User manual ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE 9.0

Acronis Disk Director Suite 9.0 User's guide Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005. All rights reserved. Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and copyrights referred to are the property of their respective owners. Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibited without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. Distribution of the work or derivative work in any standard (paper) book form for commercial purposes is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from the copyright holder. DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED «AS IS» AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE LEGALLY INVALID. 2 END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT BY ACCEPTING, YOU (ORIGINAL PURCHASER) INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THE PRODUCT UNDER THESE TERMS YOU MAY CHOOSE NOT TO ACCEPT BY SELECTING "I decline..." AND NOT INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE. The Acronis Disk Director Suite (the Software) is Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005. All rights are reserved. The ORIGINAL PURCHASER is granted a LICENSE to use the software only, subject to the following restrictions and limitations. 1. The license is to the original purchaser only, and is not transferable without prior written Permission from Acronis. 2. The Original Purchaser may use the Software on a single computer owned or leased by the Original Purchaser. You may not use the Software on more than a single machine even if you own or lease all of them without the written consent of Acronis. 3. The Original Purchaser may not engage in, nor permit third parties to engage in, any of the following: A. Providing or permitting use of or disclosing the Software to third parties. B. Providing use of the Software in a computer service business, network, timesharing or multiple user arrangement to users who are not individually licensed by Acronis. C. Making alterations or copies of any kind in the Software (except as specifically permitted above). D. Attempting to un-assemble, de-compile or reverse engineer the Software in any way. E. Granting sublicenses, leases, or other rights in the Software to others. F. Making copies, or verbal or media translations, of the users guide. G. Making telecommunication data transmission of the software. Acronis has the right to terminate this license if there is a violation of its terms or default by the Original Purchaser. Upon termination for any reason, all copies of the Software must be immediately returned to Acronis, and the Original Purchaser shall be liable to Acronis for any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation or default. ENTIRE RISK THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU THE PURCHASER. ACRONIS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE OR ITS FUNCTIONS WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE OR THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED. NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES - IN NO EVENT SHALL ACRONIS OR ITS VENDORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR THE LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ACRONIS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 3 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 1. INSTALLATION AND USE ............................................................................................. 9 1.1 WHAT'S INCLUDED.............................................................................................................................. 9 1.2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 INSTALLATION PROCESS ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 UPGRADING ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE.................................................................................... 11 1.5 REMOVING SOFTWARE ...................................................................................................................... 11 1.6 USER INTERFACE ............................................................................................................................... 11 1.7 BEFORE YOU RUN ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE .......................................................................... 11 1.8 RUNNING ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE........................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 2. BEGINNING THE WORK.............................................................................................. 14 2.1 ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE LOGICAL ORGANIZATION ............................................................... 14 2.2 ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE MAIN WINDOW .............................................................................. 15 2.3 CALLING PARTITION OPERATIONS ..................................................................................................... 17 2.4 PARTITION OPERATION PROPERTIES .................................................................................................. 18 2.5 PROTECTING ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE WITH A PASSWORD................................................... 21 CHAPTER 3. AUTOMATIC PARTITION OPERATIONS ................................................................ 23 3.1 CREATING A NEW PARTITION............................................................................................................ 23 3.2 INCREASING PARTITION FREE SPACE................................................................................................. 32 3.3 COPYING PARTITIONS ........................................................................................................................ 34 CHAPTER 4. MANUAL PARTITION OPERATIONS........................................................................ 40 4.1 MAIN PARTITION OPERATIONS .......................................................................................................... 40 4.2 ADDITIONAL PARTITION OPERATIONS ............................