DVD images no good!

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by mhtaylor, May 24, 2005.

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  1. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Hi!
    I couldn't find anything on the LG website about firmware upgrades for my model. I'll try sending an email to their customer service about it.

    My HDD is on the primary connector while the two disc drives are as master/slave on the other connector.

    I don't understand the DMA/UDMA bit but I think mine is 2 - DMA2 or UDMA2o_O Is that setting found in the BIOS? Or did I just see it on the startup screen?
    Thanks again!
    Malcolm
     
  2. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Say, Menorcaman, I had better luck at the LG website this time I found a firmware update. Theirs is not the easiest of sites to navigate!
    I have updated the drive & will proceed by trying again restoring with my last-created DVDs. Will probably be better to create another image though, I guess.
    'gards,
    Malcolm
     
  3. MiniMax

    MiniMax Registered Member

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    1. Windows Key + Pause/Break (or right-click My Computer -> Properties)
    2. Hardware tab.
    3. Device Manager button.
    4. Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
    5. Right-click a channel -> Properties.
    6. Advanced tab.
    7. Current access mode = o_O?
     
  4. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thanks, MIniMax - I knew I'd seen it somewhere! So I'm UDMA2.

    Well I created another image - with the same brand of DVD but after the firmware upgrade of the DVD drive and the result: same verification error at the same point as before.
    I thought the firmware bit might have done the trick, but not so it seems. I guess I"ll go buy some new DVD RWs.
    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  5. padma

    padma Guest

    Create TI split-image files to your HD first, with max split-image size set at 2.0 GB. (max single file size limitation is 2.0 GB for DVD+/-RW media!!!). Then format DVD+/-RW media with Roxio or Nero and drag each 2.0 GB TI file to individual DVD+/-RW discs. Bingo! It works!

    The problem of course is an overwhelming number of DVD's (7 for my 17.1 GB "C" drive) for a removable media type backup. The real problem with not being able to create a full size (4.37GB) TI file to DVD+/-R media lies with the present state of developement with Acronis True Image. This was not a problem for me using Norton Ghost 9.0, but Ghost has a host of other problems that lends itself worse-off than Acronis True Image.

    Let's face it! Backup technology using "snap-shot imaging" still has a way to go. I've been through the mill, all the way from back in the days of Power Quest's Drive Image 3.0, through Ghost, and now True Image. They all have their weaknesses. I'm still waiting for the breakthrough!
     
  6. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thank you, padma!
    This is exactly what I have been doing, padma. I ended up with five files to the image on the HDD, four of them were each 2.00GB and the fifth about 900MB.
    TI just can't seem to read the DVDs! I haven't had as much experience with imaging programs as yourself, but I have found the Terabyte Unlimited products (BooItNG & Image For DOS) work like a charm, albeit a bit geeky! That's why I'm convinced that it is an Acronis problem & not my choice of blank media or my DVD-Rom drive!
    However I think TI is worth persevering with. Maybe it has to be a later version before I get success. Shouldn't be that way, though, should it?
    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  7. MiniMax

    MiniMax Registered Member

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    UDMA-22? I am not saying that you have (or have had) an IDE cable problem, but unless your disks are 4-5 years old, I would expect at least UDMA-3 or 4. Or is the UDMA-2 for your optical drive? In that case UDMA-2 is fine.

    Windows will automagically downgrade the transmission mode when it encounters repeated read/write errors. One way to reset this automatic downgrade is to remove the IDE ATA/ATAPI using the Device Manager, and then add it back.
     
  8. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Hi, MiniMax!

    Optical Drives
    The DVD and the CD-RW are both at "DMA if available".
    The DVD is UDMA2.
    The CD-RW is PIO mode.

    HDD one only, no slave.
    It also is UDMA2.
    Bought new in Jan 04.
    Western Digital, 120GB, 8MB buffer, 7200rpm

    The computer itself is ancient I s'pose! New Jan 02, Celeron CPU 1.2GHz at 801MHz clock speed. Its P3 equivalent I reckon.

    I shall do anyway that uninstall/reinstall you mentioned from within the Device Manager.
    With thanks,
    Malcolm
     
  9. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Many thanks to all posters who offered me help in this thread!

