disaster recovery iso file is too big to burn to disc

[buachille]

what is going on here.

 

I have created disaster recovery discs before without a problem, but this time i am told that the iso file created by retro is too big to fit on a cd. a warning pops up after retro collates the files (just before it creates the iso) and tells me that because of the file i have chosen (or something like that) the image file will be too big to burn to normal media. i have created the iso anyway to see what happens but no joy.

 

i have 730 mb cd's but the iso created by retro is 739 mb and nero will not burn it to disc.

 

can anybody help with this, cos i am baffled.

 

cheers

[Mayoff]

Please see http://kb.dantz.com/article.asp?article=5989&p=2

[jeffbriggs]

Regarding the following article: http://kb.dantz.com/article.asp?article=5989&p=2

 

My computer came with a "recovery" partition (D:) on the hard drive which contains the original program files for all bundled programs. No separate discs were provided (which has always concerned me). The referenced article advises to use an installation cd for the i386 files. I do not have such a cd.

 

Is there some alternative I can use to make a DR file small enough to burn to a cd-r?

 

Can I use a dvd as the DR disc?

 

Since this is the first time I have used retrospect, I am guessing there are no extraneous files in the application file or the config folder.

 

Thanks

[buachille]

mayoff,

 

thanks for your reply. i read the article and i've tried to do what was suggested.

 

i have scoured the iso i created and i see nothing that i can delete.

 

i do have an oem installation cd (i built this computer myself ) but it is one that was bought from a shop. i don't think it comes with drivers for a particular computer. they sold it to me with a super cheap mouse so as not to contravene the ms eula.

 

do you have any ideas. do dantz know that this is a problem? sorry, that is a daft question - they do - but are they going to fix it??

[jelenko]

Quote:

---

 

My computer came with a "recovery" partition (D:) on the hard drive which contains the original program files for all bundled programs. No separate discs were provided (which has always concerned me). The referenced article advises to use an installation cd for the i386 files. I do not have such a cd.

 

Is there some alternative I can use to make a DR file small enough to burn to a cd-r?

Thanks

 

---

There is no alternative to using the i386 folder.

Just to confirm, is there an i386 folder anywhere on your c: drive? It's usually put into the Windows folder. Maybe the supplier of your pc included it. If so, you may be able to create a DR CD using it.

[michaeln]

Hi,

 

I just checked the size of the i386 folder on a Microsoft Windows XP SP2 installation CD and it is reporting a size of 527MB.

 

Can you verify that the i386 folder from your OEM installation CD's or "recovery" partitions are around this size?

[buachille]

i have an oem disc. it was not supplied by a manufacturer, it was purchased from a shop that sells computer components (i built my own pc).

 

the 1386 folder is (according to the windows properties window)

 

size - 511 MB (536,506,182 bytes)

 

size on disc - 526 MB (552,460,288 bytes)

 

i don't see anything i can delete. dantz need to get this sorted. i can't make a disaster recovery cd and i paid for that ability.

[buachille]

Quote:

---

My computer came with a "recovery" partition (D:) on the hard drive which contains the original program files for all bundled programs. No separate discs were provided (which has always concerned me). The referenced article advises to use an installation cd for the i386 files. I do not have such a cd.

 

---

 

i know exactly how you feel. my first computer came with recovery cds only (this is really the same as having the recovery partition as all the recovery cd's contain is an image of the hard drive.

 

the way i solved this was to build a machine from scratch myself. not very hard, cheaper, and you'll know how to upgrade or fix your computer after you've done it.

 

however, this bit of advice i am giving you is by the by when it comes to the point of my original post.

 

maybe dantz should just issue us all with 800 meg discs. they would just about make it i reckon.

[nekr0phage]

Quote:

---

 

dantz need to get this sorted. i can't make a disaster recovery cd and i paid for that ability

 

 

---

 

And you have exactly what you paid for - the ability to create a DR cd. It is not EMC's responsibility to provide you with anything in addition to that, because DR creation depends on user data, and frankly it usually works. Many people have succesfully used it, myself included.

 

The only thing I can speculate is perhaps Retrospect is attempting to include the catalog file in the iso and for some reason doesn't recognize that this takes up too much space. If you really want to hold EMC responsible for this, you might have to call tech support.

 

Congrats on building your own box. I remember my first one, it was a glorious day.

[Gorby]

I am a Retrospect novice!