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 5. WORKING WITH ACRONIS RECOVERY EXPERT ............................................... 65 5.1 AUTOMATIC RECOVERY .................................................................................................................... 66 5.2 MANUAL RECOVERY ......................................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER 6. WORKING WITH ACRONIS DISK EDITOR............................................................. 72 6.1 GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................................... 72 6.2 THE SELECTION OF THE PARTITION OR A DISK FOR EDITING ............................................................... 72 6.3 MAIN WINDOW OF THE PROGRAM ..................................................................................................... 73 6.4 EDIT HARD DISKS.............................................................................................................................. 74 6.5 WRITE BLOCK TO A FILE AND READ FROM A FILE ............................................................................. 75 6.6 VIEW.................................................................................................................................................. 76 6.7 SEARCH ............................................................................................................................................. 77 6.8 WORKING WITH DIFFERENT ENCODINGS ........................................................................................... 79 CHAPTER 7. WORKING WITH ACRONIS OS SELECTOR ........................................................... 80 7.1 GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................................... 80 7.2 STARTING THE WORK ......................................................................................................................... 80 7.3 SETTING THE BOOT MENU ................................................................................................................. 82 7.4 BOOTING OPERATING SYSTEMS.......................................................................................................... 82 7.5 SETTING AN OPERATING SYSTEM AS THE DEFAULT ............................................................................ 83 7.6 SETTING OPERATING SYSTEM PASSWORDS ......................................................................................... 83 7.7 SETTING OPERATING SYSTEM PROPERTIES ......................................................................................... 83 7.8 HIDING OPERATING SYSTEMS............................................................................................................. 88 7.9 USING SHORTCUTS ............................................................................................................................. 89 7.10 DELETING OPERATING SYSTEMS..................................................................................................... 89 7.11 RENAMING OPERATING SYSTEMS ................................................................................................... 89 4 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 7.12 7.13 COPYING OPERATING SYSTEMS ...................................................................................................... 89 SETTING ACRONIS OS SELECTOR OPTIONS..................................................................................... 90 INSTALLING AND USING SEVERAL OPERATING SYSTEMS ON A SINGLE PC 95 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 95 INSTALLING SEVERAL WINDOWS COPIES TO A SINGLE PC ................................................................. 95 INSTALLING LINUX AND WINDOWS ON THE SAME PC...................................................................... 100 HOW TO INSTALL SEVERAL OS ON THE SAME PARTITION ................................................................. 102 CHAPTER 8. 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 CHAPTER 9. BOOTABLE MEDIA BUILDER .................................................................................. 103 9.1 GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................................. 103 9.2 INVOKING THE BOOTABLE MEDIA BUILDER WIZARD...................................................................... 103 9.3 CREATING BOOTABLE DISKETTES FOR ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR SUITE .......................................... 104 9.4 CREATING BOOTABLE DISKETTES FOR ACRONIS OS SELECTOR ....................................................... 104 9.5 CREATING BOOTABLE CDS .............................................................................................................. 105 APPENDIX A. HARD DISK AND OPERATING SYSTEM .............................................................. 106 A.1 HARD DISK ORGANIZATION............................................................................................................. 106 A.2 HARD DISK PARTITION .................................................................................................................... 107 A.3 PARTITION TYPES ............................................................................................................................ 107 A.4 PRIMARY PARTITIONS...................................................................................................................... 109 A.5 EXTENDED PARTITIONS ................................................................................................................... 109 A.6 LOGICAL PARTITIONS ...................................................................................................................... 109 A.7 FORMATTING HARD DISKS .............................................................................................................. 109 A.8 FILE SYSTEMS.................................................................................................................................. 110 A.9 FILE SYSTEM MAIN SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................... 111 APPENDIX B. PARTICULARITIES OF OPERATING SYSTEM FUNCTIONING ..................... 115 B.1 DOS-TYPE OPERATING SYSTEMS .................................................................................................... 