Acronis True Image Home 2011 (complete package)

If you want to restore an image on a Lenovo computer that was created on another computer, the Universal Restore will not work. As part of the restoring process, Universal Restore requires the destination computer driver files be available on an external device in the *.inf, *.sys or *.oem formats. Lenovo does not provide drivers in this format. I spoke to 4 people in Lenovo's tech support department and they said the only way to obtain drivers for their computers is to run their *.exe files on the computer being configured. The *.exe files can only be run on the destination computer AFTER the restore process has been completed (the drivers are required as part of the restore process to get the computer to boot up properly).

As a failed workaround attempt, I restored my Lenovo back to its original state (which took 3 hours) and then exported all of the Lenovo drivers to an external device (in the *.inf and *.sys formats) using a third-party program (Lenovo doesn't have a product to do this). But after using Universal Restore in this manner, the computer blue screens when it tries to load the OS (Windows 7).

It's also worth noting that the restore process using Universal Restore is very complicated. Using their wizard, it asks questions about "Partition 1-1" but there is nothing in the documentation to help with this. It also shows 3 options for items that can be restored (system, MBR and the contents) but it's not clear which ones to choose. I paid for 2 separate cases to get help from Acronis and the representatives appeared to be guessing when helping me decide what to do with the "Partition 1-1" question.

I had/have V8 with XP on many machines. Absolutely brilliant and practically perfect in any way. It don't need no steenking manual to do com[plex things from the top level interface. Simple! It was easy to learn and to use and saved my life on several occasions. Did everything required in very obvious way without silly nested menus with inadequate descriptions as now. I was a product marketeer creating IT products for 12 years and specifying them for many more. I love this product at V8. Less was more, did what it said on the label, everything you needed was there at the top level so no searching meaningless commands in nested menus. Slick. How things have changed. New Management perhaps (by idiots?). Its like an engineer designed a command line version of a GUI interface to hide everything, including the core functions.
Specfics: I bought 10/11 because I bought a Windows 7 Computer and also wanted network recovery to work properly - It backed up to a LAN NAS in 8, but would only recover from an HD or another Windows workgroup computer under the restore disk, not from a dumb server. (I learnt to move the image from the NAS to a PC or HD accessible using the limited V8 bootable restore disk app)

As with Windows 7 versus XP the simple elegant interface has been overlayed with a meaninglessly convoluted layer of badly worded confusion. In Acrimonious 10/11 including Plus everything is hidden, its almost impossible to use, utterly confusing and there is not even a check or validate button I can find - Essential. AND AFTER MONTHS WORKING WITH SUPPORT, who tried hard, IT STILL HANGS WHEN I TRY TO RECOVER FROM THE RESTORE DISK OVER A NETWORK - THE REASON I BOUGHT IT. This included mind numbing complexity trying to create Linux restore disks from downloaded images then Win PE disks, whatever they are, when that failed, nothing worked, hours wasted, piles of useless CDs.

IT WORKS SATISFACTORILLY TO A LOCAL HARD DRIVE but I still have not found a check image command, so only half a star. Otherwise its almost unusable and broken.

I thought it was me until I asked a tech support guy who does very difficult network and server support for a company in the infra structure management field. He had tried this for himself. Answer. It just doesn't work. Need to buy something else.

How to take a near perfect product tailored to the way likely small pro users (the ones who DO back up like me) will use it, (V8) and utterly screw it up from end to end. Hopeless.

To the engineering team or whatever know nowt marketeers led this systematic destruction of a great design . You are a hot nominee for the developers Darwin Award for 2012.

This is a near perfect example of the destruction of a near perfect easy to use product. When you have perfection keep what works and fix the problems. Otherwise leave it alone. The last time this happened so bad was Day-to-Day Software's wrecking of the best ever integrated PIM (for the Mac in fact, Brian Smiga's Dynodex from Portfolio Systems back in 1992, still ahead of its time after 20 years and not really matched for functionality, but quickly ruined after its acquisition by and merging with a calendar programme supplier, Day to Day Software, who shall live forever in infamy.

Now joined by Acrimonious 20XX as a real stinker, perhaps the worst ever self inflicted software FAIL.

Should have hired me :-). Shame. I feel sad for the Developers who was clearly pushed aside so his/her product could be destroyed by software vandals.

KISS BRian Catt +44 1932 772731