Will this Restore latest Data Libraries after older Full Restore? (WIN7/SP1 & latest TrueImage 2020 upddate)

Paul, welcome to these public User Forums.

What type of backup files are you referencing in this scenario?

Are these Disks & Partitions backup files or are they Files & Folders backups?

What type of recent unidentifiable system problems are you hoping to resolve by the proposed actions?  How old is the Full Backup you are looking to restore initially?

Final question at this point: where are your data libraries stored?  Are these all located in the default C:\Users\ folder path structure or are they in a different location?

To put the last question in context.  I always move the default data libraries off my C: drive to a separate partition so as to avoid this type of scenario if I need to recover the OS.  Then I make separate backups of those data libraries on a different schedule to the OS as indicated by the degree of change that is occurring.

To relocate a data library, open the Properties page for the library, then look at the Location tab where you will see an option to Move the location.
Note: I have moved by data to my G: drive which is second partition on the OS SSD drive.

I have done the same for other data libraries too.

Many thanks for your comprehensive reply, Steve. 

I'm not sure how to tell whether it's Disk/Partition or File & Folders, but I think it's the latter. When I set Backups the Acronis page is headed "File backup options" (I do a weekly backup of my C: drive to my D:drive, at 2:30 am) . I don't recall trying to set anythig to do with disks or partitions). 

In reply to your question about "Recent unidentifiable system problems"

SUMMARY: My PC often hangs, usually after saving a picture off the web. (Detail below - probably more than you want to know): 

I have a choice of Full backups, every 5 weeks going back some months, with incremental backups between.

Problems became frequent in late January, but some of my more recent efforts to solve the problem (Disk Clean, updating the video driver, running Chkdsk: /F, reinstalling Firefox, Chrome, Skype and C-Cleaner) have created some newer problems, like "LoadLibrary Error 998" on rebooting, and possibly related to Symantec stopping updating virus definitions, so I plan to Restore from around mid-Jan to get round these more recent problems.

At present I can live with all this if I don't try to save pictures. 

I take your point about saving libraries on a different drive. At present they're on the same drive (C: is a 1Tb SSD; my D: drive, where I save the Acronis backups is a standard 3TB HDD.  I did lose my D: drive a year ago so was wary about putting all my libraries there.   

Again thanks - Paul

DETAIL

For some months I’ve noticed my overworked WIN7 PC freezing (64bit Home Premium with SP1 installed, dual monitors), and recently realised it happens when trying to save images off web-sites, (and once recently it hung in the early morning when I’d left it on for Windows Media Center to record TV.)

When saving images, it starts with the Save taking more than the usual brief instant, and as I click on other files that were already open, many of them start to hang too. I might be able to save a few, but eventually everything else is frozen. I can do Alt-Tab once or twice, then that also freezes.

The mouse still moves, but turns into the cycling blue donut over some areas of the screen and some files are greyed out, others are just a bare outline of the window frame.

The HDD status light blinks only occasionally, roughly once every 4 to 16 seconds (single blinks only).

The system tray Clock is frozen.

If I try Ctrl-Alt-Del to raise the task manager, screen sometimes goes black and after a while gives me the usual Can’t Open Crtrl-Alt-Del message: 

Failure to display security and shut down options. The logon process was unable to display security and logon options when CTRL+ALT+DELETE was pressed. If the operating system does not respond, press ESC or restart the computer by using the power switch. 

I then press Esc to get back to the same situation as before trying Ctrl-Alt-Del.

The machine stays frozen overnight, so it’s not a matter of patiently waiting for it to clear – at least, not within a reasonable time.

Eventually I lose patience and hold down the power button to force closure and restart in Safe Mode before logging back on normally and saving any interrupted files.

As I don’t recall when this all started – only occasionally some months ago, but more frequent recently, I can’t pin it to any new installed software.

However, the one thing that doesn’t appear to be interrupted is that Windows Media Center continues to save any programme it was already saving onto an external HDD (but it won't start any programme already scheduled to be saved after the freeze starts).

