ATIH 2010 - No validation of backup?

From Grovers guides:

Note the examples below. You may not have pressed the Proceed button as shown in illustration 5.
The CD backup options also includes a validate option so the backup can be validated as part of the backup process.

In your quest for successful backups, why not create a new 2014 TI Recovery CD and use it to attempt a new backup and validation of your Lenova.

Click on my signaure link 9 Below and look at figure 7 within that link.
From your downloads, downlod the bootable media ISO file.

After downloading, (insert a new blank CDR)
RIGHT click on the iso file and choose the OPEN WITH option and
click the Windows Disk Image Burner (also choose the validate burn option)

After a successful CD creation, try a new full disk backup (all partitions) of the Lenova
Include the validate option during the backup.

Hello Grover,

You, as always, back to the rescue... :)

In regards to the 2010 backup validation, I think that I may have refrained from clicking on "Proceed" because I thought it would start a Recovery session, which I was far from intending to do at that time, as you know... Now I can see that it would only start a validation of the backup. Many thanks for your timely advice.

Meanwhile, I had found a way to do a backup with simultaneous validation, so I did manage to get one backup validated using the TI 2010 version. It is good to know that I can go back to the first one an have it validated too.

On the 2014 version, I will do what you recommend. My only doubt now is whether it will make any difference to get the bootable media directly from the "My Products" page of Acronis or from the Windows environment of the installed program. I'll follow your instructions and will make a new attempt at getting a backup using the rescue disc.

Thanks and best regards.

After completing the steps you recommended about the ISO file taken directly from the My Products page and burning it to a new disc, I proceeded to creating a new backup. Unfortunately, the result was precisely the same as I had had before, using the Windows environment or the rescue media I had prepared before -- at that last step in the process, with about 1 centimeter from the end, the screen gets suddenly black with a very audible dry noise, and the computer automatically reboots.

I must confess I was pretty confident, after all the success using the rescue media of three prior versions of Acronis... But my hopes were frustrated. Why would this happen only with 2014?

Amazing to me, to say the least... :((

Update... More news!... And one more surprise... :)

Coming back to let you know that I took an hint from what you had recommended about 2014. I took an ISO image of 2015, burned it to a disc and proceeded doing a FULL DISK backup with this newest version. The backup completed successfully and then a validation came out successfully too. What do you take from this?

To me, it is very surprising, because now the only version that does not allow me to do a full disk backup is TI 2014. And I can only wonder why? Even that theory, that seemed promising, about a possible connection to the Linux version, no longer seems to make much sense. What else can it be? And why are these Rescue Media backups all successful (exception made for 2014) and when we deal with the windows versions, some do it and some don't???

Oh, if only Customer Service would be more pro-active and responsive to these "Beta tests", so to speak, being performed by its users on Acronis behalf...!...

At this stage, of course, the acid test would have to be trying a restore of one of these backups to a new, similar SSD drive... But this, as far as I'm personally concerned, will have to wait for a better, later opportunity...

I would expect all recent versions to successfully perform disk backups from 2010 to 2015. The surprise is that 2014 will not.
Why not follow up with MADHU
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/56630#comment-209444
and advise him of which were successful and which were not.

From your comments, it sounds like you have been getting some restore practice.

My signature link 3 provides examples of restores to fit your situation. Item 3 inside that link would be a good first practice of restoring C over C.

I would also expect any 2010-2015 validated disk image backup to restore a Win 7 MBR system without issues.
Restoring the backup to a new disk can sometimes have issues but that can usually be worked out.

I am "assuming" that you have created a Windows Recovery CD often found under the Control Panel/Backup listings.
Also, at that same area should also be the option to create a Windows System Backup of your entire system as another protection of your data.

There's no particular reason not to follow up with Madhu. However, my own experience from past contacts and from what I read about the usefulness of such contacts in regards to specific problems is quite poor. My lasting impression is, they are usually very polite and they also seem eager to help, and that's about it... My assessment may look unfair to you, but it is my honest opinion. Madhu even promised to come to that thread and comment on the issue after receiving my System Report. He never delivered...

Yes, I am preparing for an event that I wish will never come... But it's like insurance, you MUST have it before disaster strikes... But I'm not ready yet to jump into the water under a scenario of "disaster simulation", if you see what I mean...

