8 Integration with Windows .......................................................................................................31

3.9 Wizards ....................................................................................................................................32

4 Backing up data ............................................................................................................. 34

4.1 Backing up disks and partitions ...............................................................................................34

4.2 Backing up files and folders .....................................................................................................35

4.3 Backup options ........................................................................................................................37

4.3.1 Scheduling ...................................................................................................................................................... 38

4.3.2 Backup schemes ............................................................................................................................................ 40

4.3.3 Notifications for backup operation .............................................................................................................. 45

4.3.4 Excluding items from backup ....................................................................................................................... 46

4.3.5 Image creation mode .................................................................................................................................... 48

4.3.6 Backup protection ......................................................................................................................................... 48

4.3.7 Pre/Post commands for backup ................................................................................................................... 49

4.3.8 Backup splitting ............................................................................................................................................. 49

4.3.9 Backup validation option .............................................................................................................................. 50

4.3.10 Backup reserve copy ..................................................................................................................................... 50

4.3.11 Removable media settings ........................................................................................................................... 51

4.3.12 Backup comment .......................................................................................................................................... 51

4.3.13 Error handling ................................................................................................................................................ 51

4.3.14 File-level security settings for backup .......................................................................................................... 52

4.3.15 Computer shutdown ..................................................................................................................................... 53

4.3.16 Acronis Cloud cleanup .................................................................................................................................. 53

4.3.17 Encryption key ............................................................................................................................................... 53

4.3.18 Performance of backup operation ............................................................................................................... 54

4.4 Operations with backups .........................................................................................................55

4.4.1 Backup operations menu .............................................................................................................................. 55

4.4.2 Backup list operations ................................................................................................................................... 56

4.4.3 Validating backups ........................................................................................................................................ 56

4.4.4 Backup to various places .............................................................................................................................. 57

4.4.5 Adding an existing backup to the list ........................................................................................................... 57

4.4.6 Backing up to Acronis Cloud from several computers ............................................................................... 58

4.4.7 Removing data from Acronis Cloud ............................................................................................................. 58

5 Recovering data ............................................................................................................. 60

5.1 Recovering disks and partitions ...............................................................................................60

5.1.1 Recovering your system after a crash .......................................................................................................... 60

5.1.2 Recovering partitions and disks ................................................................................................................... 68

5.1.3 About recovery of dynamic/GPT disks and volumes .................................................................................. 71

5.1.4 Arranging boot order in BIOS ....................................................................................................................... 73

5.2 Recovering files and folders .....................................................................................................74

6 Recovery from Acronis Cloud ......................................................................................... 76

6.1.1 Recovering data from online backups ......................................................................................................... 76

6.1.2 Selecting a version to recover ...................................................................................................................... 76

6.1.3 Disk recovery from Cloud ............................................................................................................................. 77

6.2 Recovery options .....................................................................................................................80

6.2.1 Disk recovery mode ...................................................................................................................................... 81

6.2.2 Pre/Post commands for recovery ................................................................................................................ 81

6.2.3 Validation option ........................................................................................................................................... 81

6.2.4 Computer restart ........................................................................................................................................... 82

6.2.5 File recovery options ..................................................................................................................................... 82

6.2.6 Overwrite file options ................................................................................................................................... 82

6.2.7 Performance of recovery operation ............................................................................................................ 83

6.2.8 Notifications for recovery operation ........................................................................................................... 83

6.3 Restoring computer to factory settings ...................................................................................84

7 Synchronizing data ......................................................................................................... 87

7.1 About the Sync feature ............................................................................................................87

7.2 How we ensure security of your data ......................................................................................87

7.3 What you can and cannot synchronize ....................................................................................87

7.4 Sync icons .................................................................................................................................88

7.5 Sync creation............................................................................................................................89

7.5.1 Default sync ................................................................................................................................................... 89

7.6 What is True Image for mobile devices? .................................................................................90

7.6.1 How to install True Image app on your mobile device ............................................................................... 91

7.6.2 Synchronizing a mobile device ..................................................................................................................... 91

7.7 Versions of synchronized files .................................................................................................91

7.7.1 Reverting to a previous file version ............................................................................................................. 92

7.8 How to clean up your space on Acronis Cloud ........................................................................92

7.9 How to recover a deleted file ..................................................................................................93

7.10 How to unlink a device from your account ..............................................................................94

8 Disk cloning and migration ............................................................................................. 96

8.1 Disk cloning utility ....................................................................................................................96

8.1.1 Clone Disk wizard .......................................................................................................................................... 96

8.1.2 Manual partitioning ...................................................................................................................................... 99

8.1.3 Excluding items from cloning ..................................................................................................................... 100

8.2 Migrating your system from an HDD to an SSD .....................................................................101

8.2.1 Preparing for migration .............................................................................................................................. 101

8.2.2 Migrating to SSD using the backup and recovery method....................................................................... 103

9 Tools and utilities......................................................................................................... 104

9.1 Creating bootable rescue media ............................................................................................104

9.1.1 Acronis Media Builder ................................................................................................................................. 105

9.1.2 Making sure that your rescue media can be used when needed ........................................................... 109

9.1.3 Creating factory bootable media ............................................................................................................... 113

9.2 Acronis Startup Recovery Manager .......................................................................................114

9.3 Working with Acronis Secure Zone ........................................................................................115

9.3.1 Acronis Secure Zone .................................................................................................................................... 116

9.3.2 Creating and managing Acronis Secure Zone ........................................................................................... 116

9.3.3 Acronis Secure Zone location ..................................................................................................................... 117

9.3.4 Size of Acronis Secure Zone ........................................................................................................................ 118

9.3.5 Acronis Secure Zone protection ................................................................................................................. 118

9.3.6 Removing Acronis Secure Zone .................................................................................................................. 119

9.4 Adding a new hard disk ..........................................................................................................119

9.4.1 Selecting a hard disk .................................................................................................................................... 120

9.4.2 Selecting initialization method ................................................................................................................... 121

9.4.3 Creating new partitions .............................................................................................................................. 121

9.5 Security and Privacy Tools .....................................................................................................123

9.5.1 Acronis DriveCleanser ................................................................................................................................. 123

9.5.2 System Clean-up .......................................................................................................................................... 127

9.5.3 Hard Disk Wiping methods ......................................................................................................................... 133

9.6 Mounting an image ................................................................................................................134

9.7 Unmounting an image ...........................................................................................................135

10 Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 136

10.1 Acronis System Report ...........................................................................................................136

10.2 Acronis Smart Error Reporting ...............................................................................................137

10.3 How to collect crash dumps ..................................................................................................138

10.4 Creating a custom rescue CD .................................................................................................138

10.5 Acronis Customer Experience Program .................................................................................139

11 Glossary of Terms .................................................................................................. 141

1 Introduction

In this section

What is Acronis® True Image™ 2015? ....................................................... 6

New in this version ..................................................................................... 6

System requirements and supported media ............................................. 7

Installing Acronis True Image 2015 ............................................................ 9

Activating Acronis True Image 2015 ........................................................ 10

Trial version information .......................................................................... 11

Upgrading Acronis True Image 2015 ........................................................ 12

Technical Support .................................................................................... 13

1.1 What is Acronis

Acronis True Image 2015 is an integrated software suite that ensures the security of all of the information on your PC. It can back up your documents, photos, email, and selected partitions, and even the entire disk drive, including operating system, applications, settings, and all of your data.

