Test restore failed

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by jodetek, May 1, 2008.

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  1. jodetek

    jodetek Registered Member

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    Hi,

    I'm trying Acronis True Image 11.
    I want to test it before buying.

    I made a full backup of C: (NTFS on a disk of 250 GB) which resulted in a 16 GB backup file on an external USB disk.
    i explored it with Acronis and it looked fine....
    I didn't backup the D: which is a recovery partition installed with the PC.

    I created a bootable DVD for the Acronis loader.

    I changed the disk with an older one (60 GB, jumper set to master).
    This is to simulate a hard disk failure...

    I boot and the BIOS find the old disk.
    Acronis loader start and see the old disk (C: NTFS) as well & my external USB drive.

    I restore from the external USB drive to the C: on the old disk.
    Since I want this old disk to boot, I also selected the recovery of the MBR.

    During the restore, I had only 2 bad blocks, and at the end, I had a failure probably during the MBR partition recovery (partition bad format, or something like that).

    I had to reboot, but Acronis (and the BIOS) no longer detected my old disk.

    What happened ?

    A) The old disk finally died (it's a possibility...)
    B) The restore procedure was not correct: do you confirm that we have to restore the MBR as well ? along with the C: partition ?


    I'd like to make sure it work before buying....
     
  2. DwnNdrty

    DwnNdrty Registered Member

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    In a failed Recovery, TI probably marked the entire drive as Unallocated. Not sure if the Bios will still see it then. Boot with the recovery dvd you made and see if True Image will let you "Add New Drive".
     
  3. jodetek

    jodetek Registered Member

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    Correct !

    It was unallocated and the BIOS could still see it.

    Unfortunately, the demo version does not allow to add a new drive.

    I had to use another software to set the partition on the old disk.
    I can use this disk again.

    Sadly, in the meantime, I uninstalled the demo version (I had given up...).
    I wanted to do the test again (avoiding mistakes with the partitions and the MBR) but the demo cannot be reinstalled once it has been uninstalled.

    :-(

    JD
     
  4. DwnNdrty

    DwnNdrty Registered Member

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    Try cleaning out your Cookies, Temp and Temporary Internet Files folders. Or use a Restore Point to set your system back to a date before you installed the Demo. You should then be able to install the Demo again.
     
  5. GroverH

    GroverH Registered Member

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    1. When restoring to a different drive, you will get best result (or have the fewest problems):
    a: use a "disk" image which is a backup which includes all partitions (both hidden & diagnostic)
    b: perform a "disk" restore which restores all partitions (both hidden & diagnostic).
    c. Prior to performing a backup, occasionally run an error checking utility to correct any disk errors.

    2. Review your Disk Management graphic view of your 250G disk. This view will illustrate the placement/existence of your partitions.
    Also, view your C:/boot.ini file (in Notepad) to review the disk # and partition # of your boot drive. This will tie to the view of Disk Management.

    3. You have indicated
    a. drive errors
    b. restoring only one partition
    c. restoring Track 0 & mbr.

    4. Corrective action:
    a. Correct the drive errors. Run chkdsk on the system drive--preferable from the Recovery Console--if installed.
    b. You have installed the restore onto disk 1, partition 1. How does that compare with your original system drive (#2 above)?
    If the original was partition 2, then edit the 60G c:/boot.ini file and change it to partition 1 and see it it will boot.
    c. if the boot.ini file is changed and the system does not boot,
    then I would perform a new disk backup(all partitions) with a disk restore (all partitions).

    If the disk still contains disk errors, it may require a restore with resizing which can be discussed in a later post--if it is needed.

    5. The destination disk does not have to be partitioned or formatted when performing a disk restore or cloning. When disk has been pre-used, sometimes, it works best if the partitions are deleted so the destination space is un-allocated.
     
  6. jmk94903

    jmk94903 Registered Member

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    If you do not backup the entire drive, there's a good possibility that the restored image won't boot. That's because the partition where Windows is installed may change. You can work around this by editing the boot.ini file in WinXP or running a repair of Vista, but that adds work.

    Bad blocks during a restore are a very bad sign. Follow Grover's instructions to clean the drives before imaging and restoring.

    I hope you can get the demo to reinstall so that you can successfully test your backup. That's the only way to be positive that you really have a good backup solution.
     
  7. Acronis Support

    Acronis Support Acronis Support Staff

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