ATI 8.0 (826) TAKES TOO LONG TO RESTORE

Well, there may not be enough room on the partition for the backup image, or if you were using C, there may be a problem locking the disk.

We'll be waiting to hear what happens when you try the replacement hard drive.

 

Mazaprin:
Ive been running into some similar performance issues after upgrading. Im not sure what was causing the issue but I finally did the following.
-removed the Acronis encrypted storage
-removed the ATI software
-ran regedit and removed every TrueImage entry.
- deleted all Acronis directory locations
-under Program Files
-under Program files\common files
-under documents and settings\<checked all ids>\application data
- rebooted and defragmented my drives
- rebooted and installed the latest build

For me it takes a while to create a 10.4gig image but for restoring, Im able to complete it under 22minutes now.


Hope this helps should you try it.

 

I know this doesn't appear to be directly related to the problem we are discussing however I wonder if the changes to cache management with XP SP2 might also affect external USB drives?

To quote Microsoft:
"problem occurs after you install Windows XP SP2. Windows XP SP2 introduced a change in cache management. This change causes write operations to the optical disk to occur nonsequentially. "
See: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;891070

Nero INCD 4 also has problems with this new cache management.
To quote Nero:
"You may have realized that InCD's performance decreased since installing Service Pack 2 for Windows XP.
The reason for this is a change in the Cache Manager that conflicts with InCD 4. This new version of Windows XP's Cache Manager was installed with SP2."
"we are not able to provide a workaround for all of the problems caused by the cache management change. Especially the huge amount of unnecessary allocation descriptors cannot be avoided by changes in InCD.
If you still have these problems, please address directly Microsoft."
See: http://ww2.nero.com/enu/Support_News_SP2_Packet_Writing_Problems.html

Maybe the Cache Manager changes conflict with the USB drivers or with TrueImage?
My suggestion: Test the TrueImage restoration time when using XP SP1

 

To jmk94903:
it seems you did not understand my explanation. I did not create any secure zone to store the image, I just put the Boot CD and tried to store a full backup (partitions C and D) on partition D and you are not allowed to store a backup on a partition that will be included on that backup (that's why you create a "Secure Zone" independent and unavailable for any partition except for ATI).

To DS-MP:
Welcome to the Boat and your suggestion is very welcome too. In other words, you performed a CLEAN installation.

I know how to do most of what you suggest. I uninstall the software then search for "all files and folders" for that software name and remove all entries then for last I go to regedit and simply delete the software folder and reboot.
Now, I need to know HOW to remove the directory locations (aren't they done in the above mentioned procedures?).

One thing that I have been doing (and I don't know if it is the correct method) is that when I download every new BUILD, I open the installer and it shows 2 options : Remove your existing copy of Acronis OR Upgrade your existing version to that new build, and I have invariably choosen to "Upgrade the existing version" (as opposed to uninstall the existing version, reboot and then install the new build) and I don't know which option would be better, unless the "Read Me" file or installation instructions calls for a Clean installation (removing your existing version completely before installing the new version) and this is not the case (I have been told that you can install the new build OVER your existing one as long as they are part of the same version (ATI 8, ATI 7, etc). But maybe a CLEAN installation would be wiser.

One last question, What do you mean by removing the Acronis encrypted storage (what are you referring to, the external Media where you store your backups or some Acronis Files? Could you clarify it for me?

I am now without an external HD and can not risk my system by doing tests
(I stored my last ATI image on my brother's computer before erasing it from the external HD to be replaced, just in case something happens to my system while I wait for the new external HD, I would then transfer the ATI image from my brother's computer to the new external HD, bring it home and restore my system). This is just in case of emergency but I don't plan doing any more tests until I receive the new HD and create an image on it.
I will follow your suggestion when I receive my new HD and perform a CLEAN installation of the latest Build and test it.

 

Hi Mazaprin,

You can create an image to the same partition that is being imaged. Just ignore the warning and carry on creating the image. Obviously you can't then "restore" it to the same partition as it, along with the partition, will be deleted prior to commencing the restore.

You may want to check out this <previous Acronis Support reply> on how to remove TI's footprint manually. However, I can't see how a clean install is going to help as your current problem only manifests itself after booting from the Linux based rescue CD. This is totally independent of whats been installed (or not) under Windows.

