Does win10 Memory Integrity feature work with TI2019?

I can confirm that Win 10 version 1803 build 17134.228 and True Image 2018 build 10640 do NOT cause error with Core Isolation Memory Integrity turned On.  So I would expect TI 2019 to be compatible as well.

I tried to enable Memory Integrity on Windows build 17134.228 with TI 2019 installed. I got the some incompatibility error as the original poster. I tried turning off Acronis Active Protection and rebooting. I got the same error. I didn't try uninstalling TI 2019 to prove it was TI causing the error.

Very interesting Paul.  When I return home and have access to my computers I will try this on my 2019 installs and report back here.  Thanks for trying it out.

Thanks all.  I attempted to install TI2019 tonight as a trial.  The installation failed to complete with memory integrity enabled. The error, which occurred at the end of the attempted installation, is below.  The "more info" link was useless, but I couldn't tell if there was any PII in the URL, so I removed it, along with the time.

Enchantech, can you confirm that you were able to enable memory integrity with 2018?  If you click the setting to "on," it takes many seconds for the compatibility failure message to appear and it is easy to miss (and the failure message disappears without further action).  If you reboot after setting memory integrity to on, does it stay "on" when you check the setting again after the reboot? 

This article suggests that memory integrity will be enabled by default (assuming compatible hardware) on clean installs of windows going forward.  I am not willing to test that, but if true, Acronis will need to address the issue.  https://www.howtogeek.com/357757/what-are-core-isolation-and-memory-int…

Error message:

Edit:

Event Viewer | System tracked the following (earliest event to latest):

A service was installed in the system.

Service Name:  Acronis Storage Filter Management
Service File Name:  system32\DRIVERS\fltsrv.sys
Service Type:  kernel mode driver
Service Start Type:  boot start
Service Account: 

A service was installed in the system.

Service Name:  Acronis Snapshots Manager
Service File Name:  system32\DRIVERS\snapman.sys
Service Type:  kernel mode driver
Service Start Type:  boot start
Service Account: 

A service was installed in the system.

Service Name:  Acronis Scheduler2 Service
Service File Name:  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Acronis\Schedule2\schedul2.exe"
Service Type:  user mode service
Service Start Type:  auto start
Service Account:  LocalSystem

A service was installed in the system.

Service Name:  Acronis Sync Agent Service
Service File Name:  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Acronis\SyncAgent\syncagentsrv.exe"
Service Type:  user mode service
Service Start Type:  auto start
Service Account:  LocalSystem

A service was installed in the system.

Service Name:  Acronis TIB Manager
Service File Name:  system32\DRIVERS\tib.sys
Service Type:  kernel mode driver
Service Start Type:  boot start
Service Account: 

The Acronis TIB Manager service failed to start due to the following error:
Acronis TIB Manager is not a valid Win32 application.

The description for Event ID 26 from source Application Popup cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\tib.sys failed to load

The message resource is present but the message was not found in the message table

The Acronis Scheduler2 Service service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.

Edit 2:  To close the loop, I disabled memory integrity and TI2019 installed without issue.  The installation triggered a compatibility block on me enabling memory integrity.  The block was removed when I uninstalled TI2019.

JWITW,

Thanks for the update on this issue.  I will confirm that my 2018 install works.  I received no error message when enabling the feature, I did not reboot the machine however.

I will also confirm either way on the rest of my machines.  3 have 2019 installed and 1 is still 2018 I believe.

This will have to wait until tomorrow however as I am still away from home.

So getting back to this:

Returning home I was able to have a more in depth look at the Memory Integrity feature of Windows 10 latest update.  What I have found is that to take advantage of this feature you must have a PC that conforms to the latest Security standards and hardware.  The Standard Security set is:

• TPM 2.0 compliance (Trusted Platform Module)
• Secure Boot Enabled
• DEP (Data execution Prevention)
• UEFI MAT (Memory Attributes Table (UEFI v2.6))

As a result of the above I will not be of help in a determination of whether or not True Image is compliant with this new enhanced security feature of the Windows 10 platform because none of my systems fully comply with the requirements.

I suggest that any whom desire to understand these security enhancements and to determine if your hardware/software is compliant should review each article linked below.

