[Macboatmaster]

NO Rest easy please
You saw it or you realised that you needed to back up to another file name. OTHERWISE it would have overwritten the backup you spent hrs doing on C drive.

YOU HAVE DONE WELL.

If and when you do upgrade that ram it will seem like a new computer.


Any questions at all on the recovery disc or Erunt you just post.

It is a pleasure to work with you.

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...and with you as well, Macboatmaster. I really appreciate your help. I have not completed the creation of the disc or run ERUNT, yet...planning to get that done this weekend. I will post again when I've done it.

[jdohr]

...and with you as well, Macboatmaster. I really appreciate your help. I have not completed the creation of the disc or run ERUNT, yet...planning to get that done this weekend. I will post again when I've done it.

[jdohr]

Ok - I did a registry backup using ERUNT, and saved it to both the D: drive and my external drive. I also created a recovery disk using Acronis. It said the creation of the disk was successful, but when I put the disk in the CD drive, it says that it is not accessible..."incorrect function". Any thoughts?

[Macboatmaster]

See my first screenshot in post 70 - can you open the backup image of the system drive ie C Drive and see your hard drive and then open that and see all your data.


Can you also do the same with your other drives.

Now if you go to Acronis for the recovery media and remember you are only using this if your computer will NOT boot into Windows, cannot repaired using recovery console and you are attempting to circumvent the reinstall to factory condition and then effectively starting again.
Create bootable media
You create the CD - the first option
as per my screenshot


[attachment=55334:Untitled.jpg]

WHEN YOU DO BOOT FROM IT BE CAREFUL as one click too many and you will initiate the recovery

If you get stuck click help on the Acronis interface and it guides you to the instructions.



This allows you to then use the recovery when the bootable CD provides you access to Acronis

[jdohr]

Yes, I am able to look at the backups of both C: and D: drives and see the files...and I believe I can do this since I successfully validated both backups.

From there, I did go into Acronis and created a recovery disk using the menu shown in your screenshot...I chose my CD drive, put a CD in the drive and went through the process. It finished, and said the disc was created successfully. All I'm saying is that I was going to somehow verify that the appropriate software/data was actually on the disk...so that if and when I ever DO need to recover, I won't find out that the disc I created somehow will not work. My problem is, I don't know how to verify that the disc was actually created successfully, because when I try to look at it in Explorer, it gives me the error message that it is not accessible..."incorrect function". If I can just verify that the recovery disc was created successfully, I think I am done. I'm wondering if I just have to boot from the CD drive and see if it brings up the recovery software...and as you stated, exit before actually recovering. I guess that WOULD be a way to verify that the disc works...

Aside from this, I purchased 1GB of RAM yesterday and installed it. Had to take the old RAM out because the new RAM is apparently D400 and the old RAM was D333. Anyway, I now have 1GB of RAM instead of 512MB and the PC is noticeably faster...but still an old dog...not sure if another 1GB will help more, or if it is just overkill. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it.

Edited by jdohr, 15 January 2012 - 01:59 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

Re ram

You can leave it in

The PC3200 at 400Mhz will simply run at the slower speed of the PC2700 at 333Mhz. You will NEVER see the difference in the slower speed but you will notice a difference with 1.5Gb

Re the CD this is what you should see

[attachment=55372:Untitled.jpg]

PC2700 333Mhz 184PIN DDR Memory <A name=PC3200>PC3200 400Mhz 184PIN DDR Memory

[jdohr]

Re the RAM - ok. Actually it will only be 1.25GB...there were 2 256MB in there previously.

Re the disc - I am assuming that your screenshot was from Acronis. I am currently out of town until Mon Jan 23rd...I will check it then.

[Macboatmaster]

Yes I forgot it was 2 x 256Mb you can still leave one in.
Yes Acronis

[jdohr]

Ok, so I'm finally making time to look at this in Acronis. I have the disc in the CD drive, and I have Acronis running...but I cannot figure out for the life of me how to get the screen that you have attached to post #81, Macboatmaster. I cannot figure out how to get a look at what is on that disc I created...