Backups allow you to recover your computer system should a disaster occur, such as losing data, accidentally deleting critical files or folders, or suffering a complete hard disk crash.

Online Backup allows you to store your files and disks on Acronis Cloud. Your data will be protected even if your computer is lost, stolen, or destroyed, and your data can be entirely recovered onto a new device, if needed.

Key features:

True Image™ 2015?

 Disk backup to a local storage and to Acronis Cloud  File backup to a local storage and to Acronis Cloud  Rescue bootable media  Hard disk cloning  File synchronization  Security and privacy tools

1.2 New in this version

 Completely new design—The design and usability of Acronis True Image 2015 were completely

reworked to improve and simplify the user experience. Moreover, the new interface allows you to work with True Image on touch screens.

 Disk recovery from Acronis Cloud via Wi-Fi—When you recover a disk from Acronis Cloud and

you cannot use an Ethernet cable, you can connect and download your data by using a Wi-Fi connection. Acronis True Image 2015 supports several wireless security protocols, including WPA-Personal, WPA2-Personal, and WPA2-Enterprise. You can even wirelessly migrate your operating system with all the installed programs to a bare-metal computer.

 Automatic deduplication of online backup source data—Before you start an online backup, True

Image analyzes the data that you selected. If there are two or more identical data blocks, only one of them will be uploaded to Acronis Cloud. During recovery, True Image will duplicate the block and insert it to all places where it was originally detected. This algorithm decreases the amount of uploaded data by 10 percent on average and saves your free space on Acronis Cloud.

 The Standard product version includes the Premium version functionality—When you buy

Acronis True Image 2015, you obtain the full feature set, including dynamic disk support and Acronis WinPE ISO builder.

 New simplified Acronis Media Builder—The new wizard allows you to create both Acronis

bootable media and WinPE-based media in a few simple steps.

 Entire PC backup—With the new Entire PC backup type, you can protect all data stored on your

computer at once. In case of disaster, you will be able to recover Windows and applications, in addition to all your documents, photos, and other files.

 Rarely used tools were removed—To lighten the product and to make it more reliable, the

following tools were removed:

 Acronis Extended Capacity Manager  Trim SSD  Backup file conversion from the .tib format to .vhd, and vice versa  Disk Editor  Boot Sequence Manager  File Shredder  Import and export of backup settings  Try&Decide  Mail backup

1.3 System requirements and supported media

1.3.1 Minimum system requirements

Acronis True Image 2015 requires the following hardware:

 Processor Pentium 1 GHz.  1 GB RAM.  1.5 GB of free space on a hard disk.  CD-RW/DVD-RW drive or USB flash drive for bootable media creation.  Screen resolution is 1152 x 720.  Mouse or other pointing device (recommended).

1.3.2 Supported operating systems

Acronis True Image 2015 has been tested on the following operating systems:

 Windows XP SP3  Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2  Windows Vista SP2 (all editions)  Windows 7 SP1 (all editions)  Windows 8 (all editions)  Windows Home Server 2011

Acronis True Image 2015 also lets you create a bootable CD-R/DVD-R that can back up and recover a disk/partition on a computer running any Intel- or AMD- based PC operating system, including Linux®. (Note that the Intel-based Apple Macintosh is not supported.)

1.3.3 Supported file systems

Internet connection type

Acronis Console in Windows

Acronis Bootable media

Any connection

established in

Windows

Proxy server

Ethernet

cable

Wi-Fi

Proxy server

Disk-level and file-level backup to Acronis Cloud

+ - - - -

Disk-level recovery from Acronis Cloud

+ - + + -

File-level recovery from Acronis Cloud

+ - - - -

Data synchronization

+ - - - -

Product activation

- * - -

Product update

- ** - -

 FAT16/32  NTFS  Ext2/Ext3/Ext4 *  ReiserFS *  Linux SWAP *

If a file system is not supported or is corrupted, Acronis True Image 2015 can copy data using a sector-by-sector approach.

* The Ext2/Ext3/Ext4, ReiserFS, and Linux SWAP file systems are supported only for disk or partition backup/recovery operations. You cannot use Acronis True Image 2015 for file-level operations with these file systems (file backup, recovery, search, as well as image mounting and file recovering from images). You also cannot perform backups to disks or partitions with these file systems.

1.3.4 Supported Internet connection types

The table below shows which Internet connection types are supported by the product functions.

* - You can activate the product by using an activation code. Refer to the Activation from another computer section in Activating Acronis True Image 2015 (p. 10) for details.

** - To update the product, download the newer product version from the Acronis website and install it over your current one.

1.3.5 Supported storage media

 Hard disk drives*  Solid State Drives (SSD)  Networked storage devices  FTP servers**  CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R (including double-layer DVD+R), DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, BD-R, BD-RE

 USB 1.1 / 2.0 / 3.0, eSATA, FireWire (IEEE-1394) and PC card storage devices

* Limitations on operations with dynamic and GPT disks:

 Creation of Acronis Secure Zone on dynamic disks is not supported.  Recovery of a dynamic volume as a dynamic volume with manual resizing is not supported.  "Clone disk" operation is not supported for dynamic disks.

** An FTP server must allow passive mode file transfers. For data to be recovered directly from an FTP server, the backup must consist of files no greater than 2GB each.

The firewall settings of the source computer should have Ports 20 and 21 opened for the TCP and UDP protocols to function. The Routing and Remote Access Windows service should be disabled.

1.4 Installing Acronis True Image 2015

Installing Acronis True Image 2015

To install Acronis True Image 2015:

1. Run the setup file. Before starting the setup process, Acronis True Image 2015 will check for a

newer build on the website. If there is one, the newer version will be offered for installation.

2. Read:

 The terms of the license agreement.  The participation terms of the Acronis Customer Experience Program.