    The problem has been solved by a suggestion of iflyprivate to another poster in another thtread who was in almost the same situation as mine.

    The trick is to ignore the error essages from Acronis - a known bug apparently.
    However, it could not have been well-known to Acronis support staff - they had all my data & sent me on wild goose chases with cdrecord logs, sysinfo reports and whatnot when the solution was so simple.

    It should be noted by Acronis that this solution of my problem only applies to the 2-step method of creating DVD images. The real problem - that of ATI being unable to burn directly to DVD - is still unsolved!

    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  10. Access Denied

    Access Denied Registered Member

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    I just used the latest ATI to image to DVD directly and then restored them from the bootable media. There is a disk change annoyance but it works flawlessly. Good luck, every pc is different.
     
  11. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thanks, Eliot!
    Would you clarify a little?
    Was the "disk change annoyance" that you mentioned the following message that I got at change-disc time?
    "Media status notification for driveF:\;Write failure while accessing the media".
    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  12. Access Denied

    Access Denied Registered Member

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    Nope, it was saying bad media with DVD 1 in the drive and wanted the last DVD. I put in DVD 2 (last) and it immediately asked for DVD 1 again. Then after I put 1 back in there, it wanted DVD 2 and worked for a few secs, asked for 1 again and then worked until seconds were left and wanted 2 again. :doubt: All in all, the restoration process was perfect but not without nagging, lol. :p
     
  13. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thanks, Eliot!
    It seems we all get these error messages or other annoyances but sometimes, somehow, the process finishes!
    Perhaps I'll give it another go.
    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  14. Access Denied

    Access Denied Registered Member

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    Your Welcome. Best of luck. Update every version untill you find one that works and just stay with it. Works for me.
     
  15. belgiumrom

    belgiumrom Registered Member

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    Hello Mhtaylor the test with DVD-/+RW worked out ?
    I'm no specialist in windows XP and/or TI but let me tell you I was getting all the errors you got in the beginning when trying to use DVD-R (that was the nearest handy non expensive crappy PRINCO brand I was getting at the time).
    Thanks to Menorcaman I used DVD-RW and lately DVD+RW media.
    TI works out good, creates backups both methods, I burn them on DVD+RW by using either UDF or the other method and when I do an image check on DVDs or HDD turns out ok.
    I wanna mention I've been creating all kinds of images and restores just for fun on my kid's computer (my guinea pig at home) and they worked just fine.
    Backups were done on Sony and Verbatim DVDs, and the images I used were 1 piece that could fit on a single DVD or image split on up to 5 DVDs.
    Every single one of them worked !!! :)
    So whoever wants to put their backups on DVDs I suggest use of DVD-/+RW !!!
     
  16. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Howdee, belgiumrom!

    The 2-step method worked fine

    Acronis was quite clear on one thing - that ATI could not write to DVD-R for some reason.
    I've had success using DVD+RWs but only with the 2-step method.
    I am about to try ATI directly burning to DVD+RW this time. Fingers crossed! Will report back.
    Cheers,
    Malcolm
     
  17. Menorcaman

    Menorcaman Retired Moderator

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    Hi Malcolm,

    Probably not necessary but just a quick reminder that the direct burn method requires packet writing software (e.g. Nero InCD, Roxio Drag-to-Disk etc) running in the background after having UDF formatted the DVD RW. Also, anyone not running Version 4.3.11.1 or higher of InCD should disable Windows' own recording capability (open "My Computer", right click on the DVD burner, select "Properties", open the "Recording" tab and uncheck "Enable CD recording on this drive").

    Regards
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2005
  18. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thanks, Menorcaman!

    I didn't see your post for an hour or so as I was offline creating the image.

    It is probably a good thing you mentioned about the packet-writing program running in the background. I would have assumed that once I had formatted the discs in UDF that that was the end of it.

    Fortunately, Roxio's Drag to Disc feature is setup as a service during installation I think. Anyway, it is one of the running processes in Task Manager.

    BTW, I think I've finally got there with the DVD difficulties I've been having.

    I've only just finished creating, verifying and then restoring with an image on DVD where the image was burned directly by ATI to disc.
    Creation took 55 minutes.
    Verification took 25 minutes.
    Restoration from the DVDs took 50 minutes.
    I did still get an error message - on two occasions - but I learned from reading earlier posts just to ignore them, press Retry and carry on.

