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Why did my ATIH image of my drive fail to create bootable Ubuntu / Linux partition(s)?? GroverH ?

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My machine is a triple boot with XPired, Win 7 64 and Ubuntu 14.04 64 and EasyBCD. I wanted to try removing the XP partition, leaving me with 7 and Linux. I made the image using ATIH and it seemed to recognize the 3 Linux partitions, the / (root), where my Grub is installed, the /home, and the unformatted Linux swap file.NB: My Grub bootloader is NOT on the /sda where it can change the MBR, I have mine on the "/" root so that Grub controls only Linux and the MBR handles Windows. If one or the other fails, you still have one OS to use. But only 2 of the Linux partitions survived the backup........

I took that image and installed it on a spare drive to see what it would do. I was able to get Win 7 to boot after repairing the MBR since that info was written to XP when I installed 7, so effectively it had none of it's own to use. Once I got 7 to boot I installed EasyBCD and showed it where Linux was located, it refused to boot, dropping me at a 'rescue' screen. I didn't know what command it was looking for so I gave up on it.

Definitively speaking: Is it or is it not possible to do an effective backup of Ubuntu/Linux using ATIH?

If it won't work at all or will fail during the backup as it did for my friend, what is the answer? Other than using the poor backup program that comes with Ubuntu or a program like Clonezilla? Or worse yet simply re-install and rebuild Linux when there is a problem?

I am by no means a Linux expert! I am using it to see what deficiencies it has compared to Windows and what I can and cannot do with it. It's not my primary OS, Win 7 is.

Thank you all in advance!

F Wolf

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Do not have a definite answer for you, possibly the file system used in your Ubuntu install is not supported. Here is a link of ATI 2014 supported file systems:

http://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/ATIH2014/index.html#…

Thanks Enchantech,

That link is ambiguous if nothing else" The Ext2/Ext3/Ext4, ReiserFS, and Linux SWAP file systems are supported only for disk or partition backup/recovery operations. You cannot use Acronis True Image 2014 for file-level operations with these file systems (file backup, recovery, search, as well as image mounting and file recovering from images). You also cannot perform backups to disks or partitions with these file systems."
Sorry I don't get it, it's supported but you can't use it? What the HE++ does that mean?

I am using ext4 for my Linux install, during the imaging process the file structure was clearly recognized by Acronis when it showed the partitions. The image I was making, for test purposes, was one of Win 7 and Ubuntu / Linux. The 7 partition worked but the Ubuntu one did not. I did get a screen in Ubuntu that dropped me at a prompt that said either " recover " or "rescue" and left me with a flashing cursor. Had I known how to respond to what I was being shown, the backup might have worked. I didn't take a screenshot of the message so I can't refer to it, I thought I'd get it again but I only saw it one time, then it was gone.

Last night my friend called me to say that he made an Ubuntu backup using Acronis and it worked. BUT the difference is, Ubuntu was the ONLY thing he backed up, no MS OS involved in the imaging. Why this made a difference I haven't a clue. It's good to know, but it's also virtually useless if you want to back up an entire drive with both NTFS and ext3/4 partitions on it.

I am fascinated that Acronis uses Linux to when it's restoring an image, yet no one has an answer whether or not it will work or not to make an image of a Linux system. The ext4  file system is supported, or maybe it isn't really, so it seems it should work.....but then again maybe not!!#@$%^%#@

F Wolf

It boils down to this, disk level operations such as full disk images or partition backup and recovery is supported. Individual file backup, recovery, search, mounting, and recovery are not supported. Additionally you cannot perform backups to disks or partitions that are formatted with these file systems.

I would think that you should be able to get EasyBCD to display the recover/rescue prompt again although I have never used EasyBCD so cannot say for sure. I would think that if you can get the boot loader to work for the Linux partition then Linux should run. By your description that sounds like your problem. You might try uninstalling EasyBCD and then reinstalling it as a last resort.