Regards

 

Menorcaman:
You may be right about that a Clean Install has nothing to do with the linux based Boot CD but you know that the linux drivers on the Boot CD need to read and transfer the created image inside the external HD to the internal HD thru the USB 2.0 connection and if something is affecting the USB 2.0 functionality or the external HD is not functioning properly then the Boot CD can not do its job properly.
I guess that the SP2 installation has affected many computers in diferent ways. It has nothing to do with the Linux drivers on the Boot CD but these drivers MAY also need the Windows system (at the minimum level) to operate into and if the windows system have had some changes made by the SP2 NEW environment it could affect the Boot CD performance indirectly (USB 2.0 or external HD functionality). This is only a guess. It is also a fact, in my case, that before SP2 I was restoring fast with my ATI 7.0 (634) without any problems neither from within windows nor from the Boot CD, every operation was flawless. Then, 4 months after I installed SP2 (and related windows security updates but NO hardware changes on my part) the restorations suddenly are taking 4 hours even from the ATI 7.0 Boot CD. So, something happened in that period of time (4 months) since the last restoration before SP2 and I tend to be inclined to think that it has obviously something to do with some changes to the system made by SP2 that is interferring indirectly and slowing the ability of the Boot CD to restore.

tachyon42:
According to Microsoft: "problem occurs after you install Windows XP SP2. Windows XP SP2 introduced a change in cache management. This change causes write operations to the optical disk to occur nonsequentially. "
I understand by this that the SP2 changes to cache management could affect the writing operations to the internal HD in a certain way and maybe it interferes with the ability of the Linux based Boot CD to write (or transfer) the image from the external HD to the internal HD to restore that image and MAYBE it slows down the restoration process. This is something that Acronis support or IRINA SHIROKOVA should take into account and contact Microsoft about these changes to cache management by SP2 and in which way oit may affect the Acronis restore operations from a Boot CD.

 

Hello Mazaprin,

I would be absolutely amazed if Windows or SP2 played any part in what goes on within the Linux boot rescue environment. There really has to be another reason for the recent drop off in performance.

Regards

 

Hi Menorcaman:
Do you mean that the Linux drivers on the Boot CD are the ones that control the USB 2.0 connection and the transfer of data from external to internal HD with absolutely no intervention from Windows and the SP2 environment? Can Linux work independently of the OS (are the Linux drivers an OS by themselves?) I only know about Linux by NAME, I don;t know if it is an OS or just some driver or some application (like Word Perfect or PowerPoint) I am ignorant about that Linux "thing" but if you say that The Boot CD does not depends at all on Windows OS nor the SP2 to do its job then someting is wrong with the Boot CD drivers or the external HD is bad.

And if the Boot CD contents are the culprit for the slow restoration then everybody the upgraded to ATI 8 (any build) should be having the same restoration problem and I dont see anybody else complaining about the same problem I am experiencing.

 

Hi Mazaprin,

Linux is an open source OS and has many similarities to the UNIX OS. The "Full" boot rescue CD contains a cut down version of a Linux OS and uses various Linux device drivers to access the hardware (as opposed to the "Safe" version of the rescue CD, which uses a combination of DOS and your motherboards BIOS routines).

Yes, that's what I'm saying. I don't see it being the boot CD though as the problem has suddenly appeared, even when using boot CDs created by earlier builds that were known to perform normally. However, there is slight possibility that your motherboard's USB chipset or the external enclosure USB chipset/hard drive is playing up when in the Linux rescue environment.

Reading through your posts again, I see that you are focusing on poor performance during a restore. However, quoting from post #8

it seems that you also have the problem when creating an image from a boot CD.

In addition, please note that restoring your system drive from the boot CD and from within Windows ends up as one and the same thing. Namely, when commencing a restore from within Windows, TI will be prompt you to reboot the computer. On rebooting, it will load the Linux based rescue environment.

Although the performance in boot rescue mode is very much dependent on the Linux device drivers and a User's specific hardware configuration, everything you've said to date seems to point towards a recent fault in your hardware or a change in hardware/BIOS setup. This is made all the more confusing by the fact that the problem only manifests itself after booting into the Linux based rescue environment.

Regards

 

After reading this thread and just recently posting my first experience trying to use the product I'm starting to think this product was a poor solution choice.

I think I will end up regretting purchasing this product if the amount of time of reimaging takes as long as myself and others are experiencing. Will wait and see what develops over this issue.