115 B.2 WINDOWS 95/98/ME........................................................................................................................ 117 B.3 WINDOWS NT/2000/XP................................................................................................................... 118 B.4 LINUX .............................................................................................................................................. 120 B.5 OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS .......................................................................................................... 120 APPENDIX C. GLOSSARY................................................................................................................... 122 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 5 Introduction Introduction What is Acronis Disk Director Suite? Acronis Disk Director Suite is a complex program that includes partition and boot managers and hard disk data editing tools. With it, you can: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Create hard disk partitions Resize and move them without data loss and destruction Convert partitions to other file systems without data loss Copy (move) partition contents Delete partitions Recover hard disk partitions that were accidentally deleted or damaged due to a hardware or software error Format, label, assign letters, hide and unhide partitions, set active partitions and perform additional disk management operations Install multiple operating systems on a single PC Boot installed operating systems from any hard disk partition Boot installed operating systems from under Windows Install several operating systems on a single partition Hide or protect with a password any operating system on your PC Duplicate installed operating systems and define different configurations for each copy Recover boot records, files and folders structure, find lost clusters, remove viruses, etc. Some terms of this Guide might seem unfamiliar. Appendix A «Hard Disk And Operating System» and Appendix C «Glossary» provide descriptions of some hard disk data storage components and used terms. What's new in Acronis Disk Director Suite 9.0? Acronis Disk Director Suite has many new features that make it an integrated software suite. In addition to the traditional Acronis Partition Expert capabilities, this new version includes the functionality of Acronis Recovery Expert, Acronis Disk Editor and the multipurpose boot manager Acronis OS Selector. New features of this integrated software suite include: · Recovering hard disk partitions that were accidentally deleted or damaged due to a hardware or software error · Installation of several different operating systems on a single PC · Booting installed operating systems from any hard disk partition 6 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Introduction · Booting installed operating systems from under Windows · Installation of several operating systems on a single partition · Hiding or protecting with a password any operating system on your PC · Duplicating installed operating systems and defining different configurations for each copy · Recovering boot records, files and folders structure, finding lost clusters and removing viruses. How to find the information you need in this guide The Acronis Disk Director Suite User's Guide contains: · Chapter 1 «Installation And Use» -- general information about software installation, running, error recovery, removal and user interface essentials · Chapter 2 «Beginning The Work» -- information about the main window of Acronis Disk Director Suite, logical software organization, main features, and methods of calling and executing partition operations · Chapter 3 «Automatic Partition Operations» -- beginner information about disk partition operations, performed through wizards · Chapter 4 «Manual Partition» -- experienced-user information about manually performed disk partition operations · Chapter 5 «Working with Acronis Recovery Expert» -- recovering deleted or damaged partitions · Chapter 6 «Working with Acronis Disk Editor» -- editing hard disk data · Chapter 7 «Working with Acronis OS Selector» -- working with the Acronis boot manager · Chapter 8 «Installing and using several operating systems on a single PC» -- installation of several operating systems on one computer · Chapter 9 «Bootable Media Builder» -- creating bootable media · Appendix A «Hard Disk And Operating System» -- supplemental information about hard disks, partitions and file systems · Appendix B «Particularities of Operating System Function» -- specificity of various operating systems · Appendix C «Glossary» -- technical terms to help you understand this guide. Software use conditions The conditions of Acronis Disk Director Suite use are listed in the supplied «License Agreement». To prove that you legally purchased and use Acronis Disk Director Suite, you received a registration card along with the package. Each registration card has a unique number. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 7 Introduction Based on current legislation, the «License Agreement» is considered as a contract between user and software vendor. The contract is legally binding; its violation may lead to prosecution. Illegal use or distribution of software is a violation of the law and will be prosecuted. Technical support Users who have legally purchased and registered their copy of Acronis Disk Director Suite will receive free technical support from Acronis. If you have problems installing or using the system that you cannot resolve with the help of this guide and readme file, please e-mail technical support. You will need to provide the registration number of your Acronis Disk Director Suite copy supplied with this package. Support URL: http://www.acronis.com/support/ E-mail: support@acronis.com 8 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Installation And Use Chapter 1. Installation And Use 1.1 What's Included The Acronis Disk Director Suite package includes: · Installation CD-ROM · This guide · License Agreement · Registration card · Advertising information 1.2 System Requirements To take full advantage of Acronis Disk Director Suite you should have: · A PC-compatible computer with a Pentium or similar CPU · 32 MB RAM · A floppy or a CD-RW drive · A mouse (recommended) · Microsoft Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP; Microsoft Windows NT Server / 2000 Server / 2000 Advanced Server / 2003 Server. 