Apricorn EZ GIG II User Manual
Apricorn EZ Gig II
User’s Guide
All rights reserved.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation.
UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.
Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks and copyrights referred to are the property of their respective
owners.
Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited
without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
Distribution of this work or derivative work in any standard (paper) book form for
commercial purposes is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from the
copyright holder.
DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED «AS IS» AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR
NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH
DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID.
2
End-user license agreement
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
BY ACCEPTING, YOU (ORIGINAL PURCHASER) INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. IF
YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THE PRODUCT UNDER THESE TERMS YOU MAY CHOOSE NOT TO
ACCEPT BY SELECTING "I decline..." AND NOT INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE.
All rights are reserved. The ORIGINAL PURCHASER is granted a LICENSE to use the software only,
subject to the following restrictions and limitations.
1. The license is to the original purchaser only, and is not transferable without prior written
Permission from Apricorn.
2. The Original Purchaser may use the Software on a single computer owned or leased by the
Original Purchaser. You may not use the Software on more than a single machine even if you
own or lease all of them without the written consent of Apricorn.
3. The Original Purchaser may not engage in, nor permit third parties to engage in, any of the
following:
A. Providing or permitting use of or disclosing the Software to third parties.
B. Providing use of the Software in a computer service business, network, timesharing or multiple
user arrangement to users who are not individually licensed by Apricorn.
C. Making alterations or copies of any kind in the Software (except as specifically permitted above).
D. Attempting to un-assemble, de-compile or reverse engineer the Software in any way.
E. Granting sublicenses, leases, or other rights in the Software to others.
F. Making copies, or verbal or media translations, of the users guide.
G. Making telecommunication data transmission of the software.
Apricorn has the right to terminate this license if there is a violation of its terms or default by the
Original Purchaser. Upon termination for any reason, all copies of the Software must be immediately
returned to Apricorn, and the Original Purchaser shall be liable to Apricorn for any and all damages
suffered as a result of the violation or default.
ENTIRE RISK
THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU THE
PURCHASER. APRICORN DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE OR ITS FUNCTIONS WILL
MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE
UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE OR THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED. NO LIABILITY FOR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES - IN NO EVENT SHALL APRICORN OR ITS VENDORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR THE LOSS OF
BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER
PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF
APRICORN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
3
Table of contents
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 6
1.1 What is Apricorn EZ Gig II? .......................................................................................6
1.2 What is a disk image? ...............................................................................................6
1.3 Software usage terms and conditions .........................................................................7
CHAPTER 2. INSTALLATION AND OPERATION....................................................................... 8
2.1 System requirements ................................................................................................8
2.2 Apricorn EZ Gig II installation .................................................................................... 8
2.3 Running Apricorn EZ Gig II........................................................................................ 8
2.4 Removing the program..............................................................................................9
CHAPTER 3. GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION................................................................ 10
3.1 Main program window............................................................................................. 10
CHAPTER 4. CREATING A PARTITION (DISK) IMAGE.......................................................... 13
4.1 Selecting partitions ................................................................................................. 13
4.2 Selecting image location.......................................................................................... 13
4.3 Selecting image file size .......................................................................................... 14
4.4 Selecting data compression level.............................................................................. 15
4.5 Protecting images with passwords............................................................................ 16
4.6 Providing comments ............................................................................................... 17
4.7 Image creation script .............................................................................................. 18
4.8 Selecting image creation priority .............................................................................. 19
CHAPTER 5. RESTORING A DISK (PARTITION) FROM AN IMAGE ....................................... 20
5.1 Selecting an image to restore from........................................................................... 20
5.2 Checking image integrity before restoration .............................................................. 21
5.3 Selecting a partition to restore ................................................................................. 21
5.4 Selecting a location to restore to.............................................................................. 22
5.5 Selecting partition type ...........................................................................................23
5.6 Selecting a file system............................................................................................. 24
5.7 Selecting restored partition size ............................................................................... 25
5.8 Assigning a letter to a partition ................................................................................ 26
5.9 Checking file system integrity ..................................................................................26
5.10 Restoring several partitions at once.......................................................................... 27
5.11 Restoration script ...................................................................................................28
CHAPTER 6. BROWSING AND RESTORING INDIVIDUAL FILES........................................... 29
6.1 Connecting a virtual disk ......................................................................................... 29
6.1.1 Selecting an image ..................................................................................................................29
6.1.2 Selecting partitions to connect and letter assignmen ................................................................. 30
6.2 Unplugging a virtual disk ......................................................................................... 30
