HELP! Acronis rescue boot CD won't boot!

I recently purchased Acronis True Image Echo for Small Business Server. I installed it on our Gateway server running Windows Server 2003. Backed everything up no problem.

There was an unrelated problem with the server and I tried to fix it. In the process, I really screwed it up. I remember I had created an .iso file of the rescue media a few days ago. I burned it to a CD (using Nero's "burn image to disc" option) and booted up. Nothing. The server boots into its BIOS OS because it can't find any other OS to boot.

I tried inserting the windows install CD (to make sure I can boot from the CD drive on this server) and it booted up fine. I insert the CD-R of the rescue media and nothing happens.

Any suggestions? My server is totally down and my company will be at a standstill tomorrow if I can't fix it! Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

I just tried the boot CD on my workstation and it booted up fine. However, it will not boot when I put it in the server. When I put the Windows Server 2003 installation CD into the server, it boots up fine. What could the problem be?

I looked in the server's BIOS and the CD drive is the first thing in the boot order. When I start up the server with the boot CD in it, it goes through its routine, checking the RAID controller, etc., and then it goes straight to Intel Boot Assistant or something, and then to some worthless EFI Shell OS thing. With the OS install CD in, it never gets to the Intel Boot Assistant.

Is there anything I can do to get this CD to boot? My company is probably going to go out of business if I can't get this working today.

 

Grasping at straws here ... do another burn of the .iso on a different brand of media and/or use a different burner.

 

I really appreciate the advice... Not a bad suggestion.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. I tried a different brand of CD and burned it on a different computer. No difference. I still get no boot with the rescue CD, yet I can boot with the windows install cd.

Are there any ways to force or otherwise coerce the computer into booting the cd? Or maybe a way to boot into something else before you boot into the acronis cd? I'm really not sure how all that works.

Any other ideas? Thanks for the help...

 

But did you try a different burner? I've had problems with Nero, so I use a freeware program called Active @ISO Burner. Go here to download:
http://www.tucows.com/preview/507688

 

Tried Active@ ISO Burner with no change in results. Another good suggestion.

Any other ideas?

 

Truly a weird one. Is the problem system a mix of Sata and IDE?

Maybe change out the CD drive? Just grasping at straws again.

 

I got it working. I kept trying all different combinations of media and burners and software. Finally a tried a DVD-R because it was the only thing I had left, and it worked!

Thanks a lot for the help guys. I would've paid $1000 to talk to someone from Acronis (although from reading through this forum, it doesn't sound like that would have helped much), but I guess they're not really into that whole customer service thing.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I can successfully restore the data now...

Thanks again!!!

 

Good Luck with the restore.

 

Fair play !

I was going to suggest keeping a note of all the combinations as you were trying them.
Often you could be only one step away from a solution, but wouldn't know it cause you're trying to keep all the combinations in your head.

Fair play again , you can add IT disaster recovery to your business now !

 

Good luck on the restore.........keep us posted.

My experience has been that you will get the most help from members of this forum vs the Acronis support team.