1. TPM 2.0 LINK HERE
2. Secure Boot Enabled check LINK HERE
3. DEP LINK HERE
4. UEFI MAT (including Standards for a highly secure Win 10) LINK HERE

After looking into this and my own systems hardware I am of the opinion that unless your system is fully compliant with all the required hardware and software standards discussed in the provided links you will not be successful in implementing the Memory Integrity feature in the latest Windows 10 version update.  As a result you might experience error messages or finding that the option after being enabled turns itself off upon the next reboot of the machine.

Hope this helps!

I have opened a ticket and asked Acronis if any product is (or is planned to be) compatible with the memory integrity feature.  That feature has existed on the Enterprise side of windows for a while now, so I'm hopeful maybe Backup will work.  Failing that, if the feature is turned on by default for new computers sold, perhaps that will motivate an update to TI.

Enchantech -- I don't want to side-track the discussion, but the hardware requirements to enable memory integrity are not as onerous as you make it seem.  To enable core isolation and memory integrity, you really just need an intel chip that supports VT-x (and EPT) or AMD equivalent, a feature most/many mainstream chips from (at least?) sandy bridge has supported.  My ivy bridge chip from 2012 supports it, and I have core isolation and memory integrity enabled and working fine.  TPM support gives you increased protection for credentials, but is not required.  I have memory integrity enabled on an ASRock Z77 extreme 4 build (years behind the systems in your signature), which has no TPM support.  My newer systems likewise have had no issues enabling memory integrity since uninstalling Acronis (not that that is long-term viable for me).

I would guess that most/all systems capable of enabling core isolation are likely capable of enabling memory integrity, provided incompatible software is removed. 

edit to add:  I do have secure boot enabled on all of my machines.  I don't know if that's required or not; but it's been a ubiquitous feature since UEFI became standard. 

I agree with the OP. TI 2019 is causing the problem. I uninstalled TI 2019 from the system I mentioned above and was able to turn on Memory Integrity with no problem.

Fair enough, I'll look into it a bit more.  I will have to come up with a TPM module to do so.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for reporting this! We have reproduced the issue on our side (internal ID TI-151367).

We should be able to fix this in one of our next releases.

Hello Renata,

That's good news, thank you

Based on my test, build 14110 does not resolve the issue.  The trial period counter also looks like it carried over from my prior test (5 days remaining), despite having only had the program installed for 10 minutes.  Unless there's a way to reset it, I will need someone else to test the next version.  Thanks all.

@JustWantItToWork, you may need to have a private chat with Renata to see if she can help get your trial license extended and perhaps get access to any early release of the fix for this issue?

As a follow up, I was told that an update (perhaps update 2?) contained a fix for the memory integrity incompatibility.  I ultimately purchased a license for ATI 2019 when build 17750 was out.  If I attempt to install that build with memory integrity enabled, however, I receive a similar error message as before during the installation:  "Acronis TIB manager can't run on windows" "This app isn't compatible with Windows memory integrity."  Unlike before, however, the installation of the product proceeds.  

In limited testing, I can start a backup without issue, but I don't have a machine I'm willing to trial test a recovery on.  If anyone else has dealt with this and confirmed everything works as expected, please let me know.  I have opened a ticket with Acronis (which got a little sidetracked due to an unrelated, missing volsnap registry value that was preventing any backups at all).  Hopefully the scary error message can be ignored.  Even better would be an installer that didn't produce it at all.

JustWantItToWork, did you ever have any resolution from your ticket with Acronis Support?  There's been nothing new posted in this thread in 2 months.

Did your Acronis TI 2019 work OK even though you got that Memory Integrity message during installation?

I just started a new thread on that issue today to see what the latest word is at this link:

https://forum.acronis.com/forum/acronis-true-image-2019-forum/acronis-t…

I don't know whether to install it with Memory Integrity enabled and ignore the message.  It sounds like if I turn Memory Integrity off, Acronis would keep me from turning it on later.

Thanks.

I did get an message from Action Center that TIB 2020 won't work with MS Memory Integrity when it was first installed. But without making any changes to the system or software, I was able to perform a encrypted backup with TIB with memory security feature enabled. There have been no further warning messages. It was done with Windows 10 Home v. 1903, and 1909.