3. If you accept the terms of both documents, click Install.

4. When the installation is complete, click Start application.

5. In the opened window, enter your serial number, and then click Activate.

Recovering from an Acronis True Image 2015 error

If Acronis True Image 2015 ceased running or produced errors, its files might be corrupted. To repair this problem, you first have to recover the program. To do this, run Acronis True Image 2015 installer again. It will detect Acronis True Image 2015 on your computer and will ask you if you want to repair or remove it.

Removing Acronis True Image 2015

Select Start -> Settings -> Control panel -> Add or remove programs -> Acronis True Image 2015 -> Remove. Then follow the instructions on the screen.

If you use Windows Vista, select Start -> Control panel -> Programs and Features -> Acronis True Image 2015 -> Remove. Then follow the instructions on the screen. You may have to reboot your

computer afterwards to complete the task.

If you use Windows 7, select Start -> Control Panel -> Uninstall a program -> Acronis True Image 2015 -> Uninstall. Then follow the instructions on the screen. You may have to reboot your computer afterwards to complete the task.

If you use Windows 8, click the Settings icon, then select Control Panel -> Uninstall a program -> Acronis True Image 2015 -> Uninstall.

If you used the Acronis Secure Zone or Acronis Nonstop Backup, select in the window that appears what to do with the zone and Nonstop Backup storages.

Upgrading from old versions of True Image

If you already have True Image installed, the new version will simply update it; there is no need to remove the old version and reinstall the software.

Please keep in mind that the backups created by the later program version may be incompatible with the previous program versions. Therefore if you roll back Acronis True Image 2015 to an older version, you likely will have to re-create the backups using the older version. We strongly recommend that you create new bootable media after each product upgrade.

1.5 Activating Acronis True Image 2015

To use Acronis True Image 2015, you need to activate it via the Internet. Without activation the fully functional product works for 30 days. If you do not activate it during that period, all the program functions become unavailable except the recovery.

You can activate Acronis True Image 2015 either on your computer or from another computer, if your computer is not connected to the Internet.

Activation on a computer connected to the Internet

If your computer is connected to the Internet, the product will be activated automatically.

To activate the product manually from the main screen:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the main program screen, click Activate now on the information bar.

If the computer where you install Acronis True Image 2015 does not have Internet connection or if the program cannot connect to Acronis Activation Server, you may select one of the following actions:

 Try again - select this option to try to connect to the Acronis Activation Server again.  Retry automatically later - Acronis True Image 2015 will try to connect to the Acronis

Activation Server every hour without the user interaction.

 Activate from another computer - you can activate the program manually from another

machine that is connected to the Internet (see below).

Activation from another computer

If your computer is not connected to the Internet, you may activate Acronis True Image 2015 by using another computer which has connection to the Internet.

To activate the product from another computer:

1. Install and start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the main program screen, click Activate now on the information bar.

3. In the opened window, select Activate from another computer.

4. In the Acronis True Image 2015 Activation window, perform 3 simple steps:

1. Save your installation code to a file by clicking the Save to file button, and specify a

removable media as the file location (for example, a USB flash drive). You may also simply write down this code on a piece of paper.

2. On another computer which has the Internet connection, go to

http://www.acronis.com/activation/. The instructions on the screen will help you to get your

activation code by using the installation code. Save the obtained activation code to a file on a removable media, or write it down on paper.

3. On your computer, click the Load from file button and specify a path to the file with the

activation code; or, simply type it into the box from the piece of paper.

5. Click Activate.

"Too many activations" issue

Possible reasons for the issue:

 You exceed the maximum number of computers with installed Acronis True Image 2015.

For example, you have a serial number for one computer and you install True Image on the second computer.

Solutions:

 Enter a new serial number. If you do not have it, you can buy it in the Acronis built-in store.  Move the license to your new computer from another one on which the product is already

activated. To do this, select the computer from which you want to move the license. Note that True Image will be deactivated on that computer.

 You reinstall Windows, or change hardware of your computer.

For example, you might upgrade motherboard or processor in your computer. Activation is lost, because True Image sees your computer as a new one.

Solution:

To reactivate True Image on your computer, choose from the list the same computer by its old name.

1.6 Trial version information

General limitations

The trial version of Acronis True Image 2015 works only during the trial period of 30 days. It has the following limitations:

 Disk cloning is disabled.  Only recovery is available when booting from an Acronis Bootable Media.

Synchronization

Data synchronization is available without any limitations, but when the trial period expires:

 Your computer is excluded from all syncs. After installing the full version of Acronis True Image

2015 you will be able to connect to the syncs again.

 All the versions of synced files will be permanently deleted from Acronis Cloud.

Acronis Cloud

You have unlimited storage space during the trial period. You can use this space to store your online backups and versions of synced files. After the trial period is over, Acronis Cloud works in recovery-only mode for 30 days. After this period you won't be able to use the Acronis Cloud service and all your data on the Cloud will be deleted.

Upgrading to the full version

You can buy the full version at the Acronis website or using in-app purchase functionality. See details in Upgrading Acronis True Image 2015 (p. 12).

1.7 Upgrading Acronis True Image 2015

Trial version upgrade

To upgrade to the full version of the product:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click License, and then click Buy full version. The built-in store opens.

3. Select the license that you want to buy, and then click Buy now.

4. Provide your payment information.

Updating Acronis True Image 2015

To update True Image:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Help, and then click About True Image.

If there is a new version available, you will see the appropriate message next to the current build number.

3. Click Download and install.

Before you start downloading, please make sure that your firewall won't block the download process.

4. When the new version is downloaded, click Install now.

To check for updates automatically, turn on or turn off the Automatically check for updates at

startup switcher.

Built-in store

Acronis True Image 2015 adds in-app purchase functionality.

Using in-app purchase you can:

 Buy the full product, when your trial version expires.  Buy the Family Pack upgrade for up to 3 computers.  Buy, renew, and upgrade a subscription to the Acronis Cloud service.  Purchase additional Acronis Cloud space.

Installing Acronis hotfixes

Acronis hotfix is a small update for Acronis products. It makes changes to one or more application files or registry keys but does not change an application version. A hotfix targets only a specific Acronis True Image 2015 build, and cannot be applied to any other build.

To install an Acronis hotfix, follow the steps described in Updating Acronis True Image 2015 above. A list of available hotfixes for the current build will be displayed in a table, where you can select those you want to install.

Upgrading from old versions of True Image

If you already have True Image installed, the new version will simply update it; there is no need to remove the old version and reinstall the software.

We strongly recommend that you create new bootable media after each product upgrade.