 

mazaprin - about the quote from Nero about "the huge amount of unnecessary allocation descriptors". This suggested to me that significantly more information is being stored in the NTFS structure by the new Cache Manager. The time to write this NTFS info might not be too significant but the read algorithm in any Linux driver or TrueImage MIGHT have great difficulty and take significant extra time (or even, like InCD, just fail sometimes). Since you point out that your problem started with the Windows XP SP2 upgrade then reverting to SP1 (or the original RTM version) would seem like the obvious way to go. Of course any testing then done should not involve any image file created whilst SP2 was installed.

Darryl - Forums like this discuss many problems, sometimes affecting all user (like the 859 build), othertimes just a few users although in signifcant ways. The many happy users of a product seldom have reason to visit such a forum. Programs like TrueImage, which are very hardware oriented, are more prone than most to exhibit problems which are obscure, difficult to investigate and hard to fix in such a way such as not to impact other users whose hardware configuration is slightly different. Sometimes the solution to a problem may be found by searching a forum such as this one. Sometimes it's necessary to discuss the issue with the software manufacturer. Occasionally the problem just never seems to get resolved. Sometimes it just goes away with an apparently unrelated hardware/software change.
That all said, Acronis follow a policy of frequent upgrades so raising an issue in this forum, lodging a formal report and following up a problem with them will hopefully lead to an early resolution to a problem.

 

Menorcaman:
Could you define to me that USB chipset? (are you referring to the Belkin Pc Card?) what is it? Can it be adjusted? I went to Sony (VAIO laptop) website (downloads for my laptop model) and I did not see any upgrade available for my motherboard or BIO so I don't know how to upgrade my BIO or to adjust the chipset (or check it). I am confused about what you say that the Boot CD (with Linux) does not depend nor needs Windows System for restoring images but you are mentioning here a change in BIOS setup. The BIOS is part of Windows OS and the USB chipset I guess is also controlled by windows so if the linux based Boot CD does not need the windows OS for anything then any changes in BIOS or motherboard should not affect the independent Linux environment. This is a bit confusing, we are talking now about Linux interacting with the windows BIO (?).

Darryl:
You say that yourself and others are experiencing long restoration times too?
I would like to know the details regarding your restoration problems to compare them to mine's.


Tachyon42:
Before SP2 I was restoring flawessly in less than 30 minutes always (under SP1) but after installing SP2 I did not have to restore my OS until 4 months later (during which there were NO hardware changes or additions) and that restoration started this problem by taking 4 hours. I am not blaming SP2 but it is a coincidence that my restorations started to slow down after I installed SP2 (and this was a very BIG UPDATE, almost considered a new version of windows) and i have learned that SP2 have been affecting several types of softwares or applications and it even messed up the OS in some computers (having to reinstall windows) so since SP2 have been portrayed more as a villain than a hero I have been assuming that SP2 might have something to do with the problem.

BUT I am not going to reverse my OS to an SP1 environment just to check if the restoring time changes (I don't want to run the risk of a possible problematic reinstallation of the SP2) and just to do a Test (it is not worth it).
My brother computer I installed SP2 on it also on january 2005 and he just bought an external USB 2.0 HD like mine (SimpleTech SimpleDrive External USB 2.0 120GB HD) that will arrive this thursday and then I will test that brand new HD creating an image using the Build 903 Boot CD to see how long it takes and then I will restore that image also from the Boot CD to compare times. Then I will also test my brand new external HD (the replacement that will arrive in a week or so) and compare results with my brother's ones.

At least the restoration is done after 4 hours although you run the risk of a power failure in the middle of the restoration and end with only one partition finished and unable to start the restoration again because one partition is missing and your USB is not working and ATI can not see the external HD to restore from and you have to use the Recovery CD to bring the system to the factory state and then enable the USB 2.0 card or drivers in order to be able to use the external HD and for ATI to see the HD and restore from it (it happened to me 1 week ago I was testing different Builds Boot CDs and a power failure of about 2 or 3 seconds aborted the restoration process two hours into it). that's why it is extremely important to obtain the shortest restoration time to prevent a power outage while restoring.

 

generally applications cleanup everything correctly when you do an uninstall and you dont need to do anything further. Some applications can run into issues and this causes the uninstall to miss parts do to either path changes after install or inuse type info.
I usually check all the stuff I listed for any application that I uninstall, just to ensure that its completely removed.

the other question.
I use all the functions of ATI and it has its own storage that it can create on a volume to store the image data to. This is what I was refering to.

