Acronis True Image Home - 2012 Getting Started

Getting Started

This short guide can help you to quickly start using Acronis True Image Home 2012. It describes just a few of

the key features of Acronis True Image Home 2012. For detailed program information, refer to the User’s

Guide which can be downloaded from the Acronis Web site at

http://www.acronis.com/support/documentation/index.html.

Content

How to install Acronis True Image Home 2012 ................................... 3

Getting to know the program .......................................................... 6

How to back up a partition or disk .................................................... 9

How to use synchronization ........................................................... 12

How to schedule your backups ....................................................... 13

Creating an Acronis Rescue CD ....................................................... 15

Making sure that your rescue CD can be used when needed .............. 19

How to recover your system if your computer does not boot ............ 22

How to recover partitions and disks in Windows .............................. 25

How to recover files and folders ...................................................... 27

How to clone a disk ........................................................................ 29

Conclusion .................................................................................... 32

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How to install Acronis True Image Home 2012

If you purchased Acronis True Image Home 2012 via the Internet, double-click the downloaded file. A
menu appears with the following options:

 Install - install the program;

Retry checking - check if there is a new program version;

This is done automatically. If a new version exists, we recommend downloading and installing it.

If there is no Internet connect ion during installation, a "Cannot connect to the update server. Please try
again later" message appears. In this case, simply start the program installat ion.

 Download User's Guide - Download and view the full User’s Guide;

Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed for viewing.

 Contact technical support - go to the Acronis Support page.

To install the program:

1. Click Install.

If you purchased the box version of the program, the menu has addit ional options. However, for product
installat ion you should select the same menu opt ion.

2. Read the license agreement and then click I accept this agreement, to accept the terms of

the license agreement. Then click Next to continue installation.

Please note that one license permits you to install the program on one computer only.

The Family pack license permits you to install the program on three computers.

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3. Read the participation terms of the Acronis Customer Experience Program (ACEP) and

select whether to participate.

The ACEP collects information about your computer and virtual machine configurat ions,
functions used most often, functions used less often, and problems faced by users. This data
helps us improve the products to meet your expectations.

We do not collect personal informat ion, such as name, address, telephone number, or keyboard
input.

4. Enter the product serial number to install the full product version.

If you purchased Acronis True Image Home 2012 via the Internet, the serial number should have
been automatically sent to the email address you provided at the time of purchase.

You can copy and paste the serial number in the entry field by using Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.

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If you purchased the box version of the program, a sticker with the serial number is attached to
the back of the CD sleeve or to the inside of the DVD box. Use the keyboard to enter the serial
number.

The Activate Acronis True Image Home 2012 automatically check box is selected by default to
activate the product during the installation. You may clear the check box. In that case you will
need to activate the product within 30 days after installat ion.

The Installation wizard will guide you through the rest of the installation process. We recommend to not
change the default installation opt ions.

If you experience problems during installation, check Acronis Knowledge Base at
http://kb.acronis.com/ for possible solutions.

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Getting to know the program

To start Acronis True Image Home 2012, double-click the icon on your desktop. The program starts
with the Get started tab selected.

The Get started tab will help you to begin using the main Acronis True Image Home 2012 features,
namely backup, recovery and synchronization. The program leads you through the act ions required
to perform those operations.

It is reasonable to start by learning how to back up your system. To go through the required steps,
click How to back up. This opens the first window which shows you how to start a backup
operation. To proceed to the next step, click the right arrow at the right-hand side of the screen.

You can review the recovery and synchronization features the same way. After you learn what data
you can back up and synchronize, you can proceed with actual operations.

Backup and recovery tab

Let’s take a closer look at the program. To do this, start the program and then click the Backup and

recovery tab. If you have not yet created a backup, the tab looks as follows.

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Because the program is primarily designed for backing up, we begin with this operation.

To create a backup, select the desired backup type on the toolbar. Then, set the backup parameters.

For more information about creating backups and recovering data, see the later sections of this
guide.

You will be able to perform all operat ions with the backups from the Backup and recovery tab. For
example, to start a recovery operation from a backup, it is enough to simply click the appropriate
button.

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The above view of the program’s Backup and recovery tab shows the backup boxes with buttons for

backup and recovery.

Tip You can get additional help by opening the Help menu or by pressing F1.

Synchronization tab

With the Synchronizat ion feature you can keep data ident ical in two or more synchronized folders,
which may be located on different computers, a removable storage device, an NAS, etc. You can
share photos and videos with your relat ives and friends, use the same set of documents to work as a
team with your colleagues, or synchronize your files and folders between your home and work
computers. With Acronis True Image Home 2012, you can create as many data synchronizations as
you like. This feature has its own tab. For more information see How to use synchronization (p. 12).

Tools and utilit ies tab

Acronis True Image Home 2012 offers you quite a number of various tools and utilities. With them
you can enhance protection of your computer, ensure privacy and security of your personal data, try
system changes, and more. For detailed informat ion on the available tools and utilities, refer to the
User’s Guide. Here we describe only the Disk cloning tool.

After you begin using Acronis True Image Home 2012, it will start by displaying the tab that was selected when
you exited the program.

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How to back up a partition or disk

Use the Disk and partition backup, if you want to back up the system partit ion (in most cases
designated with the letter C:).

Tip If you store your data on a separate partit ion, create a backup for this partition too.

A backup of your system partit ion is necessary so that you can quickly recover your system from a
backup instead of reinstalling the operating system and applicat ions from scratch. This could save
you hours and even days of effort recovering from a virus or malware attack.

Tip Usually, the system partit ion needs to be recovered when the operating system does not boot. Accordingly,
the system part ition backup will help only if you have a bootable rescue CD. For information on how to create a
rescue CD see Creating an Acronis Rescue CD.

1. Start Acronis True Image Home 2012, click the Backup and recovery tab and then click Disk

and partition backup.

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2. When configuring your backup, you need to make the following decisions.

In many cases, you can leave the default settings when deciding where to back up and how to back up.

The same is true when backing up files and folders.

3. In accordance with the above, begin by selecting what to back up. For example, select for

backup the system partition.

In case of Windows 7, the program will by default include the hidden System Reserved partit ion in the
backup. You may need to recover this part ition if the operating system stops working.

Tip If the disk has several partit ions and you want to back up the ent ire disk, click Multiple partition

selection, then click Switch to disk mode and select the disk.

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