Problems++ Burning Acronis TI 8.0 image to DVD (2-step method)

Hello, new member here,

Unsuccessfully trying to burn ATI 8.0 (build 800) image to DVDs via recommended 2-step method outlined by menorcaman: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=495270&postcount=9

I've made almost a dozen coasters already! :-((

In the past 2 years, have already been able to successfully burn images to 2 and 3 DVDs (have succeeded with BOTH DVD+Rs and DVD-Rs btw) respectively, with the 2-step method (and restore those same images with the DVDs) with this exact program, with 2 different computers (2 different images). Therefore this means the program can work when the "gods" are smiling!

Now with a new Dell laptop, have been trying relentlessly to get the newly created .tib images on DVD again. I can successfully create, store (and verify) the image on a newly created internal drive/partition in the laptop AND to an external USB HD. This, whether I make 1 big .tib image or instruct ATI to make 1490mb images (see below)...
I verify the 6 X 1490mb (plus one 800mb = 7 total) created images after Acronis creates them. I double-click the .tib icons (or right click, then explore) to see what happens. Alternately I use the ATI check image option...
The HD-stored images all open up & verify fine and show that they contain the computers different imaged files & folders.

Unfortuneatly on the burned DVDs (I use 2 DVDs to place the first 3 X 1490mb image files on one and the next 3 X 1490 files plus the remainder 800mb, thus 4 .tib files on the 2nd DVD), I can only succeed burning verifiable images to the 2nd DVD!?!?? Weird... Only the 2nd DVD will verify and show the 4 burned images correctly.
The first DVD (with my backup.tib1, backup.tib2, backup.tib3 files on it) ALWAYS shows up as "corrupted image" with a red "X" and asks me to use another image!

HOW can I get BOTH burned DVDs to show verifiable images (as do the HD backed up images)?


- Am using Nero 6.6 (as with the previous successful attempts on 2 other 'puters in the past).
- Have shut off firewall, anti-virus, and all system tray active processes during the Nero burn.
- Have cleaned with CCleaner first, CHECK DISCed and have defragged a few times too.
- Have tried BOTH ISO and UDF burning methods with Nero Burning ROM.
- Have used Verbatim, BENQ, Maxell DVDs (-R), Maxell (+R) AND a generic DVD-RW all giving me verifiable "disc 2"s (the one with the last (or 7th) .tib file on it) but corrupted images in the first disc ("disc 1")!
-I even tried burning the first 3 .tib files individually, on 3 diffent, individualSony CDRs.

...All to no avail...
Please help, I've run out of ideas!

regards,
Rickk

 

I believe that all the images on your DVD's must be copied to a hard drive to be successfully validated. V8.0 did not have the capability to validate on DVD/CD's. I'm sure Menoracaman will clarify if I'm wrong.

 

Rickk

Welcome to the real world of DVD media. I have a lot of those coasters also. To help you create re-readable DVD data disks, set NERO to verify the burn after it has burned the media. You will find 9 times out of 10, NERO will not be able to verify the data succesfully. This will save you the step of having to run the TI verify function. I have tried just about every media MFG and found that maybe 2-3 DVD Disks out of a pack of 25 will pass the NERO verify step. If you make it past the NERO verify step, you will probably be able to use that data in TI. DVD's were designed for Videos - if you lose a video BIT, you won't miss it, but if that bit is missing in a data file, you have a problem.

My recomendation is to buy a tape backup unit or another hard disk.

Storage_man

 

Isn't the 3x1490MB files plus the 800MB overflowing your DVD?

Have you done a verify of the burn using your burning software's verification to ensure it is doing everything as it should?

 

As much as I never recommend DVDs as a primary backup and consider them to be generally inferior to HD storage, I think you are far overdoing the failure rate; especially on an immediate verify after burning.

