Acronis working with disks. Creating logical drives in Acronis - instructions
The procedure for partitioning a hard drive is usually carried out immediately before installing Windows. But in some cases, this operation must be performed on a computer with an already installed operating system.
Let's say, having purchased a new computer, the user discovers that the hard drive has only one partition with the operating system, or, if the disk is still divided into two parts, the logical partition is smaller than he would like.
If Windows takes up almost all the free space on the C drive, where should I install programs? To another hard drive? But it is not recommended to do this. As for the first case, splitting the disk into at least two is simply necessary here.
Storing user data and operating system files on the same partition is unacceptable. And not at all because the OS will not work correctly, but because if it crashes, the user will irretrievably lose all his files and will have to .
There may be other reasons for the need to divide the hard drive into separate volumes. For example, a user wants to create a separate partition to store a certain type of data (video, photo, music) or install a second operating system on the computer.
It is impossible to manage disks that are available in Windows in this situation; for such operations you will need special programs for managing hard disk partitions, of which the most famous and functional is Acronis Disk Director 11 Home.
This powerful application allows you to perform many useful operations on partitions, from formatting to creating a new volume and changing the file system type.
Acronis Disk Director 11 Home also includes additional utilities that allow you to manage the boot of several operating systems, restore volumes lost due to hardware failure or erroneous user actions, as well as find lost clusters, restore files, directory structure or boot records.
Acronis Disk Director 11 Home runs on almost all current versions of the Windows operating system (XP, Vista, 7) and supports most file systems, including FAT 16, FAT 32, NTFS, Ext2, Ext3, as well as Reiser FS3 and Linux SWAP.
You can download a demo version of the program at developer website absolutely free. The unregistered version is fully functional, the restrictions relate solely to the size of the volumes with which the user can perform operations.
Installing Acronis Disk Director 11 Home is not particularly difficult. After launching the installer, you will be asked to enter the serial number or select demo mode, as well as fill in additional fields (first name, last name, email, etc.).
After installation, you can launch the program either from the desktop by clicking on its shortcut, or through the Start menu.
If you decide to use the second method, pay attention to the additional shortcut "Install Acronis OS Selector".
Although this utility is included in the Acronis Disk Director software package, it is installed separately.
Acronis OS Selector is a boot manager and is only useful if you are going to install another operating system on your computer.
The utility simulates the Windows user interface and starts before the OS loads, asking you to select the desired system from the list provided, allows you to copy the selected operating system, as well as manage some basic parameters of the selected OS, for example, rename, set properties or set a boot password.
However, let's return to the main topic. After launching Acronis Disk Director 11 Home, a window will open, divided into two main parts.
All physical and logical disks will be displayed on the right side, and all available operations intended to manage disks will be displayed on the left. To open the tools menu, select any volume in the right window.
Some actions are probably already familiar to you, at least by name, and should not raise any special questions. The selected partition can be defragmented, renamed, formatted, viewed the files and folders it contains, or checked for errors.
Other operations are more specific and require increased attention and caution. Using Acronis Disk Director 11 Home, you can move, copy, split and merge volumes, edit existing ones or create new ones, and also convert the file system type.
As an example, let's look at two tasks that the user most often encounters: dividing a user partition and creating a new system partition intended for installing an additional operating system.
In the user environment, both partitions, that is, hard drives C and D, are usually called logical. In Acronis Disk Director 11 Home, only those partitions that contain user files are called logical; The partition from which the operating system boots is called the primary one, and the physical disk itself is called the base one.
On each basic MBR disk, you can create 3-4 primary and theoretically unlimited number of logical partitions. 
1. Dividing the volume into two parts.
Partitioning a volume is one of the simplest operations. To do this, select the partition that you want to split and select the "Split volume" menu item.
In the window that opens, set the size of the new volume by entering numbers or moving the slider. Using the additional file transfer function, you can move selected directories and files to a new partition.
If the shared volume is bootable, it is strongly not recommended to transfer any folders or files, otherwise this may result in the operating system not starting. 
After you click Ok, a new section will appear in the main program window, but the operation itself will not be completed until you confirm the execution by clicking the checkbox on the control panel to run the assigned tasks.
After confirmation and Acronis Disk Director receives the necessary data, you will be prompted to restart your computer.
While the program is running, the operating system will be unavailable, wait until the operation is completed and do not turn off the computer! 
2. Create a new system partition.
To create a new system partition, we need an unallocated area on the hard drive. If one does not exist, it must be created.
Select a volume that has enough free space and use the "Resize Volume" menu item.