 

Hi Mazaprin,

The USB chipset is normally part of the motherboard. However, in your case, as you have plugged the USB HD into a Belkin PC Card/USB adaptor, it's the USB chipsets in that and your external HD enclosure that I'm referring to. They can't be adjusted but like all things electronic, they can become faulty.

As far as the BIOS is concerned, it has nothing to do with Windows. It is an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) that merely contains the basic input/output and bootstrap routines that enables your motherboard to communicate with various devices, test the hardware and commence the boot process prior to loading any OS. As you are no doubt aware, the BIOS can be updated by "flashing" it with new "firmware". However, whilst not common, it can also become corrupted, either accidently or by malicious program (malware) activity.

If you get a power outage during a restore then merely reboot from the True Image bootable rescue CD and recommence restoring the TI image file from your external HD. There is no need to pre install Windows, TI or anything else.

The encrypted storage that DH-MP refers to is the Acronis Secure Zone. Its a hidden partition (as far as Windows is concerned) but it's not encrypted.

Regards

 

That's true BUT my laptop did not come with USB 2.0 capability and that's why I purchased the Belking Notebook Card to enable it and when I got the power outage Acronis had only rstored part of the primary Drive (C) and when I rebooted and tried to start again the restoration, Acronis COULD NOT see the External Drive to restore from, because the power outage came before the restoration process installed the Belkin driver, so the USB 2.0 port was not usable, so I had to restore to the factory state in order to then re-install the Belkin Card so Acronis could see the External HD and restore from it (it did not ocurred to me that I could use a USB 1.1 port of my laptop to re-start the restoration process and I guess I could have done it from it).

NOW... this is to all of you (and to ACRONIS SUPPORT GUYS):
I am still waiting for my NEW External HD to arrive to continue the Restoration Tests. Meanwhile, my brother purchased and installed ATI 8.0 (903), the first time he uses it for backups, and then he bought a USB 2.0 external HD and tried to create image from the Boot CD and the estimated time read 4 hours !! But when he creates the image from windows (to the external HD) it only took 22 minutes.

I must say that it is a very BIG coincidence that AFTER the windows SP2 update, the Acronis restoration process have been slowed down considerably compared to SP1 fast restorations with any version and any Build.

I know that the Boot CD does not need the windows system to restore and it works completely under a Linux environment but then something comes to my mind: If the SP2 has made some changes to the system (to the USB 2.0 capabilities or Hardware interaction, etc...) these changes are also reflected on the CREATED IMAGE and then it may interfere with the Linux drivers in the restoration process (I mean, it does not affect the Image creation process but it somehow affects the restoration of that image).
In other words, maybe the image itself (or its contents, the way the files are imaged, better said) could be hindering the linux drivers job when trying to read and transfer the image data to the internal HD.
This possibility is only a guess to be analysed by the experts at Acronis because if the external HD is new and working fast transferring other types of data (pictures, documents, etc) and the USB 2.0 (ports or hub) is also working fine and the SAME RESTORATION PROBLEM appears in TWO COMPUTERS, apart from each other and not shared, then there should be something that came with the SP2 (or related security updates) that is creating the problem INSIDE THE IMAGE that is created.

 

Hello mazaprin,

Your idea seems reasonable even though we didn't notice any difference in image creation or restoration depending on whether SP2 is installed or not. The strange thing is that the external drive is recognized by Acronis Bootable CD only if you installed drivers under Windows. The ability to recognize particular device from Acronis Bootable CD cannot depend on whether you loaded the drivers under Windows or not. This ability can only depend (and in fact depends) on the hardware state and BIOS settings. All the other information (including the data on the hard drive) is not even read while Acronis Bootable CD loads. Also could you please clarify whether the two restorations (before and after SP2 was installed) were performed with the same image or not? If the image was the same then obviousely SP2 installation couldn't affect its creation.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

Marzaprin,

I still feel that focusing on Windows SP(anything) is a red herring as I really can't see it influencing your hardware before or after booting into the Linux rescue environment.

Something has recently changed that's preventing your hardware from working normally outside the Windows environment. Either your motherboard and Belkin PC Card have stopped communicating properly or ditto the Belkin PC Card and your external USB hard drive/hard drive enclosure. It would do no harm to boot into your laptop's BIOS setup and check its settings against those detailed in your hardware manual.