Today I installed a new HD in my PC, and loaded Windows XP Pro (SP2) from its original CD. I reloaded my applications (MS Office XP, ZoneAlarm, antivirus and Palm S/W). I had saved my Data (My documents, etc) on an external 300 Gig USB2 HD.

After everything seemed to be OK, I reformatted the External drive. Loaded Retrospect 7.5 Professional (got the updates) then did a backup onto that 300 Gig external disk, AND also ticked Disaster Recovery.

I also have produced an ISO file too big to be burned onto a CD (it's about 720 Gb). It seems to me I have a clean install. My Windows CD is a genuine XP Pro with SP2.

Why would Retrospect be putting extra files into the ISO. It's a clean install. It's less than 24 hours old!

I don't know what to remove or extract to enable this software to work correctly.

 

I usually try knowledge bases, FAQ's and Forums before I call Technical Support.

It seems I should call tech Support immediately?

[buachille]

bloody annoying isn't it

 

• did you buy your windows cd in the retail box and without an accompanying piece of hardware? if so it is a true retail version.

 

did you buy it out a shop which supplied it in just a thin clear plastic bag with the windows booklet, and did it come with some piece of rubbish hardware (like a cheapo mouse). if this is the case then you have an oem version like me (that may have extra drivers on it - i dunno if mine has or not).

 

did the cd come with a pc purchase. if so it is also an oem version.

 

if you already know all the above i apologise for going over it all again, but i am interested to know if you have an oem copy like me.

[Gorby]

I don't know how large these posts can be. I tried to answer and included a list of the files on the ISO, and the post would not submit.

 

I'll try again.

Yes my copy of Windows XP Pro is an OEM. It came with the "white box" PC. I have modified the PC - more RAM, new CPU, new video card, more disk.

 

I have looked into the ISO (using WinRAR). It appears that there is a lot of duplication of files in the root directory (top level directory - I come from a Unix background) and the "DRIVERS" directory. Is this correct? If not, how do you get rid of extras?

 

I really would like to get this feature working!

[Gorby]

Hi Mayoff,

I've had a look at the article mentioned.

I'm looking at the ISO produced (using WinRAR). I'm getting confused.

There is a DRIVERS directory on the ISO, but it does not contain the files that are in the C:\Windows\system32\drivers directory.

The DRIVERS directory looks like a duplicate of the top level directory on the ISO. I have a list of the files, and will post them if necessary.

I'm assuming the Retrospect app directory is correct, as it is a clean install.

The Config Folder looks fine. It has 5 files and 1 empty directory. It has a total of just over 1 meg in size.

The i386 foloder looks like the one on the MS install CD.

 

So other than the confusion regarding the DRIVERS directory, I'm at a loss to understand why this doesn't work.

 

Cheers

[buachille]

Quote:

---

 

So other than the confusion regarding the DRIVERS directory, I'm at a loss to understand why this doesn't work.

 

---

 

me too. i also spent a good while going through the iso file (loaded in alcohol as a virtual drive) and couldn't see the problem.

 

anybody from dantz follow these forums?? a post would be good, clear up our problem, and be available to others who have the same problem in future. the info in the knowledgebase is a bit sketchy. it doesn't give enough detail on fixing this.

[Mayoff]

I have seen video drivers really beef up the disk usage.

 

If you are using an OEM i386, you should try a standard MS OS CD.

[buachille]

Quote:

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If you are using an OEM i386, you should try a standard MS OS CD.

 

---

 

hmmm.......... don't have one.

 

my first computer came with recovery discs (utter disaster these things), then i built my own system and bought my oem copy of windows xp pro. i have since bought a dell laptop (for when i travel) with an accompanying xp disc. i don't know if it is oem or not, but they sent me a seperate driver disc so there is a chance its retail (who knows). i demanded an xp disc from them or i was going to cancel the purchase. i think they shipped the laptop with a recovery partition but i knew that the first thing i would do on receipt of the system was completely reformat the hdd, delete the recovery partition if present, and partition the drive the way i like it, so i kind of really needed the xp disc.

[Mayoff]

The OS CD's that come with the computer probably contain a lot of "extra" stuff that is not in a standard i386 folder.

 

Don't forget that DR CD is not needed to do a full system restore. The Live Restore method works really well and doesn't take very long compared to the DR CD.

