Help With Restore

My pc (Dell Dimension, win xp sp2 with 512k ram) got badly infected with malware. Tireless efforts have failed to remove it. I would like to restore my entire system with my Acronis True Image 9 recovery using a full backup that required 2 dvd's. When I start the recovery operation, there are 5 volumes for this backup (3 on the first dvd and 2 on the second dvd of this backup). Do I first insert dvd #2 and highlight the last volume before continuing with the wizard?

Thanks,
Howard

 

First, before you go the restore route; nasties sometimes hide themselves in the XP restore files, each time you reboot the little darlings respawn.

If you have system restore activated - de-activate it, reboot into safe mode, run your AV/Malware removal software - reboot when finished. Re-activate system restore if used and see how you go.

I can't answer your DVD question, but normally archives require the first volume to be inserted, then the last, and then the first again.

Colin

 

Hello Howard,

TI calls each .tib file a volume. Therefore, in your case, DVD 1 contains volumes 1, 2 & 3 whilst DVD 2 contains volumes 4 & 5. When you validate or restore the image you need to insert the disk containing the last volume first (for you, that's DVD 2) and then follow TI's prompts for subsequent disk changes.

Whatever you do, make sure that you validate your image via the Backup Archive Validation Wizard prior to commencing the restore. Part way through a restore is NOT the time to find out that the image is corrupt because, by then, the original partitions on the destination drive will have been deleted .

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman,
Thank you VERY much! Just one question. It appears that TI wants me to select one of the 2 volumes on dvd #2. Which one should I highlight?

Thanks again. If this works, I am going to be the poster child for TI!!

Howard

 

Assuming they are both part of the same image then I don't think it matters. However, if TI doesn't like it then just select the last one .

Worth also mentioning that you should wait for your recorder's activity light to extinguish before ever clicking OK, Proceed or Retry. If not, you are likely to receive an error message of some kind.

Regards

 

Thanks again. Will try the restore tonight (I am at work now) and post back with the results.

I appreciate your quick responses!!!!!!

Howard

 

I don't know if this still holds true for the latest TI builds, but earlier, the button that you had to click on after replacing the disk, was labeled "Retry".

A confusing way of labelling what's in fact a normal "proceed" command, IMO, but if you see it, just smile and click on it (after the short wait recommanded by Menorcaman).

 

Thanks bVolk. I've amended my post to also include "Retry" .

Regards

 

I am doing the restore and I am not sure how to answer the following:

On the Restored Partion Type, I have a choice between Active and Logical. Active refers to "the partition the computer boots from and can contain op sys and data files. If the partition image contains an op sys it is recommended that you restore this partition as active"

I have a Dell Dimension which came with Win xp sp2 preinstalled. I did not touch anything having to do with the hard drive or partitions at any point.

Should I select Active or Logical

Thanks again,

Howard

 

Active


Colin

 

OK, just 2 more questions about the wizard (I am almost there!): The wizard states as follows:

Please select a drive letter for the restored partition. The choices are: a) I do not want to assign a letter and b) yes I want to assign a logical drive letter to the restored partition (this is the default choice which also points to drive c). As stated previously, my Dell Dimension is as it was out of the box with the C drive as my hard drive. I did not create any partitions. In other words, everything is standard. Which is the correct choice?

My second question is regarding the option of checking the file system after restoration. Should I check this? I already did the pre-check and found no errors on the backup that I am using so I assume I do not have to check the backup BEFORE restoration here.

This should allow me to complete the wizard which I will do this evening when I arrive home from work.


Thanks again (and again!)
Howard

 

Yes, you do want to assign a drive letter and the default C: is correct, as you are restoring the image to it's original location to perform its original function (that of a boot partition).

I have the file system checking option unselected because I suspect it was that which once caused a minor problem to Windows when I restored a partition with resize. As you a re not resizing, you may have that option checked and if Windows complains on booting (but it recovered from the issue on its own, in my case), you can still redo the restore with that option unchecked.