Regards

 

Hi, this is for Ilya
Let me clarify things a little better for you. All the problems I am experiencing come entirely from the Boot CD. When I create an image (or check it) from the Acronis software on Windows (to the External HD) everything is done OK.
When I try to create an image FROM the Boot CD (or Restoring from it) it takes 4 hours.

I was restoring fast (from the Boot CD) with ATI 7 (634) before and after SP2. I installed SP2 around December 2004 and restored 2 or 3 times images created after that and the restoration was the usual (less than 30 minutes). The last image restored was the one I created on January 15, 2005 (well under SP2). Then from that date on, I did not have to restore until May 2005 ( have been creating weekly images from january). On May 24 I used the same ATI 7 (634) Boot CD to restore an image from May 16 and that's when it took 4 hours for the first time.

Now, from the last fast restoration on January till May 24 when the restoration took 4 hours I checked my logs (I note everything day by day) and during these 4 months I was only installing windows security updates (including the new windows installer 3.1) the java runtime environment 1.4.2_06 and later the 5.0 update 2) updates for my existing software, installed the Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta 1 BUT I did not make any Hardware changes at all (and I had been using the external HD and the Belkin Card and the 7 port USB 2.0 HUB for a year already and I was restoring from them during the past year so there was no change in Hardware unless SP2 did the changes internally without me being aware of it. Then I downloaded and installed ATI 8 (Builds 826, 889 and then 903) and all of them Boot CDs had the same problem when restoring or creating image from them.

There is NO PROBLEM with CREATING AN IMAGE from windows to the external HD. the problem is about CREATING AND RESTORING FROM THE BOOT CD.
So, On my last reply I was saying that maybe SP2 (or some windows update(s) that came after it may have affected the BIOS or the Harware configuration in some way because the restoration problem ARISE after the SP2 was installed and although I was able to restore fast under SP2 at the begining the 20 or so security critical updates that FOLLOWED THE SP2 brought many changes to the system. That's my guess.

There is also the FACT that my brother computer is experiencing the same problem, He has SP2 and it is the first time she uses Acronis 8 (903) for backup purposes and he bought a brand new external HD and when he tried to create his very first image from the Boot CD the remaining time displayed first 57 minutes, then 2 hours then 3 hours and then 4 hours and remained there (I cancelled the image) then I tried to create the image using Acronis software from windows and then the image was created in 22 minutes which is normal for that size of image. So the Boot CD also had problems with creating the image on my brother's computer (and if it was going to take 4 hours to create an image from the Boot CD it will also take 4 hours to restore that image from the Boot CD). So, my brother's computer has much less software installed than I (his system is "lean" (only 20 or so applications compared to 190 on my laptop) and since he has a desktop computer that is already USB 2.0 enabled from the factory, he did not have to use any Belkin Card nor any USB Hub, he is using the computer's USB 2.0 ports to plug the external HD and he is having the same type of problem that I am experiencing.
How do you explain that?
Both, the external HD that me and my brother are using is USB 2.0 Plug'n Play, so they are detected by windows the first time you plug them and windows automatically enable these storage devices (they did not come with any CD installer)

To Menorcaman:
If something has changed on my laptop, I am not aware of it nor I did it. I checked with Hardware Manager and there are no RED (nor even YELLOW) flags there and on the Device Manager, under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers", all the USB ports are listed (the Belkin Card and the 7 ports hub) and it also shows the "Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller" (which enables the USB 2.0 capabilities) and I checked their properties and they are working properly. And they both (the 2 ports on the Belkin Card and the 7 ports on the Hub) are transferring data without problems at the USB 2.0 standard speed when I use a flash Drive or the External HD to store pictures, wallpapers, etc). So, if there has been some harware changes they are not VISIBLE (meaning they are deep into the system and I am no technician).
I don't understand that part wher you suggest that I "Boot into my laptop BIOS setup and check its settings against those detailed in my Hardware manual". First, I would need instructions on how to Boot into my laptop BIOS and then I will need clarification as to what type of Hardware manual you are referring to (the external HD and the Belkin Card and Hub don't come with a manual to set up any BIOS, they are just installed by windows as Plug'n Play storage devices and that's it). I would not know which are the proper BIOS setup for my laptop, I guess that Windows take care of it automatically.

BUT THEN, it does not explain WHY my brother is having the same problem on his desktop computer (which has a different configuration than my laptop), so then my brother's BIOS also have a problem?

