Does upgrade need uninstall previous version(s)?

I have TU9 build 2337 installed. After received from Acronis the Free Update to Acronis True Image 9.0 -- With Full DVD Support message of Mon 22 May 2006, I downloaded TU9 build 3633 of 19 Apr 2006 (75.2MB). But when launching it, it didn't tell me if it was a patch or a full install, it didn't detect my current TU9 (b2337), it didn't tell me if I had to uninstall it first or not, so I aborted: I don't want to mess my TU9 or waste time with a lacking or unwanted uninstall.

So I think Acronis should make their setup program:

• if possible, detect the eventual already installed trial or registered version(s), and automatically uninstall them (after user's authorization) if necessary;
• at least, tell (or recall) the user:
  1. if this is a patch or a full install,
  2. if eventual pre-installed version(s) must be uninstalled first or not,
  3. if the setup program will detect them for the user, or not,
  4. if the setup program will uninstall them for the user, or not.

BTW it would be easier IMO for the user if the TU version history (with the TU available updates, or at least the whole set of Acronis updates) were linked directly from the relevant TU product page (and same way for other products).

Paris, Tue 23 May 2006 13:17:40 +0200

 

Hi!

On my sysem i have alwalys to uninstall the old version first. If i do not that, on program start a box says that the serial number is not valid. After unistalling the old version, reboot, installing new version (with entering serial number), reboot, then all is ok.

Others on this forum can overwrite an older version with a newer one. It's probably because my system is german language, i don't know.

Konrad (Forellenblau)

 

Given the inconsistenies we've seen from build to build in this regard, IMO it's only prudent to just uninstall between each build no matter what, just to be safe.

 

Uninstalled/installed, and rebooted twice as required

Thanks. So I uninstalledTU9b2337, accepted the required reboot, installed TU9b3633, again accepted the required reboot, which got me no trouble so far (Haven't tried the upgraded program yet). My system is W2KSP4 US, TU9 US (and Office 2000 Pro US, Athlon XP 2000+, 512MB DDR333 PC2700, ...).

Paris, Tue 23 May 2006 14:39:00 +0200

 

BTW, in addition to what I said, I totally agree with the recommendations in your initial post.

 

Installing 3567 or 3625 or 3633 over 2337 does cause at least the following problems:

1. A second driver entry is created by Acronis in Device Manager.
2. The old TI directory under Program Files is not deleted.
3. The registry entries from build 2337 are not eliminated.

I have mentione this before, but Acronis MUST supply a clean up toll to delete this extraneous crap. It is not reasonable to ask, even experienced, users to manually clean up this debris, and it is most certainly easy to write such a cleanup program.

 

Did you actually overinstall 3 times TU9.0-2337?

Do you mean you installed 3633 over 2337, you installed 3625 over 2337, you installed 3567 over 2337? Repeating the well-known theoretical effects is useful only if you can report personal direct experience testing it - whether confirming or infirming it, or not.

BTW, Thanks for correcting my "TU" into "TI"... I didn't even realize!

BTW2, please don't copy an entire post, by doing so you are essentially diluting the value of this post and of your comment on it, and defeating the very purpose and nature of a quotation ("A typical, and perhaps ideal, quotation is usually short, concise and commonly only one sentence long").

BTW3, thanks again to Konrad Forellenblau (and crofttk) for their fast, precise, factual, short, and efficient help.

Paris, Tue 23 May 2006 18:30:45 +0200, edited 18:40:10

 

Re: Did you actually overinstall 3 times TU9.0-2337?

Of course, how else would I know.

I already reported this in another thread in this forum, confirmed by others.

 

As a matter of interest I have just installed 3633 over my last version without removing it first.

Everything appeared to be ok until I read some of the threads above!

On checking the device manager I did find that, indeed, there are two devices listed. However, when checking System Restore it shows two separate entries a few seconds apart indicating that True Image was installed and (presumably) the old True Image was then un-installed.

I had a look in Registry but that hurt my head.

Anyway everything IS working ok and next time there is an upgrade I'll remove the old version, clean out all the crap and then install the new one!

 

Off-topic posts removed - Let's stick to actual support topics in their respective threads where users are actually seeking help and avoid the whole generalized "everything's just bad" kind of stuff.

 

It would be nice to see a definitive comment from Acronis Support. Or did I miss it?

 

I have both Disk Director and True Image, and both have recent updates. I think I understand that the consensus here is to do an uninstall first, then start over and install the upgrade - right?

Does anyone know if there's some kind of relationship between the 2 products (like with the Secure Zone I've created on one of the multiple disks in my system) when they are installed together = should they both be uninstalled or one then the other? When I install the install updates, do I do one particular one, then the other? Or are they completely separate?

