Strange tib file (size)

Probably some temp or System Restore files are being created and deleted as you use the machine, which could account for wide variations in tib sizes.

I don't think so..

I perform backups by ATI CD-ROM, so restarting the machine and (from there) if you create a full backup (60 Gb) you expect to have an incremental backup which tends to 0 (in any case << 60 Gb) but you get a big tib file size! There's no sense..

I suspect some points of the hard disk to backup are damaged or has strage files so TIA goes crazy and everytime produces a (very) different tib size.. :(

I don't know how to solve this situation.

If the file system had gone that whacky, it ought to show up in a few places, like under chkdsk.

win system restore and other resource uses would eventually grow to double the amount of used space on the disk and, as the max threshold neared, amounts would be lopped off to make room for fresh data.

You're right, I performed chkdsk and it fixed some errors but my backup problems remain so I deduce it shouldn't cause my problems.

However I want to underline that it's not normal that an incremental backup is big, even greater then the full backup only a little while you performed the full backup! I did many backups in these years and never happened, now yes so I suspect some problems somewhere..

first thing, I'd create a file listing of all files over, say, 1mb, to see if there's anything surprising there. First I'd make all hidden and system files visible.

Are the sizes shown by ATI Home 2011 valid? If yes, that's my Acer notebook:

- NTFS (C:) capacity 111Gb, used 60Gb
- NTFS (D:) capacity 108Gb, used 9Gb
- NTFS (PQSERVICE) capacity 10Gb, used 9Gb
- NTFS (Unlabled) capacity 3Gb, used 1Gb

So, I expect that the backup (.tib) file won't be < 60+9+9+1=79Gb, using max compression it should be << 79Gb.

As tests, I performed 2 set of backups (without restarting the machine):
1) 4 backups, a backup for each separate partition: the sizes are 73+8+9+1=91Gb
2) 1 backup, including all the partitions: the size is 91Gb

It's good that I got the same total size (91 and 91) but 91 is > 79! Is it normal?

After a pair of hours (and a machine restart) I performed a new all-in-one backup, this time getting a file size of 83 Gb! (yesterday evening, with the same method, I got a backup file of 44 Gb!)

Do you really think it's _normal_ that:
a) backup file size varies from 44 to 91 to 83 to ... while the total used space remains almost the same? (~80)
b) backup file size is for example 91, more than the used space (~80), using max compress too?
c) incremental backup performed immediately after a full backup (without restarting the machine) is more than an insignificant size (< 1Gb) ?

I never had this strange results with ATI Home 2011 and my notebook. From some weeks it happens and I can't explain why but probably it depends on something in my notebook.

Are you using any software that defrags the hard disk in "real-time"?

Are you hibernating or hybrid-sleeping? I mean your computer, not you :-)

Otherwise, no, your situation is not normal.

As Scott indicated, why not turn off Windows System REstore or at least set a low limit. This might help to rule out that function as being an issue.

Pat L:

It's Windows 7: sometimes I defrag with Windows degrag (but rarely and it's not in real-time). I usually hibernate the machine instead of power-off, but: I always had this and only now there are problems and, anyway, if you perform 2 backups (one after the other) from the machine startup (using TIA CD-ROM) without restarting, the hibernate remains the same.

GroverH:

I could try to turn the System restore manager off to see it something change.

Curious indeed. You have compression on, yes? There is a certian amount of overhead in each backup file fo the check sums, although for the pagefile and hibernation file there should only be placeholders (becuse win can remake them on the fly after you reastore and boot up again, so that should more than compensate.

I turned the Windows system restore manager off, performed a full backup (almost 90 Gb) and immediately after (without restarting machine) an incremental one: the incremental created a big file, almost the size of the full! Also the system restore manager is cause..

Any idea? How can I discover what's the cause?

mhaxx,

You didn't check the "sector-by-sector" image in the advanced backup settings, right?

When you say you are running an incremental backup right after the backup, what exactly do you do? Did you set up a backup task as an incremental backup and then run backup now after the first full?

When you look at the size of the backup, where do you look? At the TIB file size (as suggested in your first post) or at the UI of ATI (backup size)?

I never check "sector-by-sector" option.

The incremental backup (as all my backups) is performed restarting the machine with the ATI Home 2011 bootable CD inserted, it's not tasked but launched manually by me immediately after the full backup is finished and without quiting from the ATI UI (and then no machine restart).

I look at the size of my TIB files (placed in an external USB-hard disks) from Windows.

By the way I can't see "sector-by-sector" option in my ATI settings.. (where is it?)

When you go through the backup wizard on the CD, there is a backup option link in the bottom left where you can specify the sector-by-sector option, or whether to run a validation after the backup, etc.

I don't know what to think; since you are using the CD, there is no Windows interference...

It sounds like maybe you are starting a new chain each time, so the first backup in the chain is a full.

Today I performed a good backup: 42 Gb, that is, in my opinion, the right size, in fact I immediately performed an incremental backup which was almost only a few Mb! It's good..

.. but after I restarted the PC and worked, maybe create a new point with the restore system, I performed a new backup and it produced a file of 85 Gb!!

85 is about the double of 42.. I don't know if this is a coincidence.. anyway the problem persists, even if not always.. :((

Are you including the tib in the backup?

No, it's produced in another place, an external hard disk.

If you have the time, do a little investigating.

Boot from the CD and simulate doing a restore by beginning a recovery.
Browse for the backup files in question. The program will identify whether these are full or incremental. Note any differences with how the program identifies these types (full or inc), etc.

Then proceed to the next screen where all the partitions are listed that are included in the backup.
This is the screen where you select which partition is to be restored (if you were really doing a restore).
Look at some the size information and see if anything abnormal. Then cancel.

Repeat the same procedure on several of the backups where the size is questionable.
Maybe you will find nothing unusual-- but who knows??

Today I was able to perform a "right" full backup: ~45Gb ("right" size, so far from 80-90Gb of the "wrong" backup). It's "right" because I immediately performed an incremental backup and got an almost null one.

Without restarting machine (staying there, with the ATI bootable CD inserted) I performed the same full backup with some variants, to understand if these variants are the cause of wrong backups, however selecting max compression Vs normal, bak/tib/etc files exclusion or not, password+AES256 or not.. nothing change, the backup file produced was always ~45Gb. So, I'm sure the ATI settings don't influence the backup.

It remains a misterious why sometimes the backup is good and other not, certainly if I perform a good one, all the other (in the same "session") will be good.

In the end I discovered that if I perform a backup with the notebook in hibernation mode the problem occurs, otherwise it doesn't.

I can't explain why. I always performed backups in hibernation mode without any kind of problem, anyway now it seems like hibernation state (which produces a copy of the RAM in the hard disk of the notebook) gives problems.

If you have some comment..