1.3 1.3.1 Installation Process Acronis Disk Director Suite installation To install Acronis Disk Director Suite: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive and run the installer. Follow all instructions. During installation, you can specify if you need to install Acronis OS Selector with Acronis Disk Director Suite. In the end of installation process you'll be prompted to create bootable media. There are two situation in which you might have to run the software from bootable diskettes or CD: · After a serious Windows failure, you may be required to reinstall this software and reconfigure partitions. · You will require bootable media in order to use Acronis Disk Director Suite on a non-Windows system, for example, a Linux-based, PC. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 9 Installation And Use In Windows 98/Me operational systems the user is not offered to create bootable media during the installation of Acronis Disk Director Suite. To make it will be possible later with help Bootable Media Builder (see Chapter 9 «Bootable Media Builder»). After installing Acronis Disk Director Suite, reboot your PC. If there was no bootable media made during Acronis Disk Director Suite installation, you can create it anytime using Bootable Media Builder (see Chapter 9 «Bootable Media Builder»). 1.3.2 Acronis OS Selector installation During the installation of Acronis OS Selector, the hidden system folder BOOTWIZ will be created on your PC to keep the program loader. Acronis OS Selector will also copy OS system files found on your PC into this folder to avoid problems during bootup and to simplify adding new OS in the future. Acronis OS Selector can be installed in the Typical or Custom variants. During Typical installation, the BOOTWIZ folder will be created in the system hard disk partition that contains the Windows files and folders. Using the Custom installation option, you will be able to select the location of the BOOTWIZ folder. This might come in handy when a system partition is accidentally destroyed or damaged. In that case, you will be able to access the Acronis OS Selector boot menu even if the system partition is inaccessible. The menu will enable you to create and restore partitions and access the Acronis Disk Editor tool. 10 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Installation And Use 1.4 Upgrading Acronis Disk Director Suite If you already have Acronis Partition Expert, Acronis OS Selector, Acronis Recovery Expert or Acronis Disk Editor installed on your PC, the installation program will automatically find them and prompt you on their replacement with new versions. Software upgrades (with certain bug fixes) may be downloaded free from the Acronis Web site: http://www.acronis.com/support/updates/. 1.5 Removing Software To remove, select Acronis DiskDirector Remove Acronis Disk Director Suite from the Programs menu. You will see the dialog box to confirm removal of the software from your PC hard disk. To confirm, click Yes. Acronis Disk Director Suite will be completely removed. To remove Acronis OS Selector only, select Acronis DiskDirector Install Acronis OS Selector. And then in the dialog box select item "Uninstall Acronis OS Selector". 1.6 User Interface When Acronis Disk Director Suite software is installed, it has a graphical user interface that is controlled by the mouse or by Tab, Shift+Tab, Left, Right, Up, Down, Space, Enter and Escape keys. If you regularly work with Windows or X Window applications, you should not encounter any problems with the Acronis Disk Director Suite interface. Acronis Disk Director Suite uses a series of dialogs requiring the user to choose among several actions or to mark partitions or disks to be manipulated. 1.7 Before You Run Acronis Disk Director Suite PLEASE NOTE: Operations on system, application or data partitions must be done very carefully to avoid potential hard disk booting or data storage problems. Acronis Disk Director Suite has been thoroughly tested to work with numerous hard disks, so if problems arise, they are likely caused by improper use, not the software. A power loss, turning off the PC or pressing the Reset button on your PC during the repartitioning procedure could result in partition damage and data loss. Please take all necessary precautions and following these simple rules: Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 11 Installation And Use 1. Create a disk image of the disk on which partitions are to be reconfigured. This will ensure that your data will not be lost under any circumstances. Almost all current PCs feature CD-RW drives. Having your most important data backed up to a hard disk or CD will enable you to work on the disk partitions with full confidence that your data is safe. Acronis offers extremely effective hard disk and partition disk imaging software -- Acronis True Image (visit http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/). Acronis True Image creates a backup stored in a compressed archive file whose contents can be restored at any time. 2. Test your disk to make sure it's fully functional and does not contain bad sectors or file system errors. You can invoke system hard disk checking tools directly from Acronis Disk Director Suite by selecting Disk Check or clicking Check the selected partition for errors toolbar button. 3. Do not perform any partition operations while running other software that has low-level disk access, such as antivirus or backup tools. Close such programs before running Acronis Disk Director Suite. If you follow these simple rules, you will protect yourself against data loss. 1.8 1.8.1 Running Acronis Disk Director Suite Running under Windows Under Windows, Acronis Disk Director Suite can be run by selecting Start Programs Acronis DiskDirector Acronis Disk Director Suite. Under Windows, Acronis Disk Director Suite can perform operations on any partitions, including primary, logical, system or data without rebooting your PC. 1.8.2 Running Acronis Disk Director Suite for the first time When you run Acronis Disk Director Suite for the first time, you will be prompted to choose whether you want to work in the Automatic Mode or in the Manual Mode. Automatic Mode provides enough functionality to create almost any partition configuration on your PC hard disks. If you need a detailed partition structure representation with a complete set of partition operations and controls, select the Manual Mode. You can switch between modes at any time (see 2.1.3 «Switching modes»). 