By moving the slider along the scale, determine the size of the future section (unallocated area) and apply the planned actions.
Next action
After the unallocated area has been created, select it with the mouse and run the New Volume Creation Wizard. Then click the “Next” button until the following window appears. 
If necessary, determine the partition size by moving the slider. The file system type can be left as default, or you can select NTFS (the optimal choice), and you can also change the drive letter if you wish.
Since the partition you are creating will be for installing the operating system, be sure to specify the volume type as primary. You can mark the volume being created as active only if there are no other active volumes on the computer!
The active volume is the one from which the operating system starts by default. Otherwise, using this option may cause the OS to crash and not boot. We leave all other parameters unchanged.
Click Finish and apply the scheduled operation. When the program finishes, a new primary volume will be created and ready for installation of the operating system.
Acronis Disk Director 11 Home, like all software products from the Acronis developer, is distinguished by a high level of reliability and security, which, however, does not exempt the user from understanding the basic principles of working with hard drive partitions and the program itself.
If you doubt the positive outcome of any operation, do not take risks; it is better to contact specialists or users who have more extensive experience with this program.
A necessary step towards filling knowledge gaps can also be a careful study of the manual that comes with Acronis Disk Director, written in a very simple and understandable language.
Only in this case will Acronis Disk Director become your reliable assistant in solving any problems when working with hard drives.
As an announcement, I want to inform you that I plan to soon publish several articles about programs for working with disks, so if you are interested, I recommend subscribing to updates
Ensuring the safety and confidentiality of information stored on a computer, as well as the functionality of the entire system as a whole, are very important tasks. The comprehensive set of Acronis True Image utilities helps you cope with them perfectly. Using this program, you can save your data both from accidental system failures and from targeted malicious actions. Let's figure out how to work in the Acronis True Image application.
One of the main guarantees of maintaining data integrity is creating a backup copy. Acronis True Image offers advanced capabilities when performing this procedure, because this is one of the main tasks of the application.
Immediately after launching the Acronis True Image program, a start window opens, which offers the possibility of backup. A copy can be made entirely from the entire computer, individual disks and their partitions, as well as from marked folders and files. In order to select the copy source, click on the left side of the window, where there should be an inscription: “Change source”.
We find ourselves in the source selection section. As mentioned above, we are given three copying options to choose from:
- The whole computer;
- Separate disks and partitions;
- Individual files and folders.
Select one of these parameters, for example, “Files and folders”.
A window opens in front of us in the form of an explorer, where we mark those folders and files that we want to make a backup copy of. Mark the required elements and click on the “OK” button.
There are also three options here:
- Acronis Cloud cloud storage with unlimited data storage space;
- Removable media;
- Computer hard drive space.
Let's choose, for example, Acronis Cloud cloud storage, in which you must first create an account.
So, almost everything is ready to create a backup copy. But we can still decide whether to encrypt the data or leave it unprotected. If we decide to encrypt, then click on the corresponding inscription on the window.
In the window that opens, enter a random password twice, which you should remember in order to be able to access the encrypted backup in the future. Click on the “Save” button.
Now, in order to create a backup copy, all you have to do is click on the green button that says “Create a copy.”
After this, the backup process starts, which can continue in the background while you do other things.
After the backup procedure is completed, a characteristic green icon with a checkmark inside appears in the program window between the two connection points.
Synchronization
In order to synchronize your computer with Acronis Cloud cloud storage and have access to data from any device, from the main window of the Acronis True Image program, go to the “Synchronization” tab.
In the window that opens, which outlines the synchronization capabilities, click on the “OK” button.
After this, synchronization is created between the folder on the computer and the cloud service. The process may take some time, but now any changes to the specified folder will be automatically transferred to Acronis Cloud.
Backup management
Once the data backup has been uploaded to the Acronis Cloud server, it can be managed using the Dashboard. It is also possible to manage synchronizations.
From the Acronis True Image start page, go to the section called “Dashboard”.
In the window that opens, click on the green button “Open online dashboard.”
After this, the browser that is installed on your computer by default is launched. The browser redirects the user to the Devices page in their Acronis Cloud account, where all backups are visible. In order to restore a backup, just click on the “Restore” button.
In order to view your synchronizations in the browser, you need to click on the tab of the same name.
Creating bootable media
A boot disk, or flash drive, is needed after a system failure to restore it. To create bootable media, go to the “Tools” section.
