Won't Mount Image - Hangs
I am using version 8.0, because it *was* always working perfectly. I backed up about every other month, to a Secure Zone on a second internal HD. After each backup, I mounted the image to verify that the backup was successful. My last backup is dated July 3, 2009. Now, when I try to mount the image, using the Explore option, it just hangs at the "Processing - Please Wait" window, and eventually Windows (XP SP3) hangs and I have to power down to recover. So . . . I downloaded the Trial Version of TIB 2009. It does the same thing - won't access the images in the Secure Zone. So I made a backup with the TIB2009 to an open area of the second HD, and then tried to open it. I had the same problem - it hangs when trying to mount the image. I've tried all the "fixes" listed both here and elsewhere about the net. I really need to restore a database file from my most recent backup.
Yes, and that had no effect. I even copied an older (last year) image from an external usb drive to the C: drive, just in case it was a problem of crossing drives. Same situation. If SP3 has killed all Acronis versions, then I have to look elsewhere for reliable backups. What does Acronis suggest?
Have you only recently installed SP3?
I think TI2009 will have problems reading TI8 tib files too, or even the SZ created if created by TI8.
True, bin. You probably can't use TI 2009 to access images created by TI 8.
When exactly did the problem with TI 8 occur? Was it after installing XP SP3? Or, was that unrelated?
Did you create a new Secure Zone with TI 2009 or did you write over the existing SZ that you had created with TI 8?
From re-reading your original post I am now wondering if you don't have file corruption on the second hard disk where the TI8 SZ was located. Do you have partition management software? If so, change the SZ partition's type to FAT32 and then run chkdsk /r on every partition on the second hard disk. When done, change the SZ partition type back to ASZ.
I tried to mount the images with both TIB 8.0 and 2009, and both hung up every time. I copied the two-year-old image to a tablet PC running XP Pro SP3, with Distributed Link Tracking Client STARTED, and I can mount the image just fine. I also have McAfee and PC Tools Spyware Doctor, both of which I have completely disabled, all to no avail, just in case one of them was being ornery. I'm trying TIB 2009 now, and it can't even open its OWN backup. Also, I cannot run the Acronis recovery - it also hangs opening the image. I have several images, all of different dates, and they don't open on this machine anymore (not since late July), but the one I tried on the other machine opens just fine. I'd pull my hair out, but at my age, I don't have enough time for it to grow back in.
Can you answer some of our questions before we go further?
Sure. First - Partition Magic reminds me that that there is no *conversion* available for the secure partition. I can re-format to FAT 32 and lose all the data. No help there. I don't know when I updated to SP3, but the system receives automatic MS updates when they come out, so SP3 went in when it was issued. I'm pretty sure that SP3 was earlier than July. This secure zone was created with TIB 8.0, and TIB 2009 was never instructed to write to it. The secure zone was available and accessible in early July (with TIB 8.0) - the last time I tried to read data there. As I indicated earlier, I downloaded TIB 2009 and created a backup OUTSIDE of the secure zone. I have bee on this for hours now, and have discovered one thing - When I disable all my McAfee functions, it keeps the virus protection function McShield.exe running - it shows up in Task Manager. When I disable it in Task Manager, TIB 2009 can access backups OUTSIDE of the secure zone, even ones as old as four years. Inside the secure zone, it can only identify the *.tib files, and then only after over two minutes of frantic disk activity before it reports . And after that, it cannot perform any actions in the zone -verify or mount. TIB 8.0 is light-years faster than TIB 2009 in this case. 8.0 accesses the secure zone instantly. For what it's worth - even though I no longer have TIB 8.0 on the machine, when I did, it would run verify on the images in the zone. TIB 2009 will not. I won't use secure zones in the future. I wonder if there's a way to copy an image out of the secure zone?
Ok thanks Karl
So Ti8 and SP3 have been doing backups ok for quite a while and it seems to see your tib backups and SZ.
I ran Mcafee until a few days ago and had probs with TI 2009 but I don't want to cloud your issue cos I got rid and still have the same so leave that one.
You may be able to copy stuff using TI8 installed and then uninstall it and install 2009 and do a new backup right away, is one way to migrate from one TI version to another if you get my meaning.
From what I understand you might be able to do that?
Karl:
Putting two and two together, I think that you have file system corruption or bad sectors in your Acronis Secure Zone (ASZ). FAT32 is especially susceptible to this, and the ASZ is nothing but a FAT32 partition with the type ID changed in the partition table so that the partition does not show up in Windows. The problem may have occurred earlier in the year and you're just noticing it now. It would explain the slow behavior when trying to read files in the partition.
You can copy images out of the Secure Zone in a couple of different ways:
1. Change the type identifier in the partition table from ASZ (BC) to FAT32 LBA (0C). Since you mentioned that you have Partition Magic, start the utility ptedit32.exe, which will open to a view of the partition table. Be careful to identify the ASZ partition correctly in the table. Once located, change the type ID by directly editing the value. After doing this, reboot. Windows should recognize and mount the ASZ as a standard FAT32 drive. You can then copy your image files out of the ASZ. Once you have your files copied out, run chkdsk /r on the ASZ partition to see if it can correct any file system corruption. Then change the type of the partition back to ASZ (BC) using ptedit32.
2. Boot the PC from a Live Linux CD like Knoppix or Ubuntu. You should be able to directly see and copy the image files out of the ASZ.