1.8 Technical Support

In this section

Protecting your system ............................................................................ 13

Backing up all data on your PC ................................................................. 15

Backing up your files ................................................................................ 16

Cloning your hard drive ............................................................................ 16

Recovering your computer ...................................................................... 17

Recovering your files and folders ............................................................. 18

Getting started with Acronis Cloud .......................................................... 19

Maintenance and Support Program

If you need assistance with your Acronis product, please go to http://www.acronis.com/support/

Product Updates

You can download the latest updates for all your registered Acronis software products from our website at any time after logging into your Account (http://www.acronis.com/my) and registering the product. See Registering Acronis Products at the Website (http://kb.acronis.com/content/4834) and Acronis Website User Guide (http://kb.acronis.com/content/8128).

2 Getting started

2.1 Protecting your system

To protect your system:

1. Create a backup of your system disk (p. 13).

2. Create bootable media (p. 14).

It is recommended to test the rescue media as described in Making sure that your rescue media can be used when needed (p. 109).

2.1.1 Step 1. Backing up your system disk

When should I back up my system disk?

Create a new backup version after every significant event in your system.

Examples of these events include:

 You bought a new computer.  You reinstalled Windows on your computer.  You configured all system settings (for example, time, date, language) and installed all necessary

programs on your new computer.

 Important system update.

To ensure you save a healthy state of a disk, it is a good idea to scan it for viruses before backing it up. Please use antivirus software for this purpose. Note this operation often takes a significant amount of time.

How do I create a backup of my system?

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Backup.

If this is your first backup, you will see the backup configuration screen. If you already have some backups in the backup list, then you first need to click the plus sign at the bottom of the list.

3. Click the Backup source icon, click Disks and partitions, and then select your system partition

(usually C:) and the System Reserved partition (if any).

Instead of selecting specific partitions, you can choose the Entire PC backup. Refer to Backing up all data on your PC (p. 15) for details.

4. Click the Backup destination icon, and then select a storage place for the backup (see

recommendation below).

5. Click Start backup.

Result: A new backup box appears in the My backups list. To create a new version of the backup in future, select the backup box from the list, and then click Back up.

For advanced users: the best way to create a backup of your system disk is to do it under bootable media, and not under Windows.

Refer to Backing up disks and partitions (p. 34) for details.

Where do I store my disk backups?

 Good: Your ordinary internal hard disk.  Better: Acronis Secure Zone. This is a special secure partition on your local hard drive for storing

backups.

 The best: Acronis Cloud or an external hard disk.

Refer to Deciding where to store your backups (p. 27) for details.

How many backup versions do I need?

In most cases, you need 2-3 backup versions of your system disk, with a maximum of 4-6 (see above for information about when to create backups).

Remember, the first backup version (the full backup version) is the most important. It is the biggest one, because it contains all data stored on the disk. Further backup versions (the incremental and differential backup versions) may be organized in different schemes. These versions contain only data changes. That’s why they are dependent on the full backup version and why the full backup version is so important.

By default, a disk backup is created by using the incremental scheme. This scheme is optimal, in most cases.

For advanced users: it is a good idea to create 2-3 full backup versions and store them on different storage devices. This method is much more reliable.

2.1.2 Step 2. Creating bootable rescue media

What is bootable media?

Bootable media is a product, such as a CD-R/RW or a USB flash drive, from which you can run True Image when Windows cannot start. You can make a media bootable by using Acronis Media Builder.

How do I create bootable media?

1. Insert a CD-R/RW or plug in a USB drive.

2. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

3. On the sidebar, click Tools, and then click Rescue Media Builder.

4. On the first step, select Acronis bootable rescue media.

5. Select the device to use to create the bootable media.

6. Click Proceed.

How do I use bootable media?

Use bootable media to recover your computer when Windows cannot start.

1. Connect the bootable media to your computer (insert the CD or plug in the USB drive).

2. Arrange the boot order in BIOS so that your rescue media device (CD or USB drive) is the first

device to be booted.

Refer to Arranging boot order in BIOS (p. 73) for details.

3. Boot your computer from the rescue media and select Acronis True Image 2015.

Result: Once True Image is loaded, you can use it to recover your computer.

Refer to Acronis Media Builder for details.

Refer to Recovering your system (p. 61) for more details about computer recovery.

2.2 Backing up all data on your PC

What is an Entire PC backup?

An Entire PC backup is the easiest way to back up the full contents of your computer. We recommend that you choose this option when you are not sure which data that you need to protect. If you want to back up your system partition only, refer to Backing up disks and partitions (p. 34) for details.

When you select Entire PC as a backup type, True Image backs up all your internal hard drives in disk mode. The backup contains the operating system, installed programs, system settings, and all your personal data including your photos, music, and documents.

The recovery from an Entire PC backup is also simplified. You only need to choose the date to which you want to revert your data. True Image recovers all data from the backup to the original location. Note that you cannot select specific disks or partitions to recover and you cannot change the default destination. If you need to avoid these limitations, we recommend that you back up your data with an ordinary disk-level backup method. Refer to Backing up disks and partitions (p. 34) for details.

If an Entire PC backup contains dynamic disks, you recover your data in partition mode. This means that you can select partitions to recover and change recovery destination.

How do I create an Entire PC backup?

To back up the entire contents of your computer:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Backup.

3. Click the Backup source icon, and then select Entire PC.

4. Click the Backup destination icon, and then select a destination for the backup.

5. Click Start backup.

2.3 Backing up your files

To protect files such as documents, photos, music files, and video files, there is no need to back up the entire partition containing the files. You can back up specific files and folders and save them to the following storage types:

 Local or network storage

This option is fast and easy. Use it to protect rarely changed files.

 Acronis Cloud

This option is reliable. Use it to protect critical files and files that you want to share between devices or people.

To use Acronis Cloud, you must have an Acronis account and a subscription to the Acronis Cloud service. Refer to Subscription information (p. 19) for details.

To back up files and folders:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Backup.

3. Click the Backup source icon, and then select Files and folders.

4. In the opened window, select the check boxes next to the files and folders that you want to back

up, and then click OK.

5. Click the Backup destination icon, and then select a destination for backup:

 Acronis Cloud—Sign in to your Acronis account, and then click OK.  Your external drive—When an external drive is plugged into your computer, you can select it

from the list.

 Browse—Select a destination from the folder tree.

6. Click Start backup.

Refer to Backing up files and folders (p. 35) for details.

2.4 Cloning your hard drive

Why do I need it?

When you see that the free space on your hard drive is not enough for your data, you might want to buy a new, larger hard drive and transfer all your data to the new drive. The usual copy operation does not make your new hard drive identical to the old one. For example, if you open Windows Explorer and copy all files and folders to the new hard drive, Windows will not start from the new hard drive. The Clone disk utility allows you to duplicate all your data and make Windows bootable on your new hard drive.

Before you start

We recommend that you install the target (new) drive where you plan to use it and the source drive in another location, for example, in an external USB enclosure. This is especially important for laptops.

