Anyone have an idea why True Image (both versions 6 and 8) would quit
compressing the files when archiving, no matter what level of
compression you select?  It will backup and restore just fine but only
without any compression.

I wrote to Acronis, they sent me several programs that go into your
computer and snoop around and report back to them, then apparently
they gave up, have not heard from them in some time.

I was wondering if anyone out there ever had a similar problem and if
you found a solution?

Is there another backup program out there that works under Windows
like True Image that will compress the file for backup then restore it
like Acronis software?

This is the second time I've had problems with True Image and they
were unable to fix it, the first time they said they gave up trying to
back up an IBM Thinkpad hard drive with hidden partition.

Can anyone recommend another back program that is reliable and as easy
to use as True Image?

Strange part is that the compression used to work and all of a sudden
it quit working, I think when I installed SP2 for XP Pro.  I
un-installed SP2, still would not compress.  Uninstalled True Image
and re-installed, still would not compress.  Acronis had me install
very latest version of 8, and it still would not compress the backup.
It seems to have a mind of it's own.

Jim

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

> Strange part is that the compression used to work and all of a sudden
> it quit working, I think when I installed SP2 for XP Pro.  I
> un-installed SP2, still would not compress.  Uninstalled True Image
> and re-installed, still would not compress.  Acronis had me install
> very latest version of 8, and it still would not compress the backup.

The System Restore in XP doesn't really work with an XP2 install. I found
out the hard way. I started out with the .NET trash that just played around
with system stability. Then tried XP2 to see if it would cure the annoying
little bugs from .NET and it took it to new levels of instability I've never
really experienced before.  Tried  System Restore to get my system back to
pre-.NET and pre-XP2 installs and the problems persisted. Tried a lot of
stuff but nothing worked. Frustrated, I did a format and re-install of the
OS and critical apps and now everything is back to normal.

That's why I'm lurking around in this ng, I've got a very stable base system
now and I want to image it with a reliable s/w package. And don't even get
me started about Acronis support and True Image 8.0.

> It seems to have a mind of it's own.

Without a doubt. <g>

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

In message <mlnqd.38560$fY.35462@bignews3.bellsouth.net>, Chuck U.
Farley <chuckufarley@dyslexia.com> writes 
>
>The System Restore in XP doesn't really work with an XP2 install. I found
>out the hard way. I started out with the .NET trash that just played around
>with system stability. Then tried XP2 to see if it would cure the annoying
>little bugs from .NET and it took it to new levels of instability I've neve
r
>really experienced before.  Tried  System Restore to get my system back to
>pre-.NET and pre-XP2 installs and the problems persisted. Tried a lot of
>stuff but nothing worked. Frustrated, I did a format and re-install of the
>OS and critical apps and now everything is back to normal.
>
>That's why I'm lurking around in this ng, I've got a very stable base syste
m
>now and I want to image it with a reliable s/w package. And don't even get
>me started about Acronis support and True Image 8.0.
> 
>
>Without a doubt. <g>

I had problems with 6, but none with 8. In fact I think that it's a
great improvement!

With six I found at one point that the boot CD and floppies hung <on XP,
but on Win 98 or ME>, so I took the plunge and was delighted.

On my XP system I have done a restore without complaint, although I am
going to reinstall, because of hardware changes. I'd like to have
everything in the image, and I am going to do the whole thing more
systematically.
--
Huss

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 05:17:07 -0800, Jim <wdxp@cox.net> wrote :

>Anyone have an idea why True Image (both versions 6 and 8) would quit
>compressing the files when archiving, no matter what level of
>compression you select?  It will backup and restore just fine but only
>without any compression.
>
No
>Is there another backup program out there that works under Windows
>like True Image that will compress the file for backup then restore it
>like Acronis software?
>
Ghost 9 is supposed to do it, but it's just a rebadged Drive Image.
I've still not got over my skepticism that a true full system backup
is possible 100% of the time from within Windows.
I'm sticking to good old reliable Ghost 2003.

--=20
Regards,
Peter Wilkins

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 08:44:12 +1100, Peter Wilkins
<wilkinsp_nospam@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 05:17:07 -0800, Jim <wdxp@cox.net> wrote :
> 
>No 
>Ghost 9 is supposed to do it, but it's just a rebadged Drive Image.
>I've still not got over my skepticism that a true full system backup
>is possible 100% of the time from within Windows.
>I'm sticking to good old reliable Ghost 2003.

Will Ghost compress the archive like True Image?  Can you run Ghost on
a laptop without a floppy drive and running XP Pro?  I was just
wondering how it would boot into DOS, or can you do that with a CD
like True Image?

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:52:23 -0500, "Chuck U. Farley"
<chuckufarley@dyslexia.com> wrote:


>That's why I'm lurking around in this ng, I've got a very stable base syste
m
>now and I want to image it with a reliable s/w package. And don't even get
>me started about Acronis support and True Image 8.0.
>
I see you have had experience with them too.  They work with you up to
a point, but never seem to fix anything, then they just stop
corresponding.  I have lost more data with True Image and Partition
Magic than I care to admit.   I like your idea of lurking around till
someone comes up with a reliable system.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 04:18:27 -0800, Jim <wdxp@cox.net> wrote :

I don't know Ghost 9  - my answers relate to Ghost 2003.
I understand if you buy Ghost 9, you get 2003 as well.  I wonder why?

