Huge unexplained increase in Backup size
Hello. I've taken this title from a topic already created in the Acronis True Image 2018 forum because it exactly what I'm facing with ATI 2019. Knowing and understanding almost nothing in the solutions provided from the expert who has interveined and apparently solved the problem discussed. So my demand here is that please, be pedagogue and patient in your answers, also because of my english level. Many thanks in advance. Here is how I can explain what's happening to me. Previously I had a 256Gb SSD drive in a Dell 7280 that I wanted to increase to 2To (still SSD). So to clone the drive and install it in order to keep the same partitions but extended to 2To, I've found out that Acronis was able to do it. First I've made a backup test on the 256Gb creating a simple backup, which size was around 120Gb. Then I've done the cloning to the 2To drive that went fine. Then I've done again a backup on the new drive but this time the size of the backup increased to 360Gb. In terms of contents of the backup Acronis mentions around 330 Gb for the "Others" part, and around 20 Gb for the "System" part. But I don't know what is the "Others" part made of. I precise that PCloud is installed on my PC and it is synchronized with a specific folder on my C drive, containing for about 800Gb of data, but I've excluded it from the backup through the "Exclusions" option menu. I also precise that even though I've selected the incremental method of backup, the 360Gb backup is the first backup, I havent' done the incremental one.
Hi Steve. First of all thanks for your help ! Attached is a print screen of the log file coming from the 2To SSD (there are many log file lines but the first seems the most consistent one). As for the 256GB the thing is that I still have it, but it has been formated. Plus to get a log file from the 256Gb means I have to clone the 2To on it and reopen the Laptop, wich really wasn't that much fun because of problems with several screws I'm not sure I'll be able to unscrew/rescrew again. So is there a way to get the log file from the 256Gb without installing it inside the computer ? Like getting it when the drive is only used as an external USB drive, after the cloning.
Mathias,
I don't think there's enough info in just the screenshot. Too many possibilities and not enough information to go on still. For instance, an incremental can end up being the same size as a full in instances where a recovery was completed to a previous point in time and then an incremental is run... this would change all of the data at the block level on the disk and register as needing to completely back up all data again. Likewise, similar behavior can occur if a disk has been fully defragmented, or if there has been a major Windows updated (like when Windows 10 upgrades from 1803 to 1809). At this point, there's no telling though - just giving examples of possibilities.
The only thing the screenshot shows is that an incremental ran successfully and just what happened at that specific time. As the screenshot shows that job only ran from 3:00 to 3:01 (1 minute and 11 seconds), I don't believe it shows the entire story of a larger backup. It would be impossible to backup 360GB (as mentioned above) in that short time.
After you recovered and made a new backup, what were the backup settings (what was the source backup type - Did you select entire PC or specifically just a disk/partition backup? you might be backing up more than you're intending to). I'd right click on the large backup .tib file and "mount" as a volume (give it a drive letter). Then launch something like mindgems foldersize free and see where the largest data is in the backup.
Hi Bobbo. Thanks for your time. To answer your question, all my backups have been based on the entire PC (except the pCloud folder). And neither defrag nor Windows updates have occured between the two backups, but I know you've mentionned only examples. Actually meanwhile here was happened and hopefully in the good way. I've cloned the 2to on the 256GB (as an external drive), I thought maybe then I could use the MVP Log Viewer tool on this drive (without having to do the switch with the 2to to make the 256Gb the internal drive) in order to give you a comparison with the run I did on the 2to. But after the PC restarted I've opened Acronis (in order to backup the 256Gb and check what his size would be) and seen that the size of the backup (if done on the 2to) would be of around 120gb and not around 360gb anymore. So don't know what happened here but something has changed the size of the backup and seems kind of miraculous to me. Even thow there ar no miracles in the computer world. Anyway, all's well that ends well. Thanks again for your help, but maybe you have an explaination for me ?
Mathias,
My best guess without more logs or screenshots is this is behavior from the "entire PC" setting as the source of the backup.
If using "entire PC" as the source, it will back up all internal drives . Previously, you just had the single 256GB drive and a full backup of it was roughly 120GB.
Is it possible you have the newly xlo Ed drive and the original (with data on it still) installed at the same time? If so, then the "entire PC" setting would be backing up both disks now.
Just a guess though as I can't say with the info available. It the newly cloned 2TB drive is all that's internal to the system, and that is the only drive selected as the source, and it's has exactly the same amount of data as the original drive used to, the backup size if the resulting .tib should still be close to about 120GB.
As recommended above, you can right click the larger .tib in Windows file explorer and "mount" it with a drive letter. Then you can see what exists in the backup to see if it has more than what you're expecting it to contain. Treesize is a great free tool you can run which will tell you the size of the data in each folder of the mounted backup and might show you were a jump in data is too.
Dear Bobbo,
Thanks again for your time.
No I hadn't both SSD installed and being backed up at the same time. But indeed it would have explained the increase in size, but not the fact that it has tripled (120Go to 360).
Thanks for the .tib mount tip, I'll use Treesize in case I'm facing again this kind of problem/interrogation about what's contained into backed up folders.
All the best and I really appreciated your support as well as Steve's.
Mathias,
Yeah, treesize should hopefully clue us into the increase as it will show everything in the folders and how big each folder is. You might find something interesting with it.
The other suggestion, would be to create a new backup job (use a different name but similar settings throughout - you can clone a backup job too). Then create a brand new full with it and see how big that first .tib is when it's done for comparison. Is it just as big, or back to the original size you'd expect? And if it is different than the 3x one, mount them both with treesize and check for large size differences (sort by largest size to make it easy to compare and run 2 instances of tree size at a time - one for each mounted volume).
Hi Bobbo,
I've done new backup job with similar settings but it stays of 120gb.
Anyway, because/thanks to you I've done a re-cloning and I don't know how, but it has modified something.
So happy me :-)
All the best
Well, I guess all is well that ends well 😃.
Glad it worked out in the end. If you do get around to checking the different backups with treesize while they are mount d as volumes, and find something of interest, it would be great to hear about it.
For sure !
Actually I've deleted the 320Gb backup so I can't analyse it, but if it happens again I'll do it.
Matthias,
Roger that and take care.