Differential Backups

As a new user, can I please get clarification on a few points? 1. When I do differential backups, I have been starting with a complete backup of "My Computer", which is labeled as "My Backup.tib" In the next sequential differential backups I then list the "Backup Archive Location" as that same initial backup. And I end up with another file (new date) with the same name. And with several differential backups I end up with several files of the same name but different dates. My questions are: 1. Am I doing this correctly? 2. Were I to need to do a Recovery, which file do I recover from: the first and last, or which? 3. Do I need to keep each of these backup files, or only the first and last, and delete the others? 4. In doing a complete recovery, do I recover all of the system files etc. so that the system will run as well as it did before: i.e. is Windows Vista Home Premium totally restored, as well as all of the apps, data, images, etc.?

Thanks

kdoc

 

As an "old" User of Acronis True Image I think you have listed most of the reasons why I have always made full images and completely ignored differential and Incremental images. Sorry - I am completely unable to answer any of your questions and can only ask why do you want to make differential ? why not just keep it simple and stick with full images ? then when you need to restore you will
have little difficulty.

 

I agree with the "Full Backups Only" philosophy. Large hard drives are cheap enough nowadays.

 

Hi,
I fully agree with the full backup policy.
I don't bother with differential and incremental backups.

 

Yup, full backups is always the best way to go. I've been doing full system Backups since Drive Image 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 Pro, 4.0 and Now Acronis 9.0 Home and have always prefered full system backup.

Just my 2 cents.
Patrick

 

OK: I hear you. And about the question--will a full backup allow a complete restore, operating system, apps, etc. completely--in vista home prem?

kdoc

 

The responders did forget one compelling reason to do incremental backups, and not always full backups: you accidentally deleted a valuable file three days ago, and you'd like to get it back. Unfortunately, your only backup is 24 hours old and, and does not have the file you deleted 72 hours ago. If you had incremental backups, you'd be able to go back and find that restore point with missing file. Windows Shadow copies won't help either, because it won't keep a shadow copy of a file you manually deleted, only CHANGES to a file that still exists.

Imagine maintaining tens of thousands of photo or music files, not uncommon nowadays, moving them to different drives, network servers, etc. It's likely at some point you will lose a file or two (or twenty) in mass movements.

I agree full backups are simple, fast, and drive space is no longer a problem. But that beg sthe question: there should be a way to consolidate incremental/differential backups over time, to automatically recreate a full backup while keeping incrementals from a week or two ago. Norton Ghost has a way to consolidate backups, and automatically delete old restore points when your drive fills up. I'm looking through the forum to find out how acronis does this, since I can't really get to individual restore points in the Secure Zone area. I'm guessing they do automatic consolidation, deletion or splitting, since that is how they handle most other problems.

 

kdoc

If you have one full and six differentials the directory in TI9 ( didn't go to 10) would be My Backup.tib, My Backup2.tib, My Backup3.tib, etc. These would be overwritten weekly if you have the task setup for weekly full imaging. All files on the drive are imaged so all system files, etc are there.

Save all the differentials and full backup. The full must never be deleted and with the differentials you click on any one of them and the full and that day will be restored. This means with a full week of one full and 6 differentials you could restore to any one day of the week. If you have a problem you may want to go back to an earlier day to ensure you don't restore it but then mount a later image to restore any newer data files.

 

I keep some ten to eleven days worth of full backup images in a secure zone on an internal secondary drive.
The zone stores them by date and time and it is easy to mount any one of them. "lost" files can then be found and be copied to the current drive with no problems.
Image creation happens by schedule when I am away from the computer.

Xpilot

 

Only backup is 24 hours old ? Back to basics here I think. No one should ever have only one back up nor should it be stored in only one place and only on one media type. Make multiple full images to be stored in multiple locaations using different media types and there is no compelling reason to make incremental backups.

@Kdoc - will a full backup allow complete restore ...... in vista. Again sorry - although I have vista business it is not in my opinion a finished usable stable product so I have not used Acronis to restore BUT I have a number of machines with windows Xp on C: date on F: and make daily full images and can easily restore to both. C: often gets restored several times a day when testing new software. F: rarely gets restored - only when reinstalling a complete machine. Mounting images allows for the restoration of the odd lost file - no need to restore everything.

 

OK, all is becoming more clear. But just for clarity: what is "mounting images", or "mount any one of them"?

Also, if you've got a full backup, and you're just looking for some files, are they easily available? Is there a place in the wizard, where you can pick through the folder structure and find a few things you're looking. for?

And a related question: do you all bother with doing a "Validate" when you backup?

And finally: For my photographic images (serious amateur photographer), I'm just copying and pasting them onto a hard drive, and not keeping them via Acronis: any comments on this practice?

kdoc

 

Acronis allows you to restore the a full image. You have a damaged C: for example and a good image. First Acronis deletes C: completely then it restores the good copy from the image. If you only want to restorefor excample one file you mount the image. Using Acronis 10 I would click right mouse on the image
and then the word mount. Try this out -- you will end up with vitual drive which should alow you to access, copy and paste ANY file.

Keeping photo files on another drive using copy and paste is a great idea. The more copies the better. Using different copy methods also allows for one type to fail. Having backps/copies in different places allows on site to burn down. Using different media ........