Acronis 6559 - Windows 10 Fast Startup
Having complained about the previous version of Acronis TIH turning off the Fast Startup option in Windows 10, I was keen to try the new version (6559) as it claims to have fixed the issue. Sadly, on my PC at least, the problem persists. The first boot-up after altering the setting is, indeed, fast. However, all subsequent ones are slow as the Fast Startup option has once again been disabled. So, I've gone back to the previous release for TIH for now in the hope that Acronis will, one day, get it right!
I can confirm that with a clean install of version 6559 the fast startup option remains enabled.
On advice received, I tried a 'clean install' of ATIH 6559 on our laptop, which had the same 'fast startup' problem as the PC to which my original post refers. That seems to be OK now, though I did notice that the new install didn't pick up previous backups on that machine very reliably. Even when it did, they still come up under the 'other' section, which is a bit odd. Any idea why this might be, anyone?
If the laptop installation seems to work reliably, I'll try it on our PC too but I need to be sure it's OK first.
I've never liked how Acronis "finds" existing backups and adds them - I have suggested via feedback that there be options to automatically add certain locations, or not add any at all. Even after I remove some backup tasks (with previous versions - so far not with 6559) a .tib might randomly be found at some point in time and add itself which has been odd. Long story short, I wouldn't bank on it finding your existing .tib files and adding them automatically and reliably - not at this time.
You can manually add existing backup .tib files by clicking the little \/ carat icon to the right of "add backup" option at the bottom of the screen.
Thanks Bobbo_3C0X1, I added a couple back that way but others seemed to just pop-up next time I restarted ATIH, all it seems a bit random!
Is there any significance in the ones I've added back (and the ones ATIH seemed to find unaided) appearing under 'other' in the list though? If I try to restore an image from the 'other' category, does ATIH treat it any differently to one from the main part of the list? Or, put more simply, will it still work?
Nick, there should be no difference at all and it should work. You might want to test restoring to a different disk (if it's a full disk backup) and/or a file/folder recovery out of it somewhere other than the original location, just to be sure though.
You could also delete the found task (the settings, not the whole backup when prompted). Then add "existing backup" using the \/ carat to the right of the "add backup" area. Navigate to the backup tib manually and add it there. Does it still show up as "other"? Either way, if it's a good backup .tib you can still recover with it.
ALSO, you can always recover with your offline bootable recovery media (just make sure you've tested your recovery media and know how to use it if you never have. This is your saving grace if you can't boot into Windows in the first place).
Here are some very informative videos - check out the "unofficial ones" to see users explaining how they do different types of backup and recoveries from within Windows and with offline recovery media.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/117004
I believe the reason that a clean install will show existing backup files listed as Other is because the installation creates a new archieves database which is empty. The application searches for existing backup files once started and those found are listed as Other. These must be reconfigured to be added to the database. It can take some time for all existing backups to populate the Other list depending on number of storage devices to scan, the size of those devices, the performance of those devices, and the location of those devices.
Sorry but have tried all of that including running the clean tool and checking that the various folders have been deleted. On both of my Win 10 PCs (with very different configurations) as soon as a backup starts to run the fast start is disabled. Any other ideas would be appreciated.
OK, I've tried the 'clean install' approach suggested above - the behaviour relating to 'Fast Startup' is now different, but is *still* incorrect.
With ATIH 6027, 'Fast Startup' would, when set, operate on the next startup only. Thereafter it would be disabled, presumably by one of the ATIH background processes.
With ATIH 6559, 'Fast Startup' survives multiple startups so I thought the problem had finally been solved. Sadly, this turns out not to be the case. If I merely run ATIH 6559, no changes to 'Fast Startup' occur. Similarly, if I simply add an existing backup to the list (as seems to be required after a 'clean install' as existing backups are not found automatically) all is still well. However, if I now run a validate operation on that newly-added backup, ATIH once again tramples all over the 'Fast Startup' setting. Presumably, this is similar to the effect that Alan Tuck mentions in the post above.
