Plus Pack for ATI 2010
I upgraded to ATI 2011 and added Plus Pack but found the product unstable and unreliable, and the interface clumsy and often misleading. I decided to revert to version 2010 (build 5055). I would like to add PP so as to be able to use its universal restore, but I can find no place to purchase PP 2010 or to downgrade from 2011; the Acronis web site states that the build of PP must correspond to the build of ATI.
My complaints pertain to ATI 2011. The Home screen takes forever to load even though I have only 7 backup tasks. Cloning a task is useless: some settings are copied, some are reset to their default values, so you have to go through them all to check. Setting up a task is a real pain. Some settings are not sticky so that when you try to modify them, you cannot be sure that the others will not be reset. And, try as I could, I was unable to configure my full daily backups so that the eighth backup always overwrites the first, and so on---sometimes it does, sometimes it just creates a new copy. I have been working that way since version 7 and never came across anything like this before. I even had trouble restoring a validated backup from my emergency CD.
As to PP, this was my first encounter with it. Its interface is simple and straightforward, but executionwise there were problems: it didn't work. PP indicated missing drivers even though it was set to point to the relevant directories and it concluded the run by stating that the restore had failed. So I reinstalled version 2010. I think I found a place to buy PP 2010; then, after I register it, I'll be able to download the appropriate build (5055).
Thank you for your comments.
Yes, the settings persistence issue is annoying. If you edit settings, some of them reset to the defaults, so you have to check them all any time you edit the settings for a "task" (instruction set).
Also, if you edit settings, then ATI2011 will/may treat subsequents backups made with that "task" (instruction set) as if made with a different task than prior backups -- so you get those nuermical suffixes and more backups in the backup directory than you specified in the settings.
To make the best of the situation, your best bet is to start with an empty directory, make your "task", let it run on schedule and don't edit it thereafter or run the "task" manually. I've had pretty good luck with that -- avoids the suffixes, keeps the right number of backups, the My Backups lists is accurate as to total bytes inthe backup files. If you don't follow those strictures above, then any or all of those things moght not be avoided.
I thought at first ATI2011 was using some new paradigm, instead of "backup file" or "Task", some kind of notion of "grouped backup parameters" or such. But after a couple of weeks, and talking about this with several experienced users, we are beginning to doubt that it's a matter of a new paradigm and more a matter of an interface or internal database that needs more than getting used to. We are thnking that the ATI2011 behavior needs to be, and will be, revised in an update soon for we fear it makes ATI2011 too confusing for many home users to use, whether novices or veterans.
Thank you for your detailed reply.
As I wrote, I reinstalled ATI 2010 (5055), with which I have had good experience. Today I found an old email offer to update to ATI 2010 and get PP free, all for $29.99. I fiddled with the order form until I was able to get just PP 2010, albeit for the same $29.99. After I downloaded it, it turned out to be build 7046. I registered it, hoping to be able to download PP build 5055, but there is no such animal. So I downloaded ATI 2010 build 7046 instead. I have just installed it over build 5055 and will work with it for awhile to make sure it behaves properly. If it does, I'll install PP 7046 and see whether I can do a universal restore.
I should add that enabling users to download all builds of all registered versions, without time limit, is very considerate of Acronis, and stands in sharp contrast to the shoddy email support they provide.
I'll keep your message handy in case I decide to return to version 2011 in the future. Thank you again.