Trouble Making Image Backup with Acronia True Image 2016 -- apparent misread of space

1. Well, it is just this and that that is different. Windows has some interesting stuff that Mac does not have. The restore points were the first thing I liked about Windows. Mac had nothing like that until it finally came out with Time Machine for backups. I haven’t used that like a restore point (actually, I haven’t use it at all other than to let it run the incremental backups), but from wha I hear you can access it like that to restore and fix something.

But one thing I appreciate about Windows is the ability to set compatibility of an application to an older version of Windows. That allows you to continue to use your older, perfectly adequate software instead of constantly having to run out and buy the new version that is compatible with the new OS. Mac has nothing like that, in fact seems to love to just make you keep buying more and more of the same software so you can continue to use it.

Mac has also been going in a different direction than Windows for preventing you from getting malware. It has been putting it various blocks, rather than simply really on anti-malware software (which it does not include with the OS, you have to get that from a third party). But the side effects of it is that it blocks you from doing or getting things you want, things you previously had been able to do or get. The newest Mac OS (I don’t have that, won’t go up to that any time too, far too many issues with it) will not let run things on the computer unless they have an approved Apple certificate. That is far too restrictive, people have run into lots of software they have always used that they can’t run any more. The techy people had actually written some smaller apps to use to change the certificates in the software so you can get around that and use it. Hey, Apple shod stop the software, put up a notice that it is questionable, cannot be sure isis malware free, and then you can make the decision. If you wee techy enough to create you own software, so you know if is malware free, you still could not use it! They have about three blocks for that stuff now, and quarantine.

This approach is aimed at making it so the malware can't even get on your computer, or at least will be DOA. That as opposed to relying on anti-malware, which won't stop anything in the early days that malware is going around, not until the anti-malware makers recognize and identifiy it and then add it into their anti-malware.

Mac also is very much going over to supporting solid state drives, before too much longer it is apparent you will have to use that. They have been moving everything over to their new, proprietary file system, APFS (Apple File System), leaving HFS behind. And alter this year, they are changing processor again, leaving the Intel processor behind in favor of the ARM processor, which it apparently will have some custom made thing for Apple. When they do that, the software will be made for that processor, and you will not be able to use that on older, Intel processor Macs. They don’t support multiple processors at once, like Windows.

2. Oh, OK, that’s right, the install media is simply the one partition, not the others. It would not have the efi and recovery and other partitions, in fact would have to rely on the internal drive for that. But it would not have those to interfere with the internal drive. Yes, now I see what you’re saying.  Well, that that very well might be why Windows has always favored backup images, not clones.
3. Yes, very mysterious. I have no idea why. I got no useful info from the forum at Acer either, only very elementary info that I knew, of course.

(1) The capabilities of your Mac & internet drives are impressive. Seems like you've got a good setup with great flexibility & recoverability in a mishap. Also, it has better boot capabilities as you tell it. But I am content with my one Windows installation & my system images. Good for you, though. I don't hate Apple, it's just that I started off with Microsoft & it's stable & robust enough for me to stick with.

(2) "It sounds like that is what your MVP advice was — and maybe it was right. But, I am doubtful. After all, even Windows puts out the ISO to make a bootable install drive."

Booting to Windows Installation media is procedurally much the same as booting to a Windows installation. But when you've gotten to the installation media, you've only gotten to an app (that will install Windows, upgrade/repair it, or reboot to its own copy of Advanced Startup).

A second complete installation is a second set of EFI, MSR, Windows, & Recovery. And it is EFI that will be most problematic in certain circumstances, namely a reboot. If only that MVP were still around & would pop in, you'd get a sterner warning than I can muster. I've seen threads where the problem does arise, especially when a feature update (new version of Windows) comes in & there is a second EFI present.

(3) OK. I thought you might think that menu a slowdown. Very mysterious you have no Shift+Restart, though.

1. Well, I guess that’s one difference between Windows and Mac. Mac looks solely at the volume being started up. It will only look for another if it can’t boot from the first, but it doesn’t simply use files from the other to boot the first.

I actually have a 1 TB internet drive on my Mac. I have it divided into two partitions. One partition is my main one. The second I have a clone of the first — if I need to run some repairs or maintenance from another drive on the first, I can boot  to the second. Or, if the first gets corrupted, I can still boot to the second. Of course, if the hard drive itself died, neither will boot.