 

Disaster. Approximately half-way through the restore, the process blew with 'archive corrupt'. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I did the pre-check. I tried another backup but I received a screen giving me a choice between FAT16 and FAT32. Not knowing how to proceeed, I exited. Now I cannot even boot my Dell. I tried inserting the Acronis recovery cd which I created after I first installed Acronis, but it did not read the recovery cd at all. I tried booting again with my Acronis recovery cd by hitting f11 as instructed in the manual, but all the pc does is give me a repeating flashing blue line www.Dell.com. The Dell tech got me to the diagnostic screen and I ran a 3 hour check which turned up no errors. I am dead in the water. Waiting for Dell to call me back so I can report the results of the diagnostics.

 

OK, it looks as though your Dell 'special' partition and the rest or part of the harddrive have been wiped - This is because TI started the process, which will always wipe everything.

What to do? Well if you are able to; see if you can mount the image using another computer - you will have to install TI of course. If you can mount and navigate the image then we know that your image is unlikely to be corrupt. You can even try copying a file of some kind that can be opened on the computer you're testing from.

Assuming you are able to do this, I see 1 of two ways forward. Either hunt beg borrow (steal? Perhaps not) an XP CD and reformat the harddrive to a NTFS partition WARNING this will forever do away with the Dell diagnostic partitions, which are probably dead now anyway - they would have been the FAT32 and 16 which seems to have made everything blow out. Then restore the image.

2. I was about to suggest BartPE, but as you're not having a problem accessing the drive, this might not be of much help.

The fact the fat16 partition is wiped is the reason your getting a blue line because there is no partition for the F11 button to boot.

See first if you can mount the image and maybe others may have an answer to your problem.

Colin

 

Bodgy,

Thanks for your reply. Regarding your statement 'mount and navigate the image': are you referring to the explorer window when I select the dvd drive in TI while running the restore wizard and highlight the volumes? I could do this on my pc originally. I was able to run the pre-check and TI told me it was fine. Do I understand you correctly?

H

 

Howard,

You should invoke the "Mount Image" tool from the main TI menu, select the image file to be used, select the partition(s) to be mounted and accept its/their default new drive letters, select Read-only mode and finally click on Proceed.

After the mounting process is finished (very quickly), go to My Computer and you will see the contents of the image file inside one (or more) virtual drive(s), ie. simulated drives with new drive letters that don't really exist. But you can browse the contents of the virtual drive(s) and even copy some files over to the real drives. When finished browsing run Unmount from TI.

(This feature is very useful when you are about to restore an older image. Not to loose the data files that were produced after the image you are going to restore was created, you first create a current image of the now "unhealthy" state, with the purpose to mount it after the restore and copy from it the files that the restored old image did not contain.)

 

Considering that my vital files were backed up to a flash drive, I decided to reinstall everything from scratch. My only problem is that I need to recover Microsoft Office 2003 from one of my TI backups. When I purchased my Dell last year, the pc came with Office pre-installed, but they did not send me the cd's. Despite their acknowldgement that I did purchase Office at the time, they are still refusing to send me the installation disks. Can someone explain how to do a selective restore from one of my good TI Archives in order to recover Office 2003?

Once again, thank you for your assistance.

H

 

I think you are going to have a problem here.

If you have the setup files for Office on the flash drive and you can mount the flash drive image, then it'll be just a case of dragging the files to a place of your choosing and running setup.

On the other hand, if you just have the installed version of Office - you have problems. Even if you manage to drag the main office files over and any others that sneak themselves into Sys32 and MS application folder - you then have the might problem that registry won't know about Office - and Office definitely won't work without these.

Technically it might be argued that Dell are in breach of their licence agreement with MS as MS states that all OEMS must provide an original CD or an original CD as part of an image, however MS aren't too fussed that most don't these days, as it lessens the chance of piracy - that doesn't help you with your Dell problem though.

If you are lucky, see if in the setup folder (assuming you used a Dell CD to install the XP) Office might be in there.

As an aside HP had Office pre-installed on my laptop, but refused to send me an activation key - lucky I only use Lotus or Open Office.

Colin