How To Install TrueImage Version 10 on Windows 7
Many consider TrueImage 10 build 4942 to be the best release of TI to date. Subsequent versions like TI 11, TI 2009, and TI 2010 have introduced more features and along with them, more bugs. Those who want only basic imaging capabilities can't go wrong with Version 10. However, if you install version 10 on Windows 7 then you are greeted with the following compatibility warning when starting the program (click to enlarge):
The purpose of this article is to present a solution to allow version 10 to work with Windows 7.
Warning: Do this at your own risk. While I haven't had any problems using Version 10 with Windows 7 RTM, that doesn't mean that they don't exist. The program was added to the list of blocked programs by Acronis for one of two reasons; first, because it may have technical incompatibilities with Windows 7, or second, because the program is old, no longer supported, and Acronis does not want to invest software resources to fix it but instead wants to sell you the newest version. While the latter is probably the reason for adding TI 10 to the blocked programs list, there are no guarantees that it isn't the former. And if there are technical issues, then data loss may occur.
Known issues with Version 10
Longtime users of version 10 are well aware of its limitations, but to recap:
1. All version of TI to date will create partition table entries using the established 63-sector offset rules where the first partition starts at sector 63 and all partitions start and end on multiples of 63 sectors and the sizes of partitions are a multiple of 63 sectors. If you restore a Vista or Windows 7 partition that was created by the Vista/Win 7 installer or by Vista/Win 7 Disk Management, both of which use the newer 2048-sector offset rules, then the partition will be realigned to 63-sector offset by TI upon restoration. This realignment will prevent Vista/Win 7 from booting until the Boot Configuration Database (BCD) is repaired. Newer TI versions automatically correct the BCD but Version 10 does not. If you use Version 10 with Vista/Win 7, then you need to have a Vista/Win 7 DVD available to repair the BCD, or else you need to generalize the BCD before imaging. Some PC manufacturers do not furnish original OS installation media, so before you use TI 10, make sure that you have a viable means of recovery. You can borrow a Vista/Win 7 DVD to use for repairs, or you can make your own recovery CD with Windows 7 by typing System Repair Disk into the Win 7 START search box and following the wizard.
2. When restoring Windows XP partitions, version 10 has the annoying habit of rearranging the order of entries in the partition table so that the restored XP partition is in the "slot" corresponding to its boot.ini entry. This was done so that a WinXP partition could be restored to a different location on the disk without the need to manually edit the boot.ini file. It also finds any other installations of WinXP on other partitions and modifies their boot.ini files. The result is that you can end up with a partition table where the entries are not in disk order, or what is referred to as a "Scrambled" partition table. This is mainly a cosmetic issue and does not affect the ability of the partition table to work correctly.
3. The Linux recovery environment will sometimes corrupt NTFS files that are restored to a different location on the disk in very specific circumstances (the files contain NTFS Alternate Data Streams). This is not an issue when cloning or when creating or restoring partition or disk images, and is never an issue when restoring individual files and folders from the Windows environment. It's only an issue when restoring individual files or folders from the boot CD.
There may be others that I've missed, but these were the big ones.
What I've Tested with Windows 7
I've had TI 10 build 4942 installed and working in Windows 7 x64 since early October and have been using it successfully since then. I have tested the following features with success:
1. Creating images from within Windows, including full, incremental, and differential
2. Mounting images created by TI 10
3. Exploring images with Windows Explorer
4. Validating image archives
5. Scheduling automatic image creation with the built-in Acronis scheduler
6. Restoring Windows 7 partitions from the TI recovery environment.
What I have not Tested with Windows 7
1. Initiating a restore operation while running Windows 7
2. Activating the ASRM
3. Creating a Secure Zone
4. Backing up and restoring individual files and folders
5. Using any of the other "bells and whistles" of the program.
How to Unblock the Program
Uninstall any version of TI that is currently installed on the disk and then install TI version 10. When you try to run the program the Windows 7 Program Compatibility Assistant will run and will check the name of the program against a list of blocked software. If the program is on the list, it will be blocked from execution. However, if you change the name of the executable, it will not be found on the list and will not be blocked. For TI version 10, the program's name is TrueImage.exe. Change it to something else; for example, TI.exe, to avoid being blocked. You must change the name in two places; first, in the Program Files folder, and second, in the registry. Changing the entry in the registry allows the right-click context menus to link to the new name of the program. The following are specifics for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.
