Acronis True Image 2018 still not able to see Comments

Morton, sorry but only Acronis development can ultimately fix this comments visibility issue between their different product versions.

Hi @ Steve Smith ,

Yes, I know. Sent in Feedback from within the product.

Hi Everyone,

We've discussed the situation with the product team - in the current version comments to the newly added backups can be viewed in the Activities tab. If you want it to be displayed in the main view , you'll need to copy a comment from the Activities and then re-configure the backup job. This will allow to specify the comment 

Hi @ Ekaterina Surkova  ,

I'm confused. Activity is Blank. We / I am talking about the importing the Backups created from another partition in which Acronis True Image 2017 or 2018 is installed on the same computer.

With Acronis True Image 2017, the Comments can be viewed regardless of which partition the Backup was created from, after importing the Backup.

With Acronis True Image 2018, the Comments can not be viewed from Backups created by Acronis True Image 2018 on another partition.

The Partition in question is the Public Release of Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit Build 16299.19

Acronis True Image 2017 can view the Comments added by Acronis True Image 2018.

Screenshot taken from Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit Build 15053.674.

I installed Acronis True Image 2018 in Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit Build 15063.674 and Acronis True Image could not view the Comments from Acronis True Image 2018 created on another partition. All operating systems are Public Releases of Windows 10.

Activity is Blank.

Backup is not showing Comments added at the time the Full Backup was created.

Thank you for detailed issue description! I've logged it as an issue in the product in our internal system (tracking ID TI-123476). I'll update this thread once any new information on the ticket is shared by the development team. 

Long time Acronis customer here.  Because I was unable to see image comments using True Image 2016 (Windows GUI), I decided to uninstall it and purchase version 2018 (Build 10410) this evening for my mom's computer.  Since I CAN see comments for the same image files using version 2017 (by clicking the small "Show comment" icon at the top), I'm floored that once again I cannot see comments for these images.  All images were added manually to the Backup list using "Add existing backup", but that shouldn't matter.  Some of these images were created using version 2013, others using version 2017, some from within Windows, others via bootable media, but they all have one thing in common in version 2018 ... comments not visible!  I only see a line that reads "No information about the file content".  At least version 2016 showed me the SIZE of each image file at the top (version 2018 doesn't even show the size).  Please fix or I'll be forced to uninstall again, version 2018 this time.

milehiguy, the comments issue is known and being investigated on an internal Acronis ticket as per Ekaterina's update above yours.

ATI 2018 provides information in a different format to your earlier versions but needs to build up that information by running your backup tasks.  Once your tasks have been run, then you should see information about the file contents on the main Backup panel, and more details of the backup size, recovery size and backup type on the Activity panel in the GUI.  This is much more information that was provided for earlier versions of the product.  See screen shots below:

Hi Steve, thanks for the timely reply.  Although I didn't see an image comment in any of your screen shots, the additional information you did capture will be great going forward.  Question ... is this information also gathered and visible within the Windows GUI if the backup is created via bootable media, which I do about 50% of the time?  To the point in my previous post, like me you must have many .tib files created with older versions of True Image.  I save most of them to my NAS device.  If you were to add them manually to the list of backups as I have, would you also see the "No information about the file content" message for them?  Later today I'll actually run my first backup(s) using version 2018, both from within Windows and using bootable media, and hopefully for the first time I'll see comments and the additional info shown in your screen shots.  I'll post the results here after doing so.  I must say though, even if this information is gathered flawlessly for NEW backups, I'm really hoping that a future build of version 2018 will at least display size and embedded comment for older backups, regardless of what version of True Image and method (via Windows or media) was used to create them.  It's critical to see this information and as I've said even version 2017 does this!  Hopefully the support ticket that's been submitted will correct this in version 2018.  Thanks again for your input. ;)

Hi @ Steve Smith ,

Comments are important, for Users such as myself, who use Comments to tell myself what version of Programs are installed in the Image Backup, so we know what work is ahead for us, if we restore that image.

We don't care about the Graphic Presentation of what is included in the Backup, All we want to see is the Comments we added to the image, before we created the Backup.

When I do restore, I simply boot into a different partition containing an operating system, on my Desktop Computers and restore a different partition. I do not use the Bootable Rescue CD, as recovering from one operating system is much faster and allows me to play games or surf the Internet while Acronis is restoring in the Background.

And we view the Comments before we restore the image.

No Attachments this time, as they are included above.

