Boot from True Image 11 Home cd, tried to verify tib, hung at 9 minutes

Does it always fail at exactly the same point?

Does the backup still validate successfully using TI in Windows?

You could try using the quiet acpi=off noapic Linux parameters when booting the CD and see if it makes a difference. It helps on some systems.

MudCrab wrote:

Does it always fail at exactly the same point?

Does the backup still validate successfully using TI in Windows?

You could try using the quiet acpi=off noapic Linux parameters when booting the CD and see if it makes a difference. It helps on some systems.

MudCrab wrote:

Does it always fail at exactly the same point?

Does the backup still validate successfully using TI in Windows?

You could try using the quiet acpi=off noapic Linux parameters when booting the CD and see if it makes a difference. It helps on some systems.

Helloooo MudCrab!!

I remember you from a long time ago.

Yes, it stops after about three bars on the progress chart. It's happened twice. I don't see any opportunity to enter the code you mentioned. It just boots straight into the Acronis screens with the factory CD. I haven't been able to run the test you mentioned since I didn't get an email for the response. I'll have to check back in a day or so. And I'll have to check my spam filter. Thanks for your help.

Press F11 when the Acronis menu is displayed when you boot the TI CD. You should get a box to enter the parameters.

Mudcrab.

Darn it, no luck.

Just FYI, my computer’s hard drive is separated into 5 partitions. C has my OS, D my programs other than those who demand to be placed on C. I have the image files on data partition G and also a 1TB USB exterior hard drive labeled L. I have used True Image 11 to make an image file for both C and C. I had hoped to copy both image files onto the removable drive L, for a backup…backup.

I have verified both imaged files on G again. They both work from the computer. I have also tried to verify both image files again from the boot-up disk and I have added the code you supplied to both and attempted to verify from the boot-up disk with no success.

On a whim, I tried to verify the D image file with the USB L drive unplugged and no code added. That didn’t work either.

Some extra notes: C hangs at nine seconds. D hangs at five seconds. You can’t turn the program off by clicking on “Cancel”. You can’t turn the program off by clicking the X box at the upper right hand corner of the Progress screen. If I wait long enough, after clicking the “Cancel” button, the computer turns immediately off without the power button being held in for 3+ seconds.

sigh

Do you have a small partition? If so, I was wondering if even a small backup image would hang after several seconds or if it would finish.

If you copy a backup to the USB drive does TI hang when you try validating from there?

MudCrab wrote:

Do you have a small partition? If so, I was wondering if even a small backup image would hang after several seconds or if it would finish.

If you copy a backup to the USB drive does TI hang when you try validating from there?

MudCrab wrote:

Do you have a small partition? If so, I was wondering if even a small backup image would hang after several seconds or if it would finish.

If you copy a backup to the USB drive does TI hang when you try validating from there?

Sorry, but I don't have a significantly smaller partition. However, curiously, when I copied the C image to the USB removable drive, True Image Home Full Version worked like downtown. That could be a workaround, although something is broken.

BTW, thank you so much for your effort. I hope we can fix this.

James Seymour

MudCrab

Do you think that if I re-installed the program it would work correctly?

What about the fact that the program is not the current update?

I noticed that when I tried to put that code in, the word "quiet" was already there. Is that normal?

Reinstalling TI won't change how TI works when using the TI CD.

If you're not using the latest build you could try updating to it. Create a new TI CD with the latest build (you can download the ISO from your Acronis account).

It's normal for quiet to already be in the box (it's the default).

MudCrab...

From this page:

http://www.acronis.com/support/updates/

I get this link:

Acronis True Image Home 2011(Build #6942, English, 162.1 MB)

Which actually downloads a trial version of True Image Home 12 ??

Furthermore, the most recent build is supposed to be 6868.

Perhaps I'm confused in terms, I have Version 11. Is that the same as 2011?

TI 11 is a much older version (ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Build 8,101 is the latest build for the US English version of TI 11.

MudCrab wrote:

TI 11 is a much older version (ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Build 8,101 is the latest build for the US English version of TI 11.