I use Nero's verify immediately after burning images or anything onto DVD and the failure rate is actually very low. I had a couple of DVDs that were bad and it was because of a surface defect you could actually see in the right lighting. I use Maxell and TDK but even found dreaded Memorex write-once to be OK. I wouldn't recommend Memorex as a good brand though.

I do not recommend using R/W DVDs for data backups. I had several go bad after only a few erase cycles and I have friends who have had the same experience.

If you are burning DVDs and trusting your data to them it is a good idea to burn at a slow rate which is no faster than half the DVD's or drive's maximum burn rate whichever is lower.

 

Dear repliers, thanks for the suggestions so far,

Storageman: That's the weird thing, I do set Nero to verify after burning (even though this lengthens the burning process somewhat, I don't mind). It always verifies successfully, which is what's surprizing. As noted, the 2nd DVD discs with the last .tib files also always verify perfectly with Acronis, but not the first DVD (containing the first .tib files).

Seekforever: a) Yes I know. It isn't intuitive but as per menorcaman's instructions, when you specify 1490mb in the initial Acronis imaging file sizing procedure, it then shows up as 700MB in the Nero burning compilation, so 3 X 700MB plus a bit more only takes up around 2.5GB space. Don't ask me why. Maybe someone else can explain why.
b) As for the burning rate, I'm being even more conservative. Instead of going 1/2 the DVD's or drive's speed (Verbatim allowed up to 16X, while the others were 8X) I was burning at 2X or 2.4X...!

Still stumped...

 

Then you have a problem with the Nero software. 1490MB is 1,525,760KB or 1.45GB, and only three files this size will fit on a 4.7GB DVD+ or -R disk. That's because a 4.7 GB DVD only hold 4.38GB and 3 x 1.45Gb = 4.35 GB.

Unless you are using double layer DVD disks, 8.5GB, you can't fit more on a DVD.

That's a bit slower than should be necessary, but I can understand why you would use a slower rate if you are having problems.

Here's the real problem. You can't verify disk two of a two disk backup by itself in TrueImage. You have to verify the entire image - both DVDs - together. What ever you have been doing is giving bogus results if only the second DVD validates.

Burn your backup to DVDs then copy the DVDs back to one folder on your external or, preferably, internal hard drive. Do the validation on the copy on the hard drive. If it verifies, it was good on the DVD.

 

Ok, so after trying out thomasjk's (and jmk94903's) suggestion of placing the burned DVD images (2 DVDs) back on the internal HD's 2nd partition for verification by Acronis, it still showed the "corrupted image" message.

Which likely means Nero may be at fault as jmk94903 suggests (because as I'd explained, the original AcronisTI images placed on the HD b4 burning to DVDs with Nero, are successfully verifiable* via Acronis).

*Btw, What is the difference between "Explore image" and "Check image" in Acronis TI 8.0?
Both of these successfully verified the originally created images (stored on either the USB and internal HD).
They also both showed the corrupted message when checking the DVDs' images (which were placed back on the HD as suggested.

On a related note, I re-checked and saw that there are remnants of Roxio and Cyberlink still in the laptop's registry even after removing all their respective programs via Add-Remove.
Could they be the cause of conflict between them nero and themselves?
How about Media Center or WindowsMediaPlayer?

regards,
Rickk

 

I presume Check image is the same as TI9's Validate image which means it creates a checksum for the data contained in the entire archive and compares it with the stored value within the archive. If they don't agree perfectly the archive is declared corrupt.

Explore image allows you to see the contents of the image and possibly restore a file or files from it. You may have to plug (mount in TI9 parlance) first. This is what it seems anyway.

If you are having Nero show 700MB when you select a 1492 MB file it looks like it thinks it is burning a CD!

 

Since you have the images on a USB drive and they validated, you could burn them to DVDs on another computer. When you do that, I'll bet they verify just fine.

So, something is wrong with Nero or your DVD drive. Is this the software that came with the drive? If not, my guess is that a newly purchased copy of Nero or Roxio (not one that came bundled with another drive) would burn correctly.