[Gorby]

That may very well be true (recovery - Live Restore). I am a person that doesn't like a problem to beat them. Finding an MS Retail WIndows XP Pro CD is very difficult. My work place doesn't have any. My Home PC's came with XP preinstalled and a lovely holographic CD from MS saying it should be purchased with a bit of hardware. Now I can't believe that a retail CD i386 folder would have LESS in the i386 folder, as the retail version would have to cater for any sort of hardware. The OEM CD's from Microsoft (we're not talking about those horrible things for Win 2000 pro - "recovery CD's". I hated them) would be the same, or less, as MS would require the OEM's to build to at least a certain build level.

 

ANyway that is pure speculation. You have said that you have successfully produced a DR CD, would you please tell me the size of the i386 directory in your Win XP Pro install CD.

Thanks very much

[Trriangle]

Hi,

 

You can try other burning soft, such as ISO-burner tool for example. It is extremely easy to use and never failed me before. More, it is free so yuo can use it at once

http://www.ntfs.com/iso-burning.htm

[jxb2]

I have same problem; everything on my computer is new and clean,

 

Question: how does the above burning software solve problem if file is too large for CD?

[buachille]

Quote:

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Question: how does the above burning software solve problem if file is too large for CD?

 

---

 

i don't believe it does.

[jxb2]

Tried using the free download of Novastor. Had no problem making disaster recovery disc ISO small enough to fit on CD. I used identical Win XP2 disc, same computer, etc. that Retrospect failed on. Even tested the disc, and it boots my computer just fine.

 

Retrospect should address and correct this problem.

[abradaxis]

I feel I came in at the end of the party, but I just discovered today that I have the same problem. I'm using an OEM version of the software which Dell calls "Reinstallation DVD Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Version 2005 with update Rollup 2." I don't know what extra files it has, but the gist of the conversation seems to be what causes it, and no how to fix it (the fact that the file is too large). Is there no definitive source for these needed files. Many of us don't get system disks when we purchase PCs; just partitions on the hard drive to reload the Operating System. But frankly, every time my configuration changes, I encounter yet another problem with Retrospect which has to be overcome before I can get a successful Disaster Recovery. This process should make it easy for the user to protect his data, rather than getting involved in erudite and lengthy discussions about ways to get around the deficiencies of the software. I agree with one of the other posters who said that he paid his money for the ability to produce DR media, and he's not getting it. And neighter am I.

[jxb2]

I recieved the below from EMC (read starting from bottom):

 

Dear Ryan,

 

That is an incredibly useless answer, actually an insult - check your forum - lots of people are having this problem, and I shouldn't have to pay extra for a solution. If you have one, post it!

 

----- Original Message -----

From: <DeHeus_Ryan@emc.com>

To: <bleiberg@erols.com>

Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 5:20 PM

Subject: Retrospect Technical Support Options

 

 

Dear Joseph,

 

Thank you for choosing EMC Insignia Products!

 

This issue would best be handled by a EMC Insignia technician.

Unfortunately, EMC Insignia no longer offers technical support via

email. You may be within your free support period. To see if you are

eligible for free support please call EMC Insignia Technical Support at

888.777.5664 M-F 6:00- 5:00 Pacific Standard time.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us by email, or call our

Customer Service Department.

 

North America:

Telephone: 800.225.4880

Fax: 925.955.8885

Email: emcinsignia_customerservice@emc.com

 

Monday - Thursday, 6:00 am - 5:00 pm Pacific Time

Friday, 6:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Time

(Holidays Excluded)

 

Thank you for your business,

Ryan

[buachille]

Quote:

---

Dear Joseph,

 

Thank you for choosing EMC Insignia Products!

 

This issue would best be handled by a EMC Insignia technician.

Unfortunately, EMC Insignia no longer offers technical support via

email. You may be within your free support period. To see if you are

eligible for free support please call EMC Insignia Technical Support at

888.777.5664 M-F 6:00- 5:00 Pacific Standard time.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us by email, or call our

Customer Service Department.

 

North America:

Telephone: 800.225.4880

Fax: 925.955.8885

Email:

emcinsignia_customerservice@emc.com

 

Monday - Thursday, 6:00 am - 5:00 pm Pacific Time

Friday, 6:00 am - 4:00 pm Pacific Time

(Holidays Excluded)

 

Thank you for your business,

Ryan

 

---

 

yeah, that is a staggeringly crappy answer. i like your reply to him though. i wonder if he will even bother to look at the forum though.

 

at least now i know that emc don't give a monkeys about their customers.

 

looks like we won't be getting a fix soon.

 

see when i think about it. emc have software that contains these great and useful selectors. why doesn't their disaster recovery disc maker use a selector that only picks the drivers that come on a retail windows disc. this sounds to me like it would be possible. i could be wrong though.