After installing TI2020 I can't enable Windows 10 Memory Integrity. Windows 10 version 2004 Memory Integrity scan fails with the message:

tib.sys

Driver version 1.0.0.1233 

Acronis TIB Explorer

Other than not using Windows 10 Memory Integrity, can I resolve the conflict?

Tumbleweed wrote:

JustWantItToWork, did you ever have any resolution from your ticket with Acronis Support?  There's been nothing new posted in this thread in 2 months.

Did your Acronis TI 2019 work OK even though you got that Memory Integrity message during installation?

 Acronis told me to ignore the installation error and closed the ticket.  The whole thing is annoying and unfortunate given that I purchased the software after they had confirmed/"fixed" compatibility with the memory integrity feature yet it looks like the problem still remains with 2020.  I can run and validate backups from TI 2019 despite the installation error; I have not tried any full restores. 

The problem still exists in TI2020. The problem driver is tib.sys version 1.0.0.1233. I installed TI2020 before I tried enabling Memory Integrity in Windows 10 version 2004 but Windows prevents me from enabling it because of the driver problem. I have created a ticket but so far no reply. If they can't fix it I will have to request a refund and uninstall the product. I don't understand why they haven't already fixed the problem. It has obviously been reported for several years.     

Hello Oscar,

the issue reported in this thread is documented as fixed in our internal records, however, it might re-appear on new builds or this could be a new issue with similar symptoms. I see that your support tick has been escalated to the higher level for further investigation. May I ask you to share the outcome of investigation here, so that we can update the thread accordingly? Thank you! 

Oscar Roark wrote:

The problem still exists in TI2020. The problem driver is tib.sys version 1.0.0.1233. I installed TI2020 before I tried enabling Memory Integrity in Windows 10 version 2004 but Windows prevents me from enabling it because of the driver problem. I have created a ticket but so far no reply. If they can't fix it I will have to request a refund and uninstall the product. I don't understand why they haven't already fixed the problem. It has obviously been reported for several years.     

I have the same experience. Tib.sys is still the cause of the problem. According to this article https://kb.acronis.com/content/61372 the issue should not exist in TI2020.

My workaround so far (I only use Acronis Backup): remove driver tib.sys or better: rename it to tib.sys.old
This makes it possible to enable 'Memory Integrity' without errors.

But... I got 'Blue screens' during Windows shutdown. "Postcode Memory_management". Useless information. At this moment the only solution for the Blue Screens: 
Windows Startup: disable all Acronis entries except Acronis Scheduler Service Helper.
Windows services: disable all Acronis services except Acronis Scheduler2 Service.
It's a fresh solution. So far it works. Have to evaluate this in the next few days. Backup runs fine.
Confirmed: 'Blue Screens' are history... 
I found the cause of the 'Blue screens': nothing to do with Acronis!

Don't use Try & Decide + rename tib.sys and 'Memory Integrity' can be enabled without errors.

Acronis support instructed me to disable "Try & Decide" feature in Acronis True Image 2020 to enable Windows 10 Memory Integrity. It is successful.

Thanks for the report. I will be useful in the future,

Disabling "Try & Decide" had no effect on my system. "Core Isolation - Memory Integrity" cannot be enabled. I'm on Windows 10 version 2004.

I asked for a refund on my product because of this defect. That is after I spent considerable time performing tests help Acronis identify the problem. Their only response was that I was correct, there is a bug but it won't be fixed until next years release and I will have to purchase new programs to get the fix. I am now stuck with three copies that I can't use because I would have to leave my system vulnerable to attach to do so. Acronis has lost a customer. 

I am just wondering: 'Try & decide' is (confirmed) not compatible with 'Memory Integrity'. Do you really need it? Also: 'Try & decide' is a tool that I would not use all the time, only for special testing scenarios. Disable 'Memory Integrity' during testing seems to me a logical and easy step.
The only 'issue' that remains is: tib.sys. I REMOVED tib.sys (C:\windows\system32\drivers\tib.sys) and have not noticed any problem with TI.

Just to be sure there is nothing wrong with TI-installation: I reinstalled it AFTER the windows 10-24 update (option 'REPAIR') with 'Memory Integrity' disabled. Enable 'Memory Integrity' and Windows reports: tib.sys. Removed tib.sys and TrueImage works perfectly fine WITH 'Memory Integrity' enabled.

