Acronis True Image Bootable Disk Cannot Detect External Hard Drive
Well, I have to say that I'm disappointed with the software so far. My computer was recently ruined by a piece of malware, and I wanted to use Acronis for the first time to rescue my Windows XP machine. I had created a backup last month, and I wanted to use that in order to make the restoration. So, when I first started the True Image bootable disk, I picked the mode which loaded USB drivers, and consequently, I couldn't use my mouse and keyboard. After looking around a bit, I found that I had to disable the USB functionality in the BIOS. It would have been nice if the bootable GUI had told me that, but I let that pass. Then, after disabling the USB functionality in the BIOS and restarting the machine, I was able to navigate the True Image Recovery application, but it could not find the external hard drive connected via USB (which had all of my backup files). However, it could detect another computer in my apartment via the wireless router (wireless, but not USB?), and since I have no other options, I'm now resigned to creating a share on the other computer and funneling the backup data via a router. Who knows if this will actually work...it might even take days. I tried for some online help, but apparently, I could reach nobody on a weekend. For disaster recovery, that's not especially encouraging.
I cannot describe the disappointment that I have now. When is disaster recovery software supposed to be a disaster? Since I'm a programmer (and have dealt with various low-level I/O issues), I know that these things can have some complexity. However, I'm asking for the simplest of things here. A disaster-recovery software that cannot detect the presence of external hard drives? I would like help to address this issue so that I'm not so helpless in the future. Otherwise, I'll just have to find another recovery solution and expound from the nearest mountaintops about how this software should be avoided at all costs.
Aaron,
The latest Acronis Rescue ISO may well solve your problem as suggested by Pat.
As your external drive is connected via USB disabling the function would hide the drive from the Acronis environment.
I am 100% against attempting a recovery via a wireless router. There is no guarantee that such a method would work and it would be very slow. More importantly the first stage of a recovery is to delete the target partitions so any failure could leave you in a worse position, though from what you say there may be nothing on the old HDD that you wish to keep.
If the Latest ISO does not solve the problem I suggest that you go back to your original configuration and use a wired PS2 mouse to engage with the TI recovery CD.
An alternative would be to connect the external backup drive as another internal HDD.
Aaron,
From much experience with these things and TrueImage, If your mouse and keyboard are wireless, best would be to just connect wired KB+mouse and not disable USB controler in the BIOS/CMOS .
USB should work and your Mouse and KB too.
If this is not about KB+Mouse being wireless (Normal USB wireless should work, but may be you have a BlueTooth set ??? ).
BlueTooth is normally the problem, not the USB. TI doesn't support BT when initiated from bootable media.
So before you go trying to recover from network (or worse - wireless network), if it is a wireless - BT mouse and keyboard set, try enabling USB in the BIOS setup and use wired USB or PS/2 mouse and keyboard.
I do understand that after disabling USB in the BIOS your set did work, but if it is wireless my experience taught me these are besides being neat and flashy, great troublemakers when things go wrong and you don't have your normal O/S at it's full capability.
Just a suggestion before diving too deep in the ocean of non wired recovery :-)