SCS KB 1084: How to clone disk using bootable media

In Acronis SCS Cyber Backup 12.5 Hardened Edition you can clone basic disks using bootable rescue media. Disk cloning in GUI is available only on Linux-based bootable media and only allows cloning basic MBR disks.

For more information on creating Acronis Bootable media, see How to create a bootable media. Remember to specify a serial number during bootable media creation, otherwise disk management will not be available.

(!) Disk management is not available in bootable media ISO image that can be downloaded under Acronis Account.

Solution

Cloning basic disks using Acronis Bootable Media:

1. Boot from Acronis Bootable rescue media
   
2. Connect to the media or click Manage this machine locally. For remote connection, see Registering media on the management server

   

3. Click on Disk management

   

4. The software displays disks available on the machine

   

5. Select the disk you want to clone, right-click on it and select Clone basic disk in the menu:

   

   (!)Only entire disks can be cloned, partition cloning is not available

6. The program will display a list of disks that can be selected as target.

   

   The program allows you to select a target disk if its size will be sufficient to hold all the data from the source disk without any loss.

7. Select a target disk and click Next

8. If the destination disk is larger, then you will have a possibility to resize the source disk volumes proportionally (default option) or clone the disk as is. If the destination is smaller, then the As is option of cloning will be unavailable and proportional resizing of the source disk volumes will be mandatory.

   

   If there is some data on the disk that was chosen as the target, you will receive a warning: “The selected target disk is not empty. The data on its volumes will be overwritten.”, meaning that all the data currently located on the chosen target disk will be lost irrevocably.

9. If you are cloning a disk with system partition you need to retain an operating system bootability on the target disk volume. It means that the operating system must have the system volume information (e.g. volume letter) matched with the disk NT signature, which is kept in the MBR disk record. But two disks with the same NT signature cannot work properly under one operating system.
   
   If there are two disks having the same NT signature and comprising of a system volume on a machine, at the startup the operating system runs from the first disk, discovers the same signature on the second one, automatically generates a new unique NT signature and assigns it to the second disk. As a result, all the volumes on the second disk will lose their letters, all paths will be invalid on the disk, and programs won't find their files. The operating system on that disk will be unbootable.

   You have the following two alternatives to retain system bootability on the target disk volume:

   • Copy NT signature – to provide the target disk with the source disk NT signature matched with the Registry keys also copied on the target disk.
   • Leave NT signature – to keep the old target disk signature and update the operating system according to the signature.

   If you need to copy the NT signature:

   Select the Copy NT signature check box. You receive the warning: “If there is an operating system on the hard disk, uninstall either the source or the target hard disk drive from your machine prior to starting the machine again. Otherwise, the OS will start from the first of the two, and the OS on the second disk will become unbootable.” The Shut down the machine after the operation check box is selected and disabled automatically.

   If you need to leave an NT signature:

   Click to clear the Copy NT signature check box, if necessary. Shut down the machine after the operation check box will be cleared automatically.

    

    

10. Click Finish to add a pending operation on disk cloning

    

11. Click Commit on the toolbar and then click Proceed in the Pending Operations window.

    

12. If you chose to copy the NT signature, wait until the operation is finished and the computer is turned off, and disconnect either the source or the target hard disk drive from the machine.