32-bit Win 7:
1. Change the name of the executable program in C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\ from TrueImage.exe to TI.exe
2. Change the path to the executable program in the registry at this key:
HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Settings\MainExePath
Change the path to match the name in step 1, i.e. to
C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\TI.exe
64-bit Win 7:
1. Change the name of the executable program in C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\TrueImageHome\ from TrueImage.exe to TI.exe
2. Change the path to the executable program in the registry at this key:
HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Wow6432Node\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Settings\MainExePath
Change the path to match the name in step 1, i.e. to:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\TrueImageHome\TI.exe
Disclaimer
I had initially resisted requests to post this information. However, TI version 10 is an old program and Acronis no longer supports it. The last update was March 12, 2007 and the program has now been superceded by 3 newer releases, so by now version 10 can be considered to be obsolete. I don't see any harm in posting this information. But use this workaround at your own risk.
Andromeda492:
Yes, it does. But if you have your Windows 7 DVD available, just start the Automatic Repair to fix the BCD after restoring the TI 10 image and you'll be fine. After the repair you can create a new image and it will restore without issue.
Mark,
Just wondering about the W7 service, ' Application Identity ' (mine is in manual mode and unstarted) and whether this has anything to do with the internal blocked programs database?
Off to the African Snake website to see what they say about this Service.
Colin:
Application Identity service is associated with AppLocker, which is a new feature of Windows 7. An IT department in a business can use AppLocker to set policies on which programs are allowed to run on their PCs. One article that I read about AppLocker was pushing the use of whitelists. In other words, a business could set things up so that only applications on the whitelist would be allowed to run on the company's PCs. A benefit of this would be that it would stop viruses dead. I suppose it could also prevent employees from playing World of Warcraft on company time...
Andromeda492:Yes, it does. But if you have your Windows 7 DVD available, just start the Automatic Repair to fix the BCD after restoring the TI 10 image and you'll be fine. After the repair you can create a new image and it will restore without issue.
KOLO: Thanks for the quick reply!
I've had a bit of a rough time with my Win 7 RTM install, had a lot of redos, and if I do have to go back to square one again, I'd like for that image to be usable--at least until I have the sort of major H/W change that warrants a fresh install.
I've had experience with the Win7 Automatic Repair (under Win 7 RC); it's a pretty useful feature set, but there were several times when it labeled my Win7 install "Windows 7 Recovered"--but then, I'm not double-booting anymore, and I don't have to look at the Win 7 Boot Manager, so I guess that doesn't matter much (I recall there's a way of editing that anyway, if I can find it again...).
so if I have to restore from it, aside from the BCD issue, will the sectors be all right? Will it be a proper Windows 7 install?
Also, I'm running Win 7 x64. Does that change anything?
Andromeda492:
The image that you made with TI 10 should be usable and should restore OK. The only issue will be that the pointers in the BCD will be incorrect and a repair will be needed. Since you've done this before, just use the Automatic repair again.
If you would like to change the description in the boot manager from Windows 7 Recovered to something else, perhaps just Windows 7, then do the following. In Windows 7, start an elevated command prompt by typing CMD in the search box and then right-click on cmd.exe and choose Run as administrator. Type bcdedit to display the current contents of the BCD. To change the description, enter the following command:
bcdedit /set description "Windows 7"
Replace the quoted string "Windows 7" with the text of your choice if you'd like to call it a different name.
No, it won't matter that you're running the x64 version of Windows 7. All of my testing was done with the x64 version, which I'm running currently.
Thanks. I broke down and bought TI 2010, but I may not be able to use the current build, from what I read in this thread: http://forum.acronis.com/forum/5475 .
So it's good to know I may be able to still use trusty old TI 2010.