Then, a window opens in which you are asked to choose how to create bootable media: using Acronis’ own technology, or using WinPE technology. The first method is simpler, but does not work with some hardware configurations. The second method is more complicated, but at the same time it is suitable for any hardware. However, it should be noted that the percentage of incompatibility of a bootable flash drive created using Acronis technology is quite small, so, first of all, you need to use this particular USB drive, and only if it fails, proceed to creating a flash drive using WinPE technology.
After selecting the method for creating a flash drive, a window opens in which you should specify a specific USB drive or disk.
On the next page, check all the selected parameters and click on the “Proceed” button.
After this, the process of creating bootable media occurs.
Permanently deleting data from disks
Acronis True Image has a Drive Cleanser tool that helps you completely erase data from disks and their individual partitions, without the possibility of subsequent recovery.
In order to use this function, from the “Tools” section, go to the “More tools” item.
After this, Windows Explorer opens, which presents an additional list of Acronis True Image utilities that are not included in the main program interface. Launch the Drive Cleanser utility.
A utility window opens in front of us. Here you need to select the disk, disk partition or USB drive that you want to clean. To do this, simply click the left mouse button on the corresponding element. After making your selection, click on the “Next” button.
Then, select the disk cleaning method, and again click on the “Next” button.
After this, a window opens warning that the data on the selected partition will be deleted and the partition itself will be formatted. Check the box next to “Delete selected partitions without recovery” and click on the “Proceed” button.
Then, the procedure for permanently deleting data from the selected partition begins.
System cleaning
Using the System Clean-up utility, you can clean your hard drive of temporary files and other information that could help attackers track user activities on the computer. This utility is also located in the list of additional tools of the Acronis True Image program. Let's launch it.
In the utility window that opens, select the system elements that you want to remove and click on the “Clean” button.
After this, the computer is cleaned of unnecessary system data.
Working in trial mode
The Try&Decide tool, which is also located among the additional utilities of the Acronis True Image program, provides the ability to run a trial mode. In this mode, the user can run potentially dangerous programs, go to dubious sites, and perform other actions without the risk of harming the system.
Open the utility.
In order to enable trial mode, click on the topmost inscription in the window that opens.
After this, an operating mode is launched in which there is no risk of damage to the system by malware, but at the same time, this mode imposes some restrictions on the user’s capabilities.
As you can see, Acronis True Image is a very powerful set of utilities that is designed to provide the maximum level of data protection from loss or theft by intruders. At the same time, the functionality of the application is so rich that it will take a lot of time to understand all the capabilities of Acronis True Image, but it is worth it.
Acronis how to use Right ? The program has a lot of functions and tools; the inexperienced can get confused. The fact is that I was unable to use boot recovery using the F-11 key. I had to restore from a previously created Bootable media, but it turns out that Acronis sometimes confuses the drive letters, besides, I probably changed the default settings in vain, in short, I mistakenly deployed the backup copy to the wrong partition and, of course, erased all the files I needed, in the end it failed people, and this is if they have Acronis True Image on their computer, which is doubly offensive, because the program is expensive. I read a lot of articles online, but apparently the program versions do not match. Maybe you can give some guidance so that this Acronis of yours works exactly 100%? Michael.
Acronis how to use
Friends, this article describes in detail the work of the outdated version of Acronis True Image Home 2011, if you have a newer version of the program, then go to our special section with articles about work , all new articles are there.
- Note: I also offer you a review of a program that is a direct and free competitor to Acronis True Image Home
What to do if all possible ways to restore the operating system did not lead to success? Naturally, you have a lot of necessary programs that you installed more than one day, the reinstallation and configuration of which will take a lot of time and effort. The entire arsenal of Windows XP recovery tools can be used mainly in a running operating system, and if it does not start, you resort to help, a rather limited and inconvenient tool, at the sight of which an inexperienced user will have great doubts, and it will not always help. That's when many people think about backup programs like Acronis True Image Home, the program is undoubtedly good, but it also has its own characteristics, let's try to understand them.
But this is what concerns Windows XP, but what about Windows 7, is Acronis needed here? We have an article -> you can read it, it undoubtedly has more opportunities for self-healing, but as they say, everything is decided by comparison and you need to choose a life-saving tool for a rainy day yourself, having tried everything. How to use Acronis? It’s very simple, friendly and intuitive interface, but you need to learn how to work both in a running operating system and from bootable media that you create yourself. Let's first look at the main functions of the program.
- Note: An older version of Acronis will not see a backup created by a newer version of the program, and you will not be able to perform the process of restoring your data. Also, the Russian-language version of Acronis True Image does not always accept backups created in the English-language version of the program.