I do have a "System Repair Disc" prepared according to those instructions you pointed to. It's dated from last August, I wonder whether there would be any advantage in doing a new one from time to time (to get updated versions) or if that would not mean any obvious advantage.

But I DO NOT have a Windows Backup. I considered it before and sort of gave up after reading many negative comments about the reliability of the Windows Backup process. That is when I turned to other commercial backup names and tried one, but as I mentioned somewhere, the experience was short and not much pleasant. I had to fall back to old, "beloved" Acronis... But after your encouragement, it doesn't hurt, really, to have that extra protection, so I will do a Windows Backup soon.

I also read the materials you suggested and they look very clear about recovering one single partition out of a Full Backup image. There were only two instances that were not so much clear to me. They are described under figures 14 and 18. Please see links below.

In the first case, I'm not sure whether in my case I would have to leave 1 MB space "before" ONLY if the partition being restored was the first partition OR if I should always leave it there, regardless of which partition is involved, because I have an SSD drive. Just to be sure.

In the second case, it's a bit confusing to me why the C: drive shows an arrow pointing to an E: drive, suggesting (in my way of thinking) that drive C: will become drive E: if nothing else, for the same way as the second arrow shows a previous size of 174.7 GB will turn to 100.1 GB after the restore. Did I make my points clear?...

Hope you have the patience to clarify. Thanks.

UPDATING on some issues mentioned before: I just completed a Windows Backup. And I sent a message to Madhu asking for his comments about the TI 2014 behavior in comparison with all the other versions. I'll keep you posted.

Referring to picture 14, the correct place for the "free space before" is at the beginning of the disk and before partition 1.
According to your disk management image capture and your diskpart capture (post 55)
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/56630?page=1#comment-211304
your drive C Windows partitons is partition 2 so there should be NO free space before for you when restoring your Windows C partition as Win 7 C is NOT partition 1.

Referring to picture 18, two important parts of the picture is volume label (Win7-os-C) which is listed both in the top example of the partition being deleted as well as the bottom example of the partition being recovered. As both examples show the same volume name, the correct partition is being restored.

Any reference to drive letter can be ignored. The drive letters backed up and being restore were drive letters assigned by Windows.
The drive letters you see in the examples are letters put there by the Linux software so you are comparing apples to oranges.
Also recall that some of your Windows partitons have no drive letters whereas, Linux has assiged a letter identifier to all partitions, so again,
not a valid comparison. Ignore the drive letter disparity and match to volume names, partitions sizes, etc. This instruction to ignore the letters should be mentioned in the guides.

As picture relates 18 relates to you. If you were restoring a backup of C overtop the existing C, the partition size in the restored example would normally be the same size in both pictures.

Attached is another method of determing the "free space before" for your specific disk--which your Diskpart example correctly shows to have 1,024 kb offeset which is 1 mb.

The part of this example that matters to you is the "starting partition offset". Yours should match this example.

Note, you might want to optionally consider changing your volume description from "Thinkpad W530" to "Thnkpad W530_C"
as a further means of identifying which partition is lettered iin Windows as C.

My question about picture 14 was meant to clarify the fact of my drive being an SSD type of drive. The way the text below the picture is phrased raised the doubt in my mind about whether an SSD drive could require some kind of different procedure that a regular drive. Since you did not specifically addressed that, I assume it doesn't matter what drive type you're dealing with. Is this correct?

Regarding the name change of my drive C, I had initiated the process of doing it by searching for the way to do it. In the process, I read something related to a name change possibly creating future problems, as some files/folders might not be found/identified by some programs. My cautious ignorance made me stop and refrain from proceeding... What would you comment about it?

The SSD has already been initialized and in use. Any special needs would have been part of the initialization. So, all you are doing is refreshing the existing Windows partition back to as it was at backup time or a normal restore.

Anything is possible. I have not had a bad expience and the relettering has been a normal part of most MVP instructions.
As you have a specific name assigned, it is easy to recognize that name so you personally are aware that that is your Drive C partition.
Leave the name "as is" and always remember and recognize that your name is really
Thnkpad W530_C"