Sorry to disappoint here, there is no equivalent information in ATI 2018 to that which was shown across the top of the main panel in ATI 2017 where you were shown Last backup / Next backup and Total size details for the selected backup.

Adding any existing backup to ATI 2018 does not result in the file content information being filled in, and if the backup comes from a different computer, then it isn't relevant to use the option to Reconfigure this as a task in the GUI.

I have never bothered with using the Comments feature of ATI so there are no such information shown in any of my screen shots, unless it is there for testing something from the forum.  The portability of Comments between different ATI versions is at the heart of this specific forum topic and is the issue which Acronis are investigating internally.

Ref. my comments above from 12/5 and 12/6/2017 ... Last evening I uninstalled ATI 2017 and once again installed ATI 2018, build 11530 this time.  I wanted to see, after manually importing older backups, if at least the backup creation date, size, etc. would appear as they do in ATI 2017.  It appears that in this build they still do not.  This information (and comments for that matter) must be embedded within the .tib files somewhere or version 2017 wouldn't be able to show it ... so why can't it be displayed in the 2018 GUI?  I literally have dozens of backups and with version 2018 not only can't I see (important) comments attached to them, I can't even see when they were created or what size they are!  I suppose I could stick with version 2017 forever, but would rather 2018 be tweaked to display this additional info for older backups.  Ekaterina, can you please follow-up again on this?  Thanks.

Hello milehiguy,

I've brought up this issue to RnD: the fix is currently planned for the next version of Acronis True Image, but the final scope of fixes highly depends on other reported/found during the testing phase issues. I'll update this thread after the fix has been implemented. 

Sorry for not giving good news. 

Thanks for following up Ekaterina, I very much appreciate it.  I love your products and have been using True Image at work and home for almost 14 years now. ?

14 years - this is really great, thank you for your trust! BTW would it be interesting for you to participate in the Beta campaign for Acronis True Image 2019? :) 

Ekaterina Surkova wrote:

14 years - this is really great, thank you for your trust! BTW would it be interesting for you to participate in the Beta campaign for Acronis True Image 2019? :) 

Ekaterina, it's been nearly 5 months since you asked about my participation in the Beta, I apologize for not getting back to you (have been dealing with a few medical issues).  So it's Black Friday weekend and I'm considering another update, this time to version 2019.  Do you happen to know if the issue(s) raised in this thread regarding older backups have been dealt with?  I believe my most recent reply was on 5/21/2018.  Thanks.

milehiguy wrote:

Ekaterina Surkova wrote:

14 years - this is really great, thank you for your trust! BTW would it be interesting for you to participate in the Beta campaign for Acronis True Image 2019? :) 

Ekaterina, it's been nearly 5 months since you asked about my participation in the Beta, I apologize for not getting back to you (have been dealing with a few medical issues).  So it's Black Friday weekend and I'm considering another update, this time to version 2019.  Do you happen to know if the issue(s) raised in this thread regarding older backups have been dealt with?  I believe my most recent reply was on 5/21/2018.  Thanks.

Ekaterina, thanks to some advice yesterday from @thecreator (Morton) over in thread Question: Anyone still running Windows 7 64-Bit Service Pack 1?, I've answered my own question.  I purchased & installed version 2019 last evening and now under the Activity tab I'm finally seeing comments, file size, creation date, etc. for these older backups.  Very pleased about that.  I haven't made any new backups yet using version 2019, but did manually import (from my Synology NAS) numerous old ones that were created with multiple versions of TI (2013, 2017, 2018), some using bootable media and others via the Windows GUI.  I DO have a couple of questions for you however (ref. the screenshot below).  1) what does Backup was added from "." mean?  It seems incomplete.  I'm seeing this at the top of the Activity screen for all of the backups I've manually added, and 2) in the list of backups, why are some shown under "This computer" and some shown under "Others"?  Thanks, and please pass along my gratitude to the Acronis RnD staff for resurrecting my old comments in version 2019! ;)

Hi milehiguy! 

Glad to know the upgrade went well! Regarding the issue you've found - I see a discovered bug "Backup was added from '.' " message is shown in Activity Tab when adding existing backups from Acronis Secure Zone.

Are you using Acronis Secure Zone? If not, this could be a different issue that requires investigation.. 

Ekaterina Surkova wrote:

Hi milehiguy! 

Glad to know the upgrade went well! Regarding the issue you've found - I see a discovered bug "Backup was added from '.' " message is shown in Activity Tab when adding existing backups from Acronis Secure Zone.

