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I had Ubuntu 11.10 installed on my hard disk with Windows 7 in a multi-boot arrangement. If I wanted to make a backup copy of the entire disk, I used Clonezilla, and it worked fine. If there was a problem with Windows or Ubuntu, I simply restored them both by using the Clonezilla backup copy of the entire hard disk.

A few days ago, I upgraded to Ubuntu 12.04. I now had a hard disk with Windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.04 in the same kind of multi-boot arrangement as before. However, every time I tried to make the same kind of backup copy as before, Clonezilla reported "Something went wrong." I tried this several times, and the same thing happened.

I reinstalled Windows 7 alone, and Clonezilla works fine. But as soon as I install Ubuntu 12.04 alongside it on the hard disk, and try to make a backup copy with Clonezilla, I get the same report, "Something went wrong."

I have reinstalled Windows 7 alone so that at least I can make a backup copy of Windows 7, if there's a problem, but I'd also like to have Ubuntu 12.04 installed alongside it on the same hard disk. I don't dare do that, though, because it would be impossible to make a backup copy.

If Clonezilla no longer works with Ubuntu in a multi-boot arrangement, can anyone suggest imaging software that would allow me to make a backup copy of my hard disk, the way I could with a Windows 7 and Ubuntu 11.04 multi-boot?

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The problem has been resolved. I erased the partition with Ubuntu 12.04 and downloaded and installed it again. This time, however, during the installation process, when I was given the choice of retaining the configuration of elements that had been installed before or reinstalling them with an upgraded configuration, I chose the latter in every case. Now Clonezilla works flawlessly. It makes a complete image of my hard disk, and it is possible to boot from either Windows 7 or Ubuntu 12.04. No more "something went wrong" messages.

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You can make an image of your system with several other applications such as "Paragon Hard Disc Manager", "Paragon Rescue Kit", "Easus Partition "Master", "Acronis True Image", "Macrium Reflect" to name but a few. I have copies of these which these companies have given away free at some point or other, and they each have been useful in their own way. If you search for them on the Internet you will probably find one of them available as a free download for a limited time. They are Windows applications, but you run them and choose to make a 'rescue disc'. This disc is bootable, and will allow the kinds of image copying you refer to, even if Windows fails, and/or Ubuntu fails. In my case I have Windows, Ubuntu 11.10, and Ubuntu 12.04 on the same hard disc and have used one to rescue the other several times. Sometimes these applications will copy one partition and then fail on the next, so it is better to copy one partition at a time, rather than the whole disc. The failures are frequently due to disc errors, and these can be corrected usually by running a file system check. Good Luck.

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  • Many thanks for your answer. I found a free copy of Acronis on the Net, and I'll try it. It's too bad, though, that Cloneilla doesn't seem to work with Ubuntu 12.04. In all other situations, whether laptop or minicomputer, Clonezilla has made good, reliable backups for me. May 8, 2012 at 18:37
  • Unfortunately, Acronis didn't work, nor did any of the other applications. I have reinstalled Ubuntu 11.10 alongside Windows 7 on my C drive, just as they were installed before. Now everything works perfectly. Clonezilla copies the whole drive, and I can boot into either OS. No more "Something went wrong" error messages. I liked Ubuntu 12.04, but if I can't back it up when it's in a dual boot installation with WIndows 7, then I can't really use it. Maybe some future version of Ubuntu - or Clonezilla - will work. May 11, 2012 at 19:35
  • The problem has been resolved. May 15, 2012 at 12:16

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