Warning! Your old and new hard drives must work in the same controller mode (for example, IDE or AHCI). Otherwise, your computer will not start from the new hard drive.

Using the Clone disk utility

To clone a disk:

1. On the sidebar, click Tools, and then click Clone disk.

2. On the Clone Mode step, we recommend that you choose the Automatic transfer mode. In this

case, the partitions will be proportionally resized to fit your new hard drive. The Manual mode provides more flexibility. Refer to Clone Disk wizard (p. 96) for more details about the manual mode.

If the program finds two disks, one partitioned and another unpartitioned, it will automatically recognize the partitioned disk as the source disk and the unpartitioned disk as the destination disk. In this case, the next steps will be bypassed and you will be taken to the cloning Summary screen.

3. On the Source Disk step, select the disk that you want to clone.

4. On the Destination Disk step, select the destination disk for the cloned data.

If any disk is unpartitioned, the program will automatically recognize it as the destination and bypass this step.

5. On the Finish step, ensure that the configured settings suit your needs, and then click Proceed.

By default, Acronis True Image 2015 shuts down the computer after the clone process finishes. This enables you to change the position of master/subordinate jumpers and remove one of the hard drives.

2.5 Recovering your computer

Please be aware that recovery of a system disk is an important operation. Before you start, we recommend that you read the detailed descriptions in the following Help topics:

 Trying to determine the crash cause (p. 60)  Preparing for recovery (p. 61)  Recovering your system to the same disk (p. 61)

Let’s consider two different cases:

1. Windows works incorrectly, but you can start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. Windows cannot start (for example, you turn on your computer and see something unusual on

your screen).

Case 1. How to recover computer if Windows works incorrectly?

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Backup.

3. From the backup list, select the backup that contains your system disk. The backup can be

located on local, network storage, or Acronis Cloud.

4. Depending on the backup type, click Recover PC or Recover disks.

5. In the opened window, select the backup version (the data state from a specific date and time).

6. Select the system partition and the System Reserved partition (if any) to be recovered.

7. Click Recover now.

To complete the operation, Acronis True Image 2015 must restart your system.

Case 2. How to recover computer if Windows cannot start?

1. Connect Acronis bootable media to your computer, and then run the special standalone version

of Acronis True Image 2015.

Refer to Step 2 Creating bootable rescue media (p. 14) and Arranging boot order in BIOS (p. 73) for details.

2. On the Welcome screen, select My disks below Recover.

3. Select the system disk backup to be used for recovery. Right-click the backup and choose

Recover.

When the backup is not displayed, click Browse and manually specify the path to the backup. In the same window, you can connect to Acronis Cloud and select an online backup. Refer to Recovering your system from Acronis Cloud (p. 78) for details.

4. At the Recovery method step, select Recover whole disks and partitions.

5. Select the system partition (usually C) on the What to recover screen. Note that you may

distinguish the system partition by the Pri, Act flags. Select the System Reserved partition (if any), as well.

6. You may leave all settings of the partitions without changes and click Finish.

7. Check the summary of operations, and then click Proceed.

8. When the operation finishes, exit the standalone version of Acronis True Image 2015, remove

the rescue media (if any), and boot from the recovered system partition. After making sure that you have recovered Windows to the state you need, restore the original boot order.

2.6 Recovering your files and folders

You can recover files and folders both from file-level and disk-level backups.

To recover files and folders:

1. Start Acronis True Image 2015.

2. On the sidebar, click Backup.

3. From the backup list, select the backup which contains the files or folders that you want to

recover.

The backup can be located on local, network storage, or Acronis Cloud. When you recover data from Acronis Cloud, you first need to sign in to your Acronis account.

4. On the right panel, click Recover files.

5. Select the backup version (the data state from a specific date and time).

6. Select the files and folders that you want to recover, and then click Next.

7. Select a destination on your computer for the recovered files/folders. You can recover data to its

original location or choose a new one, if necessary. To choose a new location, click the Browse button.

8. To start the recovery process, click the Recover now button.

2.7 Getting started with Acronis Cloud

Acronis Cloud might be unavailable in your region. For more information, click here: http://kb.acronis.com/content/4541

Remote storage

On the one hand, Acronis Cloud is a secure remote storage which you can use to store:

 Backups of your files and folders  Backups of your partitions and disks  Versions of your synchronized files and folders

Because files are stored on a remote storage, they are protected even if your computer is stolen or your house burns down. In the case of a disaster or data corruption, you can recover your files and even the entire contents of your computer.

With one account, you can save data from several computers and all your mobile devices running iOS and Android operating systems. Refer to What is True Image for mobile devices (p. 90) for details.

To start using Acronis Cloud, you need a subscription to the service. Refer to Subscription information (p. 19) for details.

Web application

On the other hand, Acronis Cloud is a web application that allows you to recover and manage the data you store on Acronis Cloud. To work with the application, you can use any computer connected to the Internet.

To access the application, go to https://www.acronis.com/my/online-backup/, log in to your account, and then click Recover my data now.

2.7.1 Subscription information

Performing backups to Acronis Cloud requires subscription to the Acronis Cloud service. To subscribe, start Acronis True Image 2015 and sign in using your Acronis account.

If you use the trial version of the product, an unlimited storage space and 30-day free subscription will be assigned to your account automatically. See details in Trial version information (p. 11).

If you use the full version of the product, go to https://www.acronis.com/my/online-backup/ and select a suitable subscription plan. To change your tariff, renew the subscription, or unsubscribe, go to the same subscription webpage.

How to create an Acronis account

If you do not have an Acronis account yet, perform the following steps:

1. On the sidebar, click Account, and then click Create account.

2. In the opened registration form, provide your email address, a password for your new account

and confirm the password by retyping it once more in the appropriate field.

To keep your personal data secure, choose a strong password for your online backups, guard it from getting into the wrong hands, and change it from time to time.

3. Click Create account.

4. An email message will be sent to the address you specified. Open this message and confirm your

wish to create an account.

3 Basic concepts

In this section

Basic concepts .......................................................................................... 21

The difference between file backups and disk/partition images ............ 22

Full, incremental and differential backups .............................................. 23

FAQ about backup, recovery and cloning ................................................ 25

Deciding where to store your backups .................................................... 27

Using Acronis Nonstop Backup ................................................................ 28

Backup file naming ................................................................................... 31

Integration with Windows ....................................................................... 31

Wizards..................................................................................................... 32

3.1 Basic concepts

This section provides general information about basic concepts which could be useful for understanding how the program works.

Backup and recovery

Backup refers to the making copies of data so that these additional copies may be used to recover

the original after a data loss event.

Backups are useful primarily for two purposes:

 To recover an operating system when it is corrupted or cannot start (called disaster recovery).

