Acronis still won't validate archives

This is on XPSP2, I tried it on DVD, won't validate the backup. I tried it on an external drive. Won't validate the backup. Used CHKDSK, swapped the usb cables around, won't validate the backup. Installed a mobile hard drive in a caddy, can't validate the backup.
What exactly does one do to get this software to work?
The origin drive is a sata drive, does this make a difference?

BB

 

Hello BB,

You haven't said why you can't validate the image but can we assume it's because you are receiving an "image is corrupt" error message? If so, I recommend that you download and run <Memtest86+ v1.70> for a few hours. There should be zero errors reported during the test. Please post back with the result.

Regards

 

If you recall, I did all that before and the memory checks out ok.
Yup, the archives are corrupted, error E00070020.
Thanks for replying, it's good you're still around.

BB

 

Assuming you have enough space, try to create an image on your source partition. Note this is not a general recommendation - I am just trying to eliminate other hardware from the process. Does it validate or not ?

What level of compression are you using ? Try again with no compression.
Is your system overclocked - you are likely to encounter such problems if it is.

Please post back your results.

F.

 

Yes it validates on a local drive, or rather on a different partition of the same drive, that's why I thought installing a mobile in a caddy might work because it is a local drive, kind of.

I'm using compression but I'll try tonight without and come back to you, thanks for your help. No I'm not overclocked.

BB

 

Hi BB,

Sorry about my previous post. I had forgotten about your earlier thread.

Did you ever follow through on the suggestion to carry out a MD5 checksum test? If not, download, extract and run <eXpress CheckSum Calculator v1.0.0 (XCSC)> against the image file created on your local drive. Note the calculated MD5 checksum. After that, use Windows Explorer to copy the same image file to an external drive and calculate a MD5 checksum based on the copied file. Are the two checksums the same?

Regards

 

Just keeping you guys up to date. I tried an uncompressed backup on the mobile drive and it failed verification. I'll try that checksum thingummy later tonight.

BB

 

Yes, please perform the MD5 checksum comparisons that Menorcaman has suggested. Additionally, try copying the image file between devices (running an MD5 checksum before each copy) to see if/when any file corruption occurs.

Your problem may not be related to Acronis True Image, by the way. It's quite possible that you will be able to duplicate your results by testing non-Acronis files of a similar size. For example, you could create a gigantic zipfile and then try copying it to your various external drives, then back to your local drive again, running an MD5 checksum on it before each copy. The results might prove interesting.

However, your problem might not be file corruption at all. It could well be memory corruption caused by a buggy interface to your external device, or by a faulty CPU or RAM. Since you have already done some testing using several external devices and have gotten similar results, I currently lean towards suspecting your CPU or RAM. However, I would love to hear the results of additional testing, particularly those involving MD5 checksums.

 

Well, you have to wait a while; I backed up from my C drive to the D drive, this being a partition, and it didn't validate. I tried again with no compression and that didn't validate either. What does this tell us, people?
I can't do a backup onto the C drive, before you ask, as there's not the room. I suppose if pushed I could maybe do an image of a part of the C drive and back it up on to the C drive, that's if you guys feel I should. This is getting interesting, isn't it?

BB

 

Both partitions are on the same internal drive, and this is still happening? Yikes. I think I need to change my suggestions. Will get back to you later.

 

That you seem to be going from bad to worse!!

Have you tried booting into TI Full version from the Acronis Rescue CD and creating/validating an image from there? That would eliminate the possibility of interference from other Windows applications.

By the way, please advise which version/build of TI you are using and the make/model of your motherboard.

Regards

 

Do you have another drive to Restore the Image just to see if the bad validation is incorrect?

 

Hi Guys,

I was having the same problem on an SP2 Windows machine. TI repeatedly asked for a password. So, I downloaded another copy of the program at 56K :>( That cured the password problem and the install and backups completed without any apparent problems.

But when I tried to explore or restore, I got the corrupt archive message. No matter what I did, I couldn't get TI 10 to generate a set of full backup image files that would validate on my DVD drive using the default options.


So, I set the file size option to CD (650 MB) which put it below the 2gb ISO limit. Then I let TI put them on my local hard drive rather than the DVD.

I used a CD burner(Nero) to copy them off my hard drive and onto my DVD.

End of problem. The files validate both under Windows and also off the booted Rescue disk. It's a kludge of a fix for a product that should work seamlessly and when scheduled, transparently.

A CRC check indicates that the original and the copies on the DVD are identical. The DVD files can be explored and individually recovered.

I haven't tried the ultimate test, a full system restore from scratch. I tried that test two days ago on an apparently good backup. No errors were reported during the process. But it failed to validate after I performed a low level format on my hard drive. And I had to re-establish everything from scratch including all those windows updates, again at 56K.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Dennis

 

Hi Dennis,

Welcome to Wilders Security.

Thanks for your post but unfortunately it won't help BB I'm afraid. Not only does he get corrupt images on DVD, but they are also corrupt when created on an external USB hard drive or to a different partition on his internal drive.