>Will Ghost compress the archive like True Image? =20
Yes.  You can chose 9 levels of compression if you use command line
or 3 levels with the wizard.

>Can you run Ghost on a laptop without a floppy drive and running XP Pro?=
=20

Yes, I do just that, with NTFS partitions also.  You can backup to CD,
DVD, 2nd HDD or external USB or firewire HDD, or another partition.
If you only have one HDD you can partition it and backup the main
partition to the second one - but that isn't all that safe if the HDD
crashes. (You can't backup a HDD or partition to itself though!)

Using CD or DVD, you need to create a bootable CD/DVD that has the
Ghost exe on it.  If you can't create a bootable CD, you can boot from
the Ghost CD then run Ghost to restore your image.

>I was just wondering how it would boot into DOS, or can you do that with=
a CD
>like True Image?

The Chost CD is itself bootable.  Ghost also gives you an option to
create a bootable CD when you create your backup images on CD.
Ghost comes with PCDOS which it uses by default but it gives you the
option of using MSDOS if you prefer and have it available.  To do that
it's easier to temporarily plug in a USB floppy drive.

If you want all the details before committing you can download the
handbook in pdf from the Symantec site for free.

I have been backing up to bootable DVD and also to a second partition,
but from next week will be backing up to a USB2 external 200G drive.

I don't recommend backing up to CD if you just want to restore a few
files.  It will take several hours swapping CD's about a hundred times
just to get the image readable, without even restoring one file.  It's
OK if you want to do a full restore though, although I ended up with
15 CD's per system backup before I switched to DVD's.

Hope that helps.
--=20
Regards,
Peter Wilkins

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

> Will Ghost compress the archive like True Image?  Can you run Ghost on
> a laptop without a floppy drive and running XP Pro?  I was just
> wondering how it would boot into DOS, or can you do that with a CD
> like True Image?

FWIW, I went with Ghost 8.0/2003 and couldn't be happier, especially after
my experience with True Image. 20 minutes from Ghost install to successful
image and restore of that image, from DVD and from secondary hard drive.  No
packet writing s/w required, it burned my boot DVD and booted from that DVD,
no .NET install required.  Hell, I spent 20 minutes posting my first problem
with True Image on the Aconis forum.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

Peter;

What brand of laptop are you using?  I remember trying to run Ghost on
my old Sony Vaio, and when it tried to shell into DOS the display
would not work.  Now I'm using a Thinkpad, is that what you are using?
I think I have Ghost 2003 here somewhere, will give it a try on the
Thinkpad and see if it works.

Jim




On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 18:05:13 +1100, Peter Wilkins
<wilkinsp_nospam@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 04:18:27 -0800, Jim <wdxp@cox.net> wrote :
>
>I don't know Ghost 9  - my answers relate to Ghost 2003.
>I understand if you buy Ghost 9, you get 2003 as well.  I wonder why?
> 
>Yes.  You can chose 9 levels of compression if you use command line
>or 3 levels with the wizard.
> 
>
>Yes, I do just that, with NTFS partitions also.  You can backup to CD,
>DVD, 2nd HDD or external USB or firewire HDD, or another partition.
>If you only have one HDD you can partition it and backup the main
>partition to the second one - but that isn't all that safe if the HDD
>crashes. (You can't backup a HDD or partition to itself though!)
>
>Using CD or DVD, you need to create a bootable CD/DVD that has the
>Ghost exe on it.  If you can't create a bootable CD, you can boot from
>the Ghost CD then run Ghost to restore your image.
> 
>
>The Chost CD is itself bootable.  Ghost also gives you an option to
>create a bootable CD when you create your backup images on CD.
>Ghost comes with PCDOS which it uses by default but it gives you the
>option of using MSDOS if you prefer and have it available.  To do that
>it's easier to temporarily plug in a USB floppy drive.
>
>If you want all the details before committing you can download the
>handbook in pdf from the Symantec site for free.
>
>I have been backing up to bootable DVD and also to a second partition,
>but from next week will be backing up to a USB2 external 200G drive.
>
>I don't recommend backing up to CD if you just want to restore a few
>files.  It will take several hours swapping CD's about a hundred times
>just to get the image readable, without even restoring one file.  It's
>OK if you want to do a full restore though, although I ended up with
>15 CD's per system backup before I switched to DVD's.
>
>Hope that helps.

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 09:12:53 -0800, Jim <wdxp@cox.net> wrote :

>Peter;
>
>What brand of laptop are you using? =20
A Toshiba Satellite P20.
That's a 3GHz P4 with NVidia GeForce FX Go5200.
It boots fine with the Ghost Images on bootable DVD, I just have to
hit the boot selection prompt to say to boot from the DVD and not the
HDD.  (Damn, I forget the prompt - I think it is F12, but it tells you
on the screen anyway - you have to be quick though.)
--=20
Regards,
Peter Wilkins

[ Post a follow-up to this message ]