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[RESOLVED] Unable to clone my brand new laptop!

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R A
Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 4

This morning, I upgraded to True Image 2013 in order to clone my brand new Acer laptop running Win8-64 - annoyingly, the trial download had the Clone functionality disabled, so I was unable to test the only function that I want the product for, so I had to purchase without testing!

Installed it on the laptop (500GB HD), plugged in the brand new 500GB WD Elements USB3 drive and the cloning has failed. Utterly.

I can't even raise a Live Chat with Acronis or submit a Support Mail as that web interface refuses to recognise my error codes as valid and so will not let me complete the form! Way to go!

So this is my one and only attempt at sorting the issue before requesting a PayPal refund for "goods not working as advertised". Yes, I am pissed off!

My Win8-64 installation is up to date.
I downloaded Acronis this morning - True Image 2013 build 5551.

I fire it up, select Clone Disc, choose the source (500GB internal SATA drive) and the destination (500GB USB drive), click proceed and it attempts to estimate the time remaining before prompting me for a Restart.

Click Restart and the laptop restarts ok.

I then get the following error message on screen...

Starting Acronis UEFI Loader...
Runtime exception 'Failed to find.', code 1101838, tag 0x0ec492506f42e4db

which stays there for 10s or so before Win8 boots up normally.

Cloning my internal 500GB drive onto my external 500GB USB drive is the SOLE reason for purchasing Acronis 2013 - can anyone help diagnose and fix the above, else I'll be looking for a refund and searching for a.n.other disk cloning product!

Find the solution here.

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Forum Star
Posts: 51
Comments: 3768

My best advice: Do not Clone! Instead, do one extra step and create a full disk Backup to an external drive. If ever you need to return to that image state, you would do a full disk Restore/Recovery.

There is rarely a need to Clone. Really, Backup is safer and more flexible. Many users encounter problems Cloning which they would not have if they had instead used Backup.

1. Don't use Clone. Do a full disk Backup, selecting the entire disk, and a Restore. The end result will be the same as Clone, but with many advantages.

2. Check out the many user guides and tutorials in the left margin of this forum, particularly Getting Started and Grover's True Image Guides which are illustrated with step-by-step screenshots.

A full disk backup, selecting the disk checkbox rather than individual partitions, includes everything. It includes everything that a clone would include.

The difference is that while a clone immediately writes that information a single time to another drive, a backup is saved as a compressed .tib archive. As such, multiple .tib archives may be saved to a single backup drive, allowing for greater redundancy, security and flexibility.

Once a full disk image .tib archive is restored to a drive, the result is the same as if that drive had been the target of a clone done on the date and time that the backup archive was created.

Clone is riskier because we've seen situations where users mistakenly choose the wrong drive to clone from and to, thus wiping out their system drive.

There is some specific advice related to Windows 8 with UEFT, which I have not used so I'll let someone else answer to that.

Legend
Posts: 172
Comments: 11125

R A,
'Your download did NOT include the hot fix referenced in this link.
The addition of the hot fix is for windows 8 systems and was not included in the main download which is several months old.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/39714

Add the hot fix and see if it helps.

Acronis offers direct support for the first 30 days after purchase. You are eligible for a Live Chat or email support but it does require that contact support via the support links. Note the suport link in top right corner of this webpage and the support link along the left margin.

You might also want to look at this link and see if it covers anything that is applicable to your installation.
This is an extract from the Web Help documentation located along the left margin of this webpage.
http://www.acronis.com/support/documentation/ATIH2013/index.html#22788…

R A
Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 4

I'm afraid the Hotfix has not helped :(

Whilst the laptop is UEFI it has Secure Boot disabled by default and the hotfix seems to be fixing an issue with an unsigned loader.

I applied the hotfix anyway and tried the Clone again but get exactly the same results - laptop reboots but then I get the same error message:

Starting Acronis UEFI Loader...
Runtime exception 'Failed to find.', code 1101838, tag 0x0ec492506f42e4db

before Win8 fires up.

Acronis might 'offer' direct support but I have been unable to initiate either an email or chat link session from the Support page as neither the code nor tag in the above error message are accepted as valid Error Codes on the web form which does not allow me to submit the form without a valid error message field!!!

Is there another way of contacting them?

R A
Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 4

I actually managed to initiate a Live Chat - the web form no longer seems to consider the Error Code field as mandatory!

Annoyingly, I clicked SAVE at the end of the chat but cannot find the file, so this is from memory:

In order to CLONE a Win8 system, you have to use the bootable acronis media
http://kb.acronis.com/content/2931

I can't see that information on the product page anywhere!

That's all well and good but this is an ultra slim notebook with no cd/dvd drive.
The support guy then mentioned that I could use a flash drive to make a bootable image - however, I have no suitable flash drive and, to be quite honest, am not about to order a flash drive off Amazon to test a feature that should be working from the software I've already bought!

At this stage, I'll just be requesting a refund as the product does not do what it advertises

Legend
Posts: 172
Comments: 11125

yes, the recommended method for cloning is the use of the Recovery Media. If you have a discount store close by, you can get a Flash drive 2GB size for about $5-$10.

For your own information, you should check if your source disk a style MBR or GFT.
GFT has started showing as the norm for many of the recent computer shipments.
Open Windows Disk Management Option.
RIGHT click on the word "Basic" and click Properites
On resulting window, click on the "Volume" label.
The Partitiion type will be listed as either
Master Boot Record (MBR)
GUID Partition Table (GPT)
If GPT is the listed type, the 128mb Reserved partiton will be a hidden part of your disk but will NOT be displayed when viewing the Wndows Disk Management graphical view.

