Acronis True Image hangs at applying user settings?
I just upgraded from 2018 to 2019 when I try to open True Image it gets to apply user settings and stops, I let it sit for over a half an hour and nothing.
I was going to uninstall then reinstall the program but since the upgrade requires a previous version I am not sure I can do that?
Perhaps I can delete the user settings so they don't try to load and just start over?
If so where can I find them?
Thanks


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As Steve says, the first thing to try should be a repair installation using the full installer downloaded from your Acronis account. And definitely make sure you use Run as Administrator.
Ian
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I'm having the same problem and have followed the instructions in Steve's message above. Loading the program still hangs at "Applying user settings". I'm trying to upgrade to 2019 from 2018. My 2018 version stopped working with something about a script error. Suggestions? Thanks. -bg
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Bill, unless you have used the new option found in ATI 2018 and later to save your task configuration settings to a zip file, I would recommend making a copy of the C:\ProgramData\Acronis folder structure.
Next, given your statement that you have already tried the suggestions given so far, then I would recommend doing a clean install of ATI 2019 as follows:
First, uninstall the current ATI software via the Control Panel option for this.
Next, download the Acronis Cleanup Tool (link in my signature) and run this as Administrator then restart your computer to finish the process.
Finally, re-install the latest build installer version of ATI 2019 (14690) and check that it opens correctly without any existing task data from the initial step above (1st paragraph).
If all looks good, then close the ATI GUI and turn off Acronis Active Protection, then copy back the contents of the C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts folder from your copy made earlier. Check each of the .tib.tis files in the folder by opening each in turn in notepad and delete any that do not show the name of your backup tasks, so that you are left with just the files for your tasks to be brought into the fresh ATI install.
Check that ATI will still open correctly and if so, then you can either then run each of your tasks or run a validation for each task, so as to start rebuilding history / activity history; or else you can consider whether to try copying back the Database folder contents from your copy made earlier.
If you want to do the latter, you will need to stop all Acronis Services followed by ending all Acronis processes before doing so.
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Thanks Steve.
I did everything up until your "If it all looks good..." paragraph, and it loaded fine. I just tweaked the settings to match what I had before and we are up and running.
Thanks again... -bg
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Good to hear Bill, glad the suggestions helped - thanks for the feedback.
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Well my version 2019 also hangs > 10 mins at applying user settings. When I uninstalled then reinstalled 2019 as instructed it will no longer access my backup and still takes 10 mins to load. I think this software has serious bugs which need to be addressed. Didn't have problems with version 2018.
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Richard, welcome to these public User Forums.
I can only recommend that you open a Support ticket direct with Acronis and let them investigate this further for you.
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Huh. Just had this happen to me with TI2018 (have not install 2019 yet) after I attempted to add a new excluded folder. Happily since I had JUST done a full disk image a few weeks before I was able to diff the settings and discover what apparently is causing this to break in the C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts ".TIB.TIS" file.
In my particular case this was being caused by an extra comma in the execution_count value in the common_options section of the xml file. Instead of being execution_count="1258" this was written to the file as execution_count="1,258". So it looks like the xml parser is barfing on this and passing a cryptic error up the food chain.
Editing this file with text editor to remove the comma and saving it again allowed True Image to fully start up. Hopefully the non-disk backup will work with my new exclusions.
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Todd, welcome to these public User Forums.
Thank you for sharing your findings for this issue which sounds like a bug if this is reproducible and a mystery as to why a comma should be introduced when not needed?
Please use the Feedback tool in the ATI GUI to pass this back to Acronis along with a link to this forum topic as this is something that should be investigated further!
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Just a "me too" post and big thank you to Todd. I just had the same issue happen (the bug in my case affecting True Image 2016 and also after upgrading to 2019). I resolved it by removing the comma from the value for execution_count in the .tis script.
I had done a repair install with the latest 2016 installer before upgrading to 2019, but hadn't tried a repair install with the 2019 installer, fwiw.