    I think I mentioned earlier in this forum that Acronis support had my problem for more than two months & I have had my problem in this forum for nearly two weeks. So, after seeing my problem solved after all that time, I was naturally trying to pin down just to myself what was the actual tip that did the tricko_O

    I'm amazed that of all the advice I was given, it was the simplest suggestions that did the trick. Two of them actually:-

    * disregard the error messages I received and just continue on with the current process and
    * only use the RW format. ( I didn't try -RW but -Rs and +Rs were not reliable for direct burning with ATI).

    Once again, I'd like to thankyou for your time & help, Menorcaman. I hope MiniMax also sees that I've reached a satisfactory result at last.
    Hey, MiniMax, if you're there, feel free to send any requests (like that cdrecord log, eg) when you need another computer's data for comparisons or whatnot. Having reached the wonderful stage of retirement, I have plenty of time for midnight oil sessions on the computer! (And daytime ones, too - OK, I confess:I'm a computer addict!)

    Kind regards,
    Malcolm
     
  19. MiniMax

    MiniMax Registered Member

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    I hear you :)
    If you and your computer are burning midnight oil anyway, perhaps I could interest you in donating some of your spare CPU cycles to grid.org?

    And now: An unshamed plug for my team at grid.org:

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    http://tinyurl.com/74j4e/u35.t1.3.dhfrig.jpg
    Crunchers: 1 x AMD TBred 2600+ (205p). Tools: UD Mon 4.20
     
  20. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    "can't logon to united server" message, try again, etc

    will give it another go later
     
  21. Menorcaman

    Menorcaman Retired Moderator

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    Hi again Malcolm,

    Excellent news!!
    Perhaps the disk change error message has been sorted in Build 859? If not, then hopefully it will be in some future new build.

    I've always recommended the use of +/- RW disks for 2 reasons:

    - Burning very large data files to optical media is always going to be a bit iffy, particularly with modern, high speed, burners. Burning to +/-RW disks is carried out at much slower speed than +/-R. Hence, in my experience, there is less chance of errors due to vibration, timing issues etc. Also Roxio/Sonic's method of formatting and writing to DVD +Rs isn't true packet writing as we know it. It's really a (clever) variation on the multi-session disk method and I suspect the recording is carried out at the higher DVD +R speed.

    - Writing to RW disks can still throw up the occassional error. In which case, they can just be erased and used again. Works out a lot cheaper than a pile of +/-R coasters in the long run ;)

    Regards
    Tom
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2005
  22. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    QUOTE=Menorcaman]Hi again Malcolm,
    Also Roxio/Sonic's method of formatting and writing to DVD +Rs isn't true packet writing as we know it. It's really a (clever) variation on the multi-session disk method and I suspect the recording is carried out at the higher DVD +R speed.
    [/QUOTE]

    Many thanks, Menorcaman! Would you please elaborate on what the quote means - preferably in relation to Roxio's Drag To Disc as I never use Sonic.

    I do recall reading Roxio saying that the ISO9660 was no good for multi-disc recording.

    I'm itching to test 859 but am also keen to learn all I can on all relevant issues!

    Hoping to hear from you as once I start testing 859 on my slow machine I'm effectively offline for a few hours!
    Regards,
    Malcolm
     
  23. Menorcaman

    Menorcaman Retired Moderator

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    Hi Malcolm,

    The reason a said Roxio/Sonic is that I believe they are now one and the same Company but I'm not sure which one Drag-to-Disk is currently being sold under.

    How does Roxio/Sonic Drag-to-Disk achieve it's magic of supposedly formatting and packet writing to write once DVD+R ? Well I'm not sure of the exact detail but it's clearly not possible to format (in the true sense) write once media and then expect to burn data to it. My guess is that Drag-to-Disk's "format" initializes the DVD in some unique way as a multi session disk and it then emulates UDF packet writing when recording multiple files to it.

    Regards
     
  24. mhtaylor

    mhtaylor Registered Member

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    Thanks,Tom!
    Whilst not grasping all of it, I can see why you're saying RWs have an edge.
    Cheers,
    Malcolm
     
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