Re-naming backup tasks & tib backup files-- 2016-2015
Task name can be assigned or adjusted during creation or renamed afterwards and the new task name will become the task name and the name of the next tib backup file. Backups created prior to any rename will remain original name.
The task name is the base name. The tib backup file derives its name from the task name. The progam adds the required suffix or _type_B1_S1_V1.tib
2016 version: Renaming a 2016 task name can occur via right clicking the task name and choosing the new rename option.
2015 version: Renaming a 2015 task name can occur via selecting the task, and choosing "edit settings" and clicking the pencil icon beside the task name along the top of the display screen. The name changes must be saved in order to be finalized.
Additional options: The date and time macro from 2014 and prior versions does NOT exist in 2015 or 2016
but can be added via a workaround created by user "TOMB" if you are willing to modify the actual backup script (.tib.tis) file stored in the scripts folder. The edit is performed inside NOTEPAD or other ascii text editor as described below. On my computer, I can RIGHT CLICK on the selected "tib.tis" file and choose 'EDIT" and the file auto opens into Notepad.
Script editing details below.
Path to scripts folder: c:\programdata\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts\
The colored code next can be copied/pasted into Notepad to replace the existing @task@.tib" located inside the script. Note the presence of the required closing parenthesis.
@TASK@_@MACHINE@_@USER@_BU@EXEC@_D@DATE@_T@TIME@_.TIB"
Again. Thanks to this script editing idea suggested by user TOMB.
Edit:
I believe either upper case or lower case will work.
The required is a beginning and ending @
@DATE@
I felt some clarity needed so I used the underscore as a separator but this is optional.
The dash or equal sign are also optional usage.
The period cannot be used.
Optionally, you can also use words/names, etc.
For testing, it is really quick and easy to create a test task which backs up one single small text file and using the
"Back up now" consumes only a few seconds to see an exact sample of what you are configuring to be added.
No cause has ever been posted but you are not the first or last to complain.
My guess is that it is a "feature" user will have to suffer with until a new version is released.
Update . . .
I've outlined my approach in several posts on this thread, but for clarity here it is, summarized, before I get into this posts' info.
3 Pc's each running windows 7 home premium sp1, and each one installed with TI2016 build 5634. Two laptops (1 x86, and 1 x64) and a desktop (x64). The laptops have a single physical HDD each, with primary and logical drive partitions, and the desktop is the main machine with has 4 internal HDD (with a number of logical drives on them) and 2 external USB3 connected HDD. The backup regime includes a disk-by-disk backup of the entire machine every 3 months: on the desktop, the target drive is one of those external HDD which stores 2Tb of the most recent backup archives.
And so to the details. I've just done a 3month backup cycle on each machine and paid a lot of attention, did some experimentation, to various issues discussed in this thread.
Issue 1 - rename backup file. With some care, the various things I've espoused on this topic (rename file and include a date) can actually be done on this version without the need to use a script: provided the rename occurs after the source drive has been chosen, BUT before the target drive is selected or even the execution command is issued (click on the backup now button). And when completed, the .tib file on the target has that new name in the single or several files that make it up, in addition to all the new full, sx, vx stuff. The attached marked up image of renaming a C_drive task on the x64 laptop [Acronis backup options_2 30nov15.jpg] shows this. This is the 2nd in a series, the 1st is part of the my partitions discussion (next).
Issue 2 - the default my partitions name. I always encountered this 'my partitions' default when backing up the C drive. Anna says that this default only occurs when several partitions are concurrently selected for backup. Accepting that some people may actually wish to do that - either several partitions together or a whole disk - for accuracy if a need to recover them later, this would seem to be a prime case where a fully descriptive name - via re-name - would be essential.
However, TI2016 seems to take a different approach with alternative installations of the C drive.
The 1st variation is on the x64 laptop. This image of the x64 laptop shows 2 drives as part of C - a system item which is NOT displayed by explorer but is displayed by Disk Director [x64 laptop acronis_backup_options_30nov15.jpg, and dd11_hp_disk_structure_20130630.jpg]. This is similar to the x86 laptop, so I haven't imaged it.
From my perspective, I want to backup the C drive - the OS. Which includes everything needed to boot the machine includung an MBR if that's necessary. But here, there seems to be a 100Mb system partition that's primary but hidden. An MBR isn't that big. But you can see how Ti2016 shows the partitioons and the name. So, I combine the two, and rename it as a C drive image (see rename item above).
The 2nd variation is the Desktop, and it comes in 2 flavours. This image of the backup source selection page illustrates what is happening [acronis_backup_options_3_30nov15.jpg and dd12_desktop_disk_structure_1_dec_15.jpg]. Here, there's no small unseen 'system' drive. That single 160gb WD drive is just for the C_drive OS. Depending on how I select the drive for backup, I get the file name as shown in the options 3 image, or by unclicking the disk box leaving just the C drive the filename is My Files, or if I unclick both, and then just click on the System64(C) partition, the backup file name is System64(C). It seems to be cyclic.
Conclusions. I'm happy that a manual rename can be effected prior to the backup beginning, which action can include a date, and the resulting new name sticks to the finished backup file.
Questions. And all of this leads to several questions
question 1 - what is that strange small unseen system partition on the laptops?
question 2 - why do some installations of the Windows OS present that small system partition and others eg the desktop don't?
question 3 - why does TI cycle between default file names when choosing variations of the C drive to be backed up?
