Acronis True Image Home 2011 Plus Pack

Setting up a new computer can be an extremely slow process. In addition to unpacking it and hooking it up, you also need to download and install security updates, download and install the applications you need, configure them as necessary and copy your data files between the old and new computer. And then there are the almost inevitable irritations that most people will have encountered at some point – not being able to locate the correct driver for your printer, for example. All-in-all, it can take the best part of an entire day to get your new computer exactly as you want it. Now, if you only use your computer for entertainment, this may not present you with a problem – in fact, you may even find the process of setting it up to be somewhat enjoyable. But not everybody will feel that way. If you need your computer for work, lost hours can translate to lost bucks – especially if you’re replacing a PC that died unexpectedly. There is, however, a way you can make the process considerably speedier.

You may have heard of disk or system images.  Here’s how Microsoft describes them:

“Windows Backup provides you with the ability to create a system image, which is an exact image of a drive. A system image includes Windows and your system settings, programs, and files. You can use a system image to restore the contents of your computer if your hard drive or computer ever stops working.”

Okay, so the image is basically a snapshot of your system. Depending on your version/edition of Windows, you can use it as an alternative to System Restore to turn back the clock or you can use it when you upgrade the hard drive in your computer. What you cannot do with it, however, is restore the image to a brand new PC with a different hardware configuration – at least, not reliably. This is because the image includes the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) – which is, basically, the driver for the motherboard – belonging to your old PC. You could get lucky and find that you were able to restore the image, or you could be unlucky. It’d be hit and miss. But there are some backup applications that do enable you to restore a backup to dissimilar hardware.

Possibly the best known program to offer this functionality is Acronis True Image. In the past, the feature – known as Universal Restore – was available only to users of Acronis’ enterprise products, but is now available to home users too as a separate add-on: the Acronis True Image Home 2011 Plus Pack. Note, however, that licensing issues may mean that you cannot (legally) restore an image to a different PC. If you’re running an OEM version of Windows – that is, a version which was preinstalled by the manufacturer – the licensing conditions may mean that it can only be used on the hardware it was supplied (the supplier of your PC will be able to confirm whether the restriction applies).

That limitation aside, if you need to get a new PC up and running in the shortest possible time, Acronis True Image and the Home 2011 Plus Pack will enable you to do just that.

What’s your backup strategy? Leave a comment and let us know.