Windows 8 - brand new VAIO fails to boot after F11 Startup Recovery activation (build 6514)
I purchased a brand new Sony VAIO laptop on 1st May 2013. After getting it all set up, i.e. repartioning the original 1Tb HDD into 2 separate partitions (one for OS, one for data) and installing the software I need (Bitdefender Total Security 2013, Google Chrome, MS Office 2013, VLC player, CCleaner), I checked and everything was running fine. I then powered off the laptop and manually re-booted a few times just to check. Everything was loading and running absolutely fine and as it should be.
I then installed TI2013 (build 6514) successfully, and created and validated my first full disk backup which I saved onto the new second partition (E:, simple volume), and switched the laptop off. I did not however activate the F11 Startup Recovery Manager at that time.
The next time I switched on, I decided that I ought to activate the F11 Startup Recovery Manager. Little did I know the major trouble I was about to experience.
After successfully activating F11 and selecting restart, when I tried to reboot, nothing! There was just an initial VAIO splash screen (which appears normally). This then disappeared to a completely blank screen, and then nothing happened. There were no text warnings, dialog boxes or anything. The laptop just hung. No response at all from any keys.
So my ONLY option was to recover my laptop using the VAIO Assist button, which effectively re-installs Windows 8 from the built-in Recovery Partition and puts the laptop back to the initial factory settings - thanks goodness for that! In doing so, all the software I had installed previously was uninstalled.
I've now re-installed all my software (EXCEPT for TI2013), and all is running fine again.
My laptop specs are as follows: VAIO quad core i7 2.2Ghz, 8Gb RAM, Radeon graphics, 1Tb HDD (now repartitioned to Cdrive and E drive), Windows 8 64 bit (OEM).
Having had this very worrying experience, I have not re-installed TI2013 and I'm understandably very nervous about doing so. As I use my laptop for primarily for my business, I don't want to jeopardise anything further, and I cannot risk a laptop boot up failure when I'm in front of clients. Sony Support UK have told me that if I disable the UEFI Secure Boot in the BIOS, then this is not supported by Sony under their guarantee, so disabling Secure Boot is NOT an option.
I have reported this to Acronis Support via web chat (chat no. 01910289). The Support agent I spoke with was very helpful, but could not really re-assure me that this would not happen again. He/she felt that I should re-install TI2013, but NOT activate F11. Surely this indicates some underlying conflict between Windows 8 Secure Boot, UEFI and TI2013 - or am I mis-understanding anything?
I'd be very grateful for any advice please. Has anyone else experienced this? I thought that TI2013 (build 6514) was fully compatible with Windows 8 - but in my case, it clearly is not.
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Hi Martin
Thanks very much for your reply.
You mention that the current version of TI2013 has a major bug. Does this explain why I could not boot from the internal HDD after activating F11 Startup Recovery Manager?
If this is the case, then I think Acronis are being very dishonest when they claim that build 6514 is fully Windows 8 compatible, when by my own experience, it clearly is not.
I hope that a member of the Acronis Forum Team might reply to my question as well. Unless I can get this resolved within the next 48 hours, I shall be asking Acronis for a full refund, as the current build of the software is clearly not fit for purpose.
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I do not see the value of the Acronis Startup Recovery Manager. The bootable Rescue Media is available when needed, so I don't see any reason to allow the Acronis Startup Recovery Manager to modify the PC's boot. Acronis Startup Recovery Manager adds complexity and risk without any real value over using the bootable Rescue Media. If activated, it modifies your system drive Master Boot Record (MBR), which can cause problems with multi-boot managers and other low-level disk utilities.
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Vaughn,
As you have found that booting via F11 doesn't boot your system you also need to check if the recovery CD has the same problem as well. In theory it should.
There have been other reports of certain models of Sony Vaio laptops with W8 not booting from the recovery system. I seem to recall that some Sony machines use F11 for some other purposes.
If you find the recovery CD also has the same problem, you need to raise a support ticket with Acronis via your account, and probably provide them with an Acronis System Report (via the True Image 'Help' menu option). As this will be a recovery problem there should be no charge if you are outside your 30 day support period.
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I can't say if the bug affects the startup recovery mamanger, but I nver use that anyway. I just use the disk and back up when I want. I have tried all bios combinations to boot from recovery disks in eufi mode, but cin only ever succeed in legacy mode. Slight PITA but getting bios up works easily using Sony assist button, even when everything has fallen over.
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[quote=Colin B]
Vaughn,
As you have found that booting via F11 doesn't boot your system you also need to check if the recovery CD has the same problem as well. In theory it should.
Thanks Colin. However, I may have described this inaccurately. What I meant to say was that after I had activated F11 Startup Recovery Manager in TI2013, then switched my laptop off and then back on again normally (i.e. NOT using F11 - just a standard power on), this is where the problem occurred. So I'd not even tried to use F11 at all.
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