Refer to Protecting your system (p. 13) for more details about protecting your computer from a disaster.

 To recover specific files and folders after they have been accidentally deleted or corrupted.

Acronis True Image 2015 does both by creating disk (or partition) images and file-level backups respectively.

Backup versions

Backup versions are the file or files created during each backup operation. The number of versions created is equal to the number of times the backup is executed. So, a version represents a point in time to which the system or data can be restored.

Backup versions represent full, incremental and differential backups - see Full, incremental and differential backups (p. 23).

The backup versions are similar to file versions. The file versions concept is familiar to those who use a Windows Vista and Windows 7 feature called "Previous versions of files". This feature allows you to restore a file as it existed on a particular date and time. A backup version allows you to recover your data in a similar way.

Disk cloning

This operation copies the entire contents of one disk drive to another disk drive. This may be necessary, for example, when you want to clone your operating system, applications, and data to a new larger capacity disk. You can do it two ways:

 Use the Clone disk utility.  Back up your old disk drive, and then recover it to the new one.

Backup file format

True Image usually saves backup data in the proprietary tib format using compression. The data from .tib file backups can be recovered only through True Image, in Windows or in the recovery environment.

Acronis Nonstop Backup uses a special hidden storage for data and metadata. The backed up data is compressed and split into files of about 1 GB. These files also have a proprietary format and the data they contain can be recovered only with the help of True Image.

Backup validation

The backup validation feature allows you to confirm that your data can be recovered. The program adds checksum values to the data blocks being backed up. During backup validation, True Image opens the backup file, recalculates the checksum values and compares those values with the stored ones. If all compared values match, the backup file is not corrupted.

Scheduling

For your backups to be really helpful, they must be as "up-to-date" as possible. Schedule your backups to run automatically and on a regular basis.

Deleting backups

When you want to delete backups and backup versions you no longer need, please do it by using the tools provided by Acronis True Image 2015.

Acronis True Image 2015 stores information on the backups in a metadata information database. Therefore, deleting unneeded backup files in Windows Explorer will not delete information about these backups from the database. This will result in errors when the program tries to perform operations on the backups that no longer exist.

3.2 The difference between file backups and

disk/partition images

When you back up files and folders, only the files and folder tree are compressed and stored.

Disk/partition backups are different from file and folder backups. Acronis True Image 2015 stores an exact snapshot of the disk or partition. This procedure is called "creating a disk image" or "creating a disk backup" and the resulting backup is often called "a disk/partition image" or "a disk/partition backup".

What does a disk/partition backup contain?

A disk/partition backup contains all the data stored on the disk or partition:

1. Zero track of the hard disk with the master boot record (MBR) (applicable to MBR disk backups

only).

2. One or more partitions, including:

1. Boot code.

2. File system meta data, including service files, file allocation table (FAT), and partition boot

record.

3. File system data, including operating system (system files, registry, drivers), user data and

software applications.

3. System Reserved partition, if any.

4. EFI system partition, if any (applicable to GPT disk backups only).

What is excluded from disk backups?

To reduce image size and speed up image creation, by default Acronis True Image 2015 only stores the hard disk sectors that contain data.

Acronis True Image 2015 excludes the following files from a disk backup:

 pagefile.sys  hiberfil.sys (a file that keeps RAM contents when the computer goes into hibernation)

You can change this default method by turning on the sector-by-sector mode. In this case, Acronis True Image 2015 copies all hard disk sectors, and not only those that contain data.

Additionally, when you back up your system partition or disk to Acronis Cloud, True Image excludes the following data:

 The Temp folder (usually located in C:\Windows\Temp\)  The System Volume Information folder (usually located in C:\System Volume Information\)  The Recycle Bin  Web browser temporary data:

 Temporary Internet files  Cookies  History

 Cache  .tib files  .tmp files  .~ files

3.3 Full, incremental and differential backups

Acronis True Image 2015 offers three backup methods:

Full method

The result of a full method backup operation (also known as full backup version) contains all of the data at the moment of the backup creation.

Example: Every day, you write one page of your document and back it up using the full method. True Image saves the entire document every time you run backup.

1.tib, 2.tib, 3.tib, 4.tib - full backup versions.

Additional information

A full backup version forms a base for further incremental or differential backups. It can also be used as a standalone backup. A standalone full backup might be an optimal solution if you often roll back the system to its initial state or if you do not like to manage multiple backup versions.

Incremental method

The result of an incremental method backup operation (also known as incremental backup version) contains only those files which have been changed since the LAST BACKUP.

Example: Every day, you write one page of your document and back it up using the incremental method. True Image saves the new page every time you run backup.

Note: The first backup version you create always uses full method.

 1.tib - full backup version.  2.tib, 3.tib, 4.tib - incremental backup versions.

Additional information

Incremental method is the most useful when you need frequent backup versions and the ability to roll back to a specific point in time. As a rule, incremental backup versions are considerably smaller than full or differential versions.

On the other hand, incremental versions require more work for the program to provide recovery. In the example above, to recover the entire work from 4.tib file, True Image reads data from all backup versions. Therefore, if you lose an incremental backup version or it becomes corrupted, all later incremental versions are unusable.

Differential method

The result of a differential method backup operation (also known as differential backup version) contains only those files which have been changed since the LAST FULL BACKUP.

Example: Every day, you write one page of your document and back it up using the differential method. True Image saves the entire document except the first page stored in the full backup version.

Note: The first backup version you create always uses full method.

 1.tib - full backup version.  2.tib, 3.tib, 4.tib - differential backup versions.

Additional information

Differential method is an intermediate between the first two approaches. It takes less time and space than "Full", but more than "Incremental". To recover data from a differential backup version, True Image needs only the differential version and the last full version. Therefore, recovery from a differential version is simpler and more reliable than recovery from an incremental one.

An incremental or differential backup created after a disk is defragmented might be considerably larger than usual. This is because the defragmentation program changes file locations on the disk and the backups reflect these changes. Therefore, it is recommended that you re-create a full backup after disk defragmentation.

To choose a desired backup method, you usually need to configure a custom backup scheme. For more information see Custom schemes (p. 42).

3.4 FAQ about backup, recovery and cloning

 I have a 150GB system partition, but the occupied space on that partition is only 80GB. What

will Acronis True Image 2015 include in a backup? - By default, Acronis True Image 2015 copies

only the hard disk sectors that contain data, so it will include only 80GB in a backup. You can also

choose the sector-by-sector mode. Note than such a backup mode is required only in special

cases. For more information see Image creation mode (p. 48). While creating a sector-by-sector

backup, the program copies both used and unused hard disk sectors and the backup file will

usually be significantly larger.