Are you using Acronis Secure Zone? If not, this could be a different issue that requires investigation.. 

Hello again Ekaterina, thanks for responding!

I'm not using Acronis Secure Zone.  On Sat (11/24) when I installed True Image 2019 (Build 14610) and manually added 7 existing backups (boxed in red in the first new screenshot below), they were all ... non-scheduled, Single version scheme, Full backups and stored on my Synology NAS (model DS716+).  As I mentioned, adding them worked fine and the original comments, creation date, size, etc. information is now visible on the Activity tab.

If you look again at the first screenshot, the "Backup was added from '.'" message is still there, but the rest of the line (in gray) has changed to reflect the date added, which is good information.  So it appears only problem with this line of information is that the program doesn't seem to know (or display) where these backup were added from.  In my case, from a couple of different locations (shares) on my NAS device, which I call "THEBOX", as reflected in the comment.

If you look at the second screenshot, you'll see that I've created two new backups (boxed in red, same scheme as the old ones) using version 2019 for the first time.  I created them both from within the Windows GUI using Build 14610 and chose to validate them immediately upon creation.  As you can see, the entire top line in question under the Activity tab now reads "Backup was successfully validated on Sunday, November 25 ...".  Once again, good information.

Hmmm, the oddity in this incomplete line of information DOES make me wonder whether or not the program will be able to locate these backup files should I choose to validate them in the future.  Anyway, I hope this new info helps.  By the way, did you have a chance to consider the second question I had from 11/25?  Thanks again!

With regard to your second question:

• Backups listed under This computer reflect image files stored and managed on/in the local computer.  These can be on internal disks, external disks attached via USB, eSATA, etc.
• Backups listed under Other places are backups that the application has found on the Cloud or connected devices such as an NAS, but have not or are not managed by the local computer.

Hi @ milehiguy,

You wrote:

" Hmmm, the oddity in this incomplete line of information DOES make me wonder whether or not the program will be able to locate these backup files should I choose to validate them in the future.  Anyway, I hope this new info helps.  By the way, did you have a chance to consider the second question I had from 11/25?  Thanks again! "

I don't take anything for granted, now.

Having more than one partition and multiple operating systems, each operating system has a unique name and that name becomes part of the name of the Image File

Example:

Bedrm32-11142018BU-Build 18282.1000

That is the last Backup made from this partition. Bedroom-32 is the Computer Name from this partition.

Bedrm32- Computer Name

11142018BU - Date Created BU short for Back Up

Build 18282.1000 - Current Build Number for Windows 10 32-Bit .

I have 3 Hard Drives in this Desktop Computer, partitioned.

This Backup sits in: N:\Win 10-32

The Partition Name where N:\Win 10-32 is located is named Drive Images.

You can located each Backup, by clicking on the Down Arrow next to the Image Name and click Open location

Bedrm32-11142018BU-Build 18282.1000_full_b1_s1_v1

To the Backup Name, Acronis adds the Type of Backup it is. In my case, I always do a Full Backup Scheme. b1 I think means Backup 1 s1 , I think is Sector and v1  I don't know, because the Backup Image contains 4 Files.

My Comments are included for most backups and contain different information.

Example:

Created on November 26, 2018 - Contains Windows 10 Pro 32-Bit Build 18282.1000. This Build does expire. This image is activated. Fully patched to date. Firefox ESR Version 52.9.0 32-Bit Browser is installed. RoboForm Version 7.9.28.8 is installed and activated. Java 8 Update 191 is installed. Microsoft Office 2007 Enterprise is installed, repaired  and activated. Acronis True Image 2019 Build 14690 is installed and activated. FileCenter 9.5.0.50 is installed and activated. Glary Utilities 5.110.0.135 is installed and activated. CCleaner 5.49.6856 is installed. Prophet5 is installed. WinRar 5.61 is installed and activated. Quicken 2019 Home & Business R15.18 is installed and activated. Installed Setpoint Software for Logitech Keyboard and Mouse. AMD Radeon HD 5450 Catalyst Software Suite 15.7.1 Version is installed. Skype Version 7.41.0.101 is installed. Smartsync Pro Version 2.11 is installed and activated. CanoScan 5600F Drivers are installed. New Epson WF-2760 All-in-One Printer is installed. New Router installed on Nov. 25, 2017. Sign in with Microsoft Account. Computer is lockdown. Lotto Prophet is working this Build.