Update: I just restored my Win 7 image mad with TI 10 using the TI 2010 recovery media. It booted up just fine...go figure. Maybe it's another one of those issues that varies by system configuration? Or maybe it's a fluke. Good to know I won't have to jump through any hoops with that image, anyway.
Andromeda492:
Two possible explanations for your successful restoration of a TI 10 image using TI 2010 recovery media:
1. The original image was made from a disk where the partition offset was already 63 sectors, so no realignment took place and therefore no repair was needed.
2. The TI 2010 boot CD contains the code needed to automatically repair the BCD.
I think it was a fluke...I had to repeat the process (it's been a rough Win 7 install) and it did not work a second time--I think I know what messed it up, though. In between I restored an image of Win 7 RC to recover some data, but that was on a dual-boot with XP; it had also been made with Macrium Reflect, which I had been trying out. Anyway, that image wouldn't restore, and then the Win 7 RTM Acronis TI 10 image didn't either. All I got was "load correct boot device and then press any key". However, the Win 7 repair function didn't even find the installation at all, so couldn't repair the BCD. That's why I think the Macrium restor eswitched it; I don't know why TI didn't switch it back, though.
The Win 7 RTM image had been made from a fresh install on a blank disk (I had erased and reformatted it) so I think the partition offset was probably the current kind.
I guess the object lesson is "YMMV".
If all one wants is basic imaging (and Win7's built-in stuff isn't good enough for whatever reason), there are numerous other companies offering that. Why jump through hoops making a product sort of work on an OS it's not designed for? Especially when some of the alternatives are free (http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/ for example).
Perhaps because you like TI 10, have used it for years, have done dozens of restores successfully, and you find TI images to be smaller, more efficient, and more versatile than Windows 7 imaging.
The "free" argument does not apply here since you can't purchase TI 10 any more other than eBay, etc. This article was aimed at those who already have a copy, have been using it for some time, like it, and want to continue using it with Windows 7.
Here's a little comparison chart (click to enlarge):
I tried Windows Backup in Win 7 RC x64. It's slow as molasses (and that's on a quadcore with 8GB RAM) and it seemed that it could only back up the whole drive the system partition is on.
In Win 7 RC, Windows backup generated too many VSS warnings/errors in the Windows logs for me to feel secure about its backups. So I haven't tried in in Win7 RTM, and since Acronis 2010 can convert Acronis backups to Windows backups if needed, I can't think of a reason to take all that time...I might just to see if it's changed from RC, though.
Acronis only generates VSS warnings sometimes, and only at the start and end of imaging when it does happen.
You can actually get a free version of Acronis if you have a Seagate drive in your system (Seagate DiskWizard is powered by Acronis), I don't know what Acronis version it's equivalent to. It looks a lot like TI 10, but it didn't come up as blocked. It installed, but did not run properly, at least when I tried in on Win 7 64-bit.
I lost my first HD which had 3 partitions, one with Win XP, one with Win 7 64 and one with aplications.- My second HD is OK.- I managed my dual booting with EasyBCD, and the first booting OS was Win 7.--
As I saved in my second HD a BKP Image of my Win 7 C. partition made with the Acronis TI Home 11, I restored that partition on a new HD, but I couldnt make it boot.- (the Win 7 TI image was made within XP)
I tried the repair option of the Win 7 installation CD, it recognized the partition, but could not boot.- The repair info showed that some problems with the boot files and managers were repaired, but no way.-
I think there is a conflict due to my former dual booting configuration, which the Win 7 Bkp image kept saved, and the new situation were the XP partition is no more present.
May be also there is an incompatibility between TI Home 11 and Win 7.-
Is there a way to fix it ?
Thanks
Jorge:
You may have better luck with support for this problem if you start a new topic; it's unrelated to the topic of this thread.
However, be aware that on your former HD, the Windows 7 boot files were installed to the XP partition. If you did not restore the XP partition then that's why you're having problems getting Windows 7 to boot. The Windows 7 repair CD may be able to fix this but you will need to run the automatic repair several times. The CD usually will only detect and repair one problem at a time, so try running it a couple more times.
Ironically After I'd just written a frustrated post about my problem, I ended up finding the answer in the last post before mine. Thanks.