Cannot add existing validated backup set to the list
I use a series of HDDs and create a backup chain of 5 backups and then start again.
I continuously rotate the my use of the HDD so I have multiple backup sets.
I monitor drive space and delete a set as required.
This has worked fine in the past, currently cannot add an existing backup chain to the list so as to reconfigure and create a differential backup.
I can only create a new full backup on my computer. (working ok on my wifes)
I click add backup, choose existing backup, browse to the correct backup in the list and click add and nothing happens. The list is not being automatically populated.
Using win7.
Help please.
Many thanks for your help.
I am using ATI 2015 build 6613 for 3 computers, product says it is up to date.
I followed your advice carefully, checking out a couple of processes that did not have descriptions using web site file.net
Then renamed folder to Database.OLD
Restarted ATI and it listed 5 backups on E: drive but not the backup on the currently installed E:
(I now have 6 bare disks I use keeping some offsite and some local and use a disk caddy(toaster) on each computer to mount them)
I added the backup successfully and have successfully created a differential backup on this drive.
Thanks again David
The problem is that rotating disks with a single backup job is not supported.
There's nothing wrong with using 3 backup drives, hower, they should each have their own unique drive letter in Windows and put them somewhere down the alphabet (to avoid Windows reasigning letters automatically if the letter is already in use by one drive when one of these is also plugged in).
Then, you would just have one backup job per drive and you coudl still rotate them. You'd just have different backups on different drives, but the process remains the same. You might do 1 full and 3 diffs on drive one and take it offline. Then, plug in drive 2 and start it's full and 3 diffs, then do the same with drive 3. When you get back to drive 1, it will continue with your version scheme (more diffs or incrementals or the next full). If you need to recover something more recent than what's on the current drive, you just recover from the last one that was connected.
The main difference is you would be using 3 backup tasks - 1 for each drive, making sure each drive has a unique drive letter and that each backup task has a unique backup name.
Thanks for this, sounds like a permanent solution.
I will just label each drive with an unused (high) drive letter and set those in Disk manager so hopefully that drive should load with that drive letter.
The grandfather/father/son type method is such a basic traditional backup approach I'm surprised it is not automatically supported.
Cheers David
David, unfortunately as this is a Home product, it hasn't been designed to be used with multiple different drives for a single backup task and this is a known cause of Acronis Database issues because the unique identifier for the backup drive is stored in the database for the backup task. When you switch to a different drive, that has a different UUID and no longer matches the value stored in the database. This is further compounded as more drives are used.
One drive per task is the way to go, and preallocating unique drive letters from later in the alphabet helps to stop the drives from being given different drive letters. The drive letter issue has been addressed (as far as I am aware) in the latest 2017 version.
Steve
A task to me is a full backup, with its own distinct name eg 20Dec16 followed by up to 5 differential baclups spread over several weeks. (=a backup chain?)
Depending on space on the drive another new task is created, with a further set of following differentials on the same physical drive. When I need space for a new task I manually delete the oldest task (backup files).
Up until now each drive has had the same drive letter E:, I have now started to change this so each is using a distinct unique drive letter.
Cora has a dedicated backup drive she uses at the end of each day. Following the same procedure, full + 5 diffs. Then new task etc.
I remove her drive from her toaster and plug the oldest one of the other 6 (rotating drives by backup age) in and back her and my computer up to that same disk. I do this normally about 3 times per week.
In general this has worked fine in the past. I've just added the file to the backup list, reconfigured it and backed up or started a new task as necessary.
Clearly this approach isn't what ATI is designed for. What is the best approach that enables spreading the risk over multiple drives?
Thanks David
David, if you are manually deleting old backup chains to make room on your drives, then you also need to be running a validation for the task that created those deleted files in order to reconcile the database data.
Perhaps the simplest method of spreading the risk by using multiple drives would be to ensure that you start a new task whenever you switch to a different drive in the set of drives.
Assuming that each task is doing essentially the same backup actions:
Create new task A to backup to drive A including making any differential backups included in the chain.
Clone task A settings to create task B to backup to drive B and repeat with the second drive.
Clone task B settings to create task C to backp to drive C... etc.
Clone task settings is one of the options provided for your tasks, along with Validate, Remove etc.
Thanks for all your help.
Will follow your advice as above.
David
Let us know how it works out - I think you'll be in good shape.
FYI - I completley agree with G-F-S scheme needing to be an option. I recently sent to his feedback to Acronis and a follow-up email through the MVP chain and encourage you to submit feedback throug the app feedback tool as well. Since the diffs and incrementals only rely on the original full, it should be easy enough to implement. At a minmum, a default 1 monthly full, 4 weekly diffs (1 per week) and daily incremental scheme would probably be useful to a lot of people.