I do understand your feelings of wanting a refund. 'Memory Integrity' is not a new thing in Windows 10 so I expected a solution for any issue by this time... No solution = disappointment. As for the money: from 2017 till now I have upgraded every year (I have licenses dating back to 2008). I consider it support for the development. But: if next release does not solve the 'Memory Integrity' issues I will skip upgrading and wait until the issues are solved...

Oscar Roark wrote:

Disabling "Try & Decide" had no effect on my system. "Core Isolation - Memory Integrity" cannot be enabled. I'm on Windows 10 version 2004.

Oscar -- To confirm, are you able to enable Memory Integrity without Acronis installed?  Many different drivers can prevent its activation and I've been unable to activate it on occasional systems where it would seem like it should otherwise work.  You can use this tool (at your considerable own risk) to evaluate whether HVCI can be enabled and to attempt to force enable it.  I have had success with this tool where the GUI option failed.  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53337

Windows 10 specifically names tib.sys as being the cause of the failure to enable Memory Integrity. Acronis has already acknowledged it as being the cause. The only workstation I had installed it on is an Asus ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME Motherboard with an Intel Core i9-10900K Desktop Processor both of which have been released within the last two months. If that won't support Memory Integrity nothing will. 

Jappa wrote:

I am just wondering: 'Try & decide' is (confirmed) not compatible with 'Memory Integrity'. Do you really need it? Also: 'Try & decide' is a tool that I would not use all the time, only for special testing scenarios. Disable 'Memory Integrity' during testing seems to me a logical and easy step.
The only 'issue' that remains is: tib.sys. I REMOVED tib.sys (C:\windows\system32\drivers\tib.sys) and have not noticed any problem with TI.

Just to be sure there is nothing wrong with TI-installation: I reinstalled it AFTER the windows 10-24 update (option 'REPAIR') with 'Memory Integrity' disabled. Enable 'Memory Integrity' and Windows reports: tib.sys. Removed tib.sys and TrueImage works perfectly fine WITH 'Memory Integrity' enabled.

I do understand your feelings of wanting a refund. 'Memory Integrity' is not a new thing in Windows 10 so I expected a solution for any issue by this time... No solution = disappointment. As for the money: from 2017 till now I have upgraded every year (I have licenses dating back to 2008). I consider it support for the development. But: if next release does not solve the 'Memory Integrity' issues I will skip upgrading and wait until the issues are solved...

Acronis's approach to sw updates is the most unusual I have ever encountered after 35 years in the business. The only reason I changed from the previous company I was using for backups was that Acronis has better data compaction and I wouldn't have to purchase larger harddrives. I have now ordered the harddrives.

Acronis has now refunded my money for all three systems and provided the following message:

Thank you for contacting Acronis Customer Central.

As I understand, you would like a refund for Acronis True Image 2020

I apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please be assured that we are going to launch a new major version of the software during the next few months, which will also have 2 or 3 updates during a year after the first release. It will include a number of fixes for the user-reported issues. When it's out, you can download a free trial (can be used for 30 days) and test whether your issue was resolved.

Great news! I am looking forward to the new True Image version!

I edited my previous comment. The 'Blue Screens' I got have nothing to do with Acronis.

I can confirm this is still a problem with Win 10 21H1 and Acronis 2021 build 39216. It would seem that the security is not a priority.

True image 2021 and win 21H1 are still an issue

I am running Windows 10 and TrueImage 21. Windows 10 Security  Settings is telling me I have some incompatible drivers:

I sure would appreciate some help from TrueImage with these issues.

Wayde Martens wrote:

True image 2021 and win 21H1 are still an issue

It's disappointing. Every Acronis update reinstalls tib.sys (if you had removed tib.sys) and silently Windows memory integrity is disabled! 

I've included below a September 8, 2021 email from Acronis support confirming there is no fix, and the situation remains unchanged from 2018.

Note: After renaming tib.sys to disable it (which allowed me to successfully enable Windows memory integrity), I can still mount and open (in Acronis) locally stored Acronis .tibx backup files using either Windows File Explorer or the Acronis application.