CHAPTER 7. TRANSFERRING THE SYSTEM TO A NEW DISK................................................ 31
7.1 General information ................................................................................................ 31
7.2 Security ................................................................................................................. 32
7.3 Executing transfers ................................................................................................. 32
7.3.1 Selecting transfer mode ...........................................................................................................32
7.3.2 Selecting source disk ............................................................................................................... 33
7.3.3 Selecting destination disk.........................................................................................................33
7.3.4 Partitioned destination disk ...................................................................................................... 34
7.3.5 Old and new disk partition layou s ............................................................................................ 35
7.3.6 Cloning script ..........................................................................................................................36
7.4 Cloning with manual partitioning.............................................................................. 36
7.4.1 Old and new disk partition layou s ............................................................................................ 36
CHAPTER 8. OTHER OPERATIONS........................................................................................ 38
8.1 Checking images .................................................................................................... 38
4
t
t
t
Contents
8.1.1 Selecting image for checking....................................................................................................38
8.2 Creating bootable media .........................................................................................38
CHAPTER 9. TROUBLESHOOTING......................................................................................... 40
9.1 Recovering Apricorn EZ Gig II.................................................................................. 40
9.1 Frequently asked questions ..................................................................................... 40
APPENDIX A. PARTITIONS AND FILE SYSTEMS................................................................44
A.1 Hard disk partitions................................................................................................. 44
A.2 File systems ........................................................................................................... 44
A.2.1 FAT16..................................................................................................................................... 45
A.2.2 FAT32..................................................................................................................................... 45
A.2.3 NTFS ...................................................................................................................................... 45
A.2.4 Linux Ext2...............................................................................................................................46
A.2.5 Linux Ext3...............................................................................................................................46
A.2.6 Linux ReiserFS.........................................................................................................................46
APPENDIX B. HARD DISKS AND BIOS SETUP ................................................................... 47
B.1 Installing hard disks in computers ............................................................................ 47
B.1.1 Installing a hard disk, general scheme ......................................................................................47
B.1.2 Motherboard sockets, IDE cable, power cable ...........................................................................48
B.1.3 Installation modes, jumpers .....................................................................................................49
B.2 BIOS ..................................................................................................................... 50
B.2.1 Setup utility ............................................................................................................................50
B.2.2 S andard CMOS setup menu..................................................................................................... 50
B.2.3 Arranging boot sequence, advanced CMOS setup menu ............................................................. 52
B.2.4 AwardBIOS ............................................................................................................................. 53
B.2.5 Hard disk initialization errors ....................................................................................................57
t
5
Introduction
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 What is Apricorn EZ Gig II?
Apricorn EZ Gig II solves all backup problems, ensuring the safety of all information
on your PC.
Using it, you'll be able to create exact hard disk images, including all operating
systems, applications and configuration files, software updates, personal settings
and all of your data.
If failures occur that block access to information or affect system operation, or if
you accidentally delete necessary files, you'll be able to restore the system and lost
data easily.
You won't have to select files and folders for backup, as many backup applications
require. Instead, you will store all your disk data. As a result, Apricorn EZ Gig II is
simpler and faster than competitive applications.
You can store images on almost any PC storage device: local hard drives, a variety
of IDE, SCSI, FireWire (IEEE-1394), USB (1.0, 1.1 and 2.0) and PC card (formerly
called PCMCIA) removable media drives, including CD-R(RW),
magneto-optical.
You can restore the partition or lost data from an image any time. You can also
connect an image as a virtual drive, browse its contents and extract selected files to
the hard disk.
The unique technology developed by Apricorn and implemented in Apricorn EZ Gig
II allows you to create exact, sector-by-sector disk images and restore their content
directly from Windows without the reboots typical for similar products.
Wizards and a user-friendly, Windows XP-styled interface will make your work
even more convenient. Just answer some simple questions and let Apricorn EZ Gig
II take care of everything else! When a problem occurs, it will get you up and
running in short order.
1.2 What is a disk image?
A disk (partition) image is a file that contains a copy of all information stored on a
disk. The image stores the installed operating system, all programs, and all
documents and settings.
By backing up your information regularly, you will protect yourself from data loss in
case of system failure or PC malfunctions.
6
Introduction
g
By default, Apricorn EZ Gig II image files have a “.tib” extension and can contain
images of several partitions or disks.
Images of large partitions or several disks could be quite large. If so, they can be
split into several files that together make an original image. A single image can
also be split for burning to removable media. A single image that is split across
multiple CDs is sometimes called a “spanned volume.”
Apricorn EZ Gig II stores only those hard disk parts that contain data (for supported partition
types). This reduces image size and speeds up image creation and restoration from.
A partition ima
and system files), boot record, FAT (file allocation table) and root.
