True Image 2016: Windows 8.1 HD crashed: Unable to restore backup on new drive using Acronis Rescue Media Builder
Facts:
1. HP Pavillion 500 (2017), Win 8.1, 2TB Seagate Barracuda Drive
2. Second desktop running chkdsk for the last 18 hours confirming the Seagate is 'unreadable'
3. Have a full backup and 3 increments from 11/27 for Pavillion
4. Installed new 1TB SSD and Windows 10 on Pavillion
5. Have booted from usb and dvd versions Acronis Rescue Media Builder (ARMB) several times but the backup disk (Seagate Backup Plus 5TB) is not 'seen' (listed) as a disk or files/folder source, even when I browse for it.
6. ARMB does see the backup disk if I try to 'add a drive' but I am reluctant to do that as it indicates current data will be lost
7. Have downloaded and successfully activated True Image 2016
I really have no idea where to go from here. Would love to just recovery the entire drive to a new 2TB SSD and worry about the Windows 8.1 later, but this doesn't seem to be an option if ARMB doesn't even recognize the backup disk. Would welcome any suggestions.
Respectfully, Dan
Hi Jose. I have read both sets of instructions - seriously, this is beyond my skill level. Is there tech I can speak with who can walk me through this? I get the need for additional drivers, but terms like AIK for Windows, modifying PE images, etc... there has got to be an easier way or clearer directions. Dan
For instance, even just trying to make the Acronis Universal Restore Media, it asks which drivers you want to add and where. I have found the driver for windows, but there are no obvious ones for Mass Storage or USB storage. Suggestions other than you initial would be greatly appreciated. Dan
Dan, the most likely reason why your backup disk (Seagate Backup Plus 5TB) is not 'seen' (listed) as a disk or files/folder source is because you are booting from the Acronis rescue media in Legacy / MBR mode which has a limitation of max 2TB disk size. If so, then there are no device drivers that can resolve this because it is a BIOS limitation.
If your BIOS supports UEFI then there is no such size limitation and the Acronis rescue media can use that UEFI boot mode.
See KB 56610: Acronis True Image 2016: Creating Bootable Media - for details of the options for creating WinPE media.
I would suggest just trying to create the WinPE rescue media without trying to add in any new device drivers, especially not for an external storage drive, then try to boot the computer in UEFI BIOS boot mode.
Note: you can try using the MVP Custom PE Builder tool script which has an option to create media using files from the Windows Recovery environment (WinRE) instead of needing to download & install the Microsoft ADK & PE Kits needed otherwise. You can download it here http://www.mechrest.com/plugins/MVP_ATIPEBuilder/Advanced/MVP_ATIPEBuilder_v190.zip
Steve, Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. I am not the most computer proficient..
"I would suggest just trying to create the WinPE rescue media without trying to add in any new device drivers, especially not for an external storage drive, then try to boot the computer in UEFI BIOS boot mode."
What do I do if I am successful and boot , "in UEFI BIOS boot mode"? Will it somehow know how to Restore the drive and or files using Acronis?
Dan, see KB 57982: Acronis True Image 2016: Restoring to a Drive with a Single Partition which will help guide you. All disk recovery is a manual process but it is reasonably self explanatory. The key when restoring a full disk backup image is to just select the top 'Disk' option when shown that panel - this will automatically select the further options below that level and not require you to specify individual partition sizes and locations.
Good Morning, Steve. Just wanted to respond to avoid this thread being closed due to inactivity. Thank you for the reply above. I have not had a chance to try the bootable usb procedure you recommended but will endeavour to do so by the end of the week. I anticipate having several more questions that and hope I can ping you accordingly - I recognize your name from other successfully resolved postings. I appreciate that. Dan
Hi Steve.
1. My BIOS are UEFI - I was not trying to boot in Legacy Mode. The link you provided was useful in determining that - thank you.
2. I had not seen the additional link you provide for MVP Custom PE Builder until this morning. That was brilliant. Acronis should purchase this software from the developer in my opinion - this was a game changer as I am quite certain I would not have figured out how to make the correct Bootable Media. Thank you for providing it.
3. The restore process is underway, but it is fantastically slow. Is that to be expected? The original disk was a 2TB with 1.5TB filled. It is reading from a USB backup, but restoring to a new SSD. Seems odd the speed. It has been an hour and only progressed 1/12th of the progress bar. At this rate, this will take ~12hrs. Is that normal?
4. Finally, I selected Disk Restore as you suggested and selected the most recent full image backup. There were 3 incremental backups after that. Will the restore process draw from those three to select the most up-to-date version of what it is restoring? Seems reasonable to assume.
Thank you, Steve. I look forward to hearing from you.
Dan, the restore can seem slow but will often move along reasonably depending on the volume of data and the speed of the USB port and drive being used. A little like watching paint dry or grass grow, it is best to walk away for a while and just check occasionally rather than sitting in front of the computer!
When doing the restore, the key is to pick the most recent 'Restore point' which is shown as the Date / Time for when the most recent incremental backup was created (shown in a Calendar format with available options highlighted), and Acronis will walk backwards to ensure all the required data is restored.