Well then, I'm really puzzled by this. I can't think of anything I've done to stop the program from working. One thing that I have thought of is that I used Acronis Disk Director 11 to re-allocate space on my hard drive. But other than that, I haven't a clue. I looked at Disk Director to see if I could make a bootable disk with it, and I can, but it's the same version as my True Image 11, namely 8,101. Do you think that is worth a try?

Some other ideas. I have True Image 8 and 9 and their factory disks. I don't think I ever registered 8, and 9 is for a now defunct laptop. What do you think?

MudCrab wrote:

TI 11 is a much older version (ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Build 8,101 is the latest build for the US English version of TI 11.

So, uhh, did you give up or something?

Have you tried the Safe Mode version of TI 11? It doesn't use Linux and may not run into the problem the Full version is having.

TI 8 and 9 wouldn't be able to read the TI 11 images.

DD's Media Builder will use the same files for TI as TI's Media Builder.

MudCrab wrote:

Have you tried the Safe Mode version of TI 11? It doesn't use Linux and may not run into the problem the Full version is having.

TI 8 and 9 wouldn't be able to read the TI 11 images.

DD's Media Builder will use the same files for TI as TI's Media Builder.

Oh thanks for responding. II though you'd disappeared...

No, I haven't tried anything except the things I've mentioned here, since that could contaminate our communication. By the way, the C partition is about 15.3 G if that makes any difference. D is about 6.6 G. You mentioned the idea of trying on a smaller partition. Is there an upper limit on the partition size? I probably should know if there is. Some hard disks today are hundreds of Gigs.

I will try running in Safe mode today if I have the time and reply. But what I was wondering is that the other versions could work with their own image files. I'm aware that they won't read the TI11 image file. I remember that I had to register the programs. But I don't remember if the program is registered to a particular computer or not. If I were to try to use True Image 9, would it work if it was registered to another computer?

And finally, are we working towards a solution, or just "trying things"? Since there are these extra codes involved, are there others I should know or try. I have the feeling that our efforts are only attempts and getting around some fundamental unknown that will never be solved unless we just stumble upon some "solution."

Depends what you call a solution. The old versions of TI have not been officially supported many years. There won't be any bug fixes or program updates. If you want official Acronis support you would need to be using the current version. Please keep in mind that I am just another user offering my time to help people on the forum. I don't work for Acronis.

You could certainly try the older versions and see if either of them work. Those versions of TI are not registered to any specific computer so there's no problem there. You just need to enter the key. I would recommend uninstalling TI 11 before installing an older version.

The Linux parameters in post #1 are the most common to try. There are others. The current TI manual lists them (I don't think they were listed in the TI 11 manual). You could download it and try some different combinations.

Regarding the small partition, it could be quite small (like 8MB to 100MB or so). I was just wondering if TI would still fail to validate an image that it should be able to in the few seconds before it locks up on the other images. If it validates successfully then it's probably starting to read the much larger backup files. However, if it has the same problem on a small partition then it's probably not even starting to read it.

Can you successfully create a new backup when booted to the TI CD and save it to the G: partition? If so, does that backup validate successfully or does TI lock up? If this works, it might indicate something being corrupted durring the creation of the backup in Windows.

You said you've used TI for years. Have you used TI 11 for years on this computer system as currently configured? If so, have you previously (hopefully, more that once) booted to the TI CD and successfully validated your current backup image of the time? The reason I ask is that the program on the CD wouldn't change unless you updated to a new build and created a new CD (and build 8,101 has been out for a long time). It's not going to change and suddenly not work. Something had to change on the system. Have any BIOS settings been changed? Has any hardware changed (including new external USB devices)? Linux uses RAM differently than Windows. Have you run MEMTEST overnight on the computer to check for any RAM errors?

If you've never booted to the TI CD and tried to validate a backup before then it's possible that it never worked properly on the system. Some versions of Linux just don't work (or don't work well) on some systems.

MudCrab, I have to apologize. I was confused. There is a little paper in the box for TI 11 that says I am entitled to email support. There is no time limit given. I thought that was you! Terribly sorry. Again, I appreciate how you help people. Now that I know it is in the spirit of the Free Internet, I will be more appreciative.