A disk image includes images of all disk partitions as well as the zero track with master boot
record (MBR).
e includes all files and folders independent of their attributes (including hidden
1.3 Software usage terms and conditions
The conditions for Apricorn EZ Gig II software usage are described in the «License
Agreement» included with this package. The supplied registration card is the
confirmation of your legal purchase and usage of Apricorn EZ Gig II on your system.
Each registration card has a unique registration number.
Under current legislation, the «License Agreement» is considered a contract
between you and Apricorn Inc. The contract is a legal document and its violation
may result in legal action.
Illegal use and/or distribution of this software will be prosecuted.
7
Installation and operation
Chapter 2. Installation and operation
2.1 System requirements
Apricorn EZ Gig II requires the following hardware:
• Pentium or compatible PC
• 32 MB RAM
• floppy disk drive or CD-ROM drive
• VGA monitor
• mouse (recommended)
• free hard disk space for image files
A CD-ROM drive is required to install Apricorn EZ Gig II
2.2 Apricorn EZ Gig II installation
To install Apricorn EZ Gig II:
1. Insert the installation CD into your drive.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen.
3. After making your installation choices and copying Apricorn EZ Gig II files onto
your hard disk, you will be prompted to create a
(You can omit this step if you have purchased the boxed product that contains a
bootable CD). While Apricorn EZ Gig II creates disk images in Windows, it might
be necessary to restore the image from a bootable disk. Therefore, it is strongly
recommended that you create one. However, you can do that after the
installation as well.
After installation of Apricorn EZ Gig II is completed, you should restart your
computer.
2.3 Running Apricorn EZ Gig II
In normal mode, you can run Apricorn EZ Gig II from Windows by selecting
Apricorn →
window onto the screen.
EZ Gig II, from Start → Programs. This will bring the program
bootable diskette or CD-R/W.
If your disk data is totally corrupted and you can not boot, you should use the
bootable media supplied with the retail box version or created during the installation
procedure. It will automatically load Apricorn EZ Gig II
damaged partitions.
8
, allowing you to recover the
Installation and operation
2.4 Removing the program
To remove Apricorn EZ Gig II from your PC, select Apricorn →EZ Gig II →
Remove
the program removal. Click Yes to confirm and Apricorn EZ Gig II will be completely
removed. You may have to reboot your computer afterwards to complete the task.
Apricorn EZ Gig II in the Programs menu. You will see a dialog to confirm
9
General program information
Chapter 3. General program information
3.1 Main program window
The main program window contains the menu, toolbar and the Windows XP
Explorer-like interface divided into two areas. The right area contains operation
icons; the left one has corresponding action descriptions, typical actions and
additional tools.
The main program window
The menu, toolbar and menu items in the left area duplicate themselves, providing
more convenience.
Having selected (clicked) an operation, you can execute it in several ways: by
double-clicking its icon, by selecting Start Now in the Operations menu, by
selecting the same operation in the Operations window, or by clicking Start on
the toolbar.
The main window contains operation icons divided into three groups.
The Disk Imaging group contains disk image operations:
• Create Image – create a disk (partition) image
• Restore Image – restore a disk (partition) from a previously created image
• Explore Image – connect and view an image as a virtual drive
• Unplug Image – disconnect the connected virtual drive
10
General program information
The New Disk Deployment group includes operations required when a new disk
drive is installed:
• Disk Clone – transfer operating system, applications and data from the old disk
to the new one
Program menu
The program menu line contains the Operations, Tools, View and Help items.
The Operations menu changes when either an operation icon or scheduled task is
selected. In the first case, the menu contains only Start Now to execute the
selected operation. For information on managing scheduled tasks, see Chapter 9.
• Delete – deletes selected operation. Appears only when a scheduled task is
selected
The Tools menu contains the following items:
• Check Image – runs disk (partition) integrity checking procedure
• Create Bootable Rescue Media – runs the bootable media creation procedure
The View menu contains items for managing the program window look:
• Toolbars – contains commands that control toolbar icons
• Common Task Bar – enables/disables common task panel in the left area
• Status Bar – enables/disables the status bar
• Refresh – refreshes the main program window
The Help menu allows you to invoke help and get information about Apricorn EZ
Gig II.
Status bar
In the bottom of the main window, there is a status bar divided into two parts. The
left part briefly describes the selected operation; the right one indicates image
operation progress and results.
Taskbar notification area icon
During image creation operations, a special indicator icon appears in the notification
area (the right portion of the status bar with the clock). If you place the cursor over
the icon, you will see a tool tip indicating the operation’s progress. This icon doesn’t
depend on the main program window being open. It is present for background
execution of scheduled tasks as well.
11
General program information
Disk and partition information
You can change disk schemes and data representation in all schemes you see in
various wizards.
To the right are three icons:
Arrange Icons by, Choose Details and Display the
properties of the selected item (also duplicated in the context menu invoked by
double-clicking objects)
.
