Can't save .ost files.
Hi.
I would save the .ost files which are located in C:\users\user\AppData\Local\Microsost\Outlook folder
In Acronis True Image 2018, I've added the entire Outlook folder.
But today, after the last backup, only the RoamCache folder is saved, not the .ost file.
Can you please help me ?
Thanks a lot.
Stéphane
If you have ATI 2019 it is possible to backup outlook files that are associated with a Microsoft user account - this is done directly between the Acronis cloud server and the Microsoft server. It only works with Office 365 (personal). It can backup all files associated with the account including OneDrive. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts you can separately activate the process for each account. (My ISP uses Microsoft servers for email and a Microsoft account is created for each email address.)
From what I can work out you get this capability with all versions of Acronis 2019 not just those with Cloud storage included.
Ian
Steve.
Thank you for your reply. I think the best solution is to modify the registry key ... and check occasionaly if Microsoft Updates has not restored the original registry key setting.
Do you agree with this choise ?
Best regards.
Stéphane
Hi Ian.
Thank you for this information.
Unfortunately, I don't use a Microsoft User Account. But I will remember this :-)
Best regards.
Stéphane
Thank you for your reply. I think the best solution is to modify the registry key ... and check occasionaly if Microsoft Updates has not restored the original registry key setting.
Do you agree with this choise ?
Stéphane, I would say that switching the snapshot method for your backup task would be much safer than modifying the Windows registry files. The key disadvantage of touching the registry apart from the obvious risk to Windows, is that the change could be reversed at any time by Microsoft releasing a new update.
Changing to the Acronis snapshot for the task should work fine.
Hi Steve.
Thank you for your reply.
So I applied your recommendation, but only for data backups. For the system backup, I stayed on "VSS" because if I understood correctly the information that you indicated to me, there could be problems of restoration if the backup is not done in "VSS" mode.
Do you confirm that ?
Best regards.
Stéphane
For the system backup, I stayed on "VSS" because if I understood correctly the information that you indicated to me, there could be problems of restoration if the backup is not done in "VSS" mode.
Stéphane, VSS (or any snapshot) method is only used for backup or cloning, not during the restore or recovery process. For a system restore / recovery, this should be done using the bootable Acronis Rescue Media without Windows being involved at all.
Hi Steve.
I was taking about backup, not restoration.
If I kept the "VSS" option for the system backup, it's because of what was written here: https://kb.acronis.com/node/59440 (a link you gave me)
" VSS
This is the only recommended option for backing up your system. Your computer may not start after recovery from a backup created with a different snapshot type.
This option is default for disk-level and the Entire PC backups and guarantees the data consistency in the backup."
Do you agree with that ?
Best regards.
Stéphane
Stéphane, yes, using VSS for creating a system backup is needed though I have not heard of any issues doing a recovery if the older Acronis snapshot method was used - this was the default method in older versions of ATI (2014 and earlier), but I expect that Acronis wrote this warning in the KB document for a reason, so best to observe what it says!
I believe I have the solution to the issue of not being able to backup the OST files with Acronis True Image. My PC uses Windows 11 and ATI 2020. Some have suggested removing a key in the registry but that is not reliable as the key will get restored on the next Windows update. Plus, those files are locked when Outlook is open. I tried HOBOCOPY and a few other suggestions but they were not consistently reliable. I run all my backups in the middle of the night so shutting down Outlook if it’s open is of no consequence. There is a command to reopen it back up but I don’t bother with that.
The following is my solution and it works every time. This negates issues with using VSS, etc. because of the OST restrictions in Windows.
Place the following command in the “Pre-command” box in the “Advanced” tab under “Disk backup options”. Check off the “Use custom commands” and then click “Save” after entering the following:
taskkill/im outlook.exe
xcopy C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\*.ost "Y:\OUTLOOK eMail recovery stuff\LATEST OUTLOOK RECOVERY FILES\*.*" /Y /Q
xcopy C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\RoamCache\Stream_Autocomplete* "Y:\OUTLOOK eMail recovery stuff\LATEST OUTLOOK RECOVERY FILES\*.*" /Y /Q
The ”taskkill” command is used to shut down Outlook if it’s open. It needs to be closed so the OST files are not locked. I also have included an “xcopy” command to back up the “Stream_Autocomplete” file because that file is reset if you ever do a restore from a backup. The procedure and reason to restore this file in Outlook is discussed elsewhere online. The “/Y” argument is used to suppress the need to answer the overwrite warning and the “/Q” is used to suppress screen output during the script execution. I saved the files in the “LATEST OUTLOOK RECOVERY FILES” folder. Use a different location if desired.