What would cause "Unable to write data to file" when making image backup?

[ohaya1000]

Hi,

I am trying to do imaging in BIU to backup "entire drive", using a new USB hard drive dock (EATON/TRIPP LITE), but I am getting an "Unable to write data to file" error:

https://ibb.co/8n7BqNYP

I actually have 2 of these EATON/TRIPP LITE docks and get the same error at the same point in the backup with both drives.

I have an older USB Plugable dock and when I use BIU to image the same "entire drive", the backup works fine. The reason that I am trying these new docks is that Plugable no longer makes their USB hard drive dock, and I want to have a second dock in case the Plugable dock dies.

So I am wondering what might be causing that error, and also is there anything I can do to not get the error during the imaging?

Thanks,
Jim

P.S. I just found the article at https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/kb ... ge-backup/, but that doesn't cover the situation when doing the imaging from BIU...

P.P.S. The reason that I happen to be trying the EATON/TRIPP LITE docks was that I was guessing that it might be basically the same as the original Plugable drive, and the Plugable drive is pretty fast (actually twice as fast as one of the SABRENT docks that I also have).

[TeraByte Support]

it means an error was reported when it tried to write data to the file. The ifu.log may have more data on the error reported by the firmware on that particular line.

[ohaya1000]

Hi,

How do I access that ifu.log file?

Thanks,
Jim

[ohaya1000]

I think I was able to find A ifu.log file, but booting into BIU then Partition Manager then File Edit on the ESP directory, but the timestamps on the log lines in that ifu.log are from 2024.

Please advise.

Jim

[ohaya1000]

I think I found the correct file, and I've uploaded the last part with the last error to:

https://ibb.co/6R1Xwm48

I tried converting the jpg to text:

[06/11/2026 12:47:49 AM] To: 600x1:\BIU-VOS-Backup-1-2026-06-11-0047.TBI
[06/11/2026 12:47:49 AM] Total Sectors:262,144 (128 MiB) Sectors to Process:262,144 (128 MiB)
[06/11/2026 12:47:50 AM 262,144 Sector (s) (128 MiB) backed up
[06/11/2026 12:47:50 AM) Backup: Drive 1 WILLBEWIN11 Partition (03) 408.62 GiB NTFS
[06/11/2026 12:47:50 AM) To: 620x1:\BIU-VOS-Backup-1-2026-06-11-0047.TBI
[06/11/2026 12:47:50 AM) Total Sectors:856,936,448 (408.62 GiB) Sectors to Process: 523,889,104 (249.81 GiB)
[06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Error writing to \BIU-VOS-Backup-1-2026-06-11-0047.TBI (Buf:0x5a1a3038 CurFP: 2402140160 Bytes:65536 Err:12h) [06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Deleting incomplete or failed backup.
[06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Deleting \BIU-VOS-Backup-1-2026-06-11-0047.TBI
[06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Time Elapsed: 0:00:00:46
[06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Operation Completed with Error Code 4 (Failed)
[06/11/2026 12:48:28 AM] Unable to write data to file!
[06/11/2026 12:49:08 AM] Stop
[06/11/2026 12:57:38 AM] Image for UEFI (GUI) 4.09
[06/11/2026 12:57:38 AM] Starting
Total Sectors: 1,433,600 (700 MiB)
220.344 Sector (s) (107.59 MiB) backed up
[06/11/2026 12:57:38 AM] IMAGEU. EFI /b/d:1 /f:600x1:"\0-BIU-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-$~YYYY$-$~MM$-$~DD$-$ ̃HHMM$" /v [06/11/2026 12:57:43 AM] Backup: Drive 1 ESP Partition (01) 700 MiB EFI System (FAT-32) [06/11/2026 12:57:43 AM To: 620x1:...U-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-2026-06-11-0057.TBI [06/11/2026 12:57:43 AM] [06/11/2026 12:57:45 AM Sectors to Process:220.344 (107.59 MiB) [06/11/2026 12:57:45 AM] Backup: Drive 1 Microsoft reserved parti Partition (02) 128 MiB Micro [06/11/2026 12:57:45 AM To: 600x1:...U-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-2026-06-11-0057.TBI [06/11/2026 12:57:45 AM] Total Sectors: 262.144 (128 MiB) Sectors to Process:262.144 (128 MiB) [06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] 262,144 Sector (s) (128 MiB) backed up
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Backup: Drive 1 WILLBEWIN11 Partition (03) 408.62 GiB NTFS
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] To: 620x1:...U-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-2026-06-11-0057.TBI
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Total Sectors:856,936,448 (408.62 GiB) Sectors to Process:523,640.160 (249.69 GiB)
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Error writing to \0-BIU-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-2026-06-11-0057.TBI (Buf:0x59b63038 CurFP:117768192 Bytes:65536 Err:12h) [06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Deleting incomplete or failed backup.
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Deleting \0-BIU-VOS-BACKUPS\20260610-TRIP\Backup-1-2026-06-11-0057.TBI
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Time Elapsed: 0:00:00:08
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Operation Completed with Error Code 4 (Failed)
[06/11/2026 12:57:46 AM] Unable to write data to file!
[06/11/2026 01:00:27 AM] Stop
** End of file **

[TeraByte Support]

seems to be losing connection / device reporting error.

[ohaya1000]

Hi,

It seems like when I use BIU for doing imaging, in one of the steps allows you to enter some additional parameters. Are any parameters that I can try that might help get the imaging with this hard drive dock to work correct?

Thanks,
Jim

[TeraByte Support]

it's in setting under device options, you could try it.

[ohaya1000]

I gave up on those TRIPP LITE drives because I found a different Sabrent drives that seems to do the imaging about same speed as the no-longer-available Plugable.

Jim