Skip to main content

Which files to delete?

Thread needs solution

I started a True Image Backup in early november and I see one file name with "full" in it and multiple files with "inc" in the name.  I am running out of diskspace and want to delete image files ones that are not needed.  Can I delete all "inc" files except the latest one?

0 Users found this helpful

Nope.

Incrementals are dependend upon the original full, plus every incremental that came after it.  If you delete any files in teh backup that came before one of those incrementals, the rest are useless.

Differentials can be larger as they backup all changes since the last full occured (each time) and differentials are completely indepenent of each other.

Also, Acronis keeps a local database of all backups.  If you delete them outside of acronis, it doesn't know you made those changes and will give you problems when you go to recover.  It's not really recommened to manually delete backup files outside of ACronis, but if you do, then you should immediately run a validation and when Acronis prompts you to locate the "missing" files, you either tell it where they really are (if you just moved them), or you "ignore" them, which drops them from the database.  

Best practice is to use a cleanup task in your backup to do this automaticly and all within Acornis.  Problem is that it doesnt' help you free up space now since you didn't do this from the beginning.  YOu can take a risk and delete all your backups and immediately make a new backup with a cleanup task in place, or move your existing backups elsehwere temporarily and start with a new task.  You also don't want incrementals to go too long before a full backup is taken again. If doing daily's I would recommend a maximum of 1 month, but would prefer no more than 2 weeks, and 1 week would be better.  

Screenshot attached of a sample weekly incremental plan would look like, keeping 3 version chains (1 full + 6 incrementals, 1 full + 6 incrementals, 1 full + 6 incrementals.  Upon completion of the next full, the first chain would automatically delete itself, leaving you with 2 weeks of backups and a total of 3 fulls.  This process would repeat each week after the next full completes.  If you have the space and want to keep a longer period, increase from 3 to something else.  Or, instead of 6 incrementals, go with 13 to give you 2 weeks in each version chain.  You could push it to 30 incrementals, but I'd try to limit incrementals to 2 weeks if you can do it. 

 

Attachment Size
400418-135658.jpg 63.6 KB

You also posted the same question in another recent thread?  Helps if you keep your question to a single post unless you're not getting any response.  Kind of sucks when others have already responded and are sharing knowledge and someone else has to re-respond for the same question.

https://forum.acronis.com/forum/127756#comment-400404