Newbie question, this is just not working

Ok, Im new to imaging software so maybe I'm not understanding this correctly. I am using ATI 11 and have created a full disk image that I am storing on a different drive on my network. When I try to restore this image from this network drive, it doesn't seem to be working. When you create a full disk image, it should restore everything exactly like it was when you took the image correct? Same wallpaper, same files on desktop, same driver versions, etc. As a test, I changed my current wallpaper, updated some drivers, and deleted some files. After I do the restore, everything is still exactly the same! I have tried several times and have read the directions thoroughly. What I do is browse to the network drive, right click the image file, and choose the option to restore from the menu. Sometimes it appears to be transferring the data across the network to the machine Im restoring to, which takes a noticable amount of time, other times it immediately says "a reboot is required" without doing any kind of transfer. During the reboot, the Acronis software displays a progress bar as if it is restoring the image. After the reboot I get to the login screen, log in, and nothing has changed. Am I doing something wrong here? I'm sure I am choosing to do a complete system image, but nothing is changing. Any help would be appreciated.

 

It sure sounds like TI isn't doing the restore at all. There is one very good reason this can happen and that's if the Linux operating system of the restore environment doesn't support your hardware.

The easiest test of this is to create the TI Rescue CD. Boot from that CD and see if you can see the drive where your backups are stored. Try to validate the backup image that you want to restore.

If you are not using the latest build of TI 11 which is 8101, then register your product on the Acronis web site and download build 8101. You can then install it over your existing build. Create the Rescue CD after installing the new build.

Let us know what happens after you boot from the Rescue CD.

If you have a second hard drive, internal or external or second partition on your local machine, you could try copying the backup image there and restoring from that local drive. At least, you'd see what a restore is supposed to look like.

And yes, the restore will put the system back to when the backup image was made with that wallpaper, those drivers and the files that were on the computer at that time on that drive. All changes will be erased completely.

 

Well, I upgraded to the latest version, tried the restore, same exact issue. I created a new backup, tried again, same issue. I then created the boot disk, but the strange thing is, I cant browse to my network drive from it. That is where I kept the image, but I cant browse to network places! BTW, I'm not running linux. Any thoughts?

 

The TI boot/rescue CD is Linux. If you have everything setup properly after you boot it up it should see your network device unless it has inadequate drivers for your network stuff. Did you try finding your archive file by the UNC method. \\computer\sharedfolder\filename ? (I can never remember if it is \ or /)

 

It actually does find the location, but doesnt find the image file. And I've told it to look for all files, as well as tib files.

 

Well, that's part of the answer as to why the restore always fails. Before the restore starts, the system reboots into the Linux environment (even if you start the restore in Windows), and TI can't find the backup image.

Now, the question is why it can't find the image when you boot from the Rescue CD. If you couldn't get on your network, that would be a good explanation, but you say that you can browse to the network drive where the image is stored.

After booting from the Rescue CD, try to create a new image on the network drive. This is just for test purposes, but if you can't create a new image, it may provide insight as to what the problem is in accessing the drive.

Check the name for the folders on the network drive starting with the first folder below the root. Linux can sometimes have problems with names that are OK to Windows, so check that the folder names are simple: no spaces, no periods or other punctuation, no characters that are not letters or numbers.

Of course, check that the backup file name is similarly simple with the exception of the .tib extenstion.

If this can't be made to work with the Rescue CD, the answer is to create a BartPE or VistaPE boot disk with the TI plug-in, but that's a fall back after the Rescue CD just won't work.

 

If you are in True Image in Windows, can you validate the image on the network drive?

 

I have tried creating a new image while booted from the CD. This works fine and does validate, as well as from windows. When I try to restore it the same problem happens. Sometimes it starts to do the transfer across the network, which takes time, and sometimes it just stops with a "reboot required" message. After the reboot it displays a progress bar as if its doing something, but when Im back up and running, nothing has changed. Why I cant reach the files from the CD I cant explain, but I definately have network connectivity. Im starting to think it might not like the hardware, because this is a brand new install of winxp, very little extra software installed except for ZA firewall, flash, java, etc. This is an IBM T30 laptop.

 

Are you using wireless networking? Does TI11 support wireless? AFAIK, older versions didn't.

 

OK, it's clear that you can see the network drive from the Rescue CD.

I'm not clear on whether you tried the restore from the Rescue CD. Did you?

As seekforever asked, are you connected wirelessly or wired to your network? If wirelessly, try it wired.

 

Tried to restore from the rescue cd, but could not select the file from across the network. I can see the network location, but no files are available to select, nothing shows up. I am not using wireless.

 

OK, thanks for clarifying that.

In Windows, browse to the network location and check the name and size of the backup image. The size should be roughly 1/2 - 2/3 the size of the used space on your notebook's hard drive.

You need to see the extension for the file as well as the part of the name before the period. In Windows Explorer on the menu line, click Tools then click Folder Options. Click on the View tab and scroll down until you see the line "Hide extensions for known file types". That box needs to be UNchecked. Then click OK.

The backup name should be xxxxxxxx.tib where xxxxxxxx is whatever you called that backp image.

 

Hello duvel123,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for delayed response.

Could you please clarify if the network share is on a Windows 2000/2003 Domain Controller? If yes, please do the following to resolve the situation:

- Go to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\ of the computer where the image archive is stored;
- Find the following line in the Security Options and change it to Disabled:
Microsoft network server: Digitally sign communications (always).

After this you should be able to access the image with standalone version of Acronis True Image.

Please also check this Microsoft KB article for more information.

Thank you.
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Marat Setdikov