Creating a Bootable CD using Acronis True Image

True Image comes with a handy feature to create a bootable CD in case of a total hard drive or operating system crash. This media will allow you to boot from a CD or other bootable media to restore your computer from an image if it becomes so unstable that it will not boot. This is also very handy to use if you have a physical hard drive failure and need to restore the image to a new drive. It is also used as an easy way to upgrade your hard drive.

This is a review of the process using an older version of the program. A newer review about how to create a bootable usb flash drive is available using True Image. See the review here.

This review of True Image was performed on an older version of the software. The looks of True Image have changed a bit but the concept of creating a bootable CD has not changed. See our full review of the new version.

The easiest way to perform this task is to go to the tools menu and click on the Create a Bootable Rescue Media option from the menu.

The Acronis Media Builder is a wizard that will help you create a bootable media with the Acronis components that you select.

I chose to install all of the components that I could to make this CD versatile to use for other Acronis tasks. I have the Acronis Disk Director installed so I have that option to put on the bootable CD. Of course, I chose to put the Acronis True Image Home full version on the CD. I also chose to put the Acronis Bootable Agent on the bootable CD. The bootable agent includes drivers for USB devices, PC Cards, and SCSI hard disks. Adding the Acronis Bootable Agent to the CD is strongly recommended. The Bootable Agent also allows you to access the computer remotely using the Acronis True Image Management Console.

There are other options available like adding remote logon settings and network settings for remote management.

The Bootable Media selection screen is where you choose what type of bootable media you want to create. This screen will give every available option that is available on your computer. You can even create an .ISO image and a USB drive.

This screenshot shows what the Acronis Media Builder is going to do.

When the bootable Rescue CD was finished, it told me so. It is always a good idea to try the bootable CD before the time comes that you may really need it to recover your computer. This is the first screen you will see when booting from the Acronis bootable CD. This screen will vary depending on the options you chose to include on the bootable CD. It shows you a menu of all the installed options. All of these programs can be run from the Acronis Rescue Media.

I wanted to make sure the Rescue CD could indeed rescue the computer from a crash so I chose the Acronis True Image Home option to test restore process of the image that was created in the previous review.

Select the image created.

Select what you want to restore from the image.

The next screen shows you a summary of the tasks the utility will perform. The following screen lets you proceed with the restoration of the image. Once the image is restores, the computer boots to the state it was in when the image was created. The Acronis True Image bootable CD is easy to create and use but most importantly, it can be a lifesaver if your computer crashes to the point that it will not boot.

The most important thing to remember is to test the bootable CD before it is needed. Acronis True Image is a recommended and trusted backup and imaging program but every system is different so there is the slight chance that it may not work. Create the bootable CD and test the restore process before a disaster arises.