Problem Restoring A Disk From An Image

Hi Don, that is a very old version of True Image. Which version of windows are you using and how old is the backup you are trying to restore from? Have you ever tried to restore an image before?

You could try reinstalling Windows and your version of True Image and then try to restore what you can from any backups you have.

Thanks for your help bin!

I realize that it is an old version of True Image but it did my backups daily for years so I saw no reason to upgrade. I am running Windows XP.

The backup I want to restore is recent. I have the main one from May plus about 60 incremental backups.

It seems like I did restore an image once but it was years ago. I know I have restored files that I deleted by accident.

I am confused about which partition type to use when I restore. Should I choose Active or Primary?

The manual states that... "But if you are to restore a system partition, you should select the Primary type for it. Finally, if you want to load an operating system from it, select Active as well." That is confusing. It reads like you can choose both but I tried to select both and it was not possible.

Another question I have is... Which image do I restore first: the main image or the last incremental image. The main image makes the most sense to me but in the manual it states... "If you are to restore an image from removable media, e.g. CD, first insert the last CD first and then insert them in order starting from the one created first." I am not restoring from CDs. I am restoring from another internal hard drive.

I thought about reinstalling Windows XP and then installing True Image but I wanted to see if there was another alternative first. I hate the idea of having to reinstall all of my applications.

I will wait for the answers to my Qs here before I proceed.

Boot from your TI Rescue CD and validate some of the backups you are intending to use as a basis for your restore. This will help to make sure your Rescue CD and your backups are working properly.

Referring to your existing backups, are any of them a complete full backups that includes all the partitions (both hidden or diagnostic) on your disk? If yes, the easiest restore would be to follow the procedures listed in my Restore Guide listed in my signature index item 7-A below.

60 incremental images is a lot of incremental's. If any of the incremental files are corrupt, any more recent incremental will not work. When you validate, click on the most recent incremental and validation which will validate all the files in one pass but could take a long time working itself through the entire group.

Thanks for your help Grover!

I don't think my full backup includes the D drive which I think is a diagnostic drive. I guess I should have backed that up too huh?

I will try to validate my files and will check out your Restore Guide. Will post my results here.

Disclaimer:
My experience with TrueImageHome begins with version 8 so I am not familiar with 7.

When you attempt a restore, what options to you have? Is there a track0/MBR listed?

Edit: added....
Here is a link to version 7 user manual if that is needed.

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/download/docs/

Grover, I don't see anything about a track0/MBR.

When I get to the step about selecting a target partition or unallocated space for restore I see 3 options:

Disk 1 Flags Capacity Free Space Type
DISE_BACKUP(D) 49.8 GB 30.64 GB FAT32
Unallocated 61.99 GB Unallocated
// I am assuming that the Unallocated was my C Drive before I attempted to restore the first time and TI failed to complete the restoration.

Disk 2 Flags Capacity Free Space Type
New Volume(C) Pri 232.9 GB 85.9 GB NTFS
// This Drive was my G drive before TI renamed it and is where my Images are stored. I only used this drive for backup and data storage.

I tried to restore to the Unallocated drive but TI gets about halfway through and stops.

The same thing happened when I tried to validate my images. I tried to validate my main image and 4 or 5 incremental images but TI never finishes. If it does finish validating shouldn't I see some results?

Should I reinstall XP to Disk 1 and then reinstall True Image and try again or is there something else I should do?

Maybe I should just forget about trying to restore since I was having problems anyway. I did manage to move most of what I really needed from my C drive to my laptop. Plus most of my data was stored on Disk 2. I just hate having to reinstall all those applications and hardware.

You should get a window showing the validation results--either success or failed. Try one more time and see if you can validate the original backup before you did any incrementals. Maybe the single backupl file will validate. Do this when booted from the CD.

Yes, the unallocated space should be the original C and that is where I would try to restore the backup--if possible.

The only way to avoid a reinstall is to for the backup/restore to work. If the backup will not validate, the backup can be of no help to you. Is there any chance you have an extra TI Rescue/Recovery CD? Is this one you made from the install or is this your retail CD?

Grover, I have an idea that may work.

1) What if I create an image of DISE_BACKUP(D) since I don't have an image of it.
2) Reformat Disk 1 or whatever I need to do to erase everything on it.
3) Attempt to restore all of my images on Disk 1.

Would that work?

I read in your True Image Home Beginner’s Guide to restoring a basic full disk archive that...

"To restore an entire disk, a prior backup archive (image) of the entire disk is needed. All partitions (visible or hidden) must be included within the image."

AND on image R-8 that...

"Hard disk drive image restoring is possible only if the destination hard disk drive is empty."

Ok, I will try to validate the original backup again but don't think it will finish.

My recovery CD is one that I made at the time I installed TI I suppose. It is the only one I have.

I don't think I have a retail CD. I think I made the purchase online.

I guess my idea will not work if my original backup will not validate.

Validation of my original backup failed so I will have to reinstall windows unless someone has another idea.

Often times, validation fails due to memory errors. Click on my signature index below and look at item #27.

Run the mem test all night or its equivalent.

Grover, I ran memtest86 all night and there were no errors.

I read in 1 forum that I should only test 1 memory stick at a time. I did not do that but will try that now.

If I do not get any errors should I reinstall Windows XP?