Thank you, Steve.
Yes - good analogy - not even half way through.
So given I selected a full version and not the most recent incremental version (separated by ~11 days), once I am up and running (assuming this works) is there another, faster option, to restore those file versions contained in the three incrementals following the full I am currently restoring, preferably without going through this process all over again?
Dan, if you have only restored the contents of the Full backup image, then trying to restore from the latest of the incrementals will start off by wiping the drive then starting over again!
You could do restores of individual folders / files from the latest incremental image assuming that there are no major OS or application changes captured since the Full was created.
Note: it is best to not try to restore files / folders from the User \ AppData folder path as those are often locked by the OS when Windows is running.
Then other than manually copying changed files, there is no way other than the same procedure again. This is ridiculous. I am curious, how would I have know which back up to choose - the last incremental or the last full backup? Unless I missed it, there were no directions as to which one to chose - just a 'source' listing the backup disk with the various backups.
Should I just the current back up and restart? I am dumbfounded that the Acronis software doesn't better anticipate this scenerios? I used to use Retrospect 25 years back on a Mac and it worked flawlessly. Stunned how difficult this is with Acronis.
Dan, I agree that this process can be frustrating but that is the design that Acronis have used. An incremental backup contains only the changes identified / captured since the previous backup (Full or Incremental) was created, so on its own it is of no value without the preceding images.
You are using an older version of the application where the above was the design. Acronis have changed this with the 2020 and later versions when they introduced .TIBX files where all incrementals are automatically consolidated into a single file along with the initial Full backup for the version chain. Of course, this change is not welcomed by all users either, especially those wanting to have separate files for incrementals to allow copying them to other storage locations!
With older versions, then it is best to select the most recent incremental image to restore from which then allows Acronis to walk back through the chain to complete the recovery.
If your restore hasn't been running too long, then it may be simplest to cancel it and restart by selecting the most recent file.
Thank you, Steve. I appreciate the explanation. I did cancel the restore and also moved the backup drive to a USB 3 which is making a notable difference. I tried restoring the disk using the all three incrementals, starting with the most recent. All three asked for Version 2. Given the nonsensical file naming Acronis used in 2016, there was no way to determine version 2, other than look for V2, of which there were none. I would browse and click on a proceeding file to no avail, including the full. I eventually canceled the process again and chose to go back to using the full version.
With all this said, you are telling me there is no easy way to use the program, once up and running, to restore updated files? This just doesn't make sense to me. I doubt I did anything involving the OS between the full and most recent increment, just data manipulations. Otherwise, how does this program even work? I just find it incredulous that I would have to install the entire disk just to get all the files changed in the last incremental? What am I missing here?
I know you didn't write this program, Steve and I am grateful for your assistance and the other contacts directly from Acronis have been useless.
Dan
Dan, if the restore is failing because it is looking for version 2 or similar, then there is the possibility that the version chain has become corrupt? This can happen if files are moved or changed / renamed etc.
The naming convention used by older versions like 2016 is [backup_name]_full_b1_s1_v1.tib for the initial file, then [backup_name]_inc_b1_s2_v1.tib for the first incremental, then b1_s3_v1, b1_s4_v1 etc. There cannot be any missing files in this sequence else the chain is broken at that point, i.e. if s2 is missing, then s3 is of no value.
You can perform a Validation for the version chain to check whether there are any corrupt files but this may also give the same missing version X error if it cannot identify the correct files for the version chain.
It is possible to restore folders and files from your incremental backup images provided that the chain is intact with no missing version issues.
See KB 59115: Acronis True Image 2017: How to Restore Files (Windows) - covers both methods of recovering files using the ATI GUI and lower down, covers using Explorer. Note: there is no equivalent document covering ATI 2016 but there are no real differences between the two versions!
Thank you, Steve. Following is the detailed file list from my backup drive:
Well... so much for that idea - I can't figure out how to paste an image into this form. But the numbering is sequential with no break
Entire PC (Dans_HP)_full_b464_s1_v1.tib
Entire PC (Dans_HP)_inc_b46_s2_v1.tib
Entire PC (Dans_HP)_inc_b46_s2_v1-2.tib
Entire PC (Dans_HP)_inc_b46_s3_v1.tib
Does this look correct?
I'll read the article you reference - thanks. Still have 3 hours for the restore.
Dan, is there a typo in the first _full_b464_ file versus the inc_b46_ files as they do not match?
The presence of a _v1-2.tib file indicates a failed backup previously resulting in it being retried.
See the ATI 2016 User Guide section on Backup file naming
Backup file naming
A backup file name has the following attributes:
- Backup name.
- Backup method (full, inc, diff: full, incremental, differential).
- Number of backup chain (in the form of b#).
- Number of backup version (in the form of s#).
- Number of volume (in the form of v#).
For example this attribute changes when you split a backup into several files. Refer to Backup splitting for details.