Regards

 

Normally, I would say run chkdsk with the /r option on all partitions but in this case I don't think that is the problem since it fails on various destination devices.

If the TI9 version is old it must be upgraded to something current like 3677 or later.

I suspect memory unless there is a conflict with TI and his motherboard chipset. The MD5 checksum is worth pursuing but there is a caveat although in this case it might be enlightening. The caveat is that the validation method in TI is not unlike calculating the MD5 checksum and if the real problem is RAM the checksum will fail but this would not mean the storage media is faulty although it would look like it.

If the checksum program fails on various files on different devices then it would indicate a RAM or other PC failure.

This problem has been around a while so in case it hasn't happened yet, I would run memtest86+ overnight, not just for an hour or two. If the machine has more than one stick of RAM and can run on only one, I would try them one at a time. Diagnostic programs are good but they aren't real-life.

As one of the last straws to grasp, I would reset the BIOS values to default in case something was set to a marginal value somewhere along the line.

 

I agree it should work as advertized but your method of putting the tib files on DVD is the only one I would ever consider using if I wanted a backup stored on DVD. This method is referred to as the 2-step method and gives you much more control over the burning process. You can also validate the TI files before you burn them so you have some confidence you are starting the process with good files and either by a CRC check or the burning programs "verify after burning" feature you know the final result is good.

I use 1492 MB which TI converts to 1.457GB. This value allows 3 tib files to fit nicely on a DVD and use the ISO file system although the UDF system works with TI as well.

 

I realise you have already done a memtest, but just about every word of seekforever's post #15 is right on the money IMHO.

The fact that you are having a) problems across a variety of devices and b) that the problems appear intermittent (validate worked on local disk and then didn't) does indicate to me that this is very likely to be faulty memory or a system configuration (e.g. BIOS) problem.

The only thing I can think of which would exclude this hypothesis is if the problem is with the reading of data and the problem is down to ATI not having the correct drivers for your disk.

Could you state
- what version of ATI you are using,
- what disk drive you are using
- whether you are imaging from Windows or from the rescue disk. Whichever of these environments you are using for your backup, could you try a backup and validate from the other one just to add to the information.
Finally, despite your best judgement, I recommend you give your memory a long test. Please post your results back.

By the way I have hit this problem personally on three different systems over the last few years. Once it was down to a Linux driver problem, Twice it was down to bad memory.

F.

 

Acronis 10.0 version 4,871

I'm backing up from Windows, didn't know I could do a rescue disk, I'll have to look into this. I suppose it says "Make a rescue disk" somewhere so I'll manage, I imagine.
I ran that Memtest thingie, the advanced one, all night when this first came up. There seems to be no problems whatsoever with the RAM.

I'll get back to you on other things.

BB

 

It's on the main screen under Tools > Create Bootable Rescue Media. Creating the rescue CD should have been your first action after installing TI. It's the only way you can recover an image if Windows has crashed or you are restoring to a replacement HD. Provided you are not using the trial version of TI 10.0 you can create an image/validate from the rescue CD, otherwise it can only be used to validate/restore an image created under Windows.

I doubt whether it would help your current situation but it would be worth updating your TI to the latest build (4940) and creating a new bootable rescue CD before persuing the problem any further.

Regards

 

Ok I'll go upgrade.
Meanwhile, FYI,
AMD Sempron 3400+ 2.01Ghz
2 Gig RAM
The hard drive ATI is installed on is a Maxtor 6LV200PO (substitute 0 for O where you wish) SATA

BB

 

And the make/model of your motherboard is? I ask because certain motherboards/chipsets have reportedly had problems transferring very large data files from one device to another.

Regards

 

Asrock K8NF4G-SATA2

BB

 

One of my systems runs with this Mobo and has no problems with ATI v9 b3677 using a Western Digital (SATA2) Caviar 250GB S300 16mb 7200rpm.

Build 3633 did not recognise the drive from the rescue disk but the driver was sorted with 3677.


How did your backup and verify from your rescue disk go ?

F.

 

I have a problem creating and validating .tib files on my ASUS A7V133 motherboard which relates to PCI latency.
See Corrupt Images - PCI Latency a cause?
The problem arises almost 100% of the time with my usual 26GB partition.
However, if I backup smaller partitions it is usually, but not always, OK.
It turns out that the Creative SoundBlaster Live 5.1 PCI card doesn't cohabitate very well with this motherboard.
I have removed the SoundBlaster and can now create/validate .tib files.
I haven't yet done sufficient testing to determine if the problem is totally fixed but so far it now works when it didn't before.
Of course I also need to try reinserting the SoundBlaster card (perhaps in a different PCI slot) to see if I can overcome the problem and still have audio.

If all else fails you might consider stripping out all add-in cards and see if the problem goes away.

 

Interesting, but I'm sure that isn't the word you've been using .

Your last sentence is a good idea and a lot of PCs with obscure problems have been fixed with this technique.