To sort messages by a particular column, click the header (another click will switch
the messages to the opposite order) or
Arrange Icons by button and select the
column.
To select columns to view, right-click the headers line or left-click the
Details button
If you click the
. Then flag the columns you want to display.
Display the properties of the selected item button, you will see
Choose
the selected partition or disk properties window.
This window contains two panels. The left panel contains the properties tree and
the right describes the selected property in detail. The disk information includes its
physical parameters (connection type, device type, size, etc.); partition information
includes both physical (sectors, location, etc.), and logical (file system, free space,
assigned letter, etc.) parameters.
You can change the width of columns by dragging their borders with the mouse.
12
Creating a partition (disk) image
Chapter 4. Creating a partition (disk) image
Disk (partition) image creation means backing up all data stored on your PC. With
the image, you can restore your PC after failure and protect yourself from hard disk
data losses.
4.1 Selecting partitions
In the Select partitions for backup window, you will see the hard disk layout of your
PC. Flag a partition to select it. Flag a whole disk to select all its partitions to image.
You can select one or more hard disks or any combination of partitions and hard
disks.
Disk and partition layout
Having selected partitions and/or disks, click Next. Note that this button is disabled
if no partitions or disks are selected.
4.2 Selecting image location
If you need to create a complete image, you must specify its location on a storage
device.
13
Creating a partition (disk) image
Image location selection
Select the image location in the disk tree. In the File name field, enter image file
name.If there's already an image file with that name, Apricorn EZ Gig II will ask if
you want to overwrite it.
4.3 Selecting image file size
With this step, you can specify if the program should create a single file or split it
into equal smaller images.
If you select Automatic, Apricorn EZ Gig II will try to decide this for every case. If
there's enough space on the selected disk, the program will create a single image
file.
If there is not enough space, Apricorn EZ Gig II will warn you and wait for your
decision. You can try to free some additional space and continue or stop Apricorn EZ
Gig II, free some space and re-execute the procedure.
14
Creating a partition (disk) image
g
g
Image file size selection
If You work with removable media, the size of a file of an image is set automatically only.
FAT16 and FAT32 file systems have a 4 GB limit for maximum file sizes. FAT32 is currently
the most popular end user file system. At the same time, existin
capacities of 160GB and lar
that case, Apricorn EZ Gig II will automatically split the image into several files.
er! Therefore, an image file might easily exceed this limit. In
You can also fix image file size by selecting Fixed size and entering the desired
size or selecting it from the drop-down list. By default, the value is in bytes, but you
can also use kilobytes and megabytes.
4.4 Selecting data compression level
Now you must select the data compression level for the image to be created.
If you select None, all data will be transferred into an image file as they are,
increasing the image size. Maximum compression might reduce the program
performance and prolong image creation.
hard drives have
15
Creating a partition (disk) image
Image data compression level selection
The optimal data compression level depends on disk (partition) file types and can
only be understood empirically.
Usually, it is recommended that you leave the switch in the Normal position. If you
need to burn an image to removable media, you can select maximum compression.
4.5 Protecting images with passwords
An archive file with a partition (disk) image can be protected with a password. To
protect an partition (disk) from being restored by anybody except you, enter a
password and its confirmation into the text fields of the wizard page Image Archive
Protection
letters (in the upper and lower cases preferably) and numbers to make it more
difficult to guess.
. A password should consist of at least eight symbols and contain both
16
Creating a partition (disk) image
Image password protection
If you try to restore data from a password-protected image, Apricorn EZ Gig II will
ask for the password in a special window, allowing access only to authorized users.
4.6 Providing comments
On the Image Archive Comments wizard page, you’ll be able to provide an archive
file with comments about the PC and its user, the hard disk, partition data, image
creation time, and any peculiarities and conditions.
An image comment
17
Creating a partition (disk) image
The more details you provide in the comments, the better. If you don’t provide
comments, you might mistake images and restore the wrong system partition,
for example.
4.7 Image creation script
In the next window, you will see a disk or partition image creation script containing a
list of operations to be performed.
Image creation script
All operations of a partition (disk) image creation in an archive file are delayed in
Apricorn EZ Gig II. A partition (disk) image creation script is created first; then it is
executed.
After you click Proceed, Apricorn EZ Gig II will start creating an image, indicating
the progress in the special window. You can stop this procedure by clicking Cancel.
You can also close the progress window by clicking Close. Image creation will
continue, but you will be able to start another operation or close the main program
window. In the latter case, the program will continue working in the background
and will automatically close once the image is ready. If you prepare some more
image creation operations, they'll be queued after the current one.
Icons of the current and queued operations will be shown in the bottom of the main
program window.
18
Loading...