Restoring to S-ATA - poor support by Acronis

I am using a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pro V2060 with a 60GByte SATA-HDD, with 3 partitions. WIN XP Pro SP2 for operating system.

When I want to restore my C-Drive, TrueImage falls back into a special OPSystem, trying to connect to my HDD, but failing to do so. The same happens when I want to restore my C-Drive booting from the TrueImage-CD, and selecting the full version of TrueType. Booting from TrueImage-CD I can avoid this problem by selecting the protected mode version which does not activate SCSI, USB, etc. The reason for the problem seems to be with the fact that my HDD is connected by S-ATA.

I wanted to find out from Acronis Support whether there is any switch or so with which I could force TrueImage to boot into the protected mode. I emailed my support request on April 26th, 2006. It took Acronis till May 9th, to provide an initial response (ticket Acronis #558412), suggesting to upgrade to the latest built (hardly 4 weeks after I bought a brand new copy of TrueImage!). Unfortunatelly this advise did not lead very far. When I try to install buildt 3567 I get an error message (error code #1620) suggesting I might use an invalid windows installation pack. I reported this to Acronis and this time I got an immediate response asking for a certain report file on my system. Which they got on May 11th, and which seems to be the end of the support, I haven't heard anything since. What a shame! An excellent product, and such an unreliable support!
Anyway, has anybody on the forum probably some advise on how to force TrueImage into Protected Mode without using the CD?

Kind regards

Guenther

 

To me it is a crap shoot running TI from within Windows since you never know what is left running in the background that might affect TI adversely. And there are so many things different folks have running in the background that they are unaware of.

 

Sorry, I might have expressed myself not clearly enough: the problem is not in connection with restoring my C-drive from within Windows. Because when you want to restore a partition which holds the OPsystems, TrueImage will shut down Windows and restart with its own (?) OPsystem. The real problem is: when doing so, it starts the full version which unfortunatelly is not able to handle S-ATA-HDDs. So how do I tell TrueImage to restart in the protected mode version?

Regards Guenther

 

Unless things have changed, the bootable CD defaults to the Full Version being highlighted and will stay like that until you either change it or hit the button to accept it. So it still requires input for the user anyway.

I don't know what it does when starting from within Windows - don't use that method.

 

TI may not be handling your SATA HD but in general it does support SATA drives with no problem.

Have you tried the suggestions in this link:?

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=55317

Have you got USB devices connected that you can disconnect?

 

Sorry Chutsman, it is not that easy. Just to make sure: I am using TrueImage 9.0, built 2337 (the latest built being 3567 differing only by the x64 support).

Trying to restore c-drive from within the Windows-environment makes TrueImage detect that the partition is in use. It recommends a re-start. When I accept the proposal it shuts down the computer, reboots and enters Acronis Loader. However - and contrary when I boot from the CD - it does NOT display the boot manager (where indeed I could choose to start the protected mode version), but directly tries to mount the partitions. There it fails, looping "hdc: lost interrupt" until I decide to kill it by <ctrl><alt><del>.
I hope there is somewhere a switch in an ini-file, or a key in the registry, which should force TrueImage to enter protected mode version instead of full version. Anybody an idea?

Regards Guenther

 

Actually the latest build is 3633 - you missed a day after 3567 came out. But it might solve your problem. Can anyone confirm what Guenther is seeing with 2337 will not happen with 3633?

 

I can't confirm it at all. However, he is certainly incorrect in saying that the only change in the builds is X64 support, a lot of fixes have been put in. B2337 did work with my SATA drives is something I can confirm.

I recommend he upgrade regardless because Acronis is not going to support an old build.

 

Perhaps I am not understanding correctly, but here are my experiences and observations. I have had nothing but success when restoring my SATA boot drive using Acronis.

Both versions of Acronis TI Home has successfully restored my SATA boot drive flawlessly on several occasions. I have not had a burp on any of my restores to the SATA drives or to the other 3 IDE drives or the usb external drive..

I have used Acronis True Image version 8 and now two builds of V9. I have restored my SATA Drive C Drive on several occasions. Mostly because I was trying various different settings-programs, etc. (I like to tinker and try new programs.)

My boot drive is a Seagate 120G SATA drive since June 2003. It has 3 partititons (CDE) and is my Drive 2 configured as Secondary Master. This is XP-Pro with SP2.I have no other OS.

I choose never to restore my boot drive from within Windows. Likewise, I make all full image backups from within the Recovery zone or from the user created CD--none from inside Windows.

