OT: Beware downloads from Acronis!

farss wrote on 9/16/2008, 7:08 AM
Only mention this because I know many of us use True Image.
After my recent brush with XP SP3 I decided to buy another True Image licence for my new PC. Let's not futz around I thought, I'll buy it as a download, that'll be quicker, cheaper and save some greenhouse gases driving around.

Well here's the gotcha. Their downloader must create an installer that'll only run on the PC you use to do the download. This isn't mentioned anywhere on their site which also by some good luck was mostly down for the weekend and when it was back up downloading it took 5 hours (would have been quicker if Grazie had posted about FDM a few hours earlier). The real kicker is the installer doesn't throw any error or warning message, just winked out.
This is the second time I've had this kind of wierdness with downloadable software, not good.

I do have to give an honorable mention to SCS. At least installing their software is a breeze. More than once I've needed to use SF or some other product that I've paid for on a PC away from home. Being able to just log in here and install what I need to get the job done is a massive amount of goodness.

Bob.

Comments

Grazie wrote on 9/16/2008, 7:11 AM
Now HOW is it my fault??? " (would have been quicker if Grazie had posted about FDM a few hours earlier). "

Seessh . .

Grazie
farss wrote on 9/16/2008, 7:34 AM
It's my fault for being GMT + 10 hours :)

Bob.
nolonemo wrote on 9/16/2008, 8:25 AM
Bob I have installed a downloaded version of TrueImage Home v. 11 on several different PCs without problems. They may have changed something in the latest version....

As a workaround, you can install on the PC you downloaded with and create the bootable CD, which you can use anywhere. I actually always use the bootable CD to clone and restore.
ECB wrote on 9/16/2008, 9:35 AM
I just tried to logon at Acronis and found all the user registration info was lost in the web site update but they assured me that it would be eventually restored.

Ed B
Former user wrote on 9/16/2008, 11:13 AM
I have been an Acronis customer for years and use the downloaders exclusively. They are never tied to a machine or anything. I have installed on 5 different rigs here at the studio and at work with the same installers with no issues.

Now - those installers can get real large and if you are missing a few bytes in the download - it could get weird...but trust me - the installers are not tied to anything but your serial (during install of course)

Cheers!

VP
LReavis wrote on 9/16/2008, 11:35 AM
after using Ghost, PowerQuest Drive Image, and others, I now much prefer BartPE - and it is FREE. I have restored my Drive C several times in the last days (after running into problems with 8c not being able to read my Cineform files even after renaming CFHD.DLL) and it ALWAYS gives me a perfect restore. I've used it for perhaps a year now and can't praise it highly enough. However, I never try to run it from within Windows - I made a boot disk following their instructions and run it from there (search for BartPE with Google). The fact that it is FREE is just the icing on the cake.
warriorking wrote on 9/16/2008, 12:38 PM
Just used Free trial version earlier this week to replaced my current laptop HD, also Newegg had it on sale for 24.00 so I ordered the CD yesterday.......
Former user wrote on 9/16/2008, 12:41 PM
Lreavis,

I am confused. I read up on the BartPE software and I don't see that it is a ghosting or imaging software as much as just a boot software. Can you explain how you use it for imaging?

Thanks,
Dave T2
kentwolf wrote on 9/16/2008, 2:35 PM
>>...They are never tied to a machine or anything...

If you ever buy/download anything from Boris FX, all of their downloaded programs do this. It generates a machine-specific unlock key. Major pain. Hopefully you are installing the program during business hours.

Well worth the time to get the physical CD. Then one does not have these machine-specific issues.
blink3times wrote on 9/16/2008, 2:54 PM
"I am confused. I read up on the BartPE"

BartPE IS primarily boot software (I have it) but it's what you might describe as a builder's kind of disk. You download it, and before you put it on CD you can install whatever programs you wish onto it, then burn. It does however already come with some VERY basic tools. It's good to use in times of trouble when you can't boot into your regular system.

But there is a MUCH BETTER imaging, booting, multi tool program called BOOTitNG. It's an amazing (and pretty simple) piece of software that includes (among other things) a disk imager. It works (unlike Acronis) completely independently from any OS so it can image just about anything... Linux, XP, Vista, Win98, 95, 3.1....etc

It will also create/delete partitions, resize, allow MORE than 4 primary partitions on a drive... boot from ANY drive (including USB).... it's a great little app!

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-next-generation.htm
Former user wrote on 9/16/2008, 4:34 PM
blink3times,

Thanks for the info.

Dave T2