Raid 1, eSATA, BIOS Virus, MS Reg, usb mouse Queries

[Ucumist]

I am new to posting here and hope that someone will be kind enough to help me.
I have been using TI 9.0 for 2 years but have never needed to do a full recovery. I have just installed my new PC that has 2 x 500Gb HD's in a Raid 1 config. I started with a new XP Pro install and took a TI image before loading any software. After the App's & Data were loaded MS Excel & AutoCAD are playing up so I decided to go back to my 1st Image and re-install the software a bit more carefully.
Time to learn how to do a TI Recovery.
After an initial try that took me to TI re-boot I realised that I did not understand all the procedures or limitations. I stopped the Recovery on the 1st TI DOS page.
After much research, Google, every Acronis doc, TI pdf manual, this Forum site and beyond, I find as usual that every thing I want to know is not explicitly or clearly referred to.

Does TI support Raid 1? No mention in Help or Docs. If partitions are removed does this include Raid? Are there different procedures for Raid 1 Recovery? Do I need to get Raid drivers & re-build after Imaging my 'Disk 0'. What happens to my Mirrored Disk?

I run Ti Boot & the 1st thing I get up is the word 'VIRUS !'. Does this refer to my BIOS virus check being enabled and complaning about the TI Boot? A virus can't reside here so what does it mean?

Then with the Ti Recovery running from this boot my Logitech Revolution Mouse only goes up & down but not sideways. (PS2 only?)

I then keyboard my way through but can't see my eSATA Ext HDD.
Have looked at up-grading to TI 11 but can't see support for eSATA there. I can understand this in Ver 9.0 but a new TI release can't see a proper Drive connection. Is it out-of-date already?

So I cancel from this recovery & re-start Windows. Surprise ! MS want me to 'Activate Windows' it says that I have change Hardware and I have 3 Days to activate and get a new Product Key. I don't want to change my Pro Key & I don't want to communicate with MS. What is going on here? Same PC, same MOBO.

This is probably all basic easy know stuff to TI Techs but why do all the manuals, instructions & help infos just breeze through the procedures with no mention of the possible interruptions or limitations a novice will become confused by.

[Mac25]

Ti 9 will work just fine so no need to upgrade.

i have found it less problematic to use a wired PS2 keyboard and mouse as some drivers are not loaded properly or not at all.

not sure about raid 1 but raid 0 is supported as thats what i use and the raid drivers are loaded to the recovery cd i created with acronis.

[shieber]

I don't know if version 9 will support eSata-- it's a few years old. Ver 11 is supposed to but it does have problems with some hardware setups, particularly if you have intel RAID.

[bodgy]

Choosing SAFE mode on the boot CD might bring your mouse and keyboard to heel.

The other alternative would be to enter the quiet acpi=off noapic usbmouseoff switches - by pressing the F11 key when the Acronis..... message comes up.

Colin

[Ucumist]

Thanks for the replies.
Got to get on and fix it quickly so will give it another try.
Put PS2 mouse on & a USB HDD connection.
If it works then the MS re-activate should be solved (although I would like to know what TI changed on my PC that MS did not like). If it doesn't then I shall have to re-format and start from scratch.

Maybe I will look for a True Image tutorial class (like the 'Learn Windows Server' ones) as it seems necessary to understand the inner workings of the mobo, bios, raid, manufacturers specs & loads of other tekky crap just to succeed with a TI Recovery. Unless of course every thing is perfect, I should be so lucky.

Shove the software in, click 'I Accept' then it should do everything for you.
It's called Plug-n-Work but is about 50 years away.
Backing up Robots & re-booting Artificial Intelligence will be something to look forward to.

[Ucumist]

To Acronis Support
So far
I have attempted to recover using TI Rescue Boot Disc.
TI will recover to both my Hard Disks providing the BIOS is set to IDE but not Raid. TI puts the identical Image on both disks.
When I set the BIOS to Raid & config' the Disks to Mirrored Raid 1 then boot with TI all TI can see is my USB Ext HD. Ti cannot see the mirrored Disk(s).

There may be a work-around or maybe I should do a complete OS re-install to get the NVidia drivers in place then boot again with Ti Recovery to see if it recognises the Raid set-up? I thought the Raid drivers would be on the recovery disc or TI would request their install.

This is all supposition because I have read 81 pages of The User Guide + GroverH Beginers Guides + the Forums + every reference I can find on the Acronis site yet no where can I find a reference to Backing-up & Restoring any Raid configured Disks.
The only reference I could find for TI being able to handle Raid was in a News review for TI 8.0. Acronis site Lit does not state it. maybe it is mentioned on the Box, thats funny I bought a Download & it didn't arrive in a box.

Just searched the User Guide pdf again and the word 'Raid' isn't in it.
Just searched Acronis site again & found -
RAID Arrays Acronis True Image Products Support
Last update: September 19, 2006
you should try to use a special plug-in for the BartPE instead of the standalone version
Back to the User Guide & search BartPE except that it is printed as Bart PE so it took 2 searches. (One word or two, can't your support staff keep to a single spelling?).
Well Bart PE is in the User Guide on page 10 but it does not say it is for RAID it is very vague referring to plug-ins, no mention of drivers.
So back to the 2006 article in Support. 'you should try to use' WHAT THE *** DOES THAT MEAN! I don't know what you are talking about, where are the instructions, the User Guide explanations, the vaguest of directions.

I don't work for Acronis nor am I a True Image Geek, I just buy backup software paying good money yet hoping I never have to use it. It is insurance that should the worst happen I am covered. Acronis had my cash for something I never had to use for 2 years, then when I did need it I found that the instructions are garbage and I have had to spend 100 hours learning how to be a PC expert.

Searching the Forum I came across another user who was 'told off' by the 'Frequents' for not reading the guides or doing enough research. Hey we pay for this stuff so the instructions should have comprehensive walk-thru guides that are interesting & easy to follow instead of boring incomplete & nerdy. Chrst you have had enough time over the years to improve them. It's not about how many pages in the instructions (GroverH) it's about having a good index.

Right, now send me info' on setting up recovery for NVidia Raid. Bear in mind my PC is in a pre-OS state and I made my recovery disc a while ago.
You could PM me & I will give you a Tel. No. to ring.

[Ucumist]

hi
just found this Thread
acronis loader fatal error boot drive (partition) not found @
www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=192197

Seems to be the same problem as mine except I have a USB Ext HDD attached so I do not get a warning that the drive was not found TI just calls the USB HD C; and wants to write to it.
Will post in other thread from now on.