 Will my system disk backup include drivers, documents, pictures, etc.? - Yes, such a backup will

contain the drivers, as well as the contents of the My documents folder and its subfolders, if you

kept the default location of the My documents folder. If you have just a single hard disk in your

PC, such a backup will contain all of the operating system, applications and data.

 I have an old hard disk drive which is almost full in my notebook. I purchased a new bigger

HDD. How can I transfer Windows, programs and data to the new disk? - You can either clone

the old hard disk on the new one or back up the old hard disk and then recover the backup to a

new one. The optimum method usually depends on your old hard disk partitions layout.

 I want to migrate my old system hard disk to an SSD. Can this be done with Acronis True Image

2015? - Yes, Acronis True Image 2015 provides such a function. For procedure details, see

Migrating your system from an HDD to an SSD (p. 101)

 What is the best way to migrate the system to a new disk: cloning or backup and recovery? -

The backup and recovery method provides more flexibility. In any case, we strongly recommend

to make a backup of your old hard disk even if you decide to use cloning. It could be your data

saver if something goes wrong with your original hard disk during cloning. For example, there

were cases when users chose the wrong disk as the target and thus wiped their system disk. In

addition, you can make more than one backup to create redundancy and increase security.

 What should I back up: a partition or the whole disk? - In most cases, it is better to back up the

whole disk. However, there may be some cases when a partition backup is advisable. For

example, your notebook has a single hard disk with two partitions: system (disk letter C) and the

data (disk letter D). The system partition stores your working documents in the My documents

folder with subfolders. The data partition stores your videos, pictures, and music files. Such files

are already compressed and backing them up using Acronis True Image 2015 would not give you

significant reduction of the backup file size. In this case, it may be better to use a local sync for

the data partition files and a separate backup for the system partition. However, we also

recommend creating at least one whole disk backup if your backup storage has enough space.

 Could you tell me how to clone: in Windows or after booting from the rescue media? Even

when you start cloning in Windows, the computer will reboot into the Linux environment the

same as when booting from the rescue media. Because of this, it is better to clone under rescue

media. For example, there may be a case when your hard disk drives are detected in Windows

and not detected in Linux. If this is the case, the cloning operation will fail after reboot. When

booting from the rescue media, you can make sure that Acronis True Image 2015 detects both

the source and target disks before starting the cloning operation.

 Can I clone or back up and recover a dual boot machine? Yes, this is possible in most cases. If

your systems are installed in separate partitions of the same physical hard disk drive, cloning or

recovery usually proceeds without any problems. If the systems are on different physical hard

disk drives, there may be some problems with bootability after recovery.

 Does Acronis True Image 2015 support RAID? - Acronis True Image 2015 supports hardware

RAID arrays of all popular types. Support of software RAID configurations on dynamic disks is also

provided. Acronis Bootable Rescue Media supports most of the popular hardware RAID

controllers. If the standard Acronis rescue media does not "see" the RAID as a single volume, the

media does not have the appropriate drivers. In this case you can try to create WinPE-based

rescue media. This media may provide the necessary drivers.

3.5 Deciding where to store your backups

HDD (internal or external)

SSD

USB flash drive

Acronis Cloud

File server, NAS or NDAS

Netwo rk share

SMB/ NFS share

FTP server

DVD or Blue-ray disc

Memor y card

MBR partitions or entire disks (HDD, SSD)

+ + + + + + + + +

GPT/dynamic volumes or disks

+ + + + + + + + +

Files and folders

+ + + + + + + + +

- - - - - - - - -

Acronis True Image 2015 supports quite a few of storage devices. For more information, refer to Supported storage media.

The table below shows possible backup destinations for your data.

Though backing up to your local hard drive is the simplest option, we recommend that you store your backups off-site because it enhances the security of your data.

Recommended storage media:

1. Acronis Cloud

2. External drive

If you plan to use an external USB hard drive with your desktop PC, we recommend that you

connect the drive to a rear connector by using a short cable.

3. Home file server, NAS, or NDAS

Please check whether Acronis True Image 2015 detects the selected backup storage, both in

Windows and when booted from the rescue media.

To gain access to an NDAS-enabled storage device, in many cases you will need to specify the

NDAS device ID (20 characters) and the write key (five characters). The write key allows you to

use an NDAS-enabled device in write mode (for example, for saving your backups). Usually the

device ID and write key are printed on a sticker attached to the bottom of the NDAS device or on

the inside of its enclosure. If there is no sticker, you need to contact your NDAS device vendor to

obtain that information.

The certain NAS devices can be detected by Acronis True Image 2015 if Bonjour software is installed.

4. Network share

See also: Authentication settings (p. 28).

5. FTP server

3.5.1 FTP connection

Acronis True Image 2015 allows you to store your backups on FTP servers.

To create a new FTP connection, when selecting a backup storage click FTP connection, and in the opened window provide:

 Path to the FTP server, for example: my.server.com  Port  User name  Password

To check your settings, click the Test connection button. The computer will try to connect to the specified FTP server. If the test connection has been established, click the Connect button to add the FTP connection.

The created FTP connection will appear in the folder tree. Select the connection and browse for the backup storage that you want to use.

Please, be aware that the mere opening of an FTP server's root folder does not bring you to your home directory.

For data to be recovered directly from an FTP server, the backup must consist of files no greater than 2GB each.

Because of this, Acronis True Image 2015 splits a backup into files with a size of 2GB when backing up directly to an FTP server. If you back up to a hard disk with the aim of transferring the backup to an FTP later, you may split the backup into files of 2GB each by setting the desired file size in the backup options.

An FTP server must allow passive mode file transfers.

The firewall settings of the source computer should have Ports 20 and 21 opened for the TPC and UDP protocols to function. The Routing and Remote Access Windows service should be disabled.

3.5.2 Authentication settings

If you are connecting to a networked computer, in most cases you will need to provide the necessary credentials for accessing the network share. For example, this is possible when you select a backup storage. The Authentication Settings window appears automatically when you click a networked computer name. To open it manually, click Specify credentials for this location.

If necessary, specify the user name and password, and then click Test connection. When the test is successfully passed, click Connect.

3.6 Using Acronis Nonstop Backup

Acronis Nonstop Backup provides easy protection of your disks and files. It allows you to recover entire disks, individual files and their different versions.

The main purpose of Acronis Nonstop Backup is continuous protection of your data (files, folders, contacts, etc.), though you can use it to protect partitions as well. If you choose to protect an entire partition, you will be able to recover the partition as a whole using the image recovery procedure.

You can create only one nonstop backup.

You cannot use Acronis Nonstop Backup for protecting data stored on external hard drives.