In conclusion Acronis - nice try and some improvement, but, once again, 'no cigar'!
Nick, please do as Bobbo originally advised in his first response to this issue.
If it is indeed still not working, please submit feedback to Acronis thorugh the app and/or your online account - attaching an Acronis system report may come in handy too.
Please reference this forum post in your feedback to allow the Acronis engineers to see the actions / results documented here.
Following on from the suggestion of a fresh install and noting my earlier comments, matters went from bad to worse. For some resaon my system is now unable to complete the creation of shadow copies and before you ask yes the service is running and I have even reregistered it.
I'm now unable to perform a Win 7 backup or create a restore point. In fact I noticed that all previous restore points had mysteriously dissappeared. Thoughts?
Alan, did you complete a restore at any point so far? The online Windows backups don't backup the restore points by default. Also, after a restore, since they aren't backed up, system protection would need to be turned back on to start creating new restore points again.
Have you rebooted after removing Acronis with the clean tool (all changes)? Just to make sure things are still borked after that?
I don't believe Acronis modifies VSS, but leverages it as a backup resource. Why it would suddenly not work after a cleanup is beyond me - but at this point, can't rule it out.
What do the Windows Application logs shows regarding VSS? Perhaps the errors for VSS (I'm assuming there are some now), go back further than the clean uninstall/re-install? You were first mentioning that fast start was the issue and still is after the cleans/reinstalls. Did you download v6559 from your online account and manually install that (if not I would).
VSS aside at this point, run the clean tool one more time with right click and run as admin credentials, check for leftovers again. This time, I'd recommend running CCleaner on the registry until all registry issues are gone (take backups of the registry each time with CCleaner just in case, or take an image of the machine "as is" before doing the cleans). REBOOT. Run Ccleaner until the registry is clean again (it may still be). and repeat with a REBOOT and CCleaner until it comes up clean the very first time after reboot. Then right click and "run as administrator" for the clean v6559 install of Acronis. Once installed, reboot one more time and try Acronis backups again with VSS enabled.
Assuming this is not a long-stemming Windows and/or VSS issue, hopefully things will be back on track. Windows System logs may be key in helping to identify if VSS has had issus before these other issues. Plus, with Fast Start issues (which have been fixed in 6559 and reported to be working by others now, I am wondering if your OS install doesn't have deeper issues under the hood - I hope not though!)
Many thanks for the ideas. Yes I rebooted each time after using the clean tool. I'm pretty sure that all was well the first time. Certainly backup and create restore point were ok. On that point, I regularly create restore points and always before I do anything significant. I did this prior to uninstalling Acronis the first time. However all of my resore points disappeared when it started to go wrong. I've also used VSSAdmin and it can find no record of any shadow copies at all. The only time that they are mentioned is in the system log after boot when I get an item saying thatr an incomplete shadow copy has been deleted.
Yes, I've also run CClean but that made no difference either although I've only run it once.
The one thing that I've not done is to reinstall Acronis to see if the other utilities using VSS come back to life.
Regarding error messages, initially I did get a failure to run VSS in the log when it ultimately timed out after several attempts. That no longer seems to the case and as I mentioned the service is running. To make sure I have set it to startup at boot rather than relying upon manual start.
Finally, I did see it suggested that there may have been corruption and have run chksdk/f but there was no error report. Also sfc/scannow.
Perhaps I need a magic wand but I'm still hoping that I'm just missing something obvious.
Check this too.
This PC >>> properties >>> system protection >>> system protection tab
Is your C: drive listed more than once? if so, remove both and re-add C: drive again. I've seen Windows systems with this issue (those without Acronis) that breaks VSS. Unfortunately, when you do this, you lose restore points too, but when it's not working, or you've already lost them, at least it may help enable this functionality again.
Even if system protection is currently on and there is only one C: drive (as it should be), I would disable system protection, close out of it and then go back in and re-enable it. Then try to create a restore point and see if it makes one or not.
