What files can I delete and keep to make some space on backup disk ?
Hello,
I am using Acronis True Image as a backup of my OS windows 10 that is on a 500Gb SSD drive that I backup on a NAS.
The NAS backup folder is now 3,06To and has some files that start with full anf others with inc like these disk_full_b1_s1_v1.tib (started in june 2017) or disk _inc_b1_s3_v1.tib...
the last full is disk_full_b7_s1_v1.tib on feb 22 2019
I have around 10 or 11 incremental files per number (b1 b2... b7 ) that range from 7Gb to 100Gb files
My question is, what files can I delete if I want to save some space ?
To restore to a new SSD disk (in case of a disk crash or a virus), what files will I need.
My first guess is I will need a full version with or without some inc files
But I don't know for example if I have to keep b1 b2 etc... or if I can decide for example to erase all files prior to b5
Hope my question is clear enough,
Thanks in advance for your help
B.


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To add to Steve (use the GUI to set your automatic cleanup rules and/or manually delete backup versions)...
Be aware that incrementals are dependent upon all versions of the backup that came before them. To use any incremental, you need:
1) The original full that associates with that backup chain...
i.e. full_b1_s1_v1.tib
2) AND All versions of the incremental in the same backup chain that came before the one you want to recover from.
i.e inc_b1_s1_v1.tib, b1_s2_v1.tib b1_s3_v1.tib
If you delete v1, then v2 and anything after that are useless now. If you delete v3, then you can still recover v1 or v2 in this b1 chain.
Best option though, don't manually delete files from version chains in Windows Explorer. Instead, do this from within the Acronis GUI, or use a good automated cleanup rule in the GUI so you don't have to worry about cleanup.
An example might be a daily backup (1 full + 6 incrementals for a 7-day week). Keep 3 versions of the chain (3 weeks). That way, when the 4th full completes, it will automatically delete the entire 1st chain to free up space, leaving you with 2 complete backup chains and an ongoing third one. Your cleanup script really depends on how much data you need to backup, how much space you have to store the backups on and how long you need to keep them for. The bigger your drive to hold the backups, the more versions you can keep (and/or longer) if you want.
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