I would like to know if someone else among you who has SP2 installed have tried to restore an image from an external HD from the Boot CD in less than 30 minutes or if they are also having the same restoration problem.

It is frustrating not knowing what is causing the problem, maybe the Linux drivers are not interacting well in the restoration process and something is slowing them down BUT THEN, if the Linux drivers work independently of the windows OS... then What is slowing them down? This is a BIG mystery to me because you are implying that the Linux drivers take charge by themselves without using Windows OS for anything. Then... teh BIOS and the Motherboard are both part of the windows OS and if the Windows OS is not operating during the restoration process then neither the BIOS nor the Motherboard has anything to do with that restoration process done entirely by a VIRTUAL LINUX OS (!!!).

 

You are probably right Mazaprin about the problems coming from the boot CD. I recently made an image using a build 903 boot CD instead of within Windows as I usually do and it took nearly 3 times as long compared to making the image from Windows. However I don't think this is the case with all boot CDs as I've used other boot CDs that have taken a similar amount of time as making the image from within Windows. I'm lucky in that I've downloaded and installed all builds of Acronis since the one I've bought ( build 668 ) and have made boot CDs with all of them and can experiment. Purely from my point of view the latest build boot CD is good in that it works whereas the previous 3 did not on my computer but making an image apparently takes longer. Given the complexity of accomodating so many different combinations of hardware it's not surprising that such things happen. If you had the benefit of being able to try different boot CDs as I have you might very well find one that works without the problems you have encountered.

 

Since your brother's desktop has the same problem using an external drive then can you remove the USB drivers from the equation by taking the disk drive from the external enclosure and installing it into the desktop PC case.
Then time the restoration using the Linux bootable CD - if it's normal then the Linux drivers for the external drive are causing his problem.

It would also be useful to put the disk from your external drive into your brother's PC and do the chkdsk /r again - it really should complete the full 5 tests. Then test the restoration time on brother's desktop. Then do chkdsk /r again in your laptop external drive.

The results of these tests should give us some useful clues to the cause of your problem.

 

Hi, Mareke:
if you would have read well my past replies you should know that I have saved all the Installers (and have Boot CDs) from version 7 (634) and version 8 (builds 826, 889 and 903). I used version 7 (634) for almost a year and rstored many times with that Boot CD BUT NOW even this CD takes 4 hours to create and restore an image (the same said for the version 8 and ALL its builds) compared to the usual times when creating image from windows (BUT NOW also restoring from windows takes 4 hours (it is exactly the same restoring from windows or from the CD because they both have the same software).

To Tachyon42:
What you are suggesting is not possible for the simple fact that I am not a technician and I will have to expend around $100 or more just to take the external HD out of its case and installing it inside my brother's PC (another $ 100 to put things back later) and I am not going to go thru all that trouble just to "test" (Acronis can test everything on their computers, not on mine).
Also , I don't understand what you mean by saying that "The Linux Drivers for the external drive are causing this problem". This External HD does not come with any Linux Drivers, t ois only USB 2.0 Plug'n Play and windows enables it automatically. All of a sudden everything comes with Linux drivers now. i don't really understand what Linux drivers has to do with Windows XP OS, I thought that Windows XP DOES NOT USE any Linux drivers for anything (I think of Linux as something completely separate from Windows OS, as something else that's not part of Windows OS. Now you are implying that all these external USB 2.0 HD come with Linux drivers?!!!
I am awaitng the arrival of a brand NEW external USB 2.0 HD next week and then I will Reformat it to NTFS (the HD comes formated in FAT32) scan it with CHKDSK, make sure it is in perfect condition by storing several MB or 5 GB worth of wallpapers and videos to appreciate the transfer speed and I will also check it with HD Tach 3 and with HD Check and then i will go ahead and try to create image from ATI 8 build 826 Boot CD, then with 889 Boot CD and then with 903 CD (also will try ATI 7 (634) CD to verify the times. I have a very BIG confusion about these damn Linux things (whatever they are) and they seem to be a very inestable environment (I don't know why Acronis use
them instead of windows drivers to perform restorations). The fact is that all my USB 2.0 connections and ports and drivers seems to be working well (as I explained on my last reply).
No offense itended to any of you but I don't see what is the relationship between Linux and Windows XP (if there is one) and WHY an external HD has to come with Linux drivers in order to work under a Windows XP environment(?)