Davidk
running ATI 2016 trail on Windows 10 and I can't find the scripts : c:\programdata\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts\.
I don't see program data. What I have Program Files and Program Files x(86)
Please advise and thank you.
This link should exist. You may have to enable seeing system files.
Open Explorer and start with C only and then look at all of the tree of C and you should find
C:\PROGRAM FILES
C:\PROGRAM FILES (x86)
C:\ProgramData
c:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts\
Hi GroveH,
Have a screenshot and really doesn't show.
You will need to change the File & Folder options to show hidden files and folders then the ProgramData folders will be visible. See the attached screen images for how to do so.
I've had this scripts thing referred to me before, but
1. on looking at them (see the attached screen shot) - there's is no language name for them - all hexadecimal numbers that mean absolutely zilch. And
2. most scripts will open with notepad. These just laugh at you - see the second attached screen shot - so without knowing the editing tool that's being used you are SOL.
Instead I found another way to rename the backup files. see my earlier post, dated 1 Dec 2015, the description at issue 1.
Davidk
David, If I am interpreting your comments correctly, yes, a fixed date can be easily added as part of the routine rename process. A fixed name is no different than any description. My examples uses a macro (@date@) so the date added to the tib file name task is the variable date of EACH backup--not a fixed date. My example shows each tib file carrying its own individual backkup date. Are we comparing "apples to apples". My posting above (and this forum) is a reference posting--not a question & answer posting. If you have questions about the program, I would suggest you start a new posting in the 2015 or 2016 forum.
GeorgieJr,
Is your equipment a Mac or apple related. If yes. My illustratations are not applicable.
My posting above (and this forum) is a reference posting--not a question & answer posting. If you have questions about the program, I would suggest you start a new posting in the 2015 or 2016 forum.
Sorry about posting on this reference. Thanks for the input and advise. Got a PC.
Hi Grover,
Not really interested in a pro and con debate. I'd posted about the difficulty of changing backup names and dates in 2016, as opposed to 2012 where that was pretty easy and the @date@ suffix to the name could be done by simply clicking on an option in a list. That capability was removed between 2012 and 2015. I appreciated your reference post at the time, but quickly found that I could not use it - an undefined tool so opening for edit was impossible, the macros found were not named in any cognisant fashion (all hex numbers) . . so altho there were nearly a dozen there, what operation they were for could not be determined, and I had to resort to alternative means: method 1 not workable, so resorted to method 2 which worked. The posting was simply a report of results.
I don't run a backup schedule or a macro to generically do backups, for 2 reasons:
1. For performance reasons (mentioned this elsewhere) I don't run anything else when the backup is running. ergo, not scheduled and performed manually when I know that condition to be true. Even then, with max priority, a whole of machine backup takes nearly 3 hours; and
2. the macro language that seems to be available (manual) now is referred to simply, and is largely undefined: there's no doco on functions, syntax or tool used to create/edit one, there are no examples of usage and as a result IMHO bloody impossible to use. So I don't. I've no doubt that a single macro per drive could produce what I want, but I like to be able to understand what it is that I'm doing.
And as a result every backup is unique. Not a problem, because I've been used to doing that - with Ghost, and now Acronis TI - for years. My issues with 2015/2016 were about naming and dating as a means of locating the right backup file for restoration in an terbyte-large archive which contains many such files dating back at least 1 year.
David.
I would concur with your last comments. The old method needs to be put back iinto the program. My initial posting above was to provide a temporary workaround for those who needed such flexability.
However, if you wish any of your comments to be read by Acronis personnel, you shouold send them to Acronis via the feedback link.
You have no assurance that Acronis will see what you have posted--their posted recommendation is to send feedback if you want them read.
Hi Grover,
I have indeed sent them feedback on this topic - just after I upgraded to 2016 last August and had a massive problem with bootable disks and restoration files which took an agent in the russian development centre and several remote access sessions to resolve. Peripheral to that effort was macros and naming backup files, on which I expressed myself (as above, politely but forcefully) to the resolution agent. So once that was all fixed - feedback: here it is. I have some hope that the @date@ capability will be restored in TI 2017 when its released later this year.
Mainly I posted here to provide the same sort of info to the forum readers . . . . which I've found useful many times on other subjects.
Davidk
You can batch truncate/rename file names through krojamSoft: BatchRenameFiles tool program.
You can batch truncate/rename file names through krojamSoft: BatchRenameFiles tool program.
SPAM - 1 post, created just a few days ago, to specifically post in a year old thread, that directs to a third party software company with no relation to Acronis or the actual problem in this thread. Other than the fact that you keyed in on "rename" so you could find this old thread, that tool will not help in any way, shape or form with renaming files associated with the Acronis that are stored in the Internal Acronis database.
I'll one-up you though Jankens. For anyone who needs to bulk rename a series of files NOT RELATED TO ACRONIS database files and .tibs, there is a free alternative to the one that Jankens came here to sell you and it does the job well. It is called Bulk Rename Utility and it's free for personal use.
Hey Gang. Does anyone know if it is possible to do the script editing trick for Acronis 2020?
There are no occurrences of "@task@" in my Acronis 2020 script when i do a search...just the name of the Archive itself "(C) Windows_10.tibx"
Any suggestions/advice greatly appreciated!
Thx!