No conversion available as said might be a problem there Mark
Conversion is not necessary; the partition already is formatted as FAT32. Acronis simply changes the partition type identifier in the partition table (one single byte) to trick Windows into not recognizing the ASZ as a FAT32 partition, but it really is a FAT32 partition.
I tried OC, as suggested, but Partition Magic says the partition fails test (what test I don't know). OC is FAT32X. I also tried OB, which is FAT32, with the same results. I think that you're onto something here, though. According to ptedit, there are several versions of FAT 32 - is there a danger if I try each one, one at a time?
Fat32 is a standard disk format, is only one version (as fars as WinNT, 2000, XP..... is concerned)
Will not partition magic change the disk format without losing any data cos I'm sure Disk Director will?
On my second try, XP recognized the drive as FAT32, but said that it was unformatted. This with type 0C set. I'll give 0B a try - that's plain FAT32 without the X.
I tried OC, as suggested, but Partition Magic says the partition fails test (what test I don't know). OC is FAT32X. I also tried OB, which is FAT32, with the same results. I think that you're onto something here, though. According to ptedit, there are several versions of FAT 32 - is there a danger if I try each one, one at a time?
Make sure that you're using the number zero; not the letter O in the type descriptors. Zero C (hex) =0C.
Type 0Ch is FAT32 with LBA support, and is probably the correct type for 99% of the PCs in use today. Type 0Bh was FAT32 without LBA support, and was in use several years ago. But it shouldn't matter which type ID is in the partition table; Windows should recognize either as a known partition type, should assign a drive letter, and should show the partition as a drive in Windows Explorer.
I wouldn't pay much attention to what Partition Magic says about the partition, just see if it becomes visible in Windows. That's all that counts.
On my second try, XP recognized the drive as FAT32, but said that it was unformatted. This with type 0C set. I'll give 0B a try - that's plain FAT32 without the X.
I think that's your answer. The partition is probably corrupted. But see if you can get Windows to run chkdsk /r on the partition anyway. Probably not, but it's worth a try...
Karl:
Thinking ahead, if chkdsk is unable to repair the damaged partition, then there are two approaches you can take from here:
1. Try file recovery software like GetDataBack. If you're lucky, the tib file that you care most about may still be intact and undamaged.
2. Delete the partition and use Partition Magic to enlarge the adjacent partition to include the space formerly occupied by the ASZ. Then run chkdsk /r on the enlarged partition to see if it finds any bad sectors. If not, you could put the ASZ back in place again and it should then be OK.
For both of you - type 0B is also recognized, and gives the same "unformatted" error, so the partition probably IS corrupted. I tried chkdsk, and it said that the files were open and in use, and it could not run. It did not offer to run on reboot. When I set the Partition Type, I used the Type table in pfedit, but I would have used the zero key if I was typing it - I'm an old (very old) hex computer person. I think that I'm done with Secure Zones forever, and I think that this data is as good as gone. I'll just delete the zone, and return the space to the original partition (via Partition Magic). Thanks for the help - I learned a lot today (through the pain).
Karl:
Sorry to hear that. Don't forget to check for bad sectors after you return the SZ space to another partition; that may have been the root cause of the failure. However, FAT32 is not a very robust file system so it may have just been file system corruption. A good lesson to take away from this is that in this day and age, FAT32 should be relegated to the dustbin of history, and so should the ASZ. A good journaling file system like NTFS is far less likely to have these kinds of problems.
Only one thing i could suggest Karl - Disk Director rescued all my partitions a long time ago now - is how i got to know about Acronis - perhaps it could for you I don't know since you been trying things. I've used DD for 4 or 5 years on several machines alongside TI and it works wonders for me. Never as good as a nice lady mind but technically it is as good as any software I used as a pro programmer for 25 years.
I've been out of the programming game for a long time now (used to set drive parameters in hex with direct-to-disk writes), so Partition Magic is probably all I need for now. I'm on the downslope of my history, so there's no need to invest in more powerful products again. Otherwise, I'd look into the DD as an added tool. Thanks again for the help.
i know the feeling, 7 years since i was in active service lol. My CV is about 7 pages and cannot shrink it no more but no need for it now anyways. Things change quick but an instruction is still an instruction and memory still has locations as far as I know!!
I believe that my memory now has fewer accesible locations than it did years ago. On this Acronis problem - McAfee was definitely the problem. With it completely removed, I have no problems. I installed PC Tools Internet Security (since I already had PC Tools Spyware Doctor), and the two programs seem to work together with no ill feelings.
hey no i ill feelings at all mate Karl. I use the free SpywareGuard from Sun and SpywareBlaster, Spybot and Malwarebytes. Am switching ISP's at the mo so not sure who I will be with as far as total protection goes in the next few weeks but in the interrim I have AVG and Zone Alarm.
Oh and mem locations are still in hex using assembler
Take this for what its worth. Im using V8 & XP Home (SP3) too. When trying to resore, open only those partitions that are formatted as NTFS. If I tried to Explore the whole disk, containing both FAT & NTFS partitions, it would not work.
Take this for what its worth. Im using V8 & XP Home (SP3) too. When trying to resore, open only those partitions that are formatted as NTFS. If I tried to Explore the whole disk, containing both FAT & NTFS partitions, it would not work.