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Todd Wilson wrote:In my particular case this was being caused by an extra comma in the execution_count value in the common_options section of the xml file. Instead of being execution_count="1258" this was written to the file as execution_count="1,258". So it looks like the xml parser is barfing on this and passing a cryptic error up the food chain.
Todd, thank you for taking the time to share this information here! We've passed it to the RnD and they confirmed this should be fixed (a corresponding task created, the internal ID for ref TI-168993)
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I've been an Acronis customer for well over a decade and I LOVE True Image, always, EXCEPT for every year or two (right around this time for some reason...) for a day or two when out of the blue -- in the wake of ZERO system changes -- I suddenly cannot successfully load the program any more. This year, at least, that has taken the form of the program getting to "applying user settings" and just hanging eternally. I have never written about this before because I have always -- after DAYS of frustration -- been able to ultimately "solve" my issue by buying the update I had been resisting, which I really didn't otherwise need. But at least FInally buying the upgrade has always gotten me back "in," so... maddening, eyebrow-raising, but whatever.
This year, beFORE resorting to upgrading to True Image 2020 (from 2019), I did everything mentioned in this thread. After the repair failed to change anything, I did the complete reinstall (after uninstalling and using the clean up tool), but then upon trying to open the program it STILL hung on "applying user settings." So yet again I resentfully cried uncle and sprang for the update (to 2020) which I otherwise do not require. But this year, for the first time, EVEN THAT is not helping! (NOTE: after it didn't help in the first place, I AGAIN did the full uninstall, followed by using the clean up tool, followed by reboot, followed by fresh install of True Image 2020.) Now True Image 2020 is hanging at "applying user settings," just as True Image 2019 started doing last week out of the blue.
I also investigated the comma issue mentioned by Todd above, but my C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts directory is currently empty, so there is no file in there to edit. My system is Windows 7 64 pro, btw. and as of right now I still have no access to the program or my backups, and I'm not sure what to try next. (as I say, I have reached this "nothing works" stage in years gone by, but then purchasing the most recent update always got me back in business; not this time. ;>{ )
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Geoffrey, sorry to read of the issues here with both ATI 2019 and 2020 - can I assume that you are now trying to get ATI 2020 to work correctly rather than ATI 2019?
If so, then I would suggest using the 'Create New Topic' option from the ATI 2020 Forum and taking this issue to that forum.
There have been some other users hitting some similar problems with the latest ATI 2020 build 22510 version, where reverting back to the prior build 21400 looks to give a temporary solution.
I would recommend that you open a Support ticket with Acronis to get the issue investigated in greater depth.
See the following recent topics in the ATI 2020 forum:
Topic: Acronis True Image Home 2020 update hangs
Topic: Acronis True Image 2020 installation hangs / Application crashes
Topic: Crash and not starting after update 2 (22510)
Topic: 22510 install fail?
Note: I personally have not had any issue with upgrading to the 22510 build which installed fine first time.
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thank you, Steve. I actually JUST got in, right now, after doing a complete HD recovery (from acronis boot medium) and then installing TI2020 over my TI2019 installation, and THEN executing "repair" twice after that; so hopefully I am now "good" again until... a few months after the next upgrade? 8>0 at this point, here's hoping!
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I have this too. Plumped for an un-needed upgrade ATI 2020-ATI2021 in the hope it would be fixed. It isn't.
I cant wait - I've left it for over an hour before - it just sits at "Applying User Settings".
I think its something to do with a disconnected network drive that is my target for backups... When the target drive is absent (the server is off) - Acronis just sits forever. When its on - it will eventually start, although it still takes perhaps 5 minutes or so. Both scenarios are unacceptable .Please fix - or at least provide better user feedback, so we can see its 'busy' - rather than hanging and killing the process...
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Hello Steven,
sorry to know about the issue! Checked our internal system for known issues in the product causing similar symptoms - on the latest build we don't have documented and reproduced tickets. I'd suggest re-installing the product and if the issue persists raising a support ticket for investigation.
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