I also have an externals drive (USB 3.0)  and I have that divided into another three volumes. One volume is a clone, that is the most definitive backup, in case the internet drive dies. A second partition gets an regular incremental backup (Mac does it via an application called Time Machine. I just plug it in after I have had some new stuff come to the computer, and do the incremental back and then unplug it again. (If I wanted to leave the external drive plugged in and running, the backup would be done automatically when new stuff comes to the drive. Takes 5-10-15 minutes.) The third volume is just extra space I did not need to devote to the first two, its just blank. I can put storage on it, but don’t need to, so its just there.

I can have the external drive plugged in, and startup the main volume of the internal drive, and none of it interferes with anything, Mac looks at the volume designated as the one to startup. Every time I make a new clone to the external drive, I then test by booting from it, no problem that the internal two are there and bootable.

Yes, I have had some advice from my early days from people like your MVP. I still hold some of it. And, I have found it tends to be something that you otherwise can never get a clear answer about from people, so you stick with it. It sounds like that is what your MVP advice was — and maybe it was right. But, I am doubtful. After all, even Windows puts out the ISO to make a bootable install drive. How is having that plugged in and bootable different from an external cloned drive? Then again, maybe this is why Windows people from way back got used to using a backup image rather than a clone, and Windows is set up with its own software to make an image, not a clone.

Thanks for offering the info for a dual boot. But I would have no idea what to do with it once I accomplished that. :)

3. Oh, so if I do that setup you linked to, it will always boot to that page, and then I have to select what to boot?  Oh, in that case, I don’t want that, that will drive me crazy. Now I know what you were talking about about an extra step, but I did not understand you meant every time I boot the machine. I thought there would be a keyboard combination to get to that page. In fact, holding down the F12 key while starting up is supposed to boot to the Boot Manager page.

(1) Well, I don't know everything about it. I'm just saying, in normal circumstances, Windows doesn't like two complete installations of itself to be plugged in at once. In particular, two EFI partitions can confuse it during a reboot. The BCD is on EFI, & you want Windows to have the right one for the right installation. It may grab the wrong one during a reboot. Maybe some computers have a BIOS that can handle the situation -- I don't know. It would have to know which installation started the reboot.

But I was fearful to ever plug in my external HDD that held the clone. A venerable & ancient MVP (whose name I just can't quite recall) once warned me against it! He was around since the early days of Win 98, probably much earlier! Ultimately, I wiped the clone out & haven't yet replaced it with one of Win 10. If you want a fit & proper dual-boot, I can tell you how to do that. It will have only one EFI shared by both installations.

(2) Yep, looks like there are no bad sectors on your current drive. An image of bad sectors was brought over in the sector by sector transfer from the previous drive most likely. And looks like only Acronis could see them. That could be a good reason to avoid sector by sector images, if possible. And a clone likely would suffer the same peculiarity. I guess it's still remotely possible the delete/recreate caused HDD firmware to map out real bad sectors, though.

(3) "Now I only have to figure out how to boot to Boot Options."

Do what is in that article, & automatically each boot puts up a Boot Options screen. You'll have an option for normal Windows or Safe Mode. You may have either one be the default, & may set how long the options sit there before the default will boot. And the button on bottom gets to Advanced Startup immediately. Read through the article, & post back any further question.

1. Oh, no. You see, you’re a Windows guy so used to the images. I do the images because it seems to be what Windows people do, but also I can compress them in Acronis. Can’t compress a clone. And if I want a couple backups on my external, the compression makes all the difference.

I was not suggesting booting from the external drive while already booted from the internal drive. No! Its one or the other, it won’t boot both at the same time. And you don’t have to worry about a second one being booted, or it computer booting in a different order, such as the external one chosen before the internal, unless you set it that way. There would be no confusion, the specific device for the boot is chosen and the only one that will be used. Its easier on Mac to set which will be the boot drive.

2. And those bad sectors we got rid of presumably were from the failing drive.
3. Interesting, Now I only have to figure out how to boot to Boot Options. And, if I can add Safe Mode there, can I also add Advanced Startup there, and so skip a step, go direct to Advanced Startup? Oh now I read, so that line at the bottom of the page is a hyperlink to — some page where I can gotoAdvanced Startup. OK. I think I will add that, its something if needed. But how to I boot to Boot Options?