Solved: "The selected image is not a TrueImage archive file"

I'm not sure if everyone else has solved this problem, but it can't hurt to post the information again, because it's very frustrating.

After reinstalling Windows XP, and trying to restore images stored on a different NTFS drive from my Windows system, I kept getting the message in the subject line when I selected any image created BEFORE I reinstalled XP. The images worked perfectly from the Linux boot disk, however.

Anyway, here is the solution (I'm not at all sure that all these steps are necessary, but these worked).

Boot in Safe Mode. Use Explorer to navigate to the folder that contains your unusable images. Right-click on the folder, choose Properties, then Sharing. You will probably find only your own name on the list of Group or User Names; click Add, and in the Select Users and Groups dialog, click Advanced. Then, in the advanced version of the dialog, click Find Now, and scroll down the list of names and click on Everyone. (You might want to add Administrators, Users, and any version of your own user name that you can find - can't hurt, and may help.) Click OK.

You're now back at the main Select Users and Groups dialog, with Everyone (and some others perhaps) listed under "Enter the object names to select" field. Click OK. In the Properties dialog, with Everyone selected, click on Full Control - Allow. Do the same for anyone else you added.

Click on Advanced. Highlight Everyone; make sure Full Control is listed under Permission. Add a checkmark next to Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries (etc.) Click OK. Click OK to exit the dialog. Restart Windows normally, and the "corrupt" archives should be available again.

I've probably done far more than necessary, but this works. If anyone can cut down the number of steps, please feel free to do so.

Edward Mendelson
Contributing Editor
PC Magazine

 

Hello Edward,

Thank you for choosing Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/).

We are glad to hear you have solved the problem. We do appreciate your readiness to share your experience with others. This information was sent to our Develpoment Team and they will take it into account when designing the future builds.

Thank you.
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Ilya Toytman

 

I happen to have the same Problem. I´m using TI 8.0 and have a WinXP Image-file that, once I try to restore it, results in the above Error-Message.

I´ve tried Edward´s steps but they don´t work for me.

I´ve been searching the Web for information and it seems that TI has problems with backing up on USB-HDs. Therefore I copied the corrupted Image-file from my USB-HD to the same HD on which the WinXP is to be restored (different partition) and tried from there - still without success.

What appears strange to me is that I have a much older Image-file of the same WinXP-installation which would work just fine (at least it does not give me the Error-Message). Comparing the file-permissions to the corrupted Image-file, I saw that they are the same.

Please help.

 

Hello Reicand,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please make sure that you use the latest build (937) of Acronis True Image 8.0 which is available at: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/support/updates/

To get access to updates you should create an account at:
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/my/
then log in and use your serial number to register your software.

Please note that you should create new Bootable Rescue CD after installing the update.

If the problem still persists with the latest build (937) of Acronis True Image 8.0 then please provide us with the following information:

- Create Acronis Report and Windows System Information as it is described in Acronis Help Post;

- Make a screen shot of the error message you have received;

- Let us know when exactly you have received this error message;

- Right-click on the folder your image archive resides in and make a screen shots of the Sharing and Security Permissions (see the examples below);

- Check this image archive by means of the embedded Check Image tool and let us know the result;

- Try both to Check and to Restore this particular image archive when your computer is booted from Bootable Rescue CD created using the latest build (937) of Acronis True Image 8.0 and see if the problem still persists. Inform us about the results;

- Clarify whether you have ever been able to Check\Restore this particular image archive?

- If yes, then please let us know what has changed since that moment (e.g. some hardware changes were made, new operating system was installed, etc.).

Please submit a request for technical support. Attach all the collected files and information to your request along with the step-by-step description of the actions taken before the problem appears and the link to this thread. We will investigate the problem and try to provide you with the solution.

Thank you.
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Alexey Popov

 

The mistake I made in my first post is that I said you should use the "Sharing" tab on the Properties panel. There is NO Sharing tab on the Properties panel. I meant to write the "Security" tab. Otherwise, the description is correct.

Apologies for any confusion.

 

Using Acronis 6 for quite some time, faithfully making backups. Now that I need a restore, I'm locked out with the above-mentioned error message. I've done, in detail, the steps kindly shared by emendelson but to no avail. I've given full control permissions to everyone, everywhere. Still won't work.

Any more inspiration? The one time I need this thing to work, I meet only frustration. I am not a novice computer user but I've wasted enough of my life on this product. I need some help, please!

Thank you.

 

Hello chucktronix,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please follow the instructions I have provided in my previous post and submit a request for technical support containing all the requested information.

Thank you.
--
Alexey Popov

 

Emendelson,

Thank you soooo much! I only read the first three pages of the forum looking for a cure for the same problem. If I only had gone one more page before posting...It worked like a charm. I am using TI 9 (2323) Whew...the thought of losing 3 years worth of archives was so depressing.
The only thing in my case was that I didn't have to reboot into safe mode. I just opened windows explorer, selected the file archive, right clicked for properties and followed your directions. Thanks again, it is so nice to find a cure that dosen't start with you should "upgrade to the next version" around here.
I will amend my post to reference this one.