Any advice/suggestions as to how to try to track down the possible sources of the freeze-problem gratefully received. Thank you

Paul, thanks for the answers / further information.

Am I correct that this is all related to your Win 7 64-bit PC?

Next, it is very important to know if you have a Disks & Partitions backup!  This is because you cannot recover your Win 7 OS using only a Files & Folders backup image!

How much free space is available on your drive C: 1TB SSD?  If there is sufficient free space to create a Data partition to allow you to move that data out of your C: partition?

If you double-click on one of your main backup .tib files in Explorer, what do you see when you click through the initial Backup file?

You need to be seeing several drive type icons for C, System Reserved or EFI, and Recovery to show that you have a Disk backup that you could use to recover your Win 7 OS from to an earlier date.

The image below is from one of my older Win 7 (32-bit) PC's that backs up to my NAS.

Steve, Again thanks.

This is all related to my Win 7 64-bit PC.

Almost half of my 894 GB SSD C: drive, i.e. 422GB, is still free.

However, while I must defer to your experience, I am puzzled by your statement that "you cannot recover your Win 7 OS using only a Files & Folders backup image!"

First: My reading of the Acronic 2020 manual, p. 17, is that I have done an "Entire PC backup" (text copied in at the end of this message, some parts bolded).   

Second: I've dbl-clicked one of my Full files (coincidentally, like yours, a b6) 

     MyBackup_full_b6_s1_v1.tib

Windows Explorer breaks it down to:

(icon) Backup (date details)

   C:

       (Folders from):

       AMD 

             to...

       Windows

                Addins

                   to ....

                winsxs

...which to my untutored eye looks like the Windows OS files (??)

Additionally, the Acronis Backup screen for my last (incremental) backup shows overall 410 GB to recover, of which 29.4 GB is indicated to be system files, which is a litle more than most web-sources say WIN7 needs.

I shall understand if you prefer not to pursue this further, but will remain grateful for responses to date, especially your suggestion to relocate the data libraries. 

Best regards - Paul

Text from Acronis 2020 Manual

How do I create a backup of my computer?
You have two options to protect your system:
 Entire PC backup (recommended)
Acronis True Image backs up all your internal hard drives in disk mode. The backup contains the operating system, installed programs, system settings, and all your personal data including your photos, music, and documents. Refer to Backing up all data on your PC (p. 19) for details.
 System disk backup
You can choose to back up your system partition or the entire system drive. Refer to Backing up disks and partitions (p. 44) for details.
We do not recommend using nonstop backup as a primary way to protect your system, because the main purpose of this technology is protection of frequently changed files. For the safety of your system, use any other schedule. See examples in Examples of custom schemes (p. 61). Refer to Using Acronis Nonstop Backup (p. 37) for more details about the Nonstop Backup feature.
To back up your computer:
1. Start Acronis True Image 2020.
2. On the sidebar, click Backup.
If this is your first backup, you will see the backup configuration screen. If you already have some backups in the backup list, then click Add backup.
3. Click the Backup source icon, and then select Entire PC.
If you want to back up your system disk only, then click Disks and partitions, and then select your system partition (usually C:) and the System Reserved partition (if any).
4. Click the Backup destination icon, and then select a storage place for the backup (see recommendation below).
5. Click Back up now.

Paul, if you are only seeing your C: drive contents for your backup image, then this will be missing vital system files, including those used for the Windows Registry etc.

If you attempt to restore back a Files & Folders backup then it would probably result in an unbootable Windows system!

I would suggest creating a new Disks & Partitions backup of your Win 7 PC as it is today then compare the difference between that backup and your current one of just Files & Folders.

KB 63239: Acronis True Image 2020: how to back up entire computer

KB 63252: Acronis True Image 2020: how to back up files or disks

Steve,

I've been looking into this whole approach in case the steps I'm taking currently don't work out.

Even if they do work out, I will try your suggestion at some point as I clearly don't fully understand the Acronis manual. 

Nevertheless, I'm marking it as solved.

Again thanks - Paul