Using Acronis TrueImage 8, I restored my C partition from the image which I saved on the D partition. It worked fine when there was something on both partitions beforehand.

However, I had erased the C partition using the WinXP installation disk, planning to reinstall from scratch, but then changed my mind. When I used the Acronis boot CD, it read that my computer only had one partition, which was the C partition, which had formerly been my D partition. So now it won’t restore at all, since it cannot write over “C”...

This problem has come up before, that it has switched around the letters C and D on completely intact partitions—and this change remained even after not having carried out a restore and then rebooting the computer!

I know Groovy really likes this program and am hoping that his enthusiasm will have led to him running into this problem, thereby having a solution or explanation for it…

Please help!

Has all the space that was formerly occupied by C: now been assigned to D: (which has now become C: ) or is that space just not visible?

If it’s not been assigned to to the current C drive, you could once again run the winxp setup, let it create a partition in that unassigned space, and after it copies the files and reboots the machine, insert the acronis boot cd and then you can proceed since now you would have your C drive in place (and D drive as it is where your image is stored). This might not be the best method, but it should do the work….just make sure you don’t erase your D drive else even your image will go.

I finally had time to look at that laptop again…

This time I inserted the WinXP setup disk to get another “opinion” on the matter. It displayed that the former C partition was unassigned space and the former D partition was now named C! I didn’t switch anything at all, I simply loaded up Acronis frtom the boot disk and it suddenly displayed this at some point…

So how do I change the C to a D so that I can recreate C as a primary partition?

You will have to run the restoration procedure again. You probably marked “Active” when Acronis asked you what kind of partiton was that. You will have to restore the original C:, if you have and Image of it of course, and mark it as the “active ” partition. Then, without rebooting, you will have to restore the D: partition and when asked, you must classify it as a “Logical” partition. Then boot your computer and tgings should be fine.

Thanks for the help! Will it matter that the image is on the (former D—now C) partition?

No. The partition selected as “Active” will be you C: drive, no mather what.

Right, got that.

My problem now is how to change that C into a D, since Acronis will not let me restore the missing partition from the file on the other partition. And the restore info (as well as other data) is on the partition which Acronis has changed from a D to a C. So how do I change it so that it will create an active partition, or change the current active one to a logical one?