Corrupt CD Restore Screen On Boot Up

I have a Dell Dimension 3000. I have the most recent Dell on-board video chip set driver(s) available installed. I use WinXP SP3 with all the critical updates. I am using TI 2009 build 9646. I use an external USB hard drive (Onetouch) to store my disk image files.

On bootup with the CD Restore inserted, when I select the Full Version (Linux) restore option, the TI restore application screen has a corrupt appearance -- the TI app window that appears is darkened black with a white and orange tinted irregular appearance. The fonts are mostly unreadable and jagged. Also, even after carefully squinting at the screen and navigating the menus correctly to restore my hard drive, TI will prompt me with a "media on disk (OneTouch) is found corrupt" and the restoration halts.

On bootup with CD Restore, when I select the Safe Version (MSDOS) restore option, the TI restore app screen is not corrupt in appearance. Unfortunately, though, the Safe Version option will not allow me to access my external USB hard drive.

If I start the restoration process from within a WinXP session, though, when I select the same disk image stored on my external USB hard drive, TI will reboot and restore my system without error.

*This defeats the whole purpose of TI!* If I cannot access my disk image files on my external USB hard drive whenenver I need to restore my internal hard drive via the CD restore disk, what good is TrueImage

I have re-downloaded, un-installed and re-installed TI several times now, but the result is the same. I have also burned additional TI Restore CD's as well, just in case an original, faulty Restore CD copy was the culprit here.

I found a thread on this forum that recommended that, when in the corrupt Full Version restoration screen, to minimize and then maximize the corrupt TI app window. That did not help. I also added "novesa" to the command parameter window during the CD Restore disk creation process. That did not help.

Apparently the CD Restore Full Version option that utilizes Linux, uses a version of Linux that recognizes neither my computer's on-board video chipset nor my external USB hard drive.

 

Wish I could help you other than to say if the recovery environment is inadequate you have to raise the issue with Acronis. Live Chat seems to be the best way. Other route is to make a VistaPE or BartPE recovery CD which uses Windows drivers.

What I find interesting in your post is the fact that the reboot into Linux works. I always assumed that the CD and the "load off the HD" Linux were the same. The obvious thing is to tell you to be sure to make the CD with the installed build rather than an older build but I strongly suspect that is exactly what you are doing.

 

I think, in fact, that restore with CD does recognize my USB drive. The problem is that I cannot navigate through the option screens to properly set the options. The TI app screen is too unreadable.

I can restore with UBCD4Win that has the Acronis TrueImage plugin installed.

Still, it is pathetic that a much advocated product such as TI cannot be relied upon to work with a common Dell computer, whereas such freebies such as BartPE and UBCD4Win can.

At least the TrueImage plugin works!

 

I wish that TI would dump the Linux recovery stuff in favor of a Windows-based environment such as Bart/VistaPE or UBCD4Win where the driver support is much better. This is an on-going problem with TI.

I don't know whether or not the Linux people like Dells or not but it seems Dell computers have more than their share of compatibility problems with the Linux recovery environment.

 

The MustangPEBuilder with TrueImage 2009 plugin creates a vastly superior Recovery CD that is intended to replace the Acronis Recovery CD. Mustang's Recovery CD is based on Windows, not Linux. I have tried it out, in my search to replace the Acronis Full Version Linux, and it is vastly superior. The link is:

http://mechrest.com/plugins/MustangPEBuilder/MustangPEBuilder.htm

It can mount images and has its own file manager to restore individual files and folders. It also assigns drive letters the way Windows does, instead of re-assigning different letters.

It is a $10 plug-in, but is worth it.

 

Hello all,

Thank you for using Acronis True Image

Prizm1, you can contact our Live Chat service here. We will find a solution for the issue.

Thank you.

__

Oleg Lee

 

Hi I have the same Dell Dimension 3000 computer as you. I use the ATI 2009 build 9646 boot disk with 3 different USB drives. They all work. You have correctly identified that your USB drive is the issue when using Acronis. I agree Acronis should provide a better range of hardware support. Send me a PM if you have any other issues with your Dell.