Acronis ATIH2011 mis-estimates backup space required and auto-aborts
ATIH2011 estimated about 83.5GB of space to image volumes D,E and F, and I directed the image to hard drive (HD) J: which had 116GB available free space. Unfortunately, ATIH has a horribly inept algorithm to estimate image size, and after more than 12 hours, with four hours remaining (!), warned it was out of free space on the target drive (HD) "J:" without specifying the actual shortfall in GB of free space.
After the warning to clear additional space– without any idea how much more space was required– I immediately began to search for an available area of free space. Meanwhile, the 12-hour-old backup process simply auto-aborted after 25 seconds, with the false message “terminated by user”.
On later examination, volume E:, which apparently (from the log) produced the free space warning, was only 41 percent full. Besides, if E: is the source, and not target volume, why should anything associated with E: produce a message about free space?
Although the imaging process was made to the IDE primary and should have been problem-free, it took an estimated 16 hours– even after chkdsk /R had been run before this imaging operation on the target HD J:, as well as on volumes D, E and F. Clearly, there is nothing wrong with the internal logic of HD J: (and no bad sectors were found) or with the integrity of its cabling (since chkdsk /R would have been difficult to run without errors).
1. What produced the error on volume E: which caused the operation to warn it was "out of free space"?
2. Is this a known error?
3. An Acronis rep stated Acronis supports at least two versions at any time-- the current and previous version. Why is no chat access available for ATIH2011?
Now, a history of my experience with Acronis products. I have been an Acronis user since version 8, and have seen a basically competent program devolved into an incompetent mess. Version 2010 was essentially unusable, and I met so many problems, I was given a free pass into Version 2011. While 2011 was better, it still has many problems.
Such poor product performance and indifferent customer support is the reason I do not plan to renew, and am looking for a better imaging application. I regret I could not find this product at Acronis.
Yes, drive J: is an internal HD.
In response to your questions--
(1.) "How full are the partitions you are backing up?"
Partition D:-- 67 percent full; Partition E:-- 29 percent full; Partition F:-- 47 percent full
(2.) "Try to do the backup without splitting."
What does Acronis do when the option to split file into (DVD) sized portions is chosen? Does this option in some way impede the imaging process by making a temp file (additional space required) for the file split?
(3.) "If this doesn't make any difference, if J is an internal disk, can you try your backup on a USB disk?"
That was tried first, as standard operating procedure-- in fact, I prefer an external / USB HD to store the image. But the USB external HD enclosure is having problems of its own, so I decided to simplify by a direct imaging operation to an internal HD on which I am able to verify beforehand (chkdsk /R) there are no problems.
Where is there a discussion of ATIH2011 internals, so I can gain a better idea of how ATIH determines target HD space requirements?
I'll weigh all your suggestions, change my method to Acronis boot CD, and let you know what happens.
My restore failed too.
I did a backup, and restored to the same partition that I just backed up from. The partition was 83% full. ATIH2011 was unable to restore the partition due to insufficient space. They worked with me for @6 months before giving up. I've gone to Norton to try them out.
I remain hopeful that Acronis management will come to realize, at even this late date, their flagship application and its marketing have become seriously dysfunctional---
(1) CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Acronis users cannot support themselves-- which may be by design, since technical support of customers has become a big profit center for many companies. As if in corroboration, few-- if any-- Acronis error messages lead to a practical, user-managed solution. All error messages I have seen are impossible to interpret, and link me invariably to the Official Acronis Apology Screen, announcing that no information is currently available in the Acronis database for my message ID. Worse, there is no means to cut-and-paste from the error announcement screen-- which would permit a Google search for the exact message and error numbers involved.
As a result, the Acronis user must seek technical support from the friendly Acronis support center. In most cases, that means a credit card charge, since the Acronis warranty of customer-support applies to only 30 days after purchase. It goes almost without mention that a year-long warranty-- as opposed to 30 days-- speaks volumes about a company's confidence in its own product.
(2) ESTIMATED BACKUP REQUIREMENTS
ATIH estimates of everything from imaging time required to storage volume required are laughably off the mark. During imaging, for example, time-to-completion is Exhibit A for wild instability, with completion times bouncing between 24 hours, 18 hours, 13 hours, etc. and never reaching a "consensus". Likewise, ATIH estimates of the volume of data to be imaged are clearly off-- a volume of data estimated by Acronis at 83.5 GB after normal compression suddenly requires 116 GB on the target volume.
(3) "FIT AND FINISH" ISSUES
To its credit, Acronis does provide a means to cut-and-paste the serial number for a new Acronis product into its installation screen-- making it easier to copy that number directly from Acronis's emailed notification of serial number. But during an Acronis product upgrade, does Acronis allow cut-and-paste to transfer the serial number of the previous version? Of course not-- the hapless Acronis upgrader is forced to type in (carefully) the entire 64 digits of the serial. The same ordeal may await those who install (upgrade) PlusPack-- a "parallel product" says Acronis, though closely joined at the navel with ATIH.
Another avoidable issue is something as simple as a flaw in the text editor built-into the optional comments section of the ATIH imaging process. When entering text, if the user hits the backspace key, all the previously-entered text disappears.
(4) PROMISES, PROMISES
In the Microsoft tradition, each new version brings fresh claims about greater reliability and ease-of-use than last year's model. The problem with that time-honored blarney is few at Acronis marketing want to talk about the NEW problems the new version introduces. We learn about those only after we subscribe to their latest claims and purchase the new version-- with only 30 days to find all the current bugs until next year's bugs are issued. As with Microsoft, we have become paying beta testers.
And so, little improves with ATIH, year after year. Since Acronis has put so little (apparent) effort into fit-and-finish issues, we home users must conclude Acronis commercial customers not only carry more weight than we, but may have a better product.
Yet, if I did not believe there are still rational beings at Acronis, who not only understand but can remedy these problems ("if only there were time and money to address them properly"), there would be no basis for any hope in improvement.
As a parting suggestion, Terry, rather than dabble with Symantec/Norton for disk and partition imaging, give the folks at Terabyte Unlimited (TBU) a review-- their tech support (email and forum) is prompt, and smoothly competent. Terabyte Unlimited is a solid company almost 20 years old, and its flagship imaging and partition management product (I use it regularly) is inexpensive and reliable-- http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/index.htm and http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-bare-metal.htm
Of course, you will ask why I often used Acronis, after recommending TBU. My primary incentive was its Universal Restore (PlusPack) product, because I occasionally needed to transplant an entire system. Today, however, I discovered the latest TBU product, "BootIt Bare Metal", now features the ability to install all drivers required when restoring an image to other, dissimilar hardware.