"The latest backup has failed"

Theordore,

There is a new log viewer tool that has now been made available by Acronis via the Community Tools KB page.  See the link in my signature for the MVP Assistant tool.

Thank you Steve. I will get MVP Assistant. I did get into Program Data folder (it was hidden) and checked several of the files in TrueImageHome>Logs folder. None of the logs dated on the day of the backup failure had an error message that I could find. However, I suppose that "MVP Assistant" will know where to look for the info. I will find helpful.

Long ago you gave a very useful answer to another person facing a problem like mine, where you pointed out the alternative sources of the backup failure, and so I have a theoretical question for you.

I suppose that for some failures there is no possible continuation from the point of failure; but for others a continuation is possible. So I am wondering whether the program tries to continue from the point of failure when I click on "Back Up Now" (after getting the error message), or does it proceed to start a new backup?

I attach the list of files in the TrueImageHome>Logs folder. Check the date 10/11/2020.  I know you know all these files, so I give you the list so that you can tell me which one(s) is(are) especially useful for trouble analysis.

Thanks.

You need to look at the Backup Worker logs for a Disks & Partitions backup task, or else look at the Demon logs for Files & Folders tasks (or any backups brought from ATI 2019 or earlier).

Good morning from Canada and thanks Steve.

I do not find the name "Backup Worker" among log files, either via Log Viewer or by direct inspection. However, in a file named "NSB_2020..." with the right day and time I find this message:

<log uuid="" product="Acronis Nonstop Backup Service" version="3.0" build="4413" task_name="Acronis Nonstop Backup Service" >
    <event id="1" level="2" module="107" code="0" time="1602424123" message="Service has stopped." />

As  you see, the information provided is not more than was on my screen at ATI execution. Since it was a backup to the cloud, I am now guessing that we had a break in the Internet connection; which would leave ATI unable to interpret what was going on.

I am approaching the hypothesis that unless you have great Internet service, a TI backup to the cloud brings too much frustration (not only the many hours of waiting but the inaccessible backup file when anything goes wrong). So I will be switching to a TI backup to an external drive, and then when that brings me a good and recoverable backup file, I do a Copy to cloud storage somewhere.

Cheers!

Theordore, the Backup Worker and Demon logs are in separate folders by the same names and are shown in the new MVP Assistant tool with blue highlighting if logs are present in them.  See the image below from my own laptop system.

The NSB log will always show an error if this feature / type of backup is not being used, as will Sync Agent etc.

Cloud backups do require a good upload rate to the servers to be of real value.  My own broadband service here in the UK is 100 Mbps download but only 10 Mbps upload, so I limit the backups I do to the Cloud and do not use any of the Replication to Cloud features introduced in ATI 2020 and beyond.

Cloud backups create Backup Worker logs as they use the new .tibx format backup files to the Cloud servers.  They also will automatically resume / retry when network issues are encountered or if the PC is closed down before it is complete.

Good afternoon from Canada Steve. I need to send you an apology for my long silence since your last message was prepared; because yours is a very valuable message.

First, a bit of bad news and then some commentary on your extremely helpful advice concerning optimal utilization of Acronis Software modules relative to cloud storage.

My installed copy of MVPAssistant.exe has gone off into the 'wild blue yonder'.  After an apparent installation, the file has disappeared from the folder in which I originally saw it, and is not visible in any of the "Program …" folders. I did notice in the installation process a copy being placed in a very deeply embedded "…\Temp\ …" folder.

I am guessing that if I decided to 'dig around' I would locate the copy in the said Temp folder; but what a horrible place to deposit an application! So at this time I am hypothesizing that it really was meant to be there only temporarily, and either Windows Defender or BitDefender decided to dispose of it; because after I gave permission for the software to "make changes to my computer" it never turned up (i.e., nothing about MVPAssistant turned up on my screen). It just sort of lost itself (Windows10).

So I have given up on trying to use this software, especially since the complaints about it put on my screen by Windows Defender did make me nervous.

I give you that long report above in case others in the community find this piece of code disappearing on their computers as mysteriously as it disappeared on mine.

Your remarks concerning factors to consider when deciding what to put on the cloud using Acronis software are extremely valuable to anyone trying to organize and manage  backup service to remote the computers via ATI.

Acronis' innovations are impressive, and I see the desire to provide good service involving backups to the cloud; but the locations of the computers for which I am managing back up service are subject to to repeated fluctuations of Internet connection.

So if we add to that situation the speed of upload rate that you have cited (and mine is almost certainly worse than yours), what we inevitably have (in my opinion) is a repeated disaster trying to do true-image uploads to the cloud. (Indeed, based on your remarks I am going to assume that this problem will recur with any alternative software I might purchase for the purpose of doing true-image back ups to the cloud).  

So, using the Acronis backup services, I will make carefully limited Sync backups via uploads to the cloud, and then use other software to make routine copying to the cloud of ATI true-image backups to external drives.

In backing up to an external drive, I am still getting the famous "File system error" (upon which you have useful comments going back months ago); but I have my fingers crossed that I will learn how to avoid them or to track down their causes (in specific cases)  in due course.

I do think this "File system error" causes too much personal-time loss (and frustration) at my end, and that Acronis' programmers should spend time replicating it and sending us clients much more helpful messages we can use to help ourselves to track down the source of a specific "file system error' report. (At present, all I find in the log files I have seen is "the system stopped"!!). I want to be able to offer remote backup management to various organizations, and it is a real worry that huge chunks of my time will be eaten up dealing with this mysterious "file system error".

For one thing, while the engineering may be very hard to do at this stage, the user should be able to get access to the parts of a backup that are in good shape up to the point where the error is encountered. It is super frustrating to see an aborted backup reported to be using up tons of space but is totally inaccessible to me — not even a file name can I see.  This is fine if a hobby programmer is playing around with ATI; but in my particular business environment it is really hard to handle.

Suppose, for example, the error was triggered by a dropped Internet connection. In case that was the cause, I should have some advice (on the screen) as to what are my options going forward, and where I can retrieve parts of the good backup that were made before the drop happened. In my case several hours might pass before the error is triggered, so it is no trivial matter to simply delete and start over again. I might want to accept being able to retrieve files from what was backed properly until such time as I can get around to trying to get a complete good backup (which could be many days later).

So I am on my knees praying for deliverance with regard to this now dreaded "file system error" message, followed by no access to any piece of the back up already done.

Cheers!

Theordore, the MVP Assistant is a standalone application with no installation so you just need to extract it from the zip file then create a shortcut on your desktop to run it when needed.  For me it is extracted to my D:\MVP folder (on my data drive).

To identify and resolve the backup issues for your local external drive needs the use of the log tool so try to narrow the focus and see what the potential root cause(s) may be?

I was having the 'last backup has failed' problem and did a full uninstall and reinstall and the problem has gone away.