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USB Crashes Computer (BSOD)

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I'm pretty upset. USB 3.0 doesn't work properly with Acronis True Image 2018 (9202)! I went to great lengths to find out what caused my Windows 10 BSOD/Crashes. Every time I plug in my USB 3.0 HDDs, it instantly crashes my computer. I've spent days trying to figure out what caused my issue. I spent 50 dollars to trash my computer! What a waste of time and money! It looks like another guy had the same issue (https://forum.acronis.com/forum/acronis-true-image-2018-forum/usb-ports…).
 
1. Clean install of Windows 10 (Version 1703) with latest hardware drivers
2. All USB devices work fine!
3. Install Acronis True Image 2018
4. All USB 3.0 drives cause instant crash! (BSOD)
 
Fast forward a few days with the latest build of Acronis 9207 and it seems to be fixed! So my problem is two fold. Now that everything works properly I want to roll back to the image I made before I reinstalled Windows. There I can uninstall Acronis and reinstall the latest version (9207) to fix my crashing. But when I boot to the restore media and start the process, it hang for hours at preparing. What gives? I did encrypt my full image backup (~375GB).
 
 
 
 
 
Computer Specs
MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon
Intel Core i7-6700k @ 4.0GHz
Evga Geforce GTX 1060
16GB ADATA RAM
Windows 10 Pro
Version 1703
OS Build 15063.540
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My full disk image restore just hangs at preparing. It never gives me any progress. 

Are you doing recovery from an internal drive or from a USB drive; if the latter it could be an issue with the USB driver in the recovery media. If it is a USB device, are you using a USB 3 or USB 3.1 port?

Ian

In reply to by truwrikodrorow…

I'm restoring an image from my external USB 3.0 drive to my internal SATA. I moved my drive to one of my USB 2.0 ports and it works! Thank you! I wasted all day thinking it was doing something. I was able to restore my computer!

So why on earth won't it recover from USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 ports? I used the rescue media builder and selected the simple option.

I guess I learned my lesson. NEVER TRUST new software, especially a brand new release! It destroyed my peace of mind. I spent 50 dollars to make sure my computer was safe, but only gave me headaches. Something like this should never happen! It makes you wonder what else is wrong? I thought Acronis would do better quality control. FOSS software does a better job. 

 

@lanL-S Thank you! 

Active Protection messes with my Windows 10 File History backup if I don't turn it off. I really don't like this new version. It's a big headache.

"So why on earth won't it recover from USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 ports? I used the rescue media builder and selected the simple option."

Not sure what is going on here. It could be that when creating the recovery media that it incorrectly identified the USB 3/3.1 but I would have thought all common USB 3.0/3.1 would have been recognised, in particular those of Intel and AMD.

As far as I am aware there was no issue with USB 3/3.1 ports during beta testing. They made a number of changes between the last beta and the release version.

I have not seen prior reports of Acronis Malware Protection interfering with file history, but again they have made a lot of changes to the code in moving from ATI 2017 NG to ATI 2018. I suggest you lodge a support request for both these issues.

Ian

@lanL-S Thank you! Yes, I did submit a ticket. I really don't like Active Protection. It feels very flaky. This is a first generation product, so I will never trust it.

 

The worst part was not being able to restore my image. Man, that was some scary stuff. Thankfully, USB 2.0 came to my rescue! Good old USB 2.0. XD

As information USB 3.0/3.1 external storage drives require a higher voltage than that of say flash drives.  This can lead to the types of failures you experienced as depending on the quality of the PC port connection.  Case mounted ports are prime suspects in being not up to task in this area.  It is best to use rear panel ports on desktops for this reason and some of the low end laptops 3.0 ports just won't supply enough voltage to properly run these drives.

The power issues is one reason why I prefer USB HDDs with their own power supply. I agree that case mounted USB ports can be problematic. I use one on the rear of my PC (directly connected to the motherboard).

Ian

In reply to by truwrikodrorow…

@enchantech I used the rear mounted ports. It's a high-end motherboard that touts extreme reliability. It's up to snuff. XD

If you believe your ports are "up to snuff" make certain you have the latest USB 3.0/3.1 drivers installed.  Additionally if you have used cables other than those supplied with the drive that can be a problem as well.  Many users buy longer bargain cables which can introduce problems with power drop and EMI.

In reply to by truwrikodrorow…

@Enchantech Yes, I took that into account as well. I always purchase high-quality cables and use what the manufacturer recommends. Yes, I also installed the latest USB drivers for my motherboard. That's why I was shocked to see my computer crash instantly when I plugged in any USB 3.0 device. I thought my hardware was going bad. Turns out Acronis 2018 build 9202 was the source. XD Man, what a trip.

I'm surprised Acronis didn't send out an email to all of us affected. It looks like I wasn't the only one. Boi they derped up bad! *angry face*

At this point, we should all like get a discount! :) 

Hi All, this issue seems to be a potentially significant one. I have sent details to the Acronis ATI product manager, Gaidar, who is currently looking into it.

There is a possibility that the problem could be related to Malware module. If memory serves me correctly had a blue screen of death with one of the early build of ATI 2017 NG - not sure if it was beta or just after the release.

On the system I am using at the moment Active Protection flagged the driver for an ancient USB 3.0 PCIe add in card as a potential problem; it uses an NEC chip. You could try whitelisting the driver for the USB 3.0/3.1 controller.

Ian

I am curious to see what happens if you (or another person) were to disable power saving on your root hub when this issue happens.  This can also be done on usb 2.0 ports.

I know this one alone, resolves a lot of USB 3.0 HDD disconnect issues in Windows.  Both with bus powered drives, and wall outlet AC powered drives.

For older versions of the driver - it is (xHCI) insted of (USB 3.0)

usb 1.JPG

Also, add this guy.

usb 2.JPG

 

In reply to by truwrikodrorow…

@Jim I wish I could test your theory, but Acronis only provides the latest downloads, not the 9202 buggy version.

You can download the older build from your Acronis account, but it is not all that obvious how to do so. Just click on the icon to the far right and it displays all builds. 

Ian

Old ATI 2018 builds.png

Indeed, latest boot-cd does not support unwired-mouse , but also does not "see" the external HDDs !!

I will use previous boot-cd , coz this supports unwired-mouse and external HDDs .

I dont know if I can make backup/restore with 2017NG-bootcd , while 2018-version is installed.............

Did you try using the WinPE or WinRE recovery build method in 2018 or Linux media?  I am a firm believer in WinPE rescue media and have only been using it with Acronis since 2016 and newer - the new build method in 2018, makes this process much easier and even allows you to add your own drivers.  If you are doing a full system restore, use the rescue media instead of starting in Windows. That will rule out any issues with Windows, 3rd party applications, Acronis protection, other anti-malware tools, etc when Windows is running.  I'm using the WinPE version of 2018 and it's working fine with all of my drives (internal, external, network) and my wireless logitech unifying device that hosts a wireless mouse and keyboard. 

PE is , indeed, the only CD which gives my wireless mouse back and "sees" my external HDDs also.

Only ; writing backup to external HDD takes about 2 hours ( !) and the booting of this PE-CD takes much more time then the standard CD ( no wireless mouse and no external HDDs also )