Let us know if you have more than one C: drive listed at first and/or if removing both (or the one) and re-adding it in system protection makes any difference.
Also, if it does not, after attempting to create teh restore point, what errors/messages are in your Windows System and Windows Application logs - they may help point to something else on the system as to why VSS is not working or running.
FYI, looks like Microsoft is no longer enabling system protection by default.. this is a good "how to" to look and check for - would be interesting if system restore was now turned off
http://www.howtogeek.com/237230/how-to-enable-system-restore-and-repair…
Another good one to check for too:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/system-restore-and…
Make sure that another service, Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider, is also active and set to "Automatic". For me, it wasn't enough that the Volume Shadow Copy Service was running. This other service also had to be running, in order to get the System Restore Service to work
Cheers. Each drive is definitely only listed once. The C: drive is however the only one enabled. Problem PC is off at the moment and I think that I'll work through all of your comments over the weekend. If you hit upon any other's I'll give them a go too. The PC I'm using at the moment, with ATIH 6559, is fine other than disabling the fast start and I'm going to leave it at that for the moment.
I have determined that the fast startup option is reset any time a backup is performed. It does not make any difference if it is scheduled or manual. Acronis supposedly addressed this in update 6559, April 18,2016, but it is still not fixed. They told me they would not look any further unless I pay for support. I have two PCs both runing Windows 10 aand both have the same problem. My temporary solution is to have a shortcut to Power Options and manually set the option when a backup is performed.
That's pretty shabby atitude for Acronis to take I'm a software professional myself, and I certainly wouldn't get away with claiming to have fixed a problem but then refusing to follow-up when the fix clearly didn't work!
Oh, by the way, updating to ATIH 6569 doesn't fix this issue either!
Well, the good news is the win 7 backup and restore point are back in the world of the living. Having exhausted everything else I could think of I resorted to reinstalling ATIH, permitting it to update to 6569. As this appears to have been the fix, no one is going to convince me that unstalling it with the 'clean tool' didn't cause the problem in the first place. Thansk Acronis! And, yes, I've given up on fast start......
Thanks everyone for your ideas.
Hello all,
If you encounter the issue with Fast Startup on the latest builds, please send us Acronis System Report as a feeback from the application and reply to this thread. I will forward the log files to our development.
Thank you in advance!
I performed a backup and Fast Startup was reset. I am on build 6569.
I went to Help | Generate System Report and generated a System Report. I am not sure what that did since it put a file on my desktop. I then went to Help | Send Feedback and provided feedback with my problems and it attached a System Report. I am not sure if this is the correct way or not. Windows did notify me that a System Report was sent to Acronis.
Just to let you know I have scheduled backups that are scheduled to run when the PC is turned off. I have the option set to run at system startup. This worked correctly with TI 2015 and TI 2016 until I installed update 6559. On thing that is a little confusing is that if you look at help it shows "Missed Backup" with this setting under that. My software does not show "Missed Backup" just the setting and it is that way on both of my PCs.
Would you confirm that Acronis got the System Report?
William, Thank you, got it and attached to the related development task!
I ran several tests last night, and here are my results...I am running build 6569 under Windows 10.
I normally have fast boot turned off, so I started the tests by turning fast boot on, then turning the computer off. The next startup confirmed that fast boot was on.
I then performed a "Back up now" on a scheduled task. I checked the Windows registry and Fast boot was turned off. At the completion of the backup, I rechecked the windows registry and fast boot was still turned off.
I turned my computer off, waited a couple of minutes and rebooted...the computer booted without fast boot. Immediately after boot up, I checked the windows registry and found that fast boot had been turned back on. To verify that, I powered down, waited a couple of minutes and booted...and the computer in-fact fast booted. I did this 3 times, and the same thing happened all three times.
For Ekaterina, I took some screen grabs of my windows registry and can send them to you if you think they would help.
FtrPilot
To add to FtrPilot's info, I have also posted my findings over in http://forum.acronis.com/forum/107302?page=1#comment-360408
Information has been submitted to support for review and further testing.