Cant trust TI anymore.. :-(
Well after not getting anywhere with the 2 problems i had with TI 2010, and reading all these posts on a daily basis i have decided to stop using the product.
I have been using TI for a number of years but this latest build seems to have more bad point than plus points, and the whole point of a backup program is that you have to trust it to work 100% and im afraid I and quite a few others (looking at the forum) DONT!
i know that someone from Acronis will probaby reply to this post with the usual "We are sorry to hear that you are having problems with our product, blah, blah, blah"
Surely they must have a hot key for inserting that reply now!!
Anyway i have decided to give another backup program a try and so far so good, no problems :-)
But when (eventually) the new build comes out i will give it a go and fingers crossed it will work, and i will happily return.
Until Then
Bye Bye Acronis
Actually, there is NO product out there that can be trusted 100%. Ever. I have used several competing products over the years and they have all given my heart a beating (heh heh) at one time or another including Acronis. When one product gives me a headache, I simply move to another one for a while until that one breaks and I move on. It's a silly cycle but, since I generally reload my computers once a year and rebuild them completely every 2-3 years, it ends up working well.
That being said, I have been using Acronis True Image since version 7 and every version has the same negative postings over and over throughout these forums. What it comes down to is luck, in my opinion. Some people have no problems at all, some have a few issues, and others have nothing but heartache. It all depends on a combination of hardware and software and there's no way all permutations can work 100% of the time.
I have had catastrophic failures with True Image before and, as usual, the response has been to download the latest version and try again. I'm paraphrasing but that's essentially the first step. My problem with that is the version I last used was an update to a version that failed that was an update to a version before that which was an update to a version before that...... Downloading a new version should not be the solution when the version you have should work. After all, we are just talking about taking bits from the hard drive and moving them to an image file and that can't be that difficult. If tomorrow's version works, why did I just buy the version from yesterday?
So, when you use TI, you simply need to make an image and restore it right after to a spare drive and confirm the image works. Do that every time you make an image and you can be reasonably sure the product works and your images are good. That will do two things - 1) ensure the product actually works and you can disregard all the negative postings in the forum. 2) provide you a good feel for the safety of your data. You MUST confirm the backups are good regardless of the "data verification" step. I've had archives validate before but fail to restore. Had I tested them immediately after creating them, I'd have known they were bad and tried again using different settings (sometimes the compression level makes a difference, sometimes using a different drive [internal, USB, networked] makes a difference).
So, while some people have major issues, others do not. Same is true of Norton Ghost or Partition Quest, etc. You must use multiple methods including those you purchase as well as highly rated freeware (there are plenty.)
I agree that a product *should* work but it's up to you to also confirm it works with your hardware and that your images actually are good.
Good luck with whichever path you choose.
So, when you use TI, you simply need to make an image and restore it right after to a spare drive and confirm the image works. Do that every time you make an image and you can be reasonably sure the product works and your images are good.That will do two things - 1) ensure the product actually works and you can disregard all the negative postings in the forum. 2) provide you a good feel for the safety of your data. You MUST confirm the backups are good regardless of the "data verification" step.
I've had archives validate before but fail to restore. Had I tested them immediately after creating them, I'd have known they were bad and tried again using different settings (sometimes the compression level makes a difference, sometimes using a different drive [internal, USB, networked] makes a difference).
Well stated Kevinbar! If all the users of TrueImage would practice this simple procedures you have just stated, many data crisis would never become a crisis and more users would be happy users.
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I have had catastrophic failures with True Image before and, as usual, the response has been to download the latest version and try again. I'm paraphrasing but that's essentially the first step. My problem with that is the version I last used was an update to a version that failed that was an update to a version before that which was an update to a version before that...... Downloading a new version should not be the solution when the version you have should work. After all, we are just talking about taking bits from the hard drive and moving them to an image file and that can't be that difficult. If tomorrow's version works, why did I just buy the version from yesterday?
So, when you use TI, you simply need to make an image and restore it right after to a spare drive and confirm the image works. Do that every time you make an image and you can be reasonably sure the product works and your images are good.
Yep, I think that is the key. I have been doing this for several years, and it has worked like a charm. But, until I finally got an external hard drive, and quit trying with DVD, I had a miserable time. But once I upgraded my desk top's internal hard drives(giving me a spare) and also got an external HD to image to, it has been a sweet ride, with never a problem. I'm still using version 9, and I can't remember if that was my 1st version or I had upgraded from V8.
But now, that desk top is toast. It survived a lightning strike several years ago. I've managed to keep it going with replaced HDs and such, but finally a few months ago I could not get it to stay on long enough to restore an image. I assume some hardware problem, but I don't know what, not worth the money to have it fixed. I've got the data on the good HDs if needed, I'll buy an enclosure for them one of these days. In the mean time, I ran into trouble gaining access to the Acronis mounted image, in an attempt to get my data from the old XP desk top image to a some what newer XP laptop. See recent thread on "access denied". But the problem was finally solved (thanks to help from this forum) well enough for me to get my data. So whooHoo, Acronis V9 saved my bacon again, even going to a new computer! It ain't perfect, but it has rescued me more than once.
But now I guess I need a new version for my newest computer, a Win 7 64 bit model? But like you, when I read the problems for the newest versions, it all sounds exactly like what I was reading on the forums several years ago. Including some of my own posts and complaints, especially before I went to the external HD. So the question is: will the new systems work for me? I guess it is a crap shoot!
But, thing is, I will need a spare LAP TOP HD or two in order to know if any image is really good. Image the old HD, remove it, restore to new HD, and see if it is good to go. But, I have never replaced a HD in a lap top, don't know if that is easy or hard. So, I am hesitating right now. In the mean time, I have made a "windows image" of the new Win 7 LT to external HD , but I have no idea how well that works.
Bottom line, do a system image then recover that image to a spare HD. Then you know for sure that things are working or not. If not, go back to the original HD while you figure out the problem.
BillyBob, on the matter of replacing a laptop hard drive ... most times this is easier than swapping out one on a desktop system. Put the laptop upside down on a soft cloth and look carefully at the underside. There will usually be two small panels that can be removed. One will be for the memory compartment and the other will be for the hard drive. There will either be one or two screws to remove the panel. When you remove the correct panel it will be obvious how to replace the hard drive.
Thanks downndirty
that gives me confidence to give it a try.
I'm used to doing this on desk tops, now I'm ready to try on
a lap top!