Retrieving information - Backups just wont run
Hi There
I am trying to run Acronis True Image 2016 Backup. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the product. Backups just will not run. I have tried backing up a single folder containing files equating 1mb but the backups wont work.
I disabled the cache. Disk Management - Right Click Drive - Properties - Policies and unticked Enable write caching on the device.
Computer is running Windows 10 Home 64.
C Drive & D Drive are 1 drive a 2tb ST2000DM Sata Drive
Backup Drive is F Drive.
"Retrieving information..." is all that comes up
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am having the same issue as David Lee above. After three hours, Acronis is still "retrieving information". I looked at the recommendation offered by Ftrpilot but somehow, building log files has nothing to do with making the crapware I just installed work. (That is not a criticsm of Ftrpilot's suggestion, just an observation. I don't want to start a flame fest here, just back up my hard drive.) If anyone out there knows why the program is stuck in this loop, I would appreciate hearing the solution. Thank you.
I am running Windows 10 on an HP laptop, attempting to back up to a brand new Seagage 1 TB portable drive connected via USB as drive F:
This may be a local VSS issue. Try disabling VSS specifically for the backup task and let it fall backup to the former default proprietary Snapapi backup method instead and see if it runs then.
https://forum.acronis.com/forum/45832#comment-346558
It is also possible to disable VSS usage for a particular backup task without touching Windows VSS service itself:
1) open the folder where your backups settings are saved: C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts
2) each file there stores settings for particular backup job. Open files one-by-one in Notepad, or open latest modified file (if you have just modified your task), until you find the one that has backup name on 5th line, e.g. MyBackups
3) click Edit - Replace and replace use_vss="true" with use_vss="false"
4) save changes and close the file
IF this works, you most likely have an issue with the Microsoft service on your local system, but using the SNAPAPI backup method is just fine - it was the default method in 2014 and every version before it.
Hi Bobbo_3C0X1,
Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately, I am not a computer geek and have essentially no idea what it is you have suggested to do. I am just some poor guy who wants to back up my hard drive and who followed the recommendations online to purchase True Image. Truly functional software should aim at the lowest common denominator (me) or, have some kind of disclaimer that advanced knowledge of computer architecture is required. The interface seems simple enough, click "Backup" select a source and destination and click on "OK". Unfortunately, the simple interface then hangs up and offers no clue as to what is causing the problem. If the issue is with Microsoft then Acronis has no place in the real world as Microsoft is the de facto standard and like it or not, everything else MUST comply with it. I am a retired anesthesiologist and the first rule of evaluating new equipment for use in the OR is whether or not it can be used intuitively with virtually no special training. There is no time to look for the exceptions to running the equipment during a cardiac arrest! The point of that is things can be designed to be used by people without the skill set to actually build the equipment. Unfortunately, True Image is not among such properly designed items. The program doesn't work and unfortunately I am among those people who have wasted time and money to find that out.
Terry, the software can only function correctly if the Microsoft services it depends on are working correctly as well. It's not that the software has an issue with Microsoft - it works fine with Microsoft - I use it at home and and work and it does what it's meant to.
It seems though, that it has an issue with the OS as installed on your particular system (for reasons unknown). Each user has unique hardware, software, maintenance, programs, antivirus and/or malware on their computer. Microsoft is not perfect either - far from it - and can even have it's own internal issues do to upgrades, bad patches, or changes introduced by users.
All that I was trying to convey was that I think that VSS on your system is the problem. To rule it out, you could disable it and Acronis will fall back on it's own backup method instead. Acronis is one of the few that offers a secondary solution with their own proprietary backup method, but it has to be specifically enabled since VSS s the default method.
I don't know what VSS is or how to disable it. Sorry. In the early days of personal computing, I was at the cutting edge (I could write in assembler and knew the 8088 inside and out) but sadly, I have not been able to keep up since, for me, it was only a hobby. If what you suggest is simple to accomplish, I am ready to give it a try. But, if there is the potential for disaster, e.g. ruining the registry, I will just do without. Thanks again for your help.
Terry,
VSS is a local Microsoft backup service "Volume Shadow Copy Service" and is built into Windows. From my previous post, this can be specifically disabled for a particular backup set and does not need any registry changes. This change has no impact to the OS in any way and is local only to the Acronis settings for the backuip task that you modify directly.
It is also possible to disable VSS usage for a particular backup task without touching Windows VSS service itself:
1) open the folder where your backups settings are saved: C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts
2) each file there stores settings for particular backup job. Open files one-by-one in Notepad, or open latest modified file (if you have just modified your task), until you find the one that has backup name on 5th line, e.g. MyBackups
3) click Edit - Replace and replace use_vss="true" with use_vss="false"
4) save changes and close the file