How it works

Once you start Acronis Nonstop Backup, the program will perform an initial full backup of the data selected for protection. Acronis Nonstop Backup will then save changes in the protected files (including open ones) every five minutes, so that you will be able to recover your system to an exact point in time.

Usually the different states of the protected data will be backed up at 5-minute intervals for 24 hours.

The older backups will be consolidated in such a way that Acronis True Image 2015 will keep daily backups for the last 30 days and weekly backups until all Nonstop Backup data destination space is used.

Note, that if Acronis Nonstop Backup protects a non-system partition and no changes have occurred for 5 minutes since the last backup, the next scheduled backup will be skipped. Acronis Nonstop Backup will wait for a significant data change and will create a new incremental backup only when such change has been detected. In those cases, the actual time interval will exceed 5 minutes. In addition, if, for instance, you are working in Word and do not use the "Save" operation for an hour, changes in the Word document will not be backed up every five minutes, because Acronis True Image 2015 checks file changes on the disk and not in the memory.

The consolidation will be performed every day between midnight and 01:00 AM. The first consolidation will take place after the Nonstop Backup has been working for at least 24 hours. For example, you have turned on the Nonstop Backup at 10:00 AM on July 12. In this case the first consolidation will be performed between 00:00 and 01:00 AM on July 14. Then the program will consolidate the data every day at the same time. If your computer is turned off between 00:00 and 01:00 AM, the consolidation will start when you turn the computer on. If you turn off Nonstop Backup for some time, the consolidation will start after you turn it on again.

You may think that at these backup rates the storage will fill in no time. Do not worry as Acronis True Image 2015 will back up only so called "deltas". This means that only differences between old and new versions will be backed up and not whole changed files. For example, if you use Microsoft Outlook or Windows Mail, your pst file may be very large. Furthermore, it changes with each received or sent E-mail message. Backing up the entire pst file after each change would be an unacceptable waste of your storage space, so Acronis True Image 2015 backs up only its changed parts in addition to the initially backed up file.

3.6.1 Acronis Nonstop Backup data storage

Acronis Nonstop Backup data storage can be created on local hard disk drives (both internal and external).

In many cases an external hard disk will be the best choice for Nonstop Backup data storage. You can use an external disk with any of the following interfaces: USB (including USB 3.0), eSATA, FireWire, and SCSI.

You can also use an NAS as the storage, but with one limitation - it must accessible with the SMB protocol. It does not matter whether an NAS share you want to use for the storage is mapped as a local disk or not. If the share requires login, you will need to provide the correct user name and password. For more information see Authentication settings (p. 28). Acronis True Image 2015 remembers the credentials and the subsequent connections to the share do not require login.

When an external hard disk or NAS is unavailable, the Nonstop Backup destination can be an internal disk, including a dynamic one. Please note that you cannot use a partition to be protected as a Nonstop Backup storage. If your computer has a single hard disk drive with a single partition, but you want to use Acronis Nonstop Backup anyway, you can create Acronis Secure Zone and use it as the Nonstop Backup data storage.

Before creating Acronis Nonstop Backup data storage, Acronis True Image 2015 checks whether the selected destination has enough free space. It multiplies the volume of data to be protected by 1.2 and compares the calculated value with the available space. If the free space on the destination satisfies this minimum storage size criterion, the destination can be used for storing Nonstop Backup data.

3.6.2 Nonstop Backup - Frequently asked questions

Why does Acronis Nonstop Backup pause on its own? - This is the designed behavior of Acronis Nonstop Backup. When the system load rises to a critical level, Acronis Nonstop Backup receives the overload alarm from Windows and pauses itself. This is done to aid Windows relieve the load caused by other applications. The overload can be caused by running resource-intensive applications (for example, performing a deep system scan with your antivirus software).

In such a case Nonstop Backup automatically pauses and you cannot restart it. After pausing, Acronis Nonstop Backup gives the system one hour to relieve the load and then attempts to restart.

The automatic restart count for Acronis Nonstop Backup is 6. This means that after the first automatic restart Acronis Nonstop Backup will attempt to restart five more times with intervals of exactly one hour between attempts.

After the sixth unsuccessful attempt, Acronis Nonstop Backup will wait for the next calendar day. On the next day the automatic restart count will automatically reset. When not interfered with, Acronis Nonstop Backup performs six restart attempts per day.

The restart attempt count can be reset by doing any of the following:

 Restarting Acronis Nonstop Backup service;  Rebooting the computer.

Restarting Acronis Nonstop Backup service will only reset the restart count to 0. If the system is still overloaded, Acronis Nonstop Backup will pause again. An Acronis Support Knowledge Base article at http://kb.acronis.com/content/14708 describes the procedure for restarting the Acronis Nonstop Backup service.

Rebooting the computer will reset the load and the restart count. If the system overloads again, Acronis Nonstop Backup will pause.

Why does Acronis Nonstop Backup sometimes cause a high CPU load? - This is the expected behavior of Acronis Nonstop Backup. This may happen on restart of a paused Acronis Nonstop Backup if a considerable amount of protected data has been modified during the pause.

For example, if you manually pause the Acronis Nonstop Backup that you use for protecting your system partition and then install a new application. When you restart Acronis Nonstop Backup, it loads the CPU for some time. However, the process (afcdpsrv.exe) then goes back to normal.

This happens because Acronis Nonstop Backup needs to check the backed up data against the data that have been modified during the pause to ensure protection continuity. If there was a

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Acronis True Image 2015 User's Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

1 Introduction

What is Acronis® True Image™ 2015? ....................................................... 6

1.2 New in this version

1.3 System requirements and supported media

1.3.1 Minimum system requirements

1.3.2 Supported operating systems

1.3.3 Supported file systems

1.3.4 Supported Internet connection types

1.3.5 Supported storage media

1.4 Installing Acronis True Image 2015

1.5 Activating Acronis True Image 2015

1.6 Trial version information

1.7 Upgrading Acronis True Image 2015

1.8 Technical Support

2 Getting started

2.1 Protecting your system

2.1.1 Step 1. Backing up your system disk

2.1.2 Step 2. Creating bootable rescue media

2.2 Backing up all data on your PC

2.3 Backing up your files

2.4 Cloning your hard drive

2.5 Recovering your computer

2.6 Recovering your files and folders

2.7 Getting started with Acronis Cloud

2.7.1 Subscription information

3 Basic concepts

3.1 Basic concepts

3.3 Full, incremental and differential backups

3.4 FAQ about backup, recovery and cloning

3.5 Deciding where to store your backups

3.5.1 FTP connection

3.5.2 Authentication settings

3.6 Using Acronis Nonstop Backup

3.6.1 Acronis Nonstop Backup data storage

3.6.2 Nonstop Backup - Frequently asked questions