How to install Acronis True image on UBCDv4

[henryjfry]

Because this took me a while to get right and the answer came from outside this forum I thought I would post the solution here for any other interested parties.

1. Create the Acronis bootable cd as an iso image (or burn it to a cd) - I am using the "full" bootable as opposed to the "safe" bootable cd (i havent tried that yet)
2. From the iso image extract the files from the recovery manager folder and save them somewhere
3. Extract the ubcd files from the iso image
4. Copy the acronis files into the ubcd\custom directory (I saved them in ubcd\custom\acronis)
5. Edit custom.cfg so that the entry for true image reads as follows

LABEL acronis
MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 10 Full
KERNEL /custom/acronisf/kernel.dat
APPEND initrd=/custom/acronisf/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000

6. Make the ubcd.iso as detailed elsewhere
7. Burn

Thats it

[Pasi]

@henryjfry,

Could you please tell me:

- Which files “Extract the ubcd files from the iso image”, please by name.
- Explain me “APPEND initrd=/custom/acronisf/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000”

For years I created and used my own boot Cd, because I didn’t want to walk with a beg with diskettes. These days the diskettes are replaced by Cd’s and/or Dvd’s.
For over 1 year I am searching for a tool which can boot iso’s, so you can store several iso’s on 1 Cd/Dvd. There are a lot of tools which say that you can boot a iso from, but I didn’t find any tools who can, without severe Linux knowledge. Oke, I confess, I am a Dos/Windows guy!

Last week I found the UBCD with the “how to add knoppix” story. To test the UBCD, if it could boot a iso, I tried several day’s, but I couldn’t boot my knoppix iso however. The iso’s I want to boot are Winternals, Passware, Norton recovery, Disk Director Suite and ….

Please help…

Regards

[henryjfry]

I am not so sure about booting iso's. Ubcd can be edited to boot certain software available as bootable cd's but that isnt't the same as booting an iso.


- Which files “Extract the ubcd files from the iso image”, please by name.

All the files. When you download the ubcd iso you have to open up the iso with something like isobuster or even win rar. Then extract all the files in the root directory of what would be the cd if you burned it.

- Explain me “APPEND initrd=/custom/acronisf/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000”

These are the kernel loading instructions that have to go into the acronis true image custom.cfg menu file (in the file /custom/custom.cfg). Acronis true image can be made into an iso and then burned to make a bootable cd. However the bootpart of the iso cant be run as a bot image. However luckily enough isolinux can boot the kernel upon which true image runs.

I too am a dos/windows guy so anything to do with linux sends me straight to google.

[Pasi]

@henryjfry,

Thanks for your comments.

Question: how to extract the file 'ramdisk.dat' from the Acronis Cd/iso. It doesn't matter what tool I use, I can't access the Cd/iso (the Cd is oke and boots)

Last Question: is there a way to set a variable in/from the menu? I created a small boot file, with only a simple 'confis.sys' and 'autoexec.bat', which loads cdrom. After its boot it must change to a sub-directory in 'images' set by the variable. This way there's no limit for the program size (no 2.8Mb diskette limit size, for Non-Linux progs).
In many menu.cfg's they use UbcdCmd=xxxxx, but I can't detect what it does.

Regards

[Victor Chew]

Question: how to extract the file 'ramdisk.dat' from the Acronis Cd/iso. It doesn't matter what tool I use, I can't access the Cd/iso (the Cd is oke and boots)

Use a tool like ISOBuster.

Last Question: is there a way to set a variable in/from the menu? I created a small boot file, with only a simple 'confis.sys' and 'autoexec.bat', which loads cdrom. After its boot it must change to a sub-directory in 'images' set by the variable. This way there's no limit for the program size (no 2.8Mb diskette limit size, for Non-Linux progs).
In many menu.cfg's they use UbcdCmd=xxxxx, but I can't detect what it does.

The ubcdcmd=xxxxx is used by Erwin's DOS images (eg. lzubcd.img, fdubcd.img) to launch DOS apps on the UBCD (located under \dosapps). Basically, xxxxx is a subdirectory name under \dosapps, and Erwin's DOS images will 'cd' to \dosapps\xxxxx, then run 'startup.bat'.

If you are interested to know how it works, you might want to look at one of Erwin's DOS images, or email him directly to ask.

[verndog]

LABEL acronis
MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 10 Full
KERNEL /custom/acronisf/kernel.dat
APPEND initrd=/custom/acronisf/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000

@henryjfry, thanks for your post on Acronis intergration.
I would like to know where you went outside the forum
to find your answer. It may help me find mine as well.
Inside the Acronis Recovery Manager is a file f11.cfg that
is similar to yours, but you have added options.