- After installing Acronis, you need to immediately create a backup of your operating system and Bootable media with the program, either on a flash drive or CD (personally, I have both just in case) and you can take advantage of the main advantages of this program - restore your operating system the system even if it does not boot.
- It is also important to know that when restoring the operating system from a backup you created, all files located on the restored disk will be replaced with the contents of the backup, that is, deleted, so before the recovery operation it is worth copying your important data to a safe place. In case of serious violations of Windows, that is, if it is impossible to boot the system in the normal way, you should use any Live CD, boot from it and also copy your files.
So, how to use Acronis in a running operating system, as well as from bootable media?
If you have not yet installed the program, you can use our instructions.
Note: our article discusses working with the latest version of Acronis True Image Home 2011, if you have an older version of Acronis, then its operating principle is not at all different from ours, they are all very similar.
Launch Acronis. Go to main window
Please note that you don’t need to configure almost anything; Acronis is completely ready to create an archive copy of your operating system and even knows where to place it. If we click Archive, an archive copy of our entire C:\ drive with the operating system and programs will be automatically created on the local drive D:\ in the My backups folder.
The location where your archives will be stored can be changed by clicking on the Operations button.
You can also manually select Backup the disks and partitions we need
In the drop-down menu, you can change the archive storage settings by selecting a drive and folder, or you can create it yourself.
In general, it can be noted that everything is very convenient, at least for now.
Let's say I'm satisfied with Acronis's offer to place a backup copy of the archive with my operating system on the D:\ drive in the My backups folder. I select Archive. Data backup process in progress
And here it is my backup, at the ordered address.
If you have already created a backup, you can easily find it by clicking the Search for backup button.
Let's say your Windows is behaving unstable and you want to restore its state at the time the archive was created.
In order to restore the operating system from a backup, you need to select our archive and click restore.
The recovery process will begin and a mandatory reboot will begin, after which your operating system will return to the stable state of the moment the archive was created.
You can also set up continuous protection of your files according to a schedule
Use Online storage to store archives.
Let's consider Tools and Utilities
A very interesting feature is Startup Recovery. Let's say you have problems starting Windows, this function will allow you to load the Acronis True Image program before starting the operating system by pressing a button F-11. Next, you can go into the program and deploy a working and previously created image of the operating system in place of one that was damaged, for example from the effects of a virus. Unfortunately, this function has failed me several times, so let’s play it safe and create Acronis bootable media.
- Note: Once the archive is created, we will be able to restore our Windows from a running operating system at any time, but if due to some circumstances we are unable to boot it, we will use the Bootable media we previously created with Acronis True Image.
Bootable Media Builder, you can create it in this Tools and Utilities window.
Or in the main->Create bootable media, so let’s create it.
Further
We tick all the boxes, but first of all we are interested in the full version; it was in working with it that I personally noticed the least unpleasant surprises.
We can place the Acronis True Image bootable media on a CORSAIR (H) flash drive or on a CD, I repeat, it is better to have two options and do them alternately
Get started
Copying files
Bootable media created successfully
Now you and I can set our computer to boot from the drive and it will boot successfully from this media.
Let's look at the use of Acronis True Image in combat conditions. For example, your operating system is blocked by an advertising banner that asks you to put money on such and such a phone and they will supposedly unblock you, which is of course a scam.
Therefore, you cannot get into Windows and use Acronis True Image either. So we’ll use Bootable media with Acronis. I perform all the actions live on my computer, so that everything is clear, there are no virtual machines, so the quality of the screenshots will be a little worse. I reboot the computer and go into the BIOS, change the boot priority to my flash drive. I use bootable media created on a flash drive. But if you doubt it, press the button New storage and select it manually. For example, I have the same confusion with letters: there are three hard drives in the system unit, as can be seen from the screenshot, and three operating systems, but I know for sure that my C:\ drive with Windows, which I want to restore, occupies 132 GB and I will select it , although in the screenshot you can see that Acronis assigned it a different letter F:\.
Accept
Get started.
Hello friends! Do you want to use the popular program for backing up your data and entire operating systems - Acronis True Image 2016 - for free? If yes, then read our article.
A few months ago, the most famous program for backing up your files and entire operating systems was updated - Acronis True Image 2016, compatible with all the latest Windows operating systems, including Windows 10!
Attention: B An older version of Acronis True Image, you can read about its capabilities on our website.
How to use Acronis True Image 2011
Quite a lot has already been written about the Acronis True Image program on our website, and there is even a special section. In a nutshell, I will say that if you know how to use Acronis True Image, then you can restore your operating system from a previously created backup copy in case of any problems, also the program can deploy your system to another hard drive partition, another hard drive, and even another computer with completely different hardware. You can store backups on various storage devices, including Acronis Cloud.