The Comments are stored in a Notepad File and as I make changes to the operating system, like Updating the Software Version, I make changes to the Notepad File, but don't make an image file each time I make a change. I backup after installing a new Build.

Hi @ Enchantech ,

You wrote:

" Backups listed under Other places are backups that the application has found on the Cloud or connected devices such as an NAS, but have not or are not managed by the local computer. "

Backups listed under Others are Backup Images created by another Copy of Acronis Image Image found by Acronis or Manually Added to Acronis by the User.

@Enchantech and @thecreator - thanks to both of you for the additional information.  Morton, you have a nice, systematic process there.  Additional note to @Ekaterina and to others following this thread ... I didn't mention it above, but with the 2 new backups I created on Sunday (first ones of any kind I've created with ATI 2019), I now see the additional information (backup date, size to recover, and file types) displayed under the Backup tab.  Haven't had to perform/test an actual recovery yet using version 2019, but pleased with what I've seen so far.  Guess I now should update to the latest build. ;)

Hello!  I have a possible -although not the best- answer as far as Acronis True Image 2019 is concerned.  Furthermore, since the design of Acronis True Image 2018 is similar to its 2019 counterpart, I think that the answer equally applies thereto, though I cannot guarantee it.

When Acronis True Image is running under the emergency boot loader, the comments are easily visible in the recovery process.  I presume that everybody knows that, because it is fairly simple -though not instantly so and certainly not in a straightforward manner- and it has been visible since some of the earliest versions of True Image.

On the other hand, it is when Acronis runs under Windows, where the visibility poses quite the problem.  The comments are supposed to be found in a separate window of Acronis called, "Backup Information."  And the Backup Information window should be able to be called from, amongst other places (like the main window of the program itself): Windows Explorer, when right clicking on the full backup archive file -irrespective of where it is located- and then selecting "Details," or something similar.  I only mention, "Details," because I am using the French version of Windows and the choice appears under the French word, "Détails," with the accent aigu.  Unfortunately, such option no longer appears in the 2018 and 2019 versions of Acronis True Image, which is clearly a design error and which Acronis design engineers still have not fixed in the product updates available as of April 2020.  However, when the backup is stored in the Acronis Secure Zone, the option in Windows Explorer is indeed there.  If your Acronis True Image backup archive is located in the Acronis Secure Zone, locate it and right-click on it.  Three options appear on my French computer screen: Ouvrir (Open), Explorer (Explore) and Détails (Details or some other equivalent function word in English).  The latter option will bring up the Backup Information window where the comments are clearly visible.

I concede that it is a time-consuming pain in the neck to create the Acronis Secure Zone if you have not already done so and then to put your archive files in it.  However, look at it this way: the Acronis Secure Zone is a doubly secure way to keep a backup copy of your archive files and a faster method of creating backups if the secure zone and the data being backed up are on the same media.  If you do not want to move your backups from your original locations to the Acronis Secure Zone, just make copies of them and instruct Acronis to move such copies over there.

Aside from locating the backup comments under the Acronis loader environment and in the Acronis Secure Zone environment, I am afraid that I have not found any other way to locate the comments of a backup file archive.  I remember there being such an option within the Acronis True Image program in one of its earlier versions between 2010 and 2015, but the option is no longer there.  Acronis is a pretty good program technical-wise, but, design-wise and literary-wise, it leaves much, nay a hell of a lot, to be desired.  Ekaterina is proof that it is all a bunch of Russian speakers over there.

Neal Bangia

I did some more checking and my determination paid off. 

First of all, the Windows process that is associated with the Backup Information window is called: "TrueImageTools.exe."  The file path thereto is: %programfiles(x86)%\Acronis\TrueImageHome\TrueImageTools.exe." In other versions of Acronis True Image, the file may be called, "ti_tools.exe."  It looks like it is an internal program, because the user cannot call it independently. I only mention this tidbit of information in the hopes that somebody out there may know how to run this executable file on its own, without the need of going through the Acronis Secure Zone to call it.

Second of all and more practically, in the Acronis True Image main window, if you right-click on the backup archive name in the left column and select the option, "Clean up versions...," it will bring up a window in which the comments are visible on the far right column of such window and only to the extent that the dimensions of the window will allow. However, if you hover your mouse pointer over the comment text, a pop-up balloon will give you an expanded, if not full, text.

I hope that this helps.

Neal Bangia