Can't restore system image
Hi again Pat. Prior to posting to these online forums I sent in a tech support request. I have just heard back from them with this answer:
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Is this a correct and viable solution? Is it easier than what you have suggested? Will I not have the same problem with Acronis not recognizing the new hard drive if and when I ever go to restore to it?
Thanks Pat.
Victor,
Cloning is riskier than backup/restore. If you go the cloning route, make sure you do a backup as cloning failures can result in serious damages to the original disk.
Now, if you do a backup, then why not restore?
If I were you, I would go the restore way.
I understand you are concerned with "losing" your disk again.
Here is an option C, as a variation of Option A (C is, I think, the best for you now):
PATH A: You can create the partitions you want before restoring your system.
- connect your new drive in the system
- boot the computer
- from an elevated command prompt (right click on command prompt, choose run as administrator)
- DISKPART
- LIST DISK
- SELECT DISK 0 -- assuming 0 is the number of the target disk you saw after the LIST DISK command
- CLEAN (this will erase everything)
- exit
- launch Windows disk management
- use it to create a basic disk (not dynamic)
- create new paritions with the size your want
- reboot on the Acronis recovery CD, you should see disk 0. If you don't, then you need to contact customer support. If you do, let's continue:
- restore first your system reserved partition,
- then, without rebooting, restore your system partition. Le'ts NOT recover the MBR here, just in case there is a problem with it
- disconnect the OLD system disk,
- reboot, if Windows complains, reboot on the windows installation DVD to repair the start up. It might take a couple of passes.
- once your system boots normally, use disk management to add other partitions and copy copy your data over,
- redo a backup.
How did it go?
Thanks for following up Pat. I've been out of town and won't have a chance to do this till this coming weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hi Pat. I've finished transfering my system to the new drive. However performance has not been improved at all. As a matter of fact it's slower than the old drive, so I transferred the system back to the original drive. The secret I discovered in transfering the system is that once you have the system restored to the new hard drive, you must disconnect all drives except the new system drive and then run the Windows Repair disk. If any other drives are connected, it doesn't work. Then add the other hard drives one at a time.
To improve performance I think I'll wait until SSD's become more afordable and reliable and then go with one of those just for my system drive.
Thanks for your help and advice. It seems I get much better response on this forum than with Acronis Tech Support which says quite a lot. Over the next few weeks I must now test backing up and restoring my system. Don't want to run into the same situation where I can't restore my system.
After a day of experimenting Pat, I still can't use Acronis TI to restore my system. I am speaking of running the restore from within Windows - this is my preferred method as it's much faster than having to fumble with restore disks. In any event when I go to restore, the system reboots, the Acronis Loader starts, I get a blue screen for a minute then something tries to happen but crashes and my pc reboots with nothing having been done.
I want to be able to use the software to restore my system WITHOUT having to use the restore disk. This should be possible because I've been doing this for years up to the latest version of TI.
So you please tell me why I should be paying for a software that does not work as advertised?
You are probably facing a linux driver issue. The environment in which ATI reboots to do a restore is Linux.
If you can do the restore from the CD you are in good shape, although not ideal for you.
If you cannot from the CD, try to create a new CD from the bootable media ISO you can download from your account.
You are probably facing a linux driver issue. The environment in which ATI reboots to do a restore is Linux.
If you can do the restore from the CD you are in good shape, although not ideal for you.
If you cannot from the CD, try to create a new CD from the bootable media ISO you can download from your account.
Pat, please explain this "Linux Driver Issue" - if this is a know problem with Acronis/Linux then I would like to have it fixed. I want the software working the way it should. Period.
Linux drivers are not always available for all hardware configuration, and/or not fully tested against.
It happens often that the Linux-based version(s) of ATI (on the CD, or from the Acronis Startup Recovery Manager -- ASRM) doesn't see some specific hardware. Typically this is resolved by:
- updating to a more recent build of ATI,
- downloading the bootable media ISO from the web site: this is a different Linux build that tends to be more up to date (this doesn't update the ASRM),
- having Acronis give you a special ISO, if this is possible (Linux driver available for release - that won't update the ASRM )
- building a WinPE with the Plus Pack. This contains all the Windows drivers (still doesn't update the ASRM) and has rarely driver issues. Building a WinPE disk is a bit more complicated than the basic Linux-based CD.
Thanks Pat, but what you seem to be saying is that Acronis does not always keep their software up to date with the proper drivers, which makes ASRM crash in my case. I have checked for updates to my software and it says I'm using the latest version. If this is the case then, I must insist that Acronis update their drivers to prevent my ASRM from crashing. In viewing these forums, others seem to be having the same problem.
Victor,
I understand where you are coming from. You should consider filing a support ticket.
Actually Pat, I'm not ok right now. I've just tried to do a restore from the recovery disk and once again my system drive 0 is no longer recognized. This is the identical problem I had to start with. Both ATI and Disk Director do not recognize my WD drive 0. How can this happen? As you are a witness, I went through the whole proceedure of copying files off of that disk and cleaning and reformatting it, then restoring the system to it. Now a week later Acronis no longer recognizes it. This is just too much. I will be scapping ATI and buying Paragon. They've offered me a 30% discount seeing that I'm currently using an Acronis product that doesn't work.
Per your advice, I've put in a 'support' ticket, but I've received no help there. Just a request for the Acronis System Repot.
I presume Acronis will give me a refund for both disk director and TrueImage.