 

This says it all. The TI 7 Boot CD now takes 4 hours when it used to take 30 minutes.

Something has changed in your hardware. Windows, Windows Service Packs, Windows updates, etc. are not involved when you boot from the TI Recovery CD. Since the time has increased, there has been a hardware change on your system. You haven't found out what it is, but that's the problem. It's not a True Image problem because the TI 7 Recovery CD hasn't changed, but it now runs slower.

Perhaps your internal hard drive is failing, perhaps your motherboard is failing, perhaps your RAM is failing. Something has changed on your system.

Unless you do some hardware changes to your system, you will never know. Installing a second internal hard drive is one excellent suggestion. If the time to save an image and restore from a new internal drive is fast, then your USB 2 port or external drive is the problem.

It's time to do some work if you want an answer. Repeating the same complaint over and over won't get you the answer.

 

Hi mazaprin,

If nothing else you need to understand that, when you boot from the Acronis rescue CD, you are booting into a Linux based operating system. This uses Linux device drivers to access the hardware, such as internal hard drives, CD/DVD drives, external USB connected drives or keyboards etc.

The reason Acronis needed to do this is because you can't restore the Windows system partition whilst still operating in Windows. Hence, if you opt to restore your main system partition/drive from within the Windows environment, TI will prompt you to reboot the computer whereby it will then boot into the, Linux based, rescue environment. As has already been said by a number of us, Windows (or its Service Packs and Patches) has no part to play once you've booted into this Linux environment.

If you had reported that the slow imaging and restoring had manifested itself after updating TI to a new build then the new boot CD (and hence the Linux USB device drivers) would have been the number one prime suspect. However, as you've repeatedly pointed out, the drop off in performance also occurs after booting from earlier build rescue CDs that have previously behaved normally. So, as I've been saying all along, it's back to your hardware I'm afraid.

I believe it's purely coincidental that your brother is suffering from poor USB imaging/restore times after booting from the Acronis build 903 rescue CD. As this is the first time he has used TI then it's highly likely that the build 903 Linux device drivers aren't optimized for his particular USB sub system.

Regards

 

Hi jmk94903:
I use a Laptop and therefore it does not support installing a second internal HD and my Laptop HD is only 1 year old and I have checked it in the past with HD Check and it is in a Healthy condition with NO bad sectors I will perform a new check with HD Check and also, if possible, with HD Tach 3 to measure the speed, etc..

It is very difficult for me to solve this problem because I am not a technician to dissasemble the computer and do these type of hardware changes or substitutions that requiere expertise. I don't know how to check the motherboard or the BIOS settings to see if they are set as they should. That's why I am expecting Acronis technicians to help me by giving me instructions on how to check the BIOS or motherboard, etc and help me find the modification that was made to the hardware (that I did not do and I am the only one using this Laptop). Another test that I can do is I will try to plug the external USB 2.0 HD to the laptop USB 1.1 port (not using the Belkin Card USB 2.0 ports) and then try to create image from Boot CD from ATI 7 and ATI 8 (several builds CDs) and compare the times. If I can't find the culprit of this problem I will have to resign and wait 4 hours for each restorations in the future (but at least I will restore my system).

Hi Menorcaman:
Thanks for the explanations. Regarding my brother, it could be coincidential (and he has USB 2.0 built-in capabilities) and his desktop PC is only 6 months old, like new and I keep it updated on everything (my brother is not well educated on computers and I have more experience than him, so I help him mantain his PC in optimum conditions), and since I have the ATI 8 builds 826 and 889 and the ATI 7 (634) CDs I can try to create image on his computer using these different CDs to compare the results with the Build 903 CD.
Could you explain to me WHY every Build CD comes with different Linux drivers? I thought that the Drivers on all builds are the same and the only changes are in speed or to include or exclude the page file, etc. Do you mean that every build come with new type of Linux drivers?

 

Hello mazaprin,

Acronis software doesn't make any changes in BIOS or hardware. All the changes made by Acronis True Image are in software under the operating system only (drivers for this operating system addition). Any changes in BIOS or in hardware could not be performed by Acronis. I am afraid I won't be able to help you find out what BIOS settings you need to use because they depend on particular model of laptop. You may need to contact your hardware manufacturer or to the manual for your laptop (these manuals are usually distributed with the laptops and available on the manufacturers' web sites as well).

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman