Consolidating incremental backups hangs - workaround
Has anyone else had trouble consolidating incremental backups? I'm using Win7 64-bit.
I like to use incremental backups to save space, but once the backups start getting beyond a certain number I prefer to consolidate them into one file. This is because True Image has always had a problem with incremental files (very often it loses track of the original file, leaving the whole backup as useless.) By consolidating them at regular intervals I can see if Trueimage has already lost track of the backup, and if it hasn't it makes the current backup more reliable by bringing it back to one file in size.
With a change to TI2012 I find that consolidating backups causes the software to hang. It completes the consolidation, but the progress bar simply stops and does not complete.
A workaround, should this happen to anyone else out there, is to restart the computer after the consolidation has finished, even though the progress bar has hung. As it restarts the bar jumps to 100% and you should find the consolidation is complete on the next boot. It doesn't always work, however, and you may find an entry in your backup list called 'consolidation' on reboot, with the original backup marked as corrupt or failed.
I'm reporting this as a potential bug, but it could be down to some software I'm running in the background, so I'd like to get confirmation from others out there first that this is a real problem and not just unique to my system.
Anyone else had this?
Same problem. Multiple machines - different setups - but both running Win7-64-bit. Happens on both manual and automatic consolidation.
Consolidation worked on a small test set - but hangs at ~150GB.
Same problem here. Win7-64 bit. Kaspersky Internet Security.
Keith,
Just to make sure, are you using auto consolidation, or auto cleanup?
Sorry to re-enliven an old thread, but did anyone find a solution to this? I'm having the same issue (ATIH 2013).
To be clear, it is neither auto consolidation or auto cleanup, it is a consolidation started manually. It gets so far, then simply hangs. No error message, no indication that it has cancelled, it just sits there.
Cheers
If consolidation is not successful, then your only choice is to stop using it as no new fixes will occur to the old versions.
That function is not a necessity as you can configure a new task with a backup scheme which uses automatic cleanup which will automatically delete the old backups (rather than merging which is consolidation) after the number of backup retained reaches the "store X quota" of how many to keep.
Not knowing which type backup you are using (full or full plus X inc; or full plus X diff), I have included examples of all 3 types. You can configure how many chains to keep (Store X number) based on your storage availabilty.
Don't try to modify an existing task. Create a completely new task pointing to a new empty sub-folder so there is no mixing of tib backup files from different tasks.
1. Custom Full Backup Scheme.Keep 4 versions (chains).
2. Custom Incremental Backup Scheme. 6 Inc, Keep 4 chains.
3. Custom Differential Backup Scheme. 2 Diff, Keep 2 chains.
Thanks Grover. Unfortunately that doesn't really suit my needs, as I want to keep the first version and incremental updates (just reduce the frequency of those incremental backups as they get older).
I had initially used a nonstop backup (one of the main reasons I went with Acronis), but the lack of ability to do this (and the fact that it kept running the target drive out of space) made me switch to a manual scheduled file backup running every 2 hours. I don't need 2 hourly backups from a year ago, but I do want to keep monthly ones.
What I don't understand is why the consolidation is failing. The backup validates perfectly, and the consolidation also seems to run fine - until it just stops.
Hi Aaron,
I don't know the reason for consolidation failure but there have been posts like this about all the newer versions. It is like fitting a 1000 pc puzzle together when all pieces look the same. Based on what I have seen for a long time, I avoid all consolidation options.
Consider using two different backup schemes and the 2nd to be "not scheduled" so whenever you feel a need for a backup to be retained, then hit the manual backup button and keep these to a reasonable number. YOu might even consider using the custom/differential method for the 2nd backup and even store the 2nd task on a different external storage dirive. This could give you the safety and the versatility you need.
Good luck.
Thanks Grover. Your suggestions are good ideas. I'll have a play around.
Unfortunately the frustration I've been having may drive me to try out some alternative suites out there.
Just for information, this also is happening on ATI 2016. I waited 18 hours which is much longer than it takes for a full backup. I finally just had to delete the incremental backups that had the date and time of the stalled consolidation and ran it again. I got the incremental backup but didn't see a file big enough to be the consolidated backup. I am just doing a full backup on a separate job. I am going to set up another backup job where I use differential with a full backup every 4 differentials.