Review Update: Acronis TrueImage v11 Bootable ISO Rescue Media

Don Bradbury has a TrueImage update for those who find their bootable rescue media doesn't work.

Product	TrueImage v11.8053 update, and ISO Recorder
Company	Acronis
Web	www.acronis.com and www.isorecorder.alexfeinman.com
Price
We like	New ISO file worked well
We don't like	The ISO Recorder looked a little unfinished but also worked well.
Rating	ISO Burning program worked well in this application
Requirements

It has come to our attention that certain users of Acronis TrueImage version 11 have noted that their backup rescue media won't actually boot their system; we had the same problem. This media is intended to bring a full version of TrueImage to bear via an ISOLinux file, with access to a system's backup files (provided they're on suitable media), all without a reinstall. The bootable ISO file is also designed to bring other facilities to the broken computer, such as Windows rescue and disk cleanup, backup archive validation, access to Acronis Secure Zone (if you use it) as well as disk cloning.

It's believed that this problem is related to the particular type of machine in use, but since we encountered the problem ourselves on one Vista computer, we've recently been cooperating with Acronis over the issue. Following is a summary of the situation and the fix that worked for us.

First, those who think they may have this difficulty - ie they haven't actually tried to access their backup files using the rescue media - should check to see if they can, in fact, boot their system from the ISO file that they, hopefully, set up after installation. It is, after all, a crucial part of the backup strategy. If the hard drive fails, or becomes seriously corrupted such that System Restore does not do the business, then that's the time to turn to a carefully stored rescue CD with a full copy of TrueImage on it so as to gain access to backup files, whether they be on removable media, an external drive or whatever. In our case we had to proceed as follows.

Update the program and download the speciality ISO burner

First, we had to update the TrueImage program itself with the 137MB version 11.8053 from the Acronis web site and then reboot. If you encounter a "cannot complete due to some files remaining open and cannot be closed" message, just click on "OK". You should see the "successfully installed" message.

Then we were directed to go to isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/Vista.htm and download the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit version of IsoRecorder which Acronis have found works best in this application. We saved the zip file to the Desktop, double-clicked it to let the Wizard unpack the files to a temporary folder, then run the setup.exe file and followed the prompts.

Next, we ditched the ISO file that we created at installation and downloaded the latest version that Acronis directed us to. Individual users will have to approach Acronis on this matter; we were not permitted to issue a web address for this file.

Burn the ISO file

Right click on the ISO file, then click "Copy image to CD" which will open the ISO Recorder Wizard. Check that the CD drive is correctly identified, and insert a blank disk. Set the burning speed as appropriate for the media, if necessary using the Recorder Properties dialogue to extend the speed range downwards according to your chosen media. We used both CD-R and CD-RW media and both worked well.

When the process is finished you should not see anything listed in Windows Explorer but a Desktop.ini file on the disk. The ISO file itself should not be visible to Vista because it's Linux based. If you can see the ISO file, it hasn't been burned correctly and it will not boot your system.

Check the system boot order in the BIOS if you're not sure that the CD/DVD drive is first in the list, fully reboot the system and check that the ISO file runs, finally producing a screen full of TrueImage options. These will include the facility to access your backup files with full mouse control. Add your backup medium to the computer (USB and other likely media are supported though not Firewire), noting that the drive letter will probably not be the same as the one you wrote the files to originally. Finally, make sure that your backup files are listed when you select the Restore option. It's a good idea at this point, if you don't have a spare disk to Restore to, to run a Validation check on at least one of the backup sets to make sure they are not corrupted.

In conclusion

It may be that there are only a small proportion of TrueImage v11 users who are affected by this problem, but the old adage holds good here. Always check your backup media while the going is good! Do not wait until you actually need access before you test the process.

That such a specific procedure and burning application should sometimes appear to be necessary is unfortunate. That Acronis have recognised the potential problem and appears to have solved it is to their credit. At this time we are not certain whether both the latest ISO download and Feinman's dedicated burning program are necessary, but in combination they worked well on the troublesome Vista computer. All we can say is that no other dedicated ISO burning programs we downloaded seemed to offer a solution and, in any event, the facilities offered by the latest Acronis ISO file are most comprehensive.

 

Don Bradbury