I've been trying to get memdisk to accept my *.img files
as HD's with no luck.
Thanks again!

[Pasi]

@VernDog,

imG & imA files are the same. Just rename your '*.Img' file to '*.Ima' and it will boot in UBCD.

@henryjfry & @victor Chew.

Yes, I checked the original ‘dosubcd.igz’ file, but these files aren’t made for reading. I think they started as small (readable) batch files and growed, in time, to a big mess (sorry….)

I did some testing:
The variables are transferred (from Linux to DOS) with ‘GetArgs.Com’. I now use these variables:

APPEND initrd=/images/Boot1.ima Image_Dir=Ghost2 Batch=G.Bat

“Boot1.Ima”: is a small (720 Kb diskette) boot image, with only a ‘Config.Sys’ with some memory settings and an ‘Autoexec.Bat’ with only Cdrom and the GetArgs command.
In stead of creating one BIG batch file (with an sub-menu for your config.sys/memory settings) for multiple programs, I create small ‘Boot?.Ima’ files, made just for 1 program. After you select your option in the UBCD menu, the program is started, there’s no other sub-menu.

“Image_Dir”: variable where the (other) files are located. Ie, “/images/%Image_Dir%”

“Batch=G.Bat”: the batch files to be started in %Image_Dir%. All commands you can use in and after ‘Autoexec.bat’, and start your program. This way you can use bigger programs/tools, because there’s no 2.8Mb (boot-diskette) limit to DOS programs.

regards

[luas]

I was able to integrate TI Home according to your manual, however TI Workstation won't work. It boots up to the message
"Loading, please wait..." and then says
"Please press Enter to activate this console."

There it waits. If I hit enter, I will only get a BusyBox prompt. Any ideas?

(Currently using UBCD 4.1.1)

[gwm]

I, too, have just spent more time than I care to admit getting True Image to work in safe mode and Disk Director to work in both full and safe modes, so I thought I'd share that experience.

Disk Director Full works in a similar way to that posted by henryjfry above. For this, you will need the kernel.dat and ramdisk.dat files from the "Acronis Disk Director" directory as installed on your system.

Getting the safe mode versions to work was trickier. For this, you must boot in DOS mode. For Disk Director, proceed as follows:

1. Create a directory under dosapps, for example dd_safe;
2. Copy the program parter.exe from the installed "Acronis Disk Director" directory to dosapps\dd_safe;
3. Create a batch file startup.bat in dosapps\dd_safe containing the following:

cls
cd \dosapps\dd_safe
parter.exe

4. Add the following stanza to custom.cfg:

LABEL acr_dd_safe
MENU LABEL Acronis Disk Director (Safe Mode)
KERNEL memdisk
APPEND initrd=/images/dosubcd.igz ubcdcmd=dd_safe

Getting the DOS program for True Image Safe mode was harder. The only way I found was to create a boot recovery disk on a USB memory stick and then copy the program PROG2.EXE from that disk into the new directory (for example, dosapps/ti_safe). Simply susbtitute prog2.exe for parter.exe in the batch file and ti_safe for dd_safe in the menu stanza.

Good luck!

[pdgm]

hello, I wanted to install Acronis True Image 9.2 / 11 on my UBCD v4.1.1
So I've copied all the files from the recovery manager folder of my true image cd to /custom/acronis092 and /custom/acronis110. then i've modified the custom.cfg as below:
So if I start my computer with the modified UBCB, the 2 new entries in the user-defined tools menu appears but nothing happend if I hit enter.
I've absolutely no idea whats wrong with that. I hope somebody can help me.

Code: Select all

MENU INCLUDE /menus/defaults.cfg
LABEL back
	MENU LABEL ..
	KERNEL menu.c32
	APPEND /menus/main.cfg
LABEL acronis092
	MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 9.2
	KERNEL /custom/acronis092/kernel.dat
	APPEND initrd=/custom/acronis092/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000 
LABEL acronis110
	MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 11
	KERNEL /custom/acronis110/kernel.dat
	APPEND initrd=/custom/acronis110/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000 
LABEL bootimg
	MENU LABEL Your own boot image here
	KERNEL memdisk
	APPEND initrd=/custom/boot.img

edit:
I've found the issue. Here was the problem: /custom/acronis110/kernel.dat
>> "acronis110" is longer than 8 characters! That's all.

[burfo]

Because this took me a while to get right and the answer came from outside this forum I thought I would post the solution here for any other interested parties.