If yes, should I also reinstall True Image and try to validate my main image again or will that be a waste of time?

I have a backup of my images on an external drive. I tried to validate my main image on that drive as well but got the same results (TI stopped before the validation was complete).

I will be waiting for your advice.

Thanks again for your help!

You may want to look at at item 42-K inside my signature index below.

Can you borrow another external drive, etc and copy the original backup file to the borrowed disk; and then boot from the Rescue CD and try to validate the original single backup file again on the borrowed disk?

I see your post #8 but have not had a chance to digest and respond.

Maybe some other forum members have some comments they would like to suggest?

I already tried to validate a copy of the original backup. See #12.

I have finished checking my 3 sticks of memory- one at a time and had no errors.

What is next?

What I was suggesting was to move the backup file to another hard drive and see if you could validate it on a different drive.

At this point, you have few choices. When you boot your laptop, can you boot into the Drive D recovery and will that put your Drive C back to what it was when you bought the computer? This might be one option.

Another option would be if you have a Windows disk, you could a repair on your current installation. This could make you operational but you still would have to update all the Windows updates including the service packs.

You could try your post #8. You have nothing to lose.

In response to one of your questions, As for which backup do you choose and you have a bunch of incrementals. If you want to put your system back to the date of incremental #15, then you select #15 and that will install the original and include incrementals 2-15 inclusive as one recovery procedure.

If you should want to restore the most current of your incrementals which is #60, then selecting #60 for restore will restore the original and each incremental from 2 to 60, inclusive.

If you want only to restore only the first full backup, then you select only that file for restoration.

What I meant in my previous reply when I said that I had tried to validate a copy of the original backup was that I have a backup of my entire data drive (not my C drive) where my images are stored on an external drive and I tried to validate the backup copy of the image as well as the original image which I think is what you were suggesting.

I have not tried to boot from the recovery drive or the CD that came with my computer so I guess that is what I will do next.

Then, I will install True Image and try to restore my images. Thanks for explaining that I should start with the last incremental image.

I don't see how restoring the images will work though since it does not work now.

I don't suppose it will do any good to make a new True Image recovery disk once I have reinstalled True Image but I don't guess it will hurt to try.

What I meant in my previous reply when I said that I had tried to validate a copy of the original backup was that I have a backup of my entire data drive (not my C drive) where my images are stored on an external drive and I tried to validate the backup copy of the image as well as the original image which I think is what you were suggesting.

I have not tried to boot from the recovery drive or the CD that came with my computer so I guess that is what I will do next.

Then, I will install True Image and try to restore my images. Thanks for explaining that I should start with the last incremental image.

I don't see how restoring the images will work though since it does not work now.

I don't suppose it will do any good to make a new True Image recovery disk once I have reinstalled True Image but I don't guess it will hurt to try.

"Then, I will install True Image and try to restore my images."(End of quote)

I am not sure we are understanding each other. If you get your computer working via any of your computer recovery mechanisms and then use TrueImage to perform a restore of your Drive C, the restore will restore overtop of what you have just finished recovering.

If the *.tib backup files fail validation and your prior restores failed, it would appear that the those backup files cannot help you.

If however, you do have a backup of any age of Drive C that can pass validation, the that backup could be used to restore your Drive C.

I don't understand how all the images I tried to validate could be bad.

I reformatted the hard drive and reinstalled XP today and I am in the process of doing updates and installing software.

Thanks for your help anyway Grover. Too bad True Image didn't work for me when I needed it the most.

It is a good thing I had most of my data saved on another hard drive.

Hi Don,
I'm glad it was not a total disaster for you.

Below are a few comments about procedures used by many of the forum regulars. I don't which you practice but maybe these will help. These comments are not in any particular sequence, but here goes.

1. Maintain several full disk backups stored on several drives and use automatic validation following the backup.
2. If incremental backups are maintained, keep only a minimum number of incrementals. Should one becomes corrupt, the newer incremental are useless. And of course, if the first original backup is corrupt, all the others are useless.
3. Boot from the TI Rescue CD and perform occasional validation of the backup files. Since any restore of your system partition should be done when booted from the Rescue CD, it is important that the restore software can validate the data as not being corrupt. Once you have faith that validation within CD is successful, then only random backups need to be validated from the CD.
4. Perform some test restores to make sure your recovery procedure works. Best test is to restore your backup to a new test drive so you know it works. This enables you to have two working drives.
5. As you have already done, have your important personal data files copied off onto a CD or another media so you have alternate restore possibilities if something goes wrong.
6. Do your testing and procedures before a crisis arises so when you do have problems, you can confidently feel that you can recover because you have already tested your restore procedures.
7. Since there are a multitude of hardware problems that can cause an backup image to appear corrupt, the validation when booted from the CD is of major importance. A validation failure is not necessarily the fault of Acronis. All validation is the make sure what is read is written correctly and the read correctly again during a recovery. Your problems of failed validation may not have been the fault of Acronis.
8. Occasionally check the source and target disk for disk errors. A backup of a disk which has disk errors can cause the backup to become non-recoverable. A healthy drive is important to good backups.
9. Bottom line is to test your recovery procedures before the crisis arises.
10. Due to the age of TrueImage 7, it is difficult to get any assistance as the current version is 2010 and a even newer version is in Beta Testing.
11. Good luck with your future backups!