I tried updating before and lost everything about 1 of the OS's I had so I am very nervous about this...

Thanks for any help!!

 

Partition structure seems program-dependent

Excuse me if not relevant, it may just help, I noticed in the past years:

• Partitions built with Partition Magic (I used PM3, PM5, PM6) are not always perfectly recognized by MS-FDISK (I use the more-than-64GB version); it's better to build with FDISK, then to use PM only to move and resize (however PM, in addition to saving a lot of time, does handle things that FDISK doesn't, as non-DOS partitions);
• Partitions built with TI (True Image) aren't always properly recognized by PM.

Example for the last point:

• this month, I imaged a whole HD (MBR + all 6 partitions, HD is 125GB) onto another HD, in DVD-size (4GB) files (using TI9); then I burnt the 4 files on 4 DVDs (using Nero); then I "restored" the image onto a new 250GB HD (using TI9); then I booted and tested that HD, giving me an insurance of the TI9 DVD image validity.
• during restore, TI warned me resizing from 125GB to 250GB would take very long time since restoring from DVDs, so I dropped the resizing, planning to resize later with PM6.
• but when trying, PM6 aborted in the middle of the resizing, saying there were errors - and probably data losses.
• I redid all the process from scratch, varying what I could (changing HD, ...), just to get the same result.

This is why I downloaded Disk Director Suite 10.0 build 2117, thinking that, compared with PM6, DDS may be more compatible with TI9 since made by the same maker. However to not waste the trial period (15 day IIRC), I won't install it until I have the time and opportunity to test it well. Thanks to anyone else who would have tested already.

PS. So yes, I think it's better to do the 2 sorts of Partition-tweaking (Imaging and Partitioning) with the same program family (TI + DDS) and same versions (i.e. latest versions on the same date, of TI and DDS).

Paris, Thu 25 May 2006 15:40:15 +0200, edited (added PS) 16:08:40

 

Re: Partition structure seems program-dependent

Hello all,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please note that the installation issue mentioned by Howard Kaikow is known.

It is cased by the different and new "engine" of the build 3567 and higher. There will be no such problem upon the installation of the future Acronis True Image 9.0 Home builds (higher than 3567). Please also take a look at this post by Alexey about this issue.

Michel Merlin:

Please note that each new build of Acronis products is not a patch for already installed version, it is an installation file of the fully functional program.

If you want us to change the behaviour of Acronis True Image in any way or add some new features to this product, please feel free to post any of your suggestions in Acronis True Image WISH-LIST thread.

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov

 

Re: Partition structure seems program-dependent

Acronis still needs to supply a "cleanup" program for those inadvertently ending up with the debris.

 

Uninstalling is necessary and not always easy

I made the mistake of installing the new build WITHOUT uninstalling the previous version and ended up with both on my system as if they were 2 entirely different programs. When I tried to uninstall the old build, it was not listed in the Add/Remove programs list so I am waiting on some expert advice as to how to best accomplish the task. This is the first time I have ever used a piece of software that didn't prompt for an earlier version to be removed if it was necessary.

 

Re: Uninstalling is necessary and not always easy

u do not have both installed, just a lot of left over registry entries and some files, and the redundant acronis device in device manager.

see the earlier posts in this thread.

 

I beg to differ - if I click on the link for Acronis True Image, I get build 2302. If I click on the link for Acronis True Image Home, I get build 3633 and they both work.

 

Hello zogger,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please take a look at this previous post in order to find the instructions on how to completely remove the previous build of Acronis True Image.

Thank you.
--
Tatyana Tsyngaeva

 

Thanks for the link to the instructions. Unfortunately when I went to delete snapman and timounter from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{71A27CDD-812A-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F} -> UpperFilters, I inadvertently deleted a third key in Upperfilters. They were all highlighted when I clicked on Upperfilters, so when I pressed what I thought was the down arrow key, I actually hit the delete key and I don't know what I need to re-enter there. Now after re-installing build 3633 I get an error stating that True Image can't find any hard disks. Yeah I know - should have backed up the registry first. What I did was set a System Restore point, but when I tried to use it Windows returned a message indicating that it wasn't able to and to pick another time.

 

Hi zogger,

Does the screenshot below help?

Regards

 

Hadn't thought of asking someone to post what was in the key. Thanks! I've just re-installed 3633 and only have snapman in Upperfilters so am not sure whether to add timounter and VolSnap. Which build are you using?

 

Ti 9.0 Home Build 3633.

If adding the additional values doesn't help then I would carry out an uninstall of 3633 followed by a re-install.

Regards

 

Thanks again - I'll give it a shot with just snapman and see what happens. If it doesn't work I'll add VolSnap and timounter. I would have thought that doing the install would have made the necessary changes to the registry but perhaps not.

 

I've edited my post above.

Regards