TI Workstation Echo Issues

Hello there,

We purchased a license for Acronis True Image Workstation Echo last week, installed it (the latest build) and tried to create an image. However, we came up with some issues.

1. We created an image with a total size of about 7GB divided on 2 DVDs. While restoring the image, it asks to insert volume 1 to continue restoring. However, for some unexplicable reason it does not recognize the 1st volume, even though the DVD is in the drive. When I click on Retry after inserting the DVD, it does nothing - except randomly claiming that the file is corrupted or media quality is poor. We have tried this with rewritable DVDs as well as normal ones, various times.

As a curious point, before purchasing the product, we tried a trial of True Image Home, and were able to create a backup image that fit on 1 DVD and we were also able to restore it without any problems whatsoever.

2. We also tried to create the image on a USB memory stick, without succeeding. Any tips on how to do this?

3. We tried to create an image on an external HDD connected via USB, but Acronis does not let us to place bootable Acronis media components on the drive.

We are running WinXP and the latest build of Acronis True Image Workstation Echo.

Has anyone else stumbled on these problems? Any success on resolving them? Tips and ideas would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

-Markus

 

Try starting with the second DVD first.

If it is possible slow the read and write speed of the DVD down.

To make an external drive bootable you will need to make an ISO version of the rescue CD. Find and follow GroverH's links.

One thing I would suggest is if you don't want to install Grub4Dos on your external drive, is to partition the drive, reserving about 100MB to restore the ISO to.

Echo uses a different alogrithm for imaging to the home product, this might account for the file size difference.

Colin

 

This should work. Were you getting any error messages? Were you trying from Windows or from the TI CD or both?

Acronis doesn't directly create bootable USB hard drives, but there are several methods that can be used. I like using the ISO method with Grub4DOS because of the flexibility, but the drive can also be setup to boot normally (this requires getting the Acronis boot sector onto the drive).

Create a Bootable Flashdrive Using Grub4DOS (works with hard drives too -- the ISO method is the easiest)

Also, see the link in my signature.

 

Windows only.

My bad, I probably should have specified we tried creating a bootable USB memory stick. After bodgy's reply to this thread I found your PDF guide, and currently I am restoring an image from the USB stick - so this should be solved.

We had not realized that you actually need to manually "insert" the bootable Acronis media on the flashdrive - the program itself was kind of unclear, offering you the option to "place Acronis media components" as an additional feature. Obviously we kept getting error messages about NTLDR missing etc, which I guess was due to having the flashdrive formatted in NTFS.

I will have to take a look at this, I'll keep you updated as the process advances. Later on I will have to try creating the image on DVDs once again, too.

Thank you for the quick answers,

-Markus

 

So, after restoring the image on the computer I removed the USB-stick and rebooted the machine.

The computer claims Windows could not start up, and asks whether I would like to proceed with the Safe Mode, Last working setup or Standard Windows startup. With all of the options the computer just restarts and comes back with the same error.

Does this have something to do with the MBR included in the image?

 

Is this the same computer that was imaged or did you restore the image to a different PC?

If Windows gets to that screen, then you MBR is OK, and it is Windows that is a bit lost.

What happens if you press F8 after the BIOS boot info - do you get the Safe mode option, and if you do will Window sboot into Saafe mode?

With XP, I can't think why Windows would be 'upset'.

Is this restore via the DVD's or did you use an external hard drive for this test?

If you have another machine that has space, if you copy the DVD's onto the other machine and then try to mount them in TI, does it work?

What happens if you run a verify?

Colin

 

A different PC, though it is identical HW-wise.

We changed SATA settings from AHCI to IDE, and the computer now boots and seems to work flawlessly. Strange enough, the backed-up machine does have AHCI enabled and also works perfectly.

This was done using an USB memory stick. We have used verification/validation on all images.

USB HDD and DVDs are yet to be tested.

-Markus

 

You may need to update the chipset/controller drivers. Even if the computers are considered identical (same model), there may be differences on the board. In any case, reinstalling the drivers may allow AHCI to work.

 

I tried creating an image small enough to fit one DVD (through Acronis boot) and it works - it no longer claims the media to be corrupted. I still have to try it with more DVDs.

Following MudCrab's guidebook I also created a bootable USB HDD, which works, too.

So, all in all, looking good - many thanks to you all!