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Missing file in chain - cannot recover?

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Sorry if a similar question has been posted - I looked, but didn't see anything.

My backup scheme is to do a full backup one day, followed by 6 differentials - one each day. After 7 days, a new chain is started. As a test, I deleted the full backup from the 2nd chain using windows explorer to simulate a corrupted/missing file. ATI , apparently, is unable to recover from the 1st chain now as well (obviously it can't recover from the 2nd chain).

Is this right? A missing/corrupted file in one chain makes a recovery from other chains impossible as well?

Thanks for your help,
mm

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The first backup is a full backup and the foundation for each differential. Without the full backup, the backup chain has been broken and nothing is restorable without the full.

If you keep the full but delete some of the differentials, you can still restore your backup with either the single full; or the single full plus any one of the differentials.

When you deleted the second full backup (the first backup that began the second chain), did the first full backup (the first backup that began the first chain) still exist?

Yes - the first chain is still intact. I know I can't recover from the 2nd chain, but I thought I could still access the first - but the software is not seeing either.

Thanks,
mm

This may not be applicable but you would get that type situation if the CD is an older version than what was used to create the backup involved.

Have you attempted to browse inside TrueImage to the folder where the tib files are stored. When browsing, stay in the left pane and work down the directory tree until you find the folder you want and then switch to the right pane. Sometimes, you need to move the horizontal bar laterally in order to see the right pane.

If you find the chain, attempt to do a validation function when booted from the CD.

Tried the validation - failed. Looks like if a differential backup is missing, the whole backup is toast. Not good.

Don't be in to big a hurry to believe your backup is not valid. For several versions, TrueImage would not validate a diff backup if any of the files were missing but the TrueImage would still restore the same single full and single diff without any issues.

When restoring a differential backup, all you need is the original full plus any one differential backup. (Incremental backup have different retention rules.)

The real test to see if the backup is good is to do a restore to a test disk.

Are you able to mount the backup? What version of TrueImage are you using?