Suddenly unable to make additional differential
ATI Home 2009
One full backup and four differentials. Differentials are produced in the one-week periods.
All these always placed by imaging task on the Z: partition.
However, each image always additionally copied to DVD media.
Now I am going to generate new differential but the process fails.
Message like following comes up
"Insert the last archive volume for appending the backup incrementally.
Appending the backup incrementally is not possible because the drive is empty or is not ready.
Insert media with the last volume then press Retry to continue.:
Retry/Cancel: User replied: Cancel"
Recently (yet before encountering the problems as above)
I did perform a verification of last differential's copy on DVD.
The DVD reader is always mapped to H: drive.
If to look at properties of last differential (Backup & Restore >> Manage & Restore)
one can see this differential was placed on H: Not on Z: as all remaining images
from this family. Not on Z: as expected.
From this point of view the generated error message is plausible.
chkdsk /f /r performed shortly before. It fixed some errors.
Manual and scheduled task affected.
Files of all backup images (full and several differentials still there on Z:. They are NOT gone!)
Is this really the reason of current problems?
Why suddenly TI thinks the last differential was placed on H: ?
The imaging task is placing all images on Z:
How to recover from this situation?
However, each image always additionally copied to DVD media.
I am not sure I can help but can you explain a little more how this is achieved or the methods used to achieve the copy onto DVD?
In 2011, there is the backup option "backup reserve copy". Is this the function you using? If yes, it the DVD the first or the reserve?
Or are you simply using your burner to copy/burn the original copy onto the DVD?
Will you full backup fit onto one DVD?
Does the differentials always fit on one DVD?
A chkdsk may need additional runs when there a lot of errors.
Maybe run it again and confirm that you are getting zero errors.
The results are posted in the Windows events viewer info messages.
chkdsk x: /f /r
TI has been reported to occasionally to have trouble with mapped drives. Sometimes the full computer path works better.
Thanks for all your hints.
I am quite sure that the placement of last differential on H: instead of on Z: as expected is the reason here.
I am quite sure I didn't perform any image movement from Z: to H: through ATI GUI.
These images on DVD. All them are copies of images being always stored by ATI on special partition.
So the ATI places all images on that partition.
As soon as this operation is complete (backup/image process completes)
the user creates a copy of each image file on DVD media.
Just by burning that file to DVD.
The ATI feature to create a image copy on dvd never used.
Up to now particular full neededs always two DVD, not more.
Up to now particular differentials need one DVD, not more.
Chrizio,
Did you validate the image on the DVD? This would import the corresponding image in ATI and also could explain what this backup is tracked as H:
Yes, I did it.
I did start the validation of backup image made manually on DVD.
As signalled in other thread:
18925: Image copies placed by other means on two additional media - verification
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/18925
Any recovery possible now?
I am not quite clear on how your got there, but there are 3 possible scenarios:
- if you do your backups on the Z partition, and you are OK continuing to do so, validate your backups there. This will be your partition for recovery, unless Z is unavailable (hopefully Z is an external disk),
- if you copy manually using Windows explorer your Z: archives on DVD, no issue. Do not validate these copies. If you do, ATI will import these a new backups in its interface and start tracking them. ATI might get confused about where the backups should be and that might create some issues. For example, ATI is capable of tracking that a full has been done on Z: and that incrementals are stored on DVD. When you do a new differential, ATI assumes that the new destination is DVD... The *key* problem with ATI's approach is that this management is not a closed loop. There is no way to resynchronize the database with reality. So if it diverges, it will continue diverging. If you think this is the case, restart your backups from a fresh chain, validate on Z and make sure you don't validate your manual safe copies with ATI.
- if you use ATI to leverage DVDs in addition to Z: backups, you have 2 options (a) you do reserve copies. Reserve copies are always full backups so it might not be convenient (b) you use the move command to move your backup from Z to DVD. From now on, ATI will continue the backup on the DVDs. I don't recommend this since a part of your backup versions might be on Z and the other part on DVDs... (c) you change the destination of the backup by changing the backup settings. Same thing as b, but with additional risk that a particular backup chain might be broken between Z: and DVDs.
What I do is that I do my backups on an external disk, and I additional sync the archives on another disk from time to time that I take to the office as a backup of the backup. I don't want to deal with DVDs because it is not practical to burn 10's of DVDs on a regular basis.
Thanks a lot for new background informations.
Do you think all that know-how is documented in ATI users manual or somewhere else, e.g. in KB?
It is a pity to be informed after facts is arisen.
Do you know, I have an idea then, based on your input.
I could now manually copy the image file from DVD to the image/backup files partition then to validate it.
ATI should update this DB as you are figuring it out.
Do you think it will work?
I won't start with this atttemp without feedback from you.
Thanks a lot once again!
By the way, I am very happy with my imaging/backing-up procedure.
chrizio,
It would be interesting if you would post your archives.xml file. Mine is located in the path below. As this file can be edited in Notepad, maybe some changes are possible.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Database\archives.xml
Pat L,
Nice catch on about the validation of the DVD changing the path inside the database. You post nice clear explanations of options.
Chrizio,
I would rather suggest you continue backing up on Z, and validate your backup regularly there.
Then, from time to time, do a backup on DVD manually (set up a new task with a new name, even if the content is the same) and validate it separately as well.
Well, I did adopted archives.xml.
This helped to achieve a success. Thanks to GroverH.
Going back to my last statements. Now I know more. It was not necessary to do back copy from DVD to the images/backups partition. Just starting the validation of differential placed on Z: had to be sufficient enough. Why?
Because validation of manual copy on DVD theoretically hadn't have any need to manipulate the image file on Z:. Otherwise it would be a big mistake in the concept (imho).
ATI has to update the DB to Z: similarly as it did it while validating image on H:.
I was just force to search for new solution ways because PatL said previously "There is no way to resynchronize the database with reality." Now, we all know, it is not the case. And it is well this way. Good for me at least.
I decided for validation by ATI of copy on DVD because the burning process running in unattended mode didn't leave any logs, if succeed or not.
I am not going to use ATI's own feature of burning additional copies on any media. At least in short and long terms.
Once again, I am very happy with my procedure.
Anyhow, thank you very much for your support guys.