How on earth do I remove old backups the RIGHT way?
I've been using Acronis True Image for many years and there was a time when I could restore differential or incremental backups so reliably that I published an article on how much better it worked than Windows Home Server (the old version that worked). Now, however, I cannot for the life of me delete old backups from my 1TB or 2TB external drives without making everything unrecoverable.
In the old days, I simply went into the external drive with Windows Explorer and made sure to keep the "*full*" files from the time period I wanted to preserve. But that doesn't work anymore. And now when I get a message from True Image that I'm running out of space, I can't for the life of me figure out how to delete old data without wiping EVERYTHING out and starting from scratch, which I never want to do of course.
If I sound like a hopeless newb, so be it, but trust me when I say I've been using True Image and paying for my annual subscription upgrades for years.
So please, can so sage tell me what to do, step by step, when I want to delete data from a drive of full-and-differential backups that's only got 95GB left?
For future, you may want to consider letting True Image take care of deletion. You could create a new backup task, setting a limit to retained backups (number of backups, age of oldest, etc.). Then, True Image will automatically manage backups and delete as needed.
Grover (another MVP) wrote this:
The method to delete *.tib files depends upon what you want to delete.
http://www.acronis.com/support/documentation/ATIH2013/index.html#13712…
If wanting to delete the task and ALL backup files associated with the task, then from inside the task, right click on the "settings" option and choose the DELETE OPTION.
The method to delete on a more selective bais such as only the more recent backup files, then
from inside the task window, right click any listing and choose the "Recover Files" or "Explore & Recover" listing.
This option should bring you into the Acronis Backup and all your backup files for that specific task should be listed at the bottom of the page. For an example, see Grover's How to Create/Manage Backup Tasks & Backups within Windows http://forum.acronis.com/forum/38691 and look at picture #22. Note that all pictures in link #2 can be helpful expecially the 11-Inc if you wnat to set up a new backup task to do its own automatic file cleanup/deletion.
The deletion is a dangerous tool. If you backup type is incremental, then you need to keep all the oldes and can only delete the most recent in order to keep the chain unbroken.
P.S. As I hope you now realize, you should not click the forum "Save" button repeatedly. Once is sufficient, and the post will submit even with a delay. Repeatedly clicking it needlessly creates dupe posts.
Thanks to both of you, Tuttle and Grover! I've tried many times letting True image take care of deletion, setting a limit of 2 (for example) full backups and 3 differentials per full backup, always retaining the original backup. It doesn't seem to be taking, however -- just keeps doing its thing until the disk fills up, whereupon it asks me to do something, and I can't figure out what to do.
I have no trouble deleting entire tasks. Where I get mystified is when I've set up precisely the task that's needed, and everything has gone fine for a week or two. Then it asks me to free up space, and that's where I get punished.
I have learned NOT to set up incremental backups, as they are so heavily dependent on preceding incremental backups. Instead I am doing differentials, which should (I hope) survive deletion of the "little" backups as long as the "full" backup that sired them (as it were) stays on the disk. What has baffled me to date is the procedure for freeing up disk space -- and I must say it's counter-intuitive to go into the recovery process in order to delete files. ;-)
However, I realize I am probably preaching to the choir here and thank you VERY MUCH for the time and effort you both have expended to help me out. If I don't report back, all is well. THANKS again and sorry for the repeated saves. MVPs like you are the unsung heroes of tech-dom.
Look again at item #2 below and follow the green color link.
The illustratation 11-Diff will enable you to control your backups and the old chains will be regularly deleted as the new chains are created.
Do take the time to read the details which accompany illustration 11-Diff.
You can change the 6 and 4 examples to fit your needs but remember that the program needs temporary space for one more full backup as there is no deletes until the replacement has been created and is in place.
Two rules I practice. Don't mix backup files. One task per storage folder.
Also, after the task is created, no further changes so no editing.
If you find you need to restore a backup, then afterwards, again create new tasks and start over with a new folder.