True Image 2010

[seekermeister]

When I tried to make a backup, TI produced an error dialog, saying that it had run into a problem and had to close, without any details or explanation. I reinstalled the program, but the error reappeared when I tried it then. The required Acronis services are started, so what else can be done?

EDIT: I forgot to mention that when I try using the One Click, instead of the error, it opens a window that says that it is initializing, but then nothing more ever happens.

 

[pparks1]

Search the acronis forums or perhaps give them a call. I have called them before and they have been pretty helpful

 

[rap33042]

seekermeister:
I have had so many quirks with Acronis that I just upgraded to 2011.
So far, I'd say it's the best interface they've come up with. (IMHO, in spite of their excellent software, their interface has always sucked; I even sent them an e-mail about it once but they never responded. Oh, well...).

Back to the topic- 2011 works great with Windows 7.

Something you might check:
Before my upgrade, I tried XP compatibility mode and it reacted by doing exactly what you are describing.
Check the Compatibility Mode settings for your Acronis short-cuts; if they are set to XP, or whatever, then disable that stuff.
It will still be 'quirky' but at least it won't seem to lock at that 'initializing' phase.
Another thing- try 'Hiding' the Progress Window; that seems to prod it along, too.
You can always bring it back by right-clicking the system Tray Icon and choosing 'Show Progress...'.
Good Luck!

 

[James Colbert]

You don't say if TI 2010 is a recent install. If so, and you had a previous version which you tired to upgrade, or which didn't completely uninstall, this could be an issue. I've been an Acronis user since Ver 7 and learned sometime back that previous versions don't play well when installed over or if traces of the old are present.

The problem is that Acronis's cleanup utilities don't always perform so well. I think this was my problem with 2010, which after installing the trial, I passed on. I just downloaded 2011. Since Acronis no longer has an uninstall utility for 2009, I used Revo. Worked fine and I'm happy with my 2011 install. Responsive and performs better than 2009, although I don't care much for the interface, as it is a bit dumbed down. I believe they are working on some changes.

That said, if this is not a new install, I would still recommend uninstalling with Revo and doing a reinstall:

http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

Remove all remnants of the program. There is no cleanup util for 2010, as per this link:

http://kb.acronis.com/search/apachesolr_search/2010%20Clean%20Up%20Utility

If this doesn't solve your problem, I've found that live chat is the quickest form of support. I haven't used their support system in quite a while, however, so that may have changed.

James

 

[seekermeister]

pparks1,

I don't know about calling them, because as far as I know, they charge for support after the first 30 days of purchase. I did post on their forum, but from past experience, I know that since they removed their forum from Wilders and privatized it, it is no longer very active. The last time that I posted a question there, I got a response a couple of months later, and I would prefer not to wait so long.

rap33042,

I played with the compatibility settings without any improvement.

James Colbert,

I took your suggestion to use Revo, and I ran it in advanced mode, which took long enough that I didn't expect to find any scraps left behind, but I ran a search of the registry for Acronis and found a list of keys so long that I wasn't inclined to remove them, because I do also have Disk Director installed. I then ran another search for True Image and found ~18 keys, which I did remove.

On reinstall, the same problems remain and the program is still unusable. After all this, I have a hunch that the problem is external to the program, because I did have it installed and running properly for quite a while. Unfortunately, I have no idea of how to track down the culprit?

 

[James Colbert]

On reinstall, the same problems remain and the program is still unusable. After all this, I have a hunch that the problem is external to the program, because I did have it installed and running properly for quite a while. Unfortunately, I have no idea of how to track down the culprit?

It would be helpful if you posted the exact error message and circumstances under which it occurs.

If you remember about when your problems started occurring, you could check Control Panel\Programs and Features. Sort by 'Installed On' and scroll down to the approximate date the problem began.

Then, in the left pane, click on 'View installed updates'. Again, sort on 'Installed On'.

Given that you likely can image via the Acronis bootable rescue media, I suggest creating an image in that way before uninstalling anything. If you are unable to image via the rescue disc, try creating and testing a Windows Backup or use one of the several free imaging apps available.

If you do use one of the free apps, use the boot method, as installing another imaging program could make things worse.

Also, Acronis forum support is not raved about, but in the forums are several regulars that are actually more helpful (and perhaps more knowledgeable!) than Acronis support. Specifically, there is a poster there who is quite helpful (name GroverH, I think...the forums are down right now (as is chat and support), so I can't verify).

Another idea is to also uninstall DD with Revo. I rarely have it installed unless I need to run disk operations on several drives. Otherwise, I just use the boot media. I don't use it too often on my own systems, as once they are set, they're set.

Post back with your error message et all.

James

 

[seekermeister]

Actually, I don't think that it will help at all, but I have attached it below anyway. I found an old Acronis thread, that sounded somewhat like this problem...even though it was from 2005, and it was suggested to run chkdsk and sfc. Since I had already ran a series of these only yesterday for a different problem on the system drive, and TI appeared to be hanging during the initialization, which is while scanning drives/partitions, I decided to reboot and run check on my XP drive.

Sure enough, HD Tune found a bad block early in the scan, so I ran chkdsk /r on the drive, and it mentioned the bad cluster and having replaced a file named updspapi.dll. According to an MS article that I read, chkdsk should have repaired the bad cluster also, but when I rebooted and ran HD Tune again, it still found the bad block.

When I rebooted to W7, TI still hangs in the same fashion as before, so I may have to disconnect the drive altogether. Even after running chkdsk, the early part of the scan is pretty bad.

Since I only use XP as a standby system, I'm not inclined to spend money on a new hard drive for it at the moment.

 

[sygnus21]

I use ATI 2010 and sometimes ATI will crash if the drive the image is going on doesn't have enough space. Though admittedly it typically states that rather than crash.

Just something to look into.

Also I don't use the one click feature as I like setting things manually.

 

[seekermeister]

I use ATI 2010 and sometimes ATI will crash if the drive the image is going on doesn't have enough space. Though admittedly it typically states that rather than crash.

Just something to look into.

Also I don't use the one click feature as I like setting things manually.

Thanks, but I had cleared out some of the old backups to increase free space for storage. I don't usually use one click either, but have been trying since this problem arose, just to double check.

 

[seekermeister]

Apparently, I was wrong about the drive causing the problem, because I disabled it and all other drives not required, in the Device Manager, and the problem wasn't changed. Now I'm more lost than ever.

 

[seekermeister]

Strange! I went to the program directory and used the TrueImage.exe, instead of the desktop icon that the installation produced, and the program opened normally. I compared the properties of both shortcuts, and the only difference that I found is that the installation icon targets the TrueImageLauncher.exe and the new shortcut targets the TrueImage.exe.

 

[James Colbert]

Thanks for posting back to let us know. After reading your post, I found a similar issue here:

Acronis TrueImageLauncher.exe icon image broken | Knowledge Base

James