TIH2010: eMail Backup does not end

Hello lwinkler,

Thank you for using Acronis Products

The issue needs a closer investigation. Contact Acronis support and submit technical request using this link

-  Exact title of E-mail client (e.g. Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0, Microsoft Outlook 2003);

-  Quantity of user profiles;

-  Amount of the accounts for these profiles and their type (POP3, IMAP, etc);

-  If the accounts within a single profile are of different types, please provide the amount of the accounts of each type. (E.g. profile [XXXX] contains three imap accounts and two pop3 accounts);

- Sysinfo:

 Open Start\Programs\Accessories\System Tools\System Information;

 Choose the "Save" option in the "File" menu (or "Action" menu under Windows 2000), enter the "File name" and set the field "Save as type" to "System Information File (*.NFO)".

I've had the exact same problem. Just got off an online chat with Acronis tech support, and was told that Acronis True Image Home can only back up Outlook files if Outlook is not running (i.e., you have to close Outlook). If Acronis starts an email backup while Outlook is running, the backup will just continue indefinitely because it continues to check the Outlook file for changes. If you try to backup an Outlook .pst or .ost file as part of a regular file backup while Outlook is running, you'll simply get a warning saying the particular .pst or .ost file wasn't backed up.

I urged the tech support representative to encourage Acronis product development to fix this glaring flaw ASAP. The inability to backup Outlook files while Outlook is running will be an absolute deal-breaker for many users (including me). This is especially true with the launch of Acronis's new Online Backup service. With an online backup service, people want their most recent and important file changes continually backed up offsite. The Outlook file has some critical data that changes frequently, and users want it backed up frequently and automatically (without having to shut down Outlook and manually run a backup several times a day).

The inability of Acronis to backup Outlook while running is a stunning shortcoming. This is such a basic feature of modern backup applications that it's hard to believe such a popular and refined product as True Image doesn't have it. All the major online backup services can do this -- Mozy is FREE (for 2GB of data) and can even handle this.

I was all set to switch from Mozy (paid version) to Acronis for my online backup, but I'm going to have to keep giving my $60 per year to Mozy. I simply can't justify paying for a backup service that can't handle backing up probably the single most important and frequently changing file on my entire computer.

Come on Acronis, please catch up with the rest of the world on this one. I hate to see an otherwise great program become useless due to lack of a basic but essential feature. Let me know when you get it together, and you'll have a steady revenue stream from me and those I recommend you to.

Thank you.

I am having the eaxct same problem. Running Vista 32bit with Outlook 2007. Can't backup email. Green bars show 100%, then task bar icon showed 5000% and increasing. Eventually, it stopped and said complete. Seems to be a task bar icon bug/completion tracking bug. Given enough time, it finally did complete correctly. Outlook was not running at the time of backup, no pasword protection either. Had validation enabled.

This is a limitation of most backup software. Backing up 'open' files. I've tried 10-15 different backup solutions over the last year and have found they almost all have this limitation. I found File Access Manager from visionworks which allows any backup software to backup open files. So with the aid of file access manager Acronis can now backup my always open outlook.pst file and always-open Quickbooks data file, etc.

And now I'll have online backup capabilities too, nice.

You mentioned Mozy had the ability to backup open files? Files that were in use could still be backed up by Mozy?

Absolutely! Mozy backs up my Outlook file successfully several times a day, and I've got Outlook running at all times (I have successfully restored my Outlook files from Mozy several times, so I know it's working). I believe that most online backup services (e.g., Carbonite, etc.) can back up open files, including Outlook. Not sure why this basic feature has elluded Acronis, as many other companies seem to have solved this problem.

Thanks for the File Access Manager tip.

Hello all,

Let me comment this situation.

As soon as we received a notification about e-mail backup issue with Outlook opened, we have forwarded it to our Development Team, they have fixed the issue, it will be available in the next build for the product.

Note that this issue only occurs when you're backing up Outlook per True Image Home task, if you backup it manually it should work. Here's the article we have created for this issue, please check it for the details.

Please let me know if you have any other questions concerning the products.

Thank you.