Knowledge Base

Acronis True Image Server for Windows, Acronis True Image Workstation and Acronis True Image Enterprise Server support Windows dynamic disks

Description

Support of Windows dynamic disks was first implemented in Acronis True Image 9.1 Server for Windows and Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Server.

You can create an image of a volume of any type and later restore the imaged volume back to a dynamic or basic disk.

Acronis True Image Echo has several major improvements included to implement better support for dynamic disks. Acronis True Image Echo allows you to convert disks from basic to dynamic ones and enables the creation of dynamic volumes. It is not possible to back up a dynamic disk, only dynamic volumes (which are located on the respective dynamic disks) can be backed up along with the data on them.

It has become possible to restore dynamic volumes from images to bare-metal disks keeping their 'dynamic' specifics while booted from Acronis True Image Echo bootable media, since dynamic disks/volumes operations are now also available in recovery mode and you can prepare the disks/partitions layout prior to the restoration of dynamic volumes. Remember that if you restore a dynamic volume to unallocated space of a basic disk, the volume will become basic.

More information

Running Acronis True Image in the standalone (bootable media) mode also lets you work with dynamic disks. You cannot restore an image of a dynamic disk to a basic disk automatically making it dynamic - the image will be restored as a basic disk. However, since Acronis True Image Echo supports dynamic volumes creation, you can restore an image of a dynamic disk to a dynamic disk/volume created beforehand while booted from Acronis True Image Echo bootable media.

Please note that Acronis Universal Restore for 9.1 versions does not support LDM volumes (dynamic disks). This support was added in Acronis Universal Restore for Acronis True Image Echo versions.

Acronis True Image used with BartPE does not support LDM volumes (dynamic disks).

The option to clone is not available for dynamic disks either.

Acronis True Image (any edition) does not support Windows NT4 fault-tolerant volumes. You will be able to back up a Windows NT4 fault-tolerant volume, but after restoring all data on the volume will be inaccessible and unrecoverable. Take a look at this report sample to see how Windows NT4 fault-tolerant volumes are viewed in Acronis Report.