[Macboatmaster]

With the disc in the drive you simply right click and click explore

[jdohr]

With the disc in the CD drive, I right click Start and click on Explore -- and when I click on the CD drive, it says "Disc not accessible".

If I try to look at the disc somehow using Acronis, I cannot find any way to do that.

I either think I'm doing something wrong, or the disc is blank or was not created properly...

[Macboatmaster]

Good to hear from you.

I am just about to go out for the evening.

Can you open the Acronis backup file on the external drive.
You may have covered this I cannot remember

I will have to leave it and come back late tonight to see if by chance I can find the possible error.

If you have room on the external and you are running XP professional then you can use this of course - this is a copy and psate from another thread I am involved in so ONLY the XP part applies to you

Use either the built in XP backup if you have XP professional.

Start Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Backup

OR as you have a WD drive go here download and use Acronis
http://support.wdc.c...il.asp?swid=119

IF your external drive is large eneough do both.

Then having created your backup if using Windows, use Incremental backup.
And simply keep a separate backup by copy and paste of your personal documents, images etc as they change.

The important aspect to remember is that an image is a backup, but a backup is not necessarily an image.
If your hard drive crashes and is beyond recovery of the file system then providing the drive itself is OK you can restore an image.
You cannot restore a simple backup.

The best starting point for you is the HELP on Windows for backup and here is the full guide
http://technet.micro...y/bb457113.aspx

and another one for you.
http://www.theweekly.../CompleteBU.pdf



OR you use this
http://www.easeus.com/disk-copy/


OR as I said if you wish to stay with Acronis I WILL post later, but I feel it may be a case of reading the manual and starting again with the CD

[Macboatmaster]

I had a few minutes and have posted separately so that you do not miss it.

IT seems a common problem
OBVIOUSLY I had no idea, as I do not have the problem.

I am sorry for the trouble, but it really was a matter of which I had no knowledge
This link is to the Acronis forum and is for the PAID edition of Acronis True Image
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/25488

In view of what I have read there, I would keep the Acronis backup, as an ideal way of simply accessing your personal data and files if they need replacing, but of course that will not assist if WindowsXp will not boot and all recovery methods, except recovering the image from Acronis, fail.

I would NOW recommend that you consider an alternative perhaps XP itself or the Easeus

and here are a couple of others widely used
http://www.google.co...iXOBo-ht-NFZj1w

http://www.macrium.c...eflectfree.aspx

[jdohr]

Hmmm. I am trying to understand what you have said in your last post. I think you are saying that there are documented instances where the Acronis recovery disk does not work, and mine looks to be one of those situations. I didn't experience a situation where the disk did not work when I tried to run it...my situation is that I can't even verify that there is even anything written on the CD. It just says "disk not accessible". For all I know, the disk is blank.

I have the Acronis backups and I have validated them, so I'm happy with that part. I guess I just need to create a recovery disk somehow...but I'm not exactly following what you're getting at from the links you provided - they seem to point me to a couple of external ways of backing up data...this is confusing to me, since I am happy with the backups of the data I have created (data is on 2nd internal HD, external HD, and also by Acronis validated backup). Aren't I now just looking for a way to boot Windows if something happens to my primary HD? Isn't that called a boot disk? I guess I'm confused as to what I'm trying to do as this one last step. For what it's worth -- as you may remember from the first few posts between you and I, I have the Recovery Disk set for the PC (but it does not include the recovery console, as we found out)...I don't know if this will help, but I thought I'd mention it.

Edited by jdohr, 10 February 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[Macboatmaster]

Does this help
It is from the Paid for edition of Acronis
but the principle is broadly the same.
http://kb.acronis.com/content/14737

HOWEVER I have just read the maunal again for you it is section 11.
check that you did select CD and not by error an ISO and then burn it on a normal CD burning progam.
Also check that you did include WD on the bootable media

I cannot run through it with you now - unfortunately, as I have built myself a new computer last week on Windows 7 professional, so I do not have Acronis installed and the system that it was on has GONE.