Just tried ATI 2017
So once in a while I check out the latest ATI version. I am still running True Image 2013, even if I do not like that version (too many problems with the administration).
Noticed the new 2017 version, so made a WIN7 System Restore Point first, then installed ATI 2017.
Very clean interface, not intuitive though (never liked simple icons). I was looking for the familiar things, like my current backups etc.
Did not find the LOG function, or an overview of the available backup versions. Could not find the file restore function as well (how simple should that be?), only the disk restore...
I was not amused by the user interface so I decided to restore my previous WIN7 state.
Now what a surprise: my TI 2013 icon has suddenly inherited the TI 2017 icon. And: all my existing backup tasks now report 0 versions ('no backup made yet'), though all the .TIB files are still there.
Please: how difficult is it to make a new release which just does NOT interact with the previous version already installed? Such that the user can really try out the newer version and delete it if he does not like it.
Maybe there will be, one day, an ATI version that is simple, reliable and does not make a mess of the administration. And if it does, then to find out that there is a new tool called 'rebuild administration from current .TIB files'
Is that perhaps my biggest complaint about the last 6 or 7 years of Acronis True Image releases? That I miss the 'rebuild administration from current .TIB files' function...
Please, if there's anybody out there, please listen and read...
@Enchantech: thanks for the suggestions, I followed your advice...
Thank you for that, and the post back. User input directly to support is most valuable!
For the sake of those who might search for a solution in the future:
Whenever I install a new version of ATI, whether for trial or permanent, here is my process to ensure I can go back. Assume for the sake of argument, that I'm currently running 2014 and am trying out 2017:
1. Make backup of existing system using 2014. Validate. Make sure you have a rescue boot disk for the ATI build current build in use.
2. Uninstall 2014 completely using control panel. Use cleanup tool if necessary (usually not, with these later versions in my experience).
3. Install 2017 (run install file as admin)
If 2017 is not to your liking:
1. Use 2014 rescue boot disk to boot machine
2. Browse to the backup you made before installing 2017. Restore backup.
All should now be back as it was before the 2017 install.
Andros, fully agree with your process and I do the same. I always take a full system offline image before doing any major updates or changes to the system. Technically, try&decide should be usable too, but I feel most confident with having a good full backup (taken outside of Windows) as those have been rock solid and always recoverable in any situation (for me).
I also do a manual image before any changes, in particular windows updates. My backup schedule performs 2 full backups weekly (Custom, cleanup turned on, keeps the last 3 backups).
There's nothing like getting a failed production machine up and running again with a simple restore.
I also prefer this approach.
Ian
Andros, I agree that your proposed method is solid. The only problem I always encounter is that I have 'limited' time. I just cannot spend the whole day in setting up the new version and see how backups are handled. That's why I do not uninstall the old version.
As a result I immediately see how the product performs and how my old tasks are handled in the new interface.
The problem with my approach is then that new backups are started during the trial period. And it will be impossible (at least for me) to get rid of these and return to the previous state. Even with full system backups. I would have expected that manually deleting the new .tib files and restoring the system disk would do the job. But it doesn't.
That's why I have asked Acronis so many times already to do something about the administration of the .tib files. In the past (with very old ATI versions) I never had problems with .tib files. I could move them, even rename them, all without problems. I had my own batch files for doing the version numbering and it worked perfectly. Now, with the ATI versions with so much intelligence built in I always run into problems as soon as I do something which ATI does not expect. And usually I cannot get it right afterwards and have to delete the backup task and all the .tib files and start all over again.
As a software programmer myself I just cannot understand why it would be so difficult to recreate the current backup situation from existing .tib files. Just read the headers, ask the user for some additional input and you get all .tib in a line again.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your trial approach!
Hi Boomklever. I certainly can't speak for others, given the varying possibilities of complexity, but in my case, the process I mention doesn't take extraneous effort or time. I also am able to ascertain the viability of a version fairly quickly. So, for me, this method works well. Of course, I only have 5 systems to keep up with, only one of which is a production machine.
I also can relate to your frustration where Acronis response to bugs is concerned. I have argued with them over issues that still aren't corrected after several years. Not show stoppers, but definitely productivity leeches.
An example would be the Scheduling bug. I'm not sure yet as to weather it has been addressed in 2017, but back up schedules, once set, are subject to deviation from the set parameters, i.e., 'Automatic Cleanup' refusing to delete old backups after the specified number has been reached. This, in spite of the fact that it has been properly configured and left alone (a mandatory requirement, as any 'editing' of the schedule is a sure way to screw it up).
Yesterday, I was a recipient of the 'data base could not be created' error after creating a new manual backup, so perhaps this is a new bug. Re-booting the machine seemed to have solved it however.
The point being that while Acronis is pretty non responsive when it comes to listening to its customers, I am still with them due to the dirt cheap upgrade offers. When I can install to 5 systems cheaper than I can buy one full version for one machine from the competition, well, I just stick with Acronis and continue the workarounds.
I am impressed with 2017 so far, even though I suspect the same issues still exist. I like Acronis and have been with them since 2004. But these niggling issues and their lack of response can be very frustrating.
For you, perhaps the competition is a better choice. Certainly they are more stable, responsive and much less system-invasive, with consistent updates that are presented and quickly and seamlessly installed by the program (with your permission) without incident. I run the free version on several machines as an additional imaging option. It is fairly full featured for freeware. One caveat is that one can't restore the system drive from windows, as the widnows version will not restart the computer, so the rescue disk must always be used in those circumstances. I can't mention the name in this forum, as previous posts with mentions do seem to get removed.
Good luck.
Yes, problem with editing backup still exists and database corruption still exists.