1. Create the Acronis bootable cd as an iso image (or burn it to a cd) - I am using the "full" bootable as opposed to the "safe" bootable cd (i havent tried that yet)
2. From the iso image extract the files from the recovery manager folder and save them somewhere
3. Extract the ubcd files from the iso image
4. Copy the acronis files into the ubcd\custom directory (I saved them in ubcd\custom\acronis)
5. Edit custom.cfg so that the entry for true image reads as follows

LABEL acronis
MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 10 Full
KERNEL /custom/acronisf/kernel.dat
APPEND initrd=/custom/acronisf/ramdisk.dat /S quiet vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=32000

6. Make the ubcd.iso as detailed elsewhere
7. Burn

Thats it

I can confirm that this still works with Acronis True Image 2009 Home and UBCD 4.1.1. These are the steps I took, which are pretty much the same:

1. Use the Bootable Rescue Media Builder to generate an ISO file
2. Extract the ISO file to a local directory (7zip works fine for this)
3. Create a new folder inside your UBCD structure: /custom/acronis/
4. Inside your ISO extract, copy kernel.dat and ramdisk.dat from the Recovery Manager folder into the /custom/acronis/ folder (you can copy all files from the Recovery Manager folder if you'd like, but I believe the other files are used by the Acronis Boot Loader which isn't being used here).
5. Edit the /custom/custom.cfg file; I used these settings:

Code: Select all

LABEL acronis
	MENU LABEL Acronis True Image 2009 Home
	KERNEL /custom/acronis/kernel.dat
	APPEND initrd=/custom/acronis/ramdisk.dat /s mbrcrcs=on vga=791 load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 apci=off quiet

I found no benefit of setting the ramdisk size to 32,000 KB as in henryjfry's example.


Example Directory Structure:

Code: Select all

/custom/
 . . . /custom.cfg
 . . . /acronis/
 . . . / . . . /kernel.dat
 . . . / . . . /ramdisk.dat

[burfo]

I can confirm that this still works with Acronis True Image 2009 Home and UBCD 4.1.1. These are the steps I took, which are pretty much the same:

Actually, this isn't exactly working as I expected. With this method, the software works but is running in trial/demo mode even when created from a purchased version. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Acronis boot loader which handles launching the software in "full" mode instead. Has anyone else run into this? I'll keep tinkering with it...

Thanks.

[Carl]

Followed the post without success until I noticed that the parth was shown as "Acronisf" instead of just "Acronis" (on two lines). After eliminating the two "f"'s all worked fine.

You are right that only the two files are needed - tried it with ust them, and with all - no differernce.

Many thanks for the post - really helped. I just did not (and still do not fully) understand the setup of the cfg files.

[Icecube]

Many thanks for the post - really helped. I just did not (and still do not fully) understand the setup of the cfg files.

Read: http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/SYSLINUX if you want to understand the setup of the cfg files.

[pulsar]

I can confirm that this still works with Acronis True Image 2009 Home and UBCD 4.1.1. These are the steps I took, which are pretty much the same:

Actually, this isn't exactly working as I expected. With this method, the software works but is running in trial/demo mode even when created from a purchased version. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Acronis boot loader which handles launching the software in "full" mode instead. Has anyone else run into this? I'll keep tinkering with it...

Thanks.

Just bought Acronis True Image 2009 Home, and wanted to integrate it on UBCD too. Found a solution to your problem. The ISO file generated by Acronis contains some hidden stuff.
Decided to point the recovery disc creator to a USB flash disc instead of the ISO file, and the files used for booting showed up (the ones in the recovery folder is aparantly trial and not needed9.

Copied dat2.dat and dat3.dat from the root to \ubcd\custom\acronis\ and edited \ubcd\custom\custom.cfg to contain this label:

Code: Select all

LABEL acronis 
MENU LABEL Acronis True Image Home 2009
KERNEL /ubcd/custom/acronis/dat3.dat
APPEND initrd=/ubcd/custom/acronis/dat2.dat /S quiet vga=789

Works like a charm for me

[burfo]

Just bought Acronis True Image 2009 Home, and wanted to integrate it on UBCD too. Found a solution to your problem. The ISO file generated by Acronis contains some hidden stuff.
Decided to point the recovery disc creator to a USB flash disc instead of the ISO file, and the files used for booting showed up (the ones in the recovery folder is aparantly trial and not needed9.

Copied dat2.dat and dat3.dat from the root to \ubcd\custom\acronis\ and edited \ubcd\custom\custom.cfg to contain this label:

Code: Select all

LABEL acronis 
MENU LABEL Acronis True Image Home 2009
KERNEL /ubcd/custom/acronis/dat3.dat
APPEND initrd=/ubcd/custom/acronis/dat2.dat /S quiet vga=789

Works like a charm for me

Confirmed working. Thanks!