Cannot image HP ProBook 450 G4 - caught in a circle of errors
NOTE: I originally posted this on the Acronis 2017 forum, but I've since updated to Acronis 2018 and am still having the same issues, so I'm re-posting it here.
I have a HP ProBook 450 G4 running Windows 10. I am trying to use Acronis 2018 to image the 1TB HDD to a 1TB SSD (Samsung Evo 850 - 2.5" variety), but I am caught in a circle of errors preventing me from cloning or restoring from a full backup.
The default configuration for my ProBook is HP's secureboot. Here's a quick rundown from HP:
"Secure Boot Configuration helps a computer resist attacks and infection from malware. When your computer was manufactured, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) created a list of keys that identify trusted hardware, firmware, and operating system loader code. It also created a list of keys to identify known malware.
Secure Boot uses the keys to define and block potential threats before they can attack or infect the computer. For example, Secure Boot can prevent your computer from starting from illegally copied CDs or DVDs that could harm the computer. Secure Boot does not lock out valid recovery discs or Windows discs."
As noted in other posts on the forum, if I try booting from my rescue media (disk) without disabling secureboot, Acronis will not boot. Instead, it will get stuck and I'll see a message: "Video mode setup error: Error 0x1480006: Invalid frame buffer parameters." The proffered solution for this problem was to disable secureboot and enable legacy support, then boot from the Acronis disk. This works as far as successfully booting from the disk into Acronis, but if I then try to clone the HDD or restore from a full backup onto the SSD, I get a warning message saying after the operation is complete the system will not boot from the destination disk. According to other posts on the forum, I'm getting this message because I've booted in Legacy mode and the rescue media needs to boot in the same mode the operating system uses to boot. Of course, the only way I can successfully boot from the disk into Acronis is to disable secureboot and enable legacy support - otherwise I get the "video mode" error referenced above. If I (A) leave secureboot enabled or (B) disable both secureboot and legacy support, then I'm stuck at the video mode error. If I boot in legacy mode (secureboot disabled), then I get the warning message about not being bootable from the destination disk.
I have seen it suggested to create a Windows PE version of the rescue media and boot from that instead of the Acronis disk, but I don't have any luck with that either. After downloading and installing Windows 10 ADK and trying to create the rescue media, I get an error message saying "The device is busy. (0x40010) $module = "ti-media_builder_vs_8058"..." After clicking "retry" and not getting anywhere, I select the link for more information and I'm simply told "there is no information about this error available now."
Any help would be appreciated..
Just wanted to update this post for anyone who might be experiencing the same issue. By creating and using a linux-based recovery media (usb drive), I was able to get my computer to boot into Acronis without altering or disabling secureboot. Based on the research I had done, I then initialized the new SSD for GPT layout using the "Add a Disk" feature in Acronis, then used the "Clone a Disk" feature to clone the HDD to the new SSD. According to all the messages in Acronis, the operation completed successfully. I did have to reinstall a couple drivers (one for the touchpad and another related to audio), but I think that was related to some security updates from HP. My laptop has been working correctly (with the SSD installed) for several months now.
Thanks for the update/feedback Stephen.