Desparate: How can I mount a version chain MISSING first X TIB files
My schedule was set up to do a full weekly and incremental daily backup. This was defined about 2 years ago using TI 2011. Then TI forced me to upgrade to 2012 when I had a volume mounting bug. So upgraded to T 2012 and the backup job continued apparently without issue. Every night I received backup completed message.
Recently TI told me update 2 was available. After installing my machine locked up hard. I had to powercycle and after that all VSS related operations failed.
After HOURS of work, I was able to correct the problem by uninstalling TI and running the Acronis cleanup utility. This fixed VSS. At this time I installed the demo version of 2013 because 2012 seemed to be freezing my machine.
2013 seems okay now. However I just noticed that due to the hard powercycle, a critical directory is missing. I figured this was a 5 min restore effort. Well I was wrong....
When I try to mount the TIB or attempt a restore, TI complains that a volume (sequence) is missing and asks me to locate it.
When I looked into the backup directory, I realise that my current backup sequence # is around 600 and everything older than about 300 is gone. Its not in the trash or anything, so I suppose it either got consolidated or groomed. Im not sure what occured.
So I dont think the sequence #s < 300 exist anymore.
I need to FORCE MOUNT the partial TIB chain. I dont care if certain data is missing. I need to mount what is possible.
I was sure TI 2012 reported that I had a full backup only 3 days earlier with 2 incrementals, but 2013 reports them as ALL incrementals.
Can anyone suggest how to force TI to mount this chain or tell me if TI backups are not compatible across versions? You would think if this is the case that TI would either upgrade the version or tell you explicitly.
I cant locate any instructions on the TIB file format or how to force mount, or anything even remotely useful, other than the canned response of checking the drive for corruption.
The drive isnt corrupt. chkdsk reports fine. SMART reports fine, there are no recovered files/folders.
It isnt my computer. Its low quality backup software.
If you can locate (via Windows Explorer) the last full backup, you can copy it to a new folder and then add it to the Backup and Recovery tab (via the Browse for Backup button), then attempt to restore the missing folder from the backup.
If you can open Windows Explorer and sort the list of files by date (newest to oldest) and post a screen capture, it may help to determine what your next steps may be.
When performing incremental based backups, the full is needed to be able to create the first incremental, and each incremental that follows will be the changes that have occurred since the last incremental backup. Since these are all tied together, it is very important that ALL of the incremental backup files exist. If only the latest group of incremental backup files are missing (but you still have a consecutive group since the full), and you still have the full, you should still be able to restore from the last incremental that you have, provided ALL the previous incremental backup files exist, and are valid. If any are missing, any files created after the missing ones are invalid.
For example, if you have the Full backup file, and 25 incremental files, and number 13 is missing, then 14-25 will be of no value, but the full plus 1-12 of the incremental backup files could still be restored.
I configured backup to do a full every week and incrementals every day and verify backup. It was also set to groom when space is low. I didnt pay much attention backup other than it started and successfully completed each day.
Last week I had a blue screen and a folder was missing. Its isnt showing up as a recovered folder and undelete tools such as r-studio cant find it.
When I looked into the backup directory (on a separate dedicated physical drive from the boot volume), the files had sequence #s up to 640, but ALL sequences below 270 are missing. I expected these files to be missing because I believe I only need 633-640 at most. Since it does a full backup every week.
However, nowhere in TI does it indicate the backup is a full or incremental or ? . It just shows it as a TIB file.
I would appreciate any help figuring out how to mount or restore the folder. I cant get anywhere. TI just hangs forever.
Note: As I was getting frustrated, I fully uninstalled 2013 and went back to 2011. It pretty much has the same behavior
Paul,
Could you perhaps post a screenshot of your True Image archive please? We need to see if indeed any 'fulls' exist, if they don't, then I am very doubtful that a recovery will work.
Instead of mounting does Exploring work?
Can you recall what caused the blue screen and perhaps what the error file and code was? It might be easier to fix the problem and then start a new set of archives, with a different imaging method.