Most of the restores have been either from the Acronis Recovery Zone accessed during bootup via F11; or from the user created Boot Disk. Source folders restores have been from the secure zone and others have been from both the internal and external drives.

You were surprised that Acronis updated just 4 weeks after purchasing. Your surpise is surpising! As they add more features and make it more compatible for newer hardware, don't you want it to be updated? Different hardware configurations bring different problems and newer solutions. I believe version 9 is better than V8 and I expect V10 to be better than V9.

 

Hi, Chutsman

Could you explan what Guenther is seeing, as I have read #6 and do not understand it.

But then again I only use the BootCD.

Take Care,
ThQuest

 

Hi friends,

now that really seems strange. I just checked again my account at acronis-webpage. It certainly says that my built 2337 was released on 2006-01-05 (adding better hardware support, GUI fixes, Snap Restore fixes, documentation fixes, Acronis Secure Zone fixes), followed by built 3567 released on 2006-04-24 (x64 support added). Probably this is due to the fact that I am redirected to acronis.de, showing German versions only!?

As to using the boot disk: it certainly "solves" my problem in that I can boot into the safe mode version. But listen, I am not a disk jockey! I just do not want to insert the CD whenever I have tried a piece of strange software and want to get rid of it again! There are days where I go through this procedure two dozen times a day. All I need is on my HDD anyway. So why the hell is it that TrueImage denies me to do from the HDD what it allows me to do from CD, i.e. go into safe mode

 

I've been perfectly happy with Acronis True Image images, and my 120GB SATA main hard drive divided into 2 partitions one running XP on C (Active) and a logical partition D for data. Been placing the images on an internal PATA hard drive, plus a reserve USB PATA external for extra backups.

I'm exactly like GroverH, have had not one issue with the SATA hard drive and ATI, and I have used ATI all the way back to late version 7's on the SATA drive! Plus I always restore with the boot disk, but I create images within Windows. No problems!

I can't really believe that with this many posts to this topic thread that no one has said "...no problems with SATA drives...", Well 2 of us did! That really amazes me! Now problems with RAID configs and Dynamic drives, sure there have been issues, but SATA hard drives...they have been making them now for 3 years at least, and True Image has been imaging them with not a problem one, at least not here.

...Allen

 

Hi, Allen L.

Do not forget when using Ti in Windows it uses the "Windows Drivers" that are installed, but with the BootCD it uses "Linux Drivers".

Also in the way you are to starting to reply to posts your temper is rising, please try not to lose it as the replies to your post question are only trying to help you solve your problem.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Uh, 3 of us did.

 

Note to: TheQuest, you should get your quoting correct before you criticize a post that I was supposed to have made. I've never said, at any time, the below statement you attribute to me, nor did I complain of any problems. I would suggest you clean your monitor and also your glasses, and get your info together a little better before you start spouting off at people.

"So why the hell is it that TrueImage denies me to do from the HDD what it allows me to do from CD, i.e. go into safe mode"

Please point out where *I* said that. I've made one post, besides this one, in this thread and it was in reference to SATA drives.

...Allen

 

He quoted this post which was not yours. I am pretty sure the attribution to the wrong party was an accident and not done maliciously.

 

@ The Quest:
I appreciate your suggestion that starting from the BootCD (I am using the original CD) Linux drivers might be used. But the first step of starting the Restore Process from within Windows is actuelly a shutdown followed by a reboot - without any input from me - which might look like a Linux boot sequence. So if the system "knows" that it has to start Linux, why can't it use Linux drivers?

Kind regards

Guenther

 

Because it is a memory-resident version of Linux and it doesn't have every driver that it might require. A wide selection of drivers for various devices is not Linux's forte and if the driver does exist it may not be included in the rescue environment. It seem Acronis will make a special version available to you if possible.

If your problem is indeed the lack of a suitable Linux component you might be better off to go the BartPE route for a rescue disk; it uses Windows drivers.

 

But isn't it that with BartPE I am again on a CD? As I pointed out earlier, I do have a working CD. My problem is to get a Restore using HDD only.
Kind regards
Guenther

 

Yes, BartPE really isn't the solution you desire being CD based. I got carried away with my standard preaching about BartPE being an alternative to the Linux environment. Sorry about that.

 

Hi, Allen L.

Please accept my apologies, as Detox has pointed out it was the post above yours that I was referirng to, and some how I have mistakenly Copied and Pasted your name to it.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Accepted and totally forgotten! Very nice of you to leave the message!