Acronis Disk Director Suite 10 Review

If Windows integrates well a tool for partitioning by defect making it possible to organize its data, this one shows nevertheless certain restrictive limitations for the user. Then why not to choose an external solution offering more possibilities and of flexibility 'This is why we propose to you to discover Acronis Disk Director Suite which is much more than one simple software of partitioning.

Whereas the operating systems Linux and Windows integrate their own tool for partitioning making it possible to organize its discs before the installation of OS, which can be the interest to resort to another software. The interests are multiple to start with the installation of several operating systems without losing its data. But in the course of time, the needs and the experiment of each one change. What can lead us to dedicate a partition to the system, another with the various programs and even another especially dedicated to the file of exchange to optimize the performances, provided that the

aforementioned partition is placed at the beginning of disc.
That also makes it possible to reduce time necessary for the defragmentation or to dedicate a new partition to the safeguard of its data, as it is the case with Acronis True Image which uses a partition independent and hidden to store your images discs. And unfortunately, the manager of Windows discs capable of partitioned only virgin hard disks of is not very given.

In the contrary case, the modification, the suppression or the creation of partitions will involve the loss of your data. True clones of partition magic, the free tools QtParted or Gparted allow contrary to create and remove partitions, including the Windows partitions using the filing system NTFS or FAT32. Nevertheless, this software being under development perpetual, they is far from being perfect and we unfortunately met some bugs.

Developed by the Acronis Company, Disk Director Suite 10 is compatible with Windows Vista and available in two identical versions. First is resulting directly from Acronis and can be bought at the price of 49,99 euro’s, then downloaded directly on the official site of Acronis. Software also exists at Micro application under the denomination Partition Continuation 10. But let us discover without more delaying the possibilities offered by this software, with an aim of discovering if Disk Director Suite is yes or not software impossible to circumvent.

The interest first of Disk Director Suite passes of course by its tool for complete and advanced partitioning, called Acronis Partition Manager. One will find the functions traditional of creation, redimensioning, displacement and copy of the partitions, but without any loss of data. Very practical, it is possible to amalgamate two partitions containing of the data, even if the filing systems used are different. It is enough to indicate the desired filing system. What offers a great flexibility in use, in theory. Because in practice, you will be able to convert the data of a partition NTFS towards FAT32, or ext2 towards ext3, but not towards a partition using the filing system ReiserFS for example. Just as it will not be possible for you to convert data ext3 towards the NTFS.

The filing systems dealt with by Disk Director Suite 10 are as follows:

* FAT16
* FAT32
* NTFS
* Linux Ext2/Ext3
* ReiserFS
* Linux SWAP

It will be regretted just that the software is not envisaged to be installed under Linux. But it is fortunately possible to create the removable media bootable of its choice (USB, hard USB, external disk, CD/DVD), containing the Live version and complete of Acronis Disk Director Suite. Still more practical, especially if you would have only one single partition lodging your system, your programs and your data, it is possible to split this one in several partitions. To help you in your task, you will be able to explore the contents of the partitions without having to open other windows, in particular your Windows explorer. The various shortcuts then are automatically updated by taking account of the letters allotted to your various partitions. Like already Partition Magic does it, when the letter of a reader is modified. What is also possible with Disk Director Suite? But there still, the system is not without fault and it can happen that certain modifications are not effective. But as a whole, we did not meet too many problems, which is an excellent thing.

The experts will prefer for their part to pass by the advanced mode, leaving “total” a liberty of action. Especially useful in the event of impossibility of starting PC, it is also possible to manually publish each parameter of the hard disk and the partitions to recover defective sectors, to modify the table of partition or to publish the contents of the sectors. This tool requires nevertheless excellent knowledge with regard to the physical structure of the discs. The modification of the size of the clusters also forms part of the attributes of Acronis Disk Director Suite 10. What makes it possible for example to adapt the size of the clusters of a RAID bunch according to your use PC. Knowing that the higher the size of the clusters is, the more optimal the treatment of the bulky files will be. A low value proving more adapted for the treatment of files of low size. The ideal being to choose a size of 64 or 128 KB, representing a good balance to manage the files of any size. The quality of the controller also playing an important part. Before any modification, you will be able prévisualiser the modifications before applying them, which makes it possible to avoid some idiots errors of handling. For little which you take time to check the changes to be applied of course. In premium, Disk Director Suite creates newspapers of events a little as Windows XP and Vista in order to include/understand do it the possible dysfunctions or failures.

The software does not stop there, since this one integrates a tool for recovery of partitions lost or removed by inadvertency. Even on a RAID bunch. Nevertheless in the event of rupture or of breakdown of the RAID bunch, the software is unable to rebuild a bunch RAID 0 for example. Too bad. Once again, the user will have the choice between using the automatic mode, allowing to analyze the disc and to recover partitions. How 'Quite simply by analyzing Master Boot Record located on the first sector of cylinder 0 of head 0, and containing the table of the partitions in particular. But the utility also analyzes the hard disk in its totality in order to detect a disk space not allocated likely to contain one or more partitions.

In manual mode, you will have the choice between the method of fast and complete research. In the first case, Disk Director Suite will check each beginning of cylinder of the disc. Complete method analyzing for its part each sector of the disc, which takes much more time. But if Disk Director Suite is able to recover partitions, it is also able to completely destroy the data still contained on a disc from which you come to remove the partitions. Ideal to prevent most curious to recover some of your data. For that, the software carries out several master keys (with you to define the exact number of it) to write on the disk space not allocated. And thus to crush the data since after our attempts at recovery using software specialized such as Easy Recovery Pro, we were unable to recover anything.

As we saw higher, Acronis Disk Director Suite makes it possible to create removable media of help bootable. During its creation, it will be asked to you to select the elements of your choice. To know, Acronis Disk Director in its complete version, its reduced version (i.e. without any material pilot USB, S-ATA, etc), without forgetting the utility allowing to activate/reactivate the manager of boot in the event of planting and the selector of OS. If you choose to install the totality of the components on your removable support, space necessary will be 26,78 MB.

The selector system can be installed directly at the time of the first installation of Acronis Disk Director Suite under Windows. Or thereafter while passing by the menu to start, all the programs, Acronis and to install OS Selector. Enough traditional, the OS selector makes it possible to install and start several OS on a PC, whatever the partition. But it also makes it possible to protect launching from a OS by a password. It is of course possible to parameterize the OS selector by defining for example OS to be started by defect in the event of inactivity of the user (immediately, after the time of your choice, etc). Or by modifying the resolution, the depth of the colors and the rate of cooling of the menu of starting. And at final, the utility presents an excellent ergonomics. What makes us prefer it with the detriment of the managers of boot GAG, XOSL which are not developed unfortunately any more. Or the excellent GRUB or LILO which remain a little more complex to handle. It is a pity however which the OS selector entirely does not take the top on the manager of boot integrated into Windows.

After having used during years Magic Partition, we adored Acronis Disk Director Suite. It is besides this one which we use henceforth. Less expensive, more flexible, offering a better ergonomics, with a selector system more succeeded, and especially compatible with Vista and all the operating systems Linux which we used (Ubuntu, Xandros, Mandriva, etc), the manager of disc of Acronis is incontestably an excellent software. It is consequently without the least hesitation than we recommend impossible to circumvent Acronis Disk Director Suite to you.