Personal opinion of ATI 2012, build 6130
When I updated Acronis True Image to build 6130 the new Synchronization feature appeared when ATI was launched that previously had not been there. I searched through all of the options listed in the application and I could not find any way to disable it. After searching the forums I found out that to disable this feature it was necessary to find the actual service and change it to a manual mode.
Are there any plans to add the ability to turn off Synchronization or Online Backup via an option within the actual application? I don't use or have a need to the synchronization feature, the Try and Decide feature, or the Online Backup feature. As a user I shouldn't have to go into services to turn them off. Another approach would be to have a custom installation routine that permitted the user to specify which modules to install.
My other complaint is the validation command. I had a very difficult time finding the validation option and when I did find it I could not find a way to validate a single backup (tib file). I found the option to validate all of the backups or to periodically validate all of the backups, but that was it. What I had to do was to remove the other backups from the backup list and then tell ATI to validate all of the backups. This option is VERY important to me and I feel like it should be included as an option in the Utilities section or at the very least have an aditional option to validate a single backup.
I am hoping that this (my opinions) finds it's way to the development team so some of these issues can be discussed and perhaps implemented. I am afraid that ATI is being morphed into some type of generalized desktop application adding a bunch of features that have nothing to do with backups. I would hate to see a great backup application fall by the wayside because it has lost it's direction and become just another bloated piece of software like the Nero application or the Roxio Easy Media Creator application.
I suspect that changing ATI to more of a "Suite" type installation package would require a lot of work, as it isn't currently organized that way. However, with the growing additions of tools in ATI, it would make sense to have such an installer along the lines of Norton or MS Office, so that we could select only the components that we want to install.
You can turn Sync off by getting into Acronis, clicking your email in the upper right corner, then click "log off." Synch will not run unless you log in using your e-mail and password. None of this is in any of the instruction manuals.
You can validate a single backup by right clicking on the backup and then click validate. This will validate that file only. This new version is not exactly user friendly, but for me, once I understood the controls it works.
Kenneth, I did find the validate option under the wheel looking icon for that particular backup (TIB) file. Try validating a backup file that is not on your list of backups. I think you will find that you can't, unless that option is hidden somewhere else. So far I have not found a way to do it. I size my backups at 4.7gb so I can burn the files to DVD blanks. I keep the latest backup on my hard drive and older copies on DVDs. I do not have the luxury of having unlimited hard drive space so this method has worked very well for me until the 2012 update.
You can turn Sync off by getting into Acronis, clicking your email in the upper right corner, then click "log off." Synch will not run unless you log in using your e-mail and password. None of this is in any of the instruction manuals.
Unfortunately, the service is still running in the background and consuming your processor resource. I don't use the feature and I do not plan on using it so why have it running at all? I feel like this feature, in addition to some of the others, should be selectable and configurable by the user
@Virgil
You can validate any backup when the explorer integration is enabled. Right click on a TIB file and look for "Archive" validate is on a sub menu.
Having said that when I do it from a limited user account I get the UAC Prompt to which I type the password. ATIH then promptly crashes and creates a dump file. But you would not know this unless you use Resource Monitor in W7.
There is no user visible info to say ATIH has crashed.
So yes I would perhaps agree that you cannot validate any backup but not perhaps for the reason you say :-)
Edit: If you start with an administrative account it seems to work OK
[quote=RayG]
@Virgil
You can validate any backup when the explorer integration is enabled. Right click on a TIB file and look for "Archive" validate is on a sub menu.
So yes I would perhaps agree that you cannot validate any backup but not perhaps for the reason you say :-)
RayG, Thanks for bringing this method to my attention. I never thought about going directly to the TIB file to validate the backup. You are correct that you can click on the right mouse button and validate the file that way. What I was talking about was from within ATIH 2012. I haven't found a way to specify the file from within the application that I want to check and validate a single backup archive (TIB files). The only way that I have found depends on the backup file being on the list of backups and then you can click on the gear looking icon and validate the single archive. You used to be able to specify the file you wanted to validate on earlier versions of ATI, but it seems to have been removed on 2012.
I see your point. I thought Sync was turned off because nothing was listed under view log for a few days. Are you telling me that it is still running in the background? If so, this is unacceptable. I currently have nonstop backup service disabled. I have no problems backing up, validating, or restoring e-mails or system files. The last time I tried disabling nonstop backup service, scheduler 2 service and sync I had problems backing up, validating and restoring. The reason I had problems backing up e-mails was the fact that Windows Live Mail was on when I was trying to do the backup. That is now fixed. Is there going to be a problem if I disable Sync or should I just change it to manual? Same question for scheduler 2. I read somewhere on this forum that the scheduler 2 has to be left on. I had none of these problems with version 11.
[quote=Kenneth Williams]
I see your point. I thought Sync was turned off because nothing was listed under view log for a few days. Are you telling me that it is still running in the background?
I believe that the service is still running in the background as long as the service is set to automatic. I went to Services.msc and set Acronis Sync Agent Service to manual and it hasn't caused me any problems so far. I also have the Acronis Non Stop Backup service set to manual since I do not use that feature either. The scheduler2 service has to remain active or ATI doesn't run so I left it set to automatic.