hiberfil.sys not excluded

When I set up my Options, I excluded hiberfil.sys from the backup.

But it was in fact included in the backup I just ran.

I didn't put any path, but rather just the file name.

Why was it still backed up?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

I'm not sure that it is physically backed up. It might work a little like the pagefile, where TI puts a placeholder marker in the tib file -which is not the actual file but a bit like a post-it note saying this goes here and is yeah big.

Colin

 

Colin:

So how do I tell? 'Cause I sure don't need any 2gig file in the backup that I can re-create in a click!

Chuck

 

Chuck,

I can only think of two ways. Note I haven't checked this out myself.

1. See how large the image is using normal or no compression - check this against what Windows reports as the 'used' amount of space on your drive.

2. If you have enough RAM (512Mb min), temporarily disable the hibernation file or pagefile and see if the image size differs by a significant amount.

3. Yes I've just thought of a third possibility - try mounting the image and see if the hiberfil.sys is actually listed in Windows Exploderer and what size it reports.

Colin

 

Colin:

I had the space, so I:

restored hiberfil.sys from the backup to an alternate location -- and it worked.

So I guess it IS there, and the question then remains:

how come?

Chuck

 

Just use the full pathname and then maybe it will work or if there are no other files with that name:

 

Hi Chuck,

As Colin has indicated, I have always understood that TI creates small placeholders in the image representing the Hiberfile and Pagefile. These contain a few bytes of data about their size and location but not their content (unless of course you choose not to exclude them when doing a Files & Folders backup). Hopefully Acronis Support will chip in and correct me if my understanding wrong.

Regards

 

Menorcaman:

That would make perfect sense, but then why would it restore like it did? Just allocating space since it was / is "empty" anyway?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

Not really.

If restoring from within Windows, one cannot restore many system files.

If you install to an alternate location, you are likely just getting a placeholder file with the same name as to real file.


In any case, no point in speculating, as Acronis support should easily be able to answer the question.

Of course, not thaw Acronis has moved to Massachusetts, they be distracted by the annual re-enactment of the battle of Lexington, etc. this weekend.

 

You do not have to exclude hiberfil.sys.
Accordin to th euser's guide, the file is not backed up.
You are likely seeing a placeholder, as is also done for each swapfile.

 

Hi again Chuck,

If you restored an image of a system that had been using a Hiberfile and/or a Pagefile without also restoring the appropriate placeholders then my guess is Windows would throw a wobbly when you rebooted and it found that the Hiberfile and/or Pagefile wasn't there (notwithstanding that if they were there they would be empty).

Regards

 

A number of users had requested the capability to backup the hiberfil.sys file. The Note in Chapter 3 Section3.1 of TI 9.0 Home User's Guide regarding exclusion of hiberfil.sys and pagefile.sys is indented under the paragraph that talks about Disk and Partition imaging. Therefore, it could be inferred that the hiberfil.sys file would be included in a Files & Folders image unless specifically excluded.

Still, as you said above, this would be easy enough for Acronis Support to confirm or refute.

 

Any pagefile you restore is replaced when you reboot.

hiberfile would be used during the reboot, so that might cause a problem, but I expect that if a hiberfile is invalid/corrupt/whatever, windows woul just bot as if the hiberfile did not exist, as there is no corrective action that could be taken.

 

Menorcaman / Howard:

Being a little slow, you guys have lost me now.

All I was trying to do is remove an inconsequential *2 gig* file from my backup.

Whether IO should or should not is the next step.

What I was and am wondering is, if I mark it for exclusion, why is it (apparently) NOT excluded, but rather backed up anyway?

 

Chuck,

I assume we have been talking about File & Folder images? Even if you mark the hiberfil.sys for exclusion, TI will still include a dummy placeholder for it (consisting of a few bytes) in the backup image. When subsequently restored, this will then create an empty hiberfil.sys of the correct size and in the right location in order to keep Windows happy.

Regards

 

Menorcaman:

Well, I guess that answers that and at the same time doesn't solve my "goal" of shrinking my image.

I have 22g of 40 that are filled, and my image is 12g. I had hoped...

Oh well...

Thanks, Menorcaman.

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

Actually, it makes no sense to even backup a placeholder for either type of file.

If restoring while Windows is running, you cannot restore the pagefile anyway.

If restoring from the recovery CD, it is pointless to restore a pagefile, as the critter will be recreated upon reboot.

And the hiberfil is useful only as of a point in time, backing up even a placeholder is pointless.

I have not used hibernation in many years, but Windows will create the needed file at shutdown

 

>>
And the hiberfil is useful only as of a point in time, backing up even a placeholder is pointless.

<<

MY point exactly. So why is it (seemingly) backed up even though I specifically said not to do so?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

Menorcaman :

Actually I was talking about partition/disk images.

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

Hi Chuck,

The default option to include/exclude source files (accessed via Tools > Options > Source files exclusion) only kicks in for Files & Folders images. With Disk & Partition images TI would only ever save placeholders for hiberfil.sys and/or pagefile.sys and you would never have the option of including the actual content of the hiberfil.sys file. Hence, when you said "marked the hiberfil.sys file for exclusion" I assumed you were talking about Files & Folder imaging.

Regards

 

Menorcaman:

>>
when you said "marked the hiberfil.sys file for exclusion" I assumed you were talking about Files & Folder imaging.
<<

I may be, but I didn't know that to be the case.

I went to Tools / Options / Default backup Options / Source File Exclusions, and, using "Exclude Files Matching the Following Criteria" I stipulated hiberfil.sys.

This is only active for Files and Folders? It makes sense if I think about it, but no, I didn't know it.

Regards,
Chuck Billow

 

If you don't have a need for hiberantion, then this can be switched off under Windows.

control panel\power options\hibernation tab

Colin

 

Colin:

I do use hibernation, but you are right: I can turn it off prior to imaging and the hiberfil.sys gets gone, and then put it back when I'm done.

Thanks,
Chuck

 

Yes, but that does not fix the problem you reported.

 

Personally, I don't think there was a problem other than, perhaps, an initial misunderstanding about the way TI deals with the hiberfil.sys file when Disk & Partition imaging or Files & Folders imaging.