If you choose to ask for a refund, be sure and do so before 30 days has elapsed from the date of purchase.

Forum Star
Posts: 51
Comments: 3768

R A wrote:

In order to CLONE a Win8 system, you have to use the bootable acronis media

Don't Clone. It entails risks, especially when you're a novice at this. It's far safer to do a full disk Backup, followed by a Restore when required. A full disk Backup followed by a Restore achieves the same result as a Clone, but is much safer and more flexible.

R A wrote:
The support guy then mentioned that I could use a flash drive to make a bootable image - however, I have no suitable flash drive

Really? A 1 GB USB flash drive can be bought for less than $5. It's no big deal.

You can hardly blame Acronis for your lack of a CD drive and unwillingness to get a flash drive. Restoring, and safe Cloning, as well as disaster recovery, require use of the ATI bootable Rescue Media on CD-R or USB flash drive.

R A
Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 4

I have been cloning my hard drives for years.
It is *my* chosen method of backing up - this way, if/when a hard drive fails, I can be completely restored and running in hours.
I don't want to hear about how this is not how I should be backing up, which is why I ignored your first response!

I have been using Acronis since October 2005 (True Image v9) for disk cloning - always from within the Acronis software, I've never used nor needed a boot media!

As has happened before, a new OS requires a new version of Acronis - I did download the trial to test out the cloning before upgrading but the disk cloning feature was disabled! That sure would have saved me a lot of hassle!

If the recommended way to clone a disk is to use the bootable media then why continue to provide the Cloning tool from within the installed software!

Yes, my new hardware has no cd/dvd drive - the software is a download and does not mention anywhere that you need a cd/dvd drive to clone HDs!

Yes, I could order a flash drive from Amazon but it's now a point of principle - the software does not clone Win8 as it has cloned WinXP, Vista and Win7 in the past. This is now my 4th Acronis product and I've feel I've spent enough on Acronis over the years without being told to spend "less than $5" on hardware to make the software work - don't tell me whether $5 is a big deal!

I repeat, if the trial software had not actively disabled the Clone function, I could have tested this out before buying, seen it fail and then searched for another cloning product. As it is, I now have to request a refund.

I only purchased the software 8 hours ago - I have already submitted the request.

Forum Star
Posts: 51
Comments: 3768

R A wrote:
I've feel I've spent enough on Acronis over the years without being told to spend "less than $5" on hardware to make the software work - don't tell me whether $5 is a big deal!

Grover and I are not Acronis staff and we are not paid. We volunteer our time here. Your attitude to our free help and to sharing our best advice is not appreciated. You're free to ignore our wisdom, but your attitude will not be missed when you depart this forum.

R A wrote:
I repeat, if the trial software had not actively disabled the Clone function, I could have tested this out before buying, seen it fail and then searched for another cloning product.

No need to repeat, it wasn't that interesting the first time, and certainly not interesting enough to warrant boldface.

It's common for software demos to have a key feature disabled, such as saving or, in this case, cloning. If the demo did everything, many people would never bother to buy the product.

R A
Beginner
Posts: 1
Comments: 4

To be honest, mate, your own attitude is far from what I would expect of a software company that has just taken my money, so you didn't need to point out that you don't work for them!

Your first response to my post was not helpful at all - instead of trying to help solve my problem, which is what GroverH did (many thanks for trying), you just jump in telling me that I should not be cloning my hard drive!

In your second response, you imply that I'm a "novice at this" and again tell me that I should have no problem buying extra hardware to solve what is Acronis' problem/bug/issue/feature, call it what you will.

The trial software is a 30-day trial, implying that the product gives you 30 days to try it out and then stops working.
WTF do they go and disable THE ONLY FEATURE I WANT TO USE without advertising the fact before you download and waste time trying it out!

Forum Star
Posts: 51
Comments: 3768

R A wrote:

Your first response to my post was not helpful at all - instead of trying to help solve my problem, which is what GroverH did (many thanks for trying), you just jump in telling me that I should not be cloning my hard drive!

On the contrary, my advice is based on best practice. Users often ask one thing, but we MVPs frequently tell them what they really need to know. We see the results of cloning gone bad, when frustrated users come here needing help and sometimes after losing their installed system due to human error during cloning.

If you had said that you have cloned for years, my answer would have been different. But you did not, instead you spent much of your post complaining about the ATI demo and your lack of contact with Acronis Support.

Forum Star
Posts: 31
Comments: 1272

Hello R A,

Thank you for posting this question in our forum. I am happy to assist you. 

I want to thank Grover H. and tuttle for supporting you.

For the cloning theme, you can find following information that might help you to solve the problem:

The recommended action is creating a backup instead of cloning. In past cloning was a common method. However, with the new UEFI and operating systems, cloning is no longer a recommended method to back up a system.

(!) Please perform a backup to an external drive before proceed with any testing. 

Also do not forget to create a new bootable media after applying the hotfix for the product in order a system with Windows 8 and secure boot. See Acronis Products: Cannot Boot Windows 8 Secure Boot Machines with Acronis Loader.

I have found a new open support case in our systems. I will also post there this forum thread to let the support professional know, what you have tried to solve the problem.

Please use the support case for any further communication. You can see your open support cases in your Acronis account. See My Support Cases.

You can send us your feedback regarding our support to managers@acronis.com. Your feedback regarding Acronis products you can forward to this feedback form.

I will close this thread and if you need additional information or assistance you can reach me at any time via a private message.

Thank you.