12 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Installation And Use 1.8.3 Running from bootable diskettes or CD Previously, we explained how to create bootable diskettes or a CD (see 1.3 «Installation Process»). While working with Acronis Disk Director Suite, you may need to use the bootable media: (1) after a serious Windows failure or (2) to work on a Linux-based PC. (see also Chapter 9 «Bootable Media Builder»). Your PC BIOS must be set correctly to boot and run the software from bootable diskettes or CD. Bootable diskettes or CD can be created during Acronis Disk Director Suite installation (see 1.3 «Installation Process»). If you need to do this after installation, Program Acronis DiskDirector Bootable Rescue Media select Start Builder. If you purchased Acronis Disk Director Suite on a CD-ROM, you do not have to create bootable media, as the CD-ROM itself is bootable. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 13 Beginning The Work Chapter 2. Beginning The Work 2.1 Acronis Disk Director Suite Logical Organization Acronis Disk Director Suite provides two operation modes (see 1.8 «Running Acronis Disk Director Suite»): · «Automatic partition operations» mode is designed for the most frequent operations suitable for the majority of users · «Manual partition operations» mode for any partition operations. This mode is intended for experienced users with some knowledge of disk data storage organization; it provides full operational control 2.1.1 Automatic partition operations In this mode, all actions are performed through task-based wizards. · Create partition wizard -- enables you to create a partition from unallocated disk space or other partitions · Increase free space wizard -- enables you to enlarge a partition at the expense of unallocated disk space or other partitions · Copy partition wizard -- enables you to copy a partition · Recover partitions wizard ­ enables you to recover any deleted or damaged partitions. Working with Recover partitions wizard is described in detail in a separate chapter of this guide. See Chapter 5 «Working with ». With these wizards, even an inexperienced user will be able to perform the recovery operations using step-by-step instructions. 2.1.2 Manual partition operations In this mode, experienced users have access to all Acronis Disk Director Suite features. Partition operations are performed by entering necessary parameters into dialog boxes. The main difference between the automatic and manual modes is that wizards perform operation series in the automatic mode and only single disk/partition operations in the manual mode. 2.1.3 Switching modes Having selected an operation mode during installation (see 1.3 «Installation Process»), you can switch to another mode at any time. Select View Automatic Mode for the automatic mode or View Manual Mode for the manual. 14 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Beginning The Work 2.2 Acronis Disk Director Suite Main Window Acronis Disk Director Suite is controlled through the main window. It includes the menu, toolbar, and disk and partition tree (shown/hidden through the View menu). This represents the computer disk and partition list. The main window appearance differs depending on the selected operation mode (see 2.1 «Acronis Disk Director Suite Logical Organization»). The difference applies to the available operation list in the main menu, partition context menus, sidebar and toolbar, and the amount of partition structure details represented. Acronis Disk Director Suite main window, Automatic Mode In the manual partition operations mode, the main window also includes all unallocated disk space, while only partitions are shown in the automatic mode. Partition creation, free space and copy wizards automatically recognize unallocated disk space in this mode. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 15 Beginning The Work Acronis Disk Director Suite main window, Manual Mode 2.2.1 Disk and partition information The main window shows the partition's disk number, assigned letter, label, type, status, size, free space size and file system. Disk and partition information is also provided in the partition and disk tree. The bottom part of the main window graphically indicates the selected disk and its partitions as rectangles with basic data on them (label, letter, size, type, file system). Customizing the main window appearance You can customize the appearance using the View menu -- in particular to show or hide window elements like sidebar, partition and disk tree and toolbars. 2.2.2 The partition and disk tree in the main window 16 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Beginning The Work 2.3 Calling Partition Operations All partition operations in both modes are called and executed similarly. 2.3.1 Calling the main operations Any partition operation can be launched: · By selecting it from the Disk submenu · From customizable toolbars · From the partition context menu (both in the main window and the graphical panel) · From Operations and Advanced sidebar lists Note that the list of available operations in the Disk submenu and the Operations sidebar list depends on the selected partition type. This holds true for unallocated space as well. 2.3.2 Advanced operations Advanced hard disk partition operations are: · Convert -- convert the FAT16 partition file system to FAT32, Ext2 to Ext3, and vice versa · Hide/Unhide -- hide/unhide a partition · Set Active -- set an active partition · Resize Root -- resize FAT16 partition root · Change Bytes per INODE -- resize INODE table (Linux Ext2/Ext3) · Change Cluster Size -- change FAT16/FAT32 partition cluster size · Change Type -- change partition type · Recover - recovering deleted or damaged partitions (see Chapter 5 «Working with Acronis Recovery Expert»). · Edit - editing hard disk data (see Chapter 6 «Working with Acronis Disk Editor»). Advanced partition operations are called from the Advanced sidebar list, the same partition context menu item or toolbar button. Note that the additional operations list of the partition context menu or toolbar depends on the selection of a partition type. For example, the FAT16 partition menu Resize Root; this is absent in the FAT32 partition menu. The contains Advanced Change Bytes per Linux Ext2/Ext3 partition context menu contains Advanced INODE, which is not found on the FAT menus. Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 17 Beginning The Work 2.3.3 Invoking Acronis Disk Director Suite wizards Wizards are invoked from the Wizards submenu and the corresponding sidebar list. For example, select Wizards Create Partition for the partition creation wizard. 2.4 2.4.1 Partition Operation Properties Displaying operation results Results of any disk partition operation are immediately displayed in the Acronis Disk Director Suite main window. If you create a partition, it will be immediately shown in the hard disk partition list in the main window, as well as in graphical form on the bottom of the main windows. Any partition changes, including resizing, relocating and labeling are also immediately displayed in the main window. 2.4.2 Pending operations All operations are pending until the user issues the command for the changes to be made permanent. Until then, Acronis Disk Director Suite will only show the new partition structure that is provided by operations to be performed. Therefore, you can view the graphical representation of the new partition structure first and then decide whether to perform or cancel specific operations. 2.4.3 Viewing delayed operations All pending operations are added to the pending operations list. You can view it in the Pending Operations window by clicking Operations Show: Pending operations list This organization enables you to control all planned operations, double check your intended work, and undo them fully or partially, if needed. 18 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 Beginning The Work 2.4.4 Performing pending operations To execute planned hard disk operations, the user has to select one of the two following commands: · Select Operations · Click Commit in the main menu Commit Pending Operations toolbar button This performs all pending operations. You will not be able to undo any actions or operations after you Commit the operation. 2.4.5 Modifying pending operations All of your actions result in the creation of pending operations. For example, you can create a new partition by providing its type, file system, size, location and label. You can easily view the pending operation for the partition you are working on (see 2.4.3 «Viewing delayed operations»). You can always change any operation parameter, including type, files system, size, location, etc. before performing the operation. Using Change type, Convert, Move, Resize, and similar operations, you will also see that your actions do not result in creating new pending operations. These actions will only change the existing pending operation parameters. If you decide to change the label of a different, existing partition, Acronis Disk Director Suite will immediately create a new pending operation. Thus the same actions sometimes result in the creation of a new pending operation or modification of existing operations. 2.4.6 Undoing user actions Calling wizards or dialog boxes for planning disk partition operations are user actions. User entries are necessary operation parameters on the wizard or dialog box pages. One user action in Acronis Disk Director Suite enables you to plan a list of partition operations, for example, calling a wizard for partition creation or resizing. (You can easily verify your actions by looking at the Pending Operations when the wizard finishes its work.) You can also create a partition by selecting Disk Create Partition. This requires a list of actions to be performed (enter a label, select partition type, file system, size and location), resulting in the creation of a single partition create operation only. The difference between user actions and partition operations should be kept in mind if you wish to undo user actions. Any user action in Acronis Disk Director Suite can be undone or redone before committing the operation. To undo a user action: Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005 19 Beginning The Work · Select Operations · Click Undo from the main menu (or press Ctrl+Z) Undo Last Action toolbar button To redo a user action: · Select Operations · Click Redo from the main menu (or press Ctrl+Y) Redo Last Action toolbar button As user actions result in creating pending partition operations, as mentioned above, undoing them results in canceling one or more partition operations. And conversely, redoing a user action results in the addition of one or more pending operations. Depending on the situation, undoing an action may cancel a pending operation or undo changes of an existing operation (see 2.4.5 «Modifying pending operations»). Similarly, redoing an action might add a pending operation to the list again or redo a change of a pending operation parameter. You can undo user actions one at a time or all at once by selecting Operations Undo All. Similarly, you can redo user actions (along with the corresponding graphical representation of partition reconfiguration) one-by-one or all at once by selecting Operations Redo All. 2.4.7 Wizard operations Pending partition operations created by Acronis Disk Director Suite wizards differ in that a user must provide a list of operation parameters to perform them. Each parameter is entered on a separate wizard page. Entering operation parameters, you change wizard pages using Back and Next buttons until you reach the Preview page with the Finish button. On the Preview wizard page, you can click Back to return and change any operation parameters. After clicking Finish on the last wizard page: · The new partition structure is graphically represented in the Acronis Disk Director Suite main window · The wizard creates a list of pending operations; you can see it by selecting Operations Show 20 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000­2005