From: customerservice@acronis.com
Sent: 2021-09-08 23:22:03
To: 
Subject: Subject [05110138] True Image driver turning on the Windows 'Memory integrity'    [ ref:_00D30Zcb._5001T1YY9NY:ref ]

*** Please do not change the subject line of this email; otherwise, your response will not be received. ***

Hello ,

Thank you for contacting Acronis Customer Central. My name is Ubaid

As I understand, Acronis True Image driver tib.sys prevents turning on the Windows 'Memory integrity' security setting

It would be my pleasure to help you.

I am sorry to inform you that  "Memory integrity" is not compatible with Acronis True Image 2021 and it is considered as known issue which has been notified to our developer.

Our Developers are working on the fix for this problem and it will be available in an upcoming release. There is no exact date of this release as of now. However, if you would like to receive updates on new releases you may subscribe to our newsletters which will ensure you are notified when the update first becomes available. You can subscribe to the newsletters by visiting this link (https://account.acronis.com/settings).

Please accept our apologies for this issue. Since it will not be possible to work on the case, as the fix will be implemented in future release, Please let me know if we can close this case as unresolved

This way we can easily separate this case from open ones in which communication is not suspended. Moreover, when you reopen the case (by replying to our email), we will get back to you promptly and help you then.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any further questions.

The case number for your reference is 05110138

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. We will be glad to assist you.

Best regards,
Ubaid Gull
Acronis Customer Central

For common issues with known solutions please refer to our Knowledge Base at https://kb.acronis.com/

If you have any additional feedback, please send it to managers@acronis.com
Acronis International GmbH
Rheinweg 9
8200 Schaffhausen
Switzerland

This is very disappointing.  This has been a known issue for what, at least three years?  

Hello Everyone,

discussed the topic with my colleagues from the RnD - Memory Integrity feature is currently not compatible with Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office\Acronis True Image software due to the conflicting drivers used. At this point, adding support for the Memory Integrity feature is not possible, however we continue collecting the feedback on this feature. 

Ekaterina,
Given what I wrote on 9/21/2021 (see the quoted text below) what features are impacted when the driver tib.sys, which interferes with Windows 10 memory integrity, is removed? For my purposes Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office appears to work unimpaired with tib.sys removed. What does it add to the product?

  Thanks,
   Robert

"After renaming tib.sys to disable it (which allowed me to successfully enable Windows memory integrity), I can still mount and open (in Acronis) locally stored Acronis .tibx backup files using either Windows File Explorer or the Acronis application."

Ekaterina,
Given what I wrote on 9/21/2021 (see the quote below) what does tib.sys add to Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office/Acronis True Image? All features of this product appear to work well without tib.sys.

"After renaming tib.sys to disable it (which allowed me to successfully enable Windows memory integrity), I can still mount and open (in Acronis) locally stored Acronis .tibx backup files using either Windows File Explorer or the Acronis application."

  Thanks,
    Robert

Robert,

Do you use the product to create File/Folder backups?  If you do I believe these may be impacted by disabling tib.sys.

Enchantech,
At your suggestion, I just now created and ran a Folder backup for the first time. I backed up one local folder to another local folder and then restored the backup. Everything worked.

  Regards,
    Robert

So this is kind of funny. Because when you have like 5 years to prepare your product for HVCI, rather than rebranding in the wind, you shouldn't be surprised the day Microsoft will make HVCI mandatory and all of a sudden your product will be deprecated. Wake up Acronis, you can't pretend to offer a Cyber Protect Home Office solution if one of your key driver is not compatible with a key security feature of an OS...

linxeye wrote:

So this is kind of funny. Because when you have like 5 years to prepare your product for HVCI, rather than rebranding in the wind, you shouldn't be surprised the day Microsoft will make HVCI mandatory and all of a sudden your product will be deprecated. Wake up Acronis, you can't pretend to offer a Cyber Protect Home Office solution if one of your key driver is not compatible with a key security feature of an OS...

Hello linxeye,

thank you for sharing your feedback! Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office will offer the optional installation of the TnD feature in the next major upgrade. I've added this topic as a vote for the change request TI-239584 Memory Integrity support\optional installation of TnD driver.