I don’t have the time right now to do all the things you described. There are lots of things I can attempt, such as putting the image on another partition or on the USB external drive, or buying another version of True Image. The only thing I have to know is whether or not the image is going to work, and it has to work exactly right every time. I think it was you who told me that the best you can do is to verify the image by booting into the computer with the disk. Even if the image verifies, there is a small possibility that the image won’t copy back once one tries that. So that seems to be an included risk, and I’m not sure what to do with that.

Later.

If you have a spare drive around you could install it and actually do some real test restores. It helps a lot with getting comfortable with the procedure and also helps with knowing for sure if the procedure will work properly on your system. It is a little work, but it's well worth it and can save a lot of misery.

The Safe Mode version is probably the easiest to try. Just download it from your Acronis account, install it, and create a new TI CD that includes it.

To further reduce any risk, I would suggest keeping backups created using several programs and keeping at least one set of images off-site. This gives you the option of having multiple restore systems in place -- if one fails you can try another one.

MudCrab, I took another hit at this backup problem today. I booted up with the Acronis CD and used "safe mode" this time. I was able to verify the same image that wouldn't verify using the usual method.

So, now there are other questions. For one thing, the Safe mode has no provision for the use of a mouse, and I never could figure out how to use the up/down key or the tab key to get out of the program. You may have some comments here?

But besides that, since I had to use Safe Mode, does that imply a solution to using the regular method? You asked if it had worked before with my current configuration, and although I can't be rock solid certain, I think that the answer is "Yes".

My thinking at the moment is to revert to former versions and see which one works.

Thanks so much for your participation.

The Safe Mode is DOS-based and uses the BIOS to access the drives. Mouse support can be problematic, especially on newer systems (it usually either works or doesn't). You can check if USB Legacy Support is enabled in the BIOS (this can help with mouse support).

It only points to problems with the Linux-based Full version of TI. If it worked before then the problem now could be caused by a newer build being used (the Linux kernel changes with the builds), different/missing Linux drivers, system changes (like changing BIOS options, controller mode), different external devices connected, etc.

You could certainly try previous builds and see if one still works.

MudCrab, I'm a bit nervous about all this. Apparently, there are so many different things one can change to stop True Image from working that the program is useless. But that isn't my experience. This is the first and only time I can say that I've really had trouble with the program. I checked the bios (A07), and the USB Controller is ON, the PS/2 Legacy Mouse is ON and I just don’t know anything I changed other than to run the USB 1Terra external drive (almost full) all the time. What if I added some more RAM? Gosh! Just fooling around while I was in the BIOS, I changed the color of the light on the front of the box! LOL. But seriously folks, my main reason for all this is that I plan on updating XP with about three years of updates, so if anything can scramble my computer, that would do it. I've always been able to get rid of viruses etc. But Windows updates have completely broken my computer twice.

At the moment, I’m thinking about dropping back to an older version, so I was wondering if TI9 would open a TI8 file? I don’t know if the programs are backwards compatible or not. Do you?

Secondly, does add/remove programs do a sufficiently good job of erasing the newer version? Or is there some sort of tool needed for 100% removal?

I usually try to keep my questions fairly objective for others to read, but this time, it seems that it’s all about me. Thank you for answering anyway.

All versions of True Image bootable media should be able to restore a previous version (or versions) .tib files. You could also request a free trial of 2013 and register the serial number in your Acronis account and then download the 2013 Trial Bootable Media ISO and burn it to a disk. You could use it restore/validate your existing backup files. You do not need to install the 2013 trial. http://www.acronis.com/products/tryorbuy.html

James F

Thanks heaps for chipping in. I'm kind of stuck on this step.

"...download the 2013 Trial Bootable Media ISO and burn it to a disk."

I tried to do this with another version and I must be doing something wrong, because the disk didn't boot at all. I used Nero Burning Rom and burned a CD as an image file, but the computer didn't boot off it. I opened the file on the CD and also on my computer, and although there is a shiny silver CD as an Icon, inside there is a folder. All of the contents of the download are inside the folder, and I'm suspecting that the computer expected only the files as it tried to read the CD.

I'm not too sure what to do next, except buy some more CDs. LOL