Thus a backup name may look the following way:
- my_documents_full_b1_s1_v1.tib
- my_documents_full_b2_s1_v1.tib
- my_documents_inc_b2_s2_v1.tib
- my_documents_inc_b2_s3_v1.tib
If you are creating a new backup, and there is already a file with the same name, the program does not delete the old file, but adds to the new file the "-number" suffix, for example, my_documents_inc_b2_s2_v1-2.tib.
Yes, typo- sorry. They are all b46
make sense about the v1-2 being retired.
Will see what tomorrow am looks like once initial recovery is done. Thank you, Steve.
How do you benefit from this process? Is there anything I can do to facilitate that. There is no chance I would have made it this far without your direction - mean this truly.
dan
Dan, hopefully this morning will bring good news for the recovery!
I benefit simply from the satisfaction of being able to help others like yourself plus it keeps the 'little grey cells' active! There is no need for anything further!
Are you in the UK given your hours seem to be very similar to my own?
Hi Steve,
Doesn't look like my earlier response went through. US - just like early hours.
Restore didn't take - SSD target became unallocated. Reformated and restarted restore, which reformats it yet again. Have 2 hours to go, again. Tried again with the incremental and it appears corrupted, so restoring using full. How do I insert screen shots from my iphone into this thread, Steve, so I can show you what errors I am getting? Would make things easier.
Dan, sorry to hear that the restore failed to complete successfully!
To insert images into the text of your topic, first click on the Imce File Manager icon.
Next, click on the Upload option in the new window that is opened.
Click on the + Add file button.
Select the file(s) to be uploaded, then click on Open.
The uploaded file(s) will be shown uploading then listed in the right panel.
Select the file to be inserted then click on the Select button to place it into the topic post.
Thank you, Steve. How do I get the screen shots I am taking into that user folder, then? I am on a Chromebook and the images I want to send you are in my downloads folder? I can see the file if I try Add a new file but when I select the image I get an error saying, "The file could not be uploaded".
Looks like the restore disk failed again - the process ends without any denoted error, restart and the disk restored to is unbootable and unallocated. I assume that backup is corrupted. I believe I have a previous full backup and will try that. With that said, is one able to fix a corrupted backup? Does the process I am describing sound like a corrupted backup? Thank you - Dan
Dan, with uploading / embedding images, there is a file size limit that may be coming into play here - files need to be less than 3MB in size.
For the restore - then while booted in the rescue environment, click on Logs in the left side and look at the log shown in the right panel - you can save the log by right-clicking on the top line and using the Save As option to save it to your USB media.
It would be unusual for a full backup to be corrupt but if it is then there are no tools provided by Acronis that can resolve that other than trying an earlier backup if you have one.
Steve,
I have proceeded with the earlier backup, and it is moving along without any errors at all. I am much more hopeful. This will go through. I’ll let you know the results in 2 to 3 hours.
Thanks again for your assistance. Dan.
Good Morning, Steve. Success! The earlier backup worked and the system booted up perfectly. Thank you for all your assistance. I suspect the first (most recent) full version was the issue, or I guess one of the incrementals. Would it make sense to see if I can restore the files from the three most recent incrementals? I believe Acronis has a way I can validate those backups first though, right? Would that make sense? Dan
Dan, glad to read of success here!
I would suggest taking the following approach:
Get the working system fully updated with all missing Windows fixes and any program updates!
Make a new backup of the working, updated system.
Then have a try at recovering any important files from the problem backup - I would suggest restoring them to a different location initially or to a spare drive if available, then you can check they are good before overwriting any older versions of the same.
You can run Validation against the backups from within the Acronis GUI if the task that created the files is shown there, or else from with Explorer by right-clicking on the latest file to show the Acronis menu.
Good Morning and thank you, Steve.
For the last several weeks prior to the crash, I had two back up routines running, problematically: 1. my HD to a external USB drive1; 2. a NAS to a different external USB drive2. Both USB drives connected to my desktop. Both routines started running much slower. When I tried executing the NAS routine, it went from an estimated 1.5hr to 22hr until I jus canceled it. The drives themselves seem fine and I checked the NAS backup drive2 via the properties management check disk. Both drives are going through my desktop (USB3). The successful restore process initially said 3 hours, but took ~8hr. And, the desktop will not start up if either external drive 1/2 is connected to it - I have to plug them in after it has started. Any thoughts/suggestions on how to test/evaluate this? Dan
the desktop will not start up if either external drive 1/2 is connected to it - I have to plug them in after it has started.
The above sounds as if your BIOS settings are to try to boot from the external USB drive ahead of Windows.
In terms of the two problematic backup tasks, then I would suggest investigating these one at a time starting with the local HD backup.
The logs for the backup should be the normal starting place to look for any issues.
Note: because you are using ATI 2016 you will need to use the older log viewer tool that is found via the entry for MVP User Tools and Tutorials shown in the Forum pages under Useful Links. This is because log formats changed in later versions and a new tool had to be created to handle them.
It is also worth checking your source HDD and external USB drives for any errors using CHKDSK /F or diagnostic tools provided by the drive maker.
Thank you, Steve. Will act on both suggestions you made and let you know. Dan