For the most difficult recovery cases(the operating system does not boot due to a failure) you can create a bootable USB flash drive in the program and restore your computer using it.
Acronis also has several good tools that you may need, for example:
Acronis Drive Cleanser, with it you can permanently delete any information from your hard drive.
A special module for activating boot recovery using the F11 key (Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager).
Try&Decide is a tool very similar to the Sandboxie and Toolwiz Time Freeze programs, it makes it possible to work in a virtual environment (sandbox), where it is almost impossible to become infected with malware and violate the integrity of the operating system through inaccurate user actions, since after a reboot the virtual environment is deleted.
In order for you to learn in detail how the program works, I suggest creating a backup of the Windows 8.1 operating system installed on a new laptop with a UEFI BIOS in Acronis True Image 2016 and restoring from it.
Let's create a backup copy of the drive (C:) with the files of Windows 8.1 and all hidden service partitions and place it on the drive (D:).
Go to the program download page.http://www.acronis.com/ru-ru/personal/Select Acronis True Image 2016 and click the “Try free (30 days)” button.
The program installer is downloaded to our computer, we launch it.
Install
Launch the application
We accept the terms of the license agreement.
We want to register, and if not, then simply close this window.
Click on the "Continue in trial mode" button.
The main window of Acronis True Image 2016 opens.
We create a backup copy of the drive (C:) and all hidden service partitions and place it on the drive (D:).Whole computer->Disks and partitions.
We tick the partitions that will be included in the backup, that is, everything except the drive (D:) and click OK.
Selection of storage. Review.
We will save the backup copy on disk (D:), and select it. OK.
Create a copy
The process of creating a backup copy begins: the selected partitions of the laptop’s hard drive on the drive (D:).
After 15 minutes, the backup is ready.
Restoring Windows 8.1 using Acronis True Image 2016
If your operating system is malfunctioning or you have picked up viruses and cannot get rid of them, then simply restore your laptop from a backup copy.In the main program window, select "Recover files".
Select the backup version (if you have several).Left-click on “My Computer” and check the boxes for the partitions to be restored.
Restore now.
The recovery process begins.
Backup options
In Acronis True Image 2016, you can configure various backup settings, for example, you can program the creation of backup copies of your operating system daily or once a week, or once a month, you can also completely prohibit the program from creating automatic backups and create them only manually. You can also choose backup methods: incremental (the backup copy is not created anew each time, but only changes are made to it) or regular and much more.Click Options and configure the program the way you need.
Thank you for your attention. Enjoy working with Acronis True Image 2016.
ProgramAcronis is a disk backup system. It has quite a lot of useful functions.
The traditional Acronis package consists of two main components: and Acronis True Image. Today we will learn how to work with each of them.
After installing these programs on your computer, let's first try to split the hard drive partition into two parts without losing information.
Let's launch Acronis Disk Director. After launch, a working program window will appear in front of us, from where we can manage all operations with the hard drive of your computer:
This package allows you to work in two modes: automatic operations on partitions,
Designed to perform basic operations, and manual operations on partitions, designed for advanced users and providing full control over all partition operations.
In the automatic operating mode, the main actions on sections are performed using a wizard in a step-by-step mode.
Manual operation control mode allows the user to independently select operations and stop or cancel them on demand.
Switching modes is done using the “View” menu.
After installing the new hard drive, we will need to split it into partitions for more convenient use. This operation can be carried out automatically and is performed as follows:
- Launch the “Partition Wizard” and select creating a partition using free disk space
- Next, we will need to specify the partition size using the digital window, or by moving the slider.
- Next, you should specify the type of partition to be created. The options are as follows; “Active” (disk for system installation), “Primary” (for both system installation and data storage) and “Logical” (for data storage). The second type is usually used because of its versatility and the ability to make subsequent changes. So, select “Primary”
- Next we will need to select the file system type. In our case it will be NTFS
- Next, we will need to assign a drive letter, and assign an optional partition label parameter.
- When the wizard completes, click the “Finish” button.
We should not forget that all operations in Acronis Disk Director are initially classified as pending and can be canceled at any time before clicking the “Run” button in the main program window.
To create another partition, let's return to the main Disk Management Wizard window. By analogy, let’s create another partition on your computer’s hard drive and, after viewing the prepared markup structure, finally click on the execute button.
After the program finishes, we will see the following result.
