TI2010: Confusion over incremental backups and Add to existing...
Sorry for the newbie question but I've never used Acronis' products before. I purchased True Image 2010 for my Win7 x64 Ultimate install (RTM) and have had no problems creating full backups. I went to create a second, updated, image after installing some software and was confused over the choices for performing an incremental backup.
When selecting the archive location, you are presented with the option to "Create new backup archive" or to "Add to an existing backup archive". My confusion comes from the fact that the help text for the new backup option states:
"Initial execution of this task will use the full backup method. By default, subsequent runs will use the incremental method unless you change it on the backup method step."
According to this, the second archive that I made should have been an incremental backup, but instead it appears to be a full backup. I confirmed that the "incremental backup (recommended)" option was selected under "Optional steps".
Do I need to select "Add to existing backup archive" to perform an incremental backup? What is the relationship between new + incremental and add to + incremental?
The only thing I did notice is that the Backup location specified:
MyBackup__27_09_20092.tib (my first full backup was MyBackup__27_09_2009.tib)
which I changed to:
MyBackup__@date@.tib
Could this have caused my problem?
Once again, sorry for the newbie questions but I'm new to this product.
Thank you.
Joel
You should not blame your confusion on being a "newbie". I have just posted a note about how riduclously confusing 2010 is. It is simply not designed for someone to work through logically.
Technically is is probably very good: if it's aim was to be intuitive, it is a crashing failure !
Thanks guys, much appreciated.
Wouldn't it be nice if the folks at Acronis were to make a COMPLETE instruction manual for True Image Home available for downloading, so we neophytes and advanced users didn't have to guess whether to click the "Create new backup archive" button or the "Add to existing backup archive" button.
(As if it were intuitively obvious!!)
I would like to know how to do this on TIH 2013, as the options are quite different from the older program versions mentioned here.
The only way I've found to "add" to an incremental backup set is to select it from the backup list and click the "Back up now" button. My problem is this creates a backup without letting you choose a name or set any other options (add comments, etc).
Is there any way to choose a name for, and set the options for, the new version of an incremental backup before you actually start backing things up?
David, Review signature link #2 below. Yes, you can assign your own folder name and yes you can assign your own name to the backup file--except it will add some added numbers to your backup file name and there is no avoiding the added numbers. Refer figures 6-7-8.
The backup task is created first and part of the backup scheme is for the user to assign how many incs should be created before a new full is done. Each run of the task (via schedule or backup now or desktop shortcut) will add the designated number of incs to the chain. Look at illustration 11-Inc inside the referenced link.
The editing of a task should be avoided and my recommendation is assign the backup files into an new empty sub-folder--do not mix backup files with other tasks.
User Name assigned to backup file was
F2013-5551-full-@exec@_
Thanks for the response, Grover, but I think your guide (if I'm reading it correctly) only deals with naming the first backup in a set.
What I'm trying to do is dictate the name for a subsequent incremental backup in the same set (ie: a backup performed to bring the full backup created initially up to date). There doesn't seem to be any way to control this, other than clicking the aforementioned "Back up now" button, and that actually performs the backup without any prompting for naming or options.
The bootable media version of TIH actually works better in this respect, since it allows you to choose whether to create a new backup or to add to an existing one. All the options are then subsequently available.
Your analysis is correct. It is additionally possible to have date and time auto added.
As you state, user has control only on the first full. The other additives b1, s1,v1, etc are there without any choice.
As TI works from a data base, any changes mostly make the incs that are changes to be non-usable.
Before you spend much time on this, I would take a chain and rename to your choices and then validate and attempt to restore. I am not sure you will have a workable chain. Good luck. Grover
David,
You are correct that the bootable media gives you the option to create the incremental based on a full. If you do this, be sure to validate the backup from the boot disk and from within windows.
In the Windows based version of the program, if you create a full backup task and run it to completion, then remove the task, but not the full backup file, you can then add the backup file back to the list (browse for backup) and "re-create" the backup settings with new options, creating a new incremental or differential backup based on the full. I'm not sure if you can change the name of the destination file.
I've created both incremental and differential backups doing this after deleting the task of the full backup by mistake.
The boot disk makes this much easier.
Hey James.
That is what I have been doing. It works, but it's kind of a Pain in the @$$. I was hoping there was a less round-about way of doing it. It would seem there's not.
I only have to make backups about once a month, so it's not that big a deal.