Is there anything in the True Image logs that might suggest a failure of either making a full image or validation?
As far as this forum is concerned, if your post seems to be taking a long time to send, I suggest opening another tab on your browser and see if it has in actual fact been posted. This is a glitch with the forum, it somtimes doesn't seem to send the page refresh message back to your browser, so of course posters just press the send button again and as you can see it just keeps reposting the post, even though you can't see it.
An incremental chain that includes hundreds of backups all tracing back to a single full backup is waaaaay too many!
The longer the chain becomes, the greater the likelihood of failure. Even if you had the original full backup and all incrementals from #2 to #600, you would not be able to restore any of the incrementals due to the loss of the first incremental. I would not allow an incremental chain to be longer than maybe 6 or 10 backups, at which point I'd want to begin a new chain with a new full backup.
In fact, I rarely do any incrementals or differentials. I almost always create full disk mode backups, as they are the simplest and safest.
A task for Incremental or Differential will always begin with a full backup. That is necessary, as that becomes the baseline.
For an Incremental task, after the first full backup, subsequent backups will be incremental, each one based on changes since the previous Incremental backup, all the way back to the second backup being incremental based on changes since the full backup. As such, you need all links in the chain, all incremental backups right back to and including the first full backup, in order to Restore.
For an Differential task, after the first full backup, subsequent backups will be differential, each one based on changes since the first full backup. To restore, you would need just any Differential and the Full backup on which it is based.
You should not allow an incremental chain to become too long. An incremental restore depends upon every incremental in the chain being valid, including the original full. It's better to limit each chain to just a few incrementals, followed by a fresh full backup to start a new chain.
You should validate backups periodically. That would have alerted you much sooner if the full backup were missing or unreadable.
Sorry for the previous multiple post issue...
I have attached screenshots of the backup directory and Acronis dialog box where I am having trouble.
Let me restate the problem a bit better now that I have had some more time to focus in on the core issue.
For reasons unknown, the backup drive has .TIB files in sequential order from 398 to 517. I have no idea where the first 397 file are or whether they are required or not. What is very relevent is that 398 is dated 1/1/2013 and all subsequent backups are exactly 1 day later.
For my immediate restore needs this is just fine. All files I need to restore are NEWER than 1/1/2013 (I believe its hopeless to restore something older than 1/1/2013 if the TIBs are missing)
When I explore the backup, I choose to restore the entire directory structure needed. At this point it prompts for volume 369 (which I dont have) and none of my choices will get TI to simply ignore the error, press on, and restore what you can.
Seriously if there were some way to tell TI to simply start at 397 my problem would be solved (regardless of what data loss I might have)
Secondly, WHY its creating continue version chains and WHY it groomed out on 12/31 is beyond me. I think I may have chosen to consolidate backup versions but its been so long I cant remember. What is the proper way to correct a version chain growth problem? Once you realize its occuring, how to you shrink the # of files without losing data or starting over?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Paul,
I've looked at your attachments, I had hoped your archives would be using the new 2013 file anming system which clearly tells you if an image is a full, incremental etc.
I have this feeling that your images are useless, but before you wall mount your PC in exasperation, try validating your archive, starting with your last image made, if it fails then there is a major problem. I would also try to 'explore' (not mount) tib #442 or 432, 429,425,422,the sizes looks as though they might be a full.
If you can explore any of the files that are >5 GB in size, you should then be able mount one of these. Note using Windows Explore does allow you to copy files and folders back to your disk.
Unfortunately you need the full that goes with the incremental or differential in order to recover or mount an archive.
Once this is solved one way or the other, post what sort of imaging sequence you are wanting and we can offer different ways of achieving what you want, without running the risk of having more than a months worth of incrementals, which as you have found can fail when they are over 2 years in coverage.
I would also mention, whenever a new version is installed, making new tasks to run to go with that version is a good idea, that way when Acronis make advancements (such as the new file naming architecture) your tasks can take advantage of it.