Incremental 'File Based' Backups do not work as expected. (Even in ATI 2011 Build 6696)
Hello,
I have discovered the following phenomenon when using incremental file backups.
After setting up the backup it works just fine. Starting the backup twice will produce one full backup and one incremental backup which has a significant lesser size.
(After that I saved the Backup-settings)
Now to the Problem:
When I start the backup again one day later, the size of the newly created incremental backup has the size of a full backup.
So I decided to delete this last incremental backup, deleted the Backup-settings from the backup list and after that re-imported the Backup-settings (the one I stored one day before).
After refreshing the new Backup-List-Entry to get rid of another bug (ATI does show the message “Not backed up yet”), I started the Backup process and now the incremental Backup works as expected and the newly created file has a much lesser size (A size that I consider plausible.).
After that I saved the settings again.
One day later – same Problem – same Solution.
Another day later – same Problem – same Solution.
Another day later ...
...
...
What the hell is wrong with this piece of software?
Because of the myriad of bugs I am really more than frustrated and would like to slap the crap against the wall.
Unfortunately, the Scheduller for me is no alternative, because my destination drive is a USB hard drive, which is connected only, when I need it.
And why should I use the scheduler?
I realy don't need this functionality.
Pushing the backup button from time to time is all I need and all I want.
I used TrueImage 2009 exactly that way for several years and it worked perfect?
Believe me, I started from a clean slate several times during the last months.
But now I have reached the point where I am getting tired of all those tricks and workarounds which I have to use to somehow get the desired result.
Why the hell does this produkt not simply work as promised?
Please excuse my harsh words, but I'm at the end of my patience with Acronis because they don't do anything to get this product running.
Arumba,
yeah... ATI 2011 is a bit frustrating with all the current issues. Most of the time there is a workaround users like me have figured out, but that remains below expectations for a brand new version...
OK... Moving on. I was suggesting the scheduler because from my experience mixing manual backups and scheduled backup can result in suprising ways of counting the number of differential/incremental backups before the next full one.
In your case, you don't need the scheduler... So don't schedule the task: you won't have the mix-up issue.
Best advice I can give you is to get through the clean up I described, watch out for defragmentation (for example, Win 7 schedules defragmentation automatically by default) and try again.
From my experience and what I see on these forums, that should take care of the problem. If not, you can try a complete uninstall and reinstall, but I doubt that would solve a manual backup issue. I will be running out of ideas.
Unfortunately this freeze occurred only once and was not reproducible up to now.
After playing around with some backup settings the well-known message “Failed to add the backup to the backup list” appeared when I tried to store them.
Arumba,
The problem is that every time you delete the backup settings and recreate it, you reset how ATI tracks the previous versions. So the first time you will recreate your backup, it will say "not backed up yet". And everytime you will run it at that point, it will create a new full backup because a *new* incremental backup always start with a full backup.
It is also possible you accumulate various scripts that are obsolete.
Try this (modified to refledt the fact you don't use the scheduler):
- using windows explorer, copy the TIB files you want to keep to another directory for safekeeping,
- within ATI, delete the backup, quit ATI
- using the Acronis Schedule Manager (schedmgr.exe), zap all your tasks
- make sure the c:\programdata\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts (or c:\documents and settings\all users\application data\Acronis...) folders are empty, delete unwanted scripts there if any.
- delete the XML file(s) in \Acronis\TrueImageHome\Database
- launch ATI,
- do not update the backup list
- reimport your backup settings
- start ATI, go to the backup settings and do a screen capture. Please post it so that we can review it.
Sorry Part, maybe my English is too bad but you totally misunderstand my problem.
1) I do not recreate the setting I just import the settings I have saved one day before after the last successful incremental backup.
2) Importing the settings is not the cause of the problem with the incremental backups IT IS THE SOLUTION -THE WORKAROUND TO GET IT RUNNING.
As I wrote in my first post the incremental Backup does not work as expected after a day or so.
Sometimes it works for more than one day but after a while it stops working and creates an incremental with a size of a full backup. (and all this has nothing to do with defragmentation or shadow copies)
To be clear - ATI does not create a full backup - it creates an incremental backup with the size of a full backup.
In this case I delete the last incremental version (the one with the size of a full backup), after that I delete the current backup settings, then import the settings that I have saved some days before (after the last working incremental backup) - apply the second workaround to tell ATI that the backup has been backed up before - and after that the incremental backup works again for some days.
Arumba,
I understand your process. My point is that this process includes deleting incremental backups, removing/deleting backup settings, reimporting them and this combination *does* create mixups in ATI's database and scripts. Once the mixup is set, it is hard to predict how ATI will sort out which backup needs to be full, or incremental...
At this point, you have the following options:
A) Uninstall method:
With Windows explorer copy the TIB files you want to keep to another directory. Uninstall ATI, use the cleanup tool to clear everything, reboot, reinstall, reimport your backup settings.
B) Database/Script cleanup method:
See previous post
C) Contact customer support
D) Follow other recommendations you might get.
Hello Pat
Ok, I understand what you getting at and I will try out all this clean up stuff - but I fear that my backups wont't work anymore after doing this.
And I also fear that your method is just another workaround that will work for some days or maybe weeks.
By the way - if ATI creates so called mixups when I delete and reimport the backup settings I would also call this a bug - isn't it.
And Pat, I will never again contact the Customer Support as long as they do not change their support policies.
The last time I contacted them to report this and some other Bugs they wanted me to pay some money!!
So my -naive- hope is, that Anton or Yana read all this and report the issue to the development team.