Does Acronis take account of deleted folders in differential backups?

If I make a full image, and then at a later date I delete folders and files from my PC, will those deletions be taken into account when I make a differential backup?

In other words, given that my main backup contains these subsequently deleted files & folders, if I later I make a differential backup after they've been removed from my PC, will an Acronis restore, pointing to the differential tib file, contain these deleted folders or not?

Thank you,

Martin

 

... I should have said that the reason I ask is that the deleted folders still show in the Acronis folder tree when I go through the restore process.

It's a bit worrying to think that I have spent hours working out files which need to be taken off my PC having made a umber of changes to its setup, and made a differential backup afterwards, but that all the junk I have got rid of would then be restored in any case. If this isn't the case, why are the deleted folders still shown in my differential backup? If it is the case, do I need to make a full backup then every time I delete a file or folder

Thanks again,

Martin

 

Hello Martin,

If you opt to restore from a differential (or incremental) image created after those files and folders had been deleted from your system then they will not be included in the restore.

Regards

 

Hello again Martin,

I guess you must have chosen the Files and Folder option to see the directory structure of the image?

When you get to the point where you can choose the restore point by the date/time of each image, make sure that you pick the differential created after the folder/files deletion.

I've just tested this and the results are shown in the Screenshots below.

Regards

 

Many thanks for the reply and the screenshots.

Both my original backup and the differential backup later, were both created using the file/folder option - mostly because the partition I'm backing up contains one folder with 25GBs of data, data that never changes and which I have on DVD-ROMs, so don't want to include in my .tib files - I don't see that I can exclude this folder with the full partition option.

I will check again, but I made a full backup a couple of days ago (folders/files option, as I say) and this morning a differential backup. I then went through a restore to get as far as the tree structure, pointing to the differential file - and the folders I had deleted were still there. Your screenshots suggest otherwise, so I am really mistified now! I'll double-check this, as I say.

Thanks again for the reply,

Martin

 

Gone back and checked this - the folders I deleted last night definitely show up in the folder tree of the differential file I made this morning. I'll try deleting the differential and making a new one, though I can't see that that will help.

How come you get a different result in your screenshots? I am very anxious to sort this out, so that my Acronis backup reflects the true state of my PC.

Martin

 

I was using the restore files and folders option option on Disk/Partition images, so there may be a difference. I will repeat the exercise for Files and Folders differential backups and report back.

Regards

 

Repeated the exercise - the folders I deleted yesterday are still there in the differential image I made 5 minutes ago.

Martin

 

O.K. Martin, here's how I see restoring from Files and Folders differentials working:

1. Create a Files and Folders full baseline image.
2. Create the 1st Files and Folders differential image.
3. Delete some files and/or folders (in my case folder 2006-04-24) and create a 2nd Files and Folders differential image.
4. Commence the restore process and select any one of the above 3 Files and Folder images.
5. In the Archive Date Selection window, select the 1st differential image (Screenshot 1).
6. In the Contents Selection window, directory tree Local Disk (C contains the contents of the full baseline image whilst Local Disk (C:\) contains the contents of the C: partition as it was when the 1st differential was created (Screenshot 2).
7. To restore the C: partition to the state that it was at the time the 1st Differential was created you need to untick the checkbox at the root of the directory tree and tick the Local Disk (C:\) checkbox. Expanding this tree shows the presence of folder 2006-04-24 (Screenshot 3).
8. To restore the C: partition to the state it was at the time the 2nd differential was created i.e. after deleting folder 2006-04-24, proceed through steps 3 to 7 but this time, at step 5, select the 2nd differential image instead of the 1st. Now when you expand the Local Disk (C:\) tree the 2006-04-24 folder doesn't appear (Screenshot 4).

Appols for the somewhat longwinded explanation but I felt it was the only way to make it clear.

Regards

 

Bit pushed for time right now. I'm going to save this thread to my hard drive and digest it a bit later. Will post back of course. Thank you...

M.

 

Hi again. I have gone through your step-by-step instructions with the screenshots, for which many thanks, and I pretty quickly come up against a problem....

I created a new folder on my C drive and put two subfolders into it, then made a main backup of that folder using the folders/files option (of course!). I added a third subfolder and made a 1st. differential backup. I then deleted folder No.1, leaving 2 & 3, and made a 2nd. differential backup. So far so good.

When I come to restore, in the Archive Selection window I pick any of the 3 images - here the last differential I made. In the Archive Date Selection window I select the first differential. I move on to the Contents Selection window - and now things do not look like they do in your screenshot 2. At the top of my tree is my 2nd. differential, Backup3.tib, as I have just chosen in the Archive Selection window. It doesn't matter which backup I chose in the Archive Date Selection window, I always get a tree for the file I select in the Archive Selection window.

Below Backup3.tib, whereas you seem to have three entries (screenshot 2 - your line No.6), I do not. I have one entry only 'Local Disc (C)', not one for each backup as you seem to have. Expanding the tree for that one entry takes me to my original backed up folder with the three subfolders in it - and there are three in there, as per my 1st. differential.

I hope you are following this OK!!

If I then go back to the Archive selection window and choose my full backup, not one of the subsequent differentials, then when I get to the tree view, my original subfolders show, 1 & 2. Fine. Choosing my 1st. differential in the Archive selection window shows subfolders 1, 2 & 3 in the tree, again as it should. But if I choose my last differential, I still get all 3 subfolders showing in the tree, not just 2 & 3 as I would have expected. Doesn't make any difference at all what I choose in the Archive Date Selection window - in fact this window in my setup seems to serve no purpose at all. And I nver see more than one entry in the Contents Selection window. (My 3 .tib files are all in the same place of course).

I hope that is clear. Have you I got the right version of Acronis (9 Build 2337)? Hope you can continue to help here, because as it is I clearly cannot
use Acronis to make reliable backups - at least not unless I make full backups every time.

Many thanks,

Martin

 

Something else - sorry this is getting long!!! I am beginning to suspect that my Acronis is not making differential backups at all. I made a 3rd. differential backup after posting the above. Then I deleted my 1st. and 2nd. differentials, leaving the full backup and the last one. Now Acronis won't restore at all - I get an error window ("Warning: W0004001 Please insert the media marked "Volume 3"). If I cancel I get the same window asking for voume 2. Isn't this what happens with an incremental backup? I am definitely choosing differential!!

And when I select Backup4.tib (my 3rd. differential) in Archive Selection, the pane on the right shows: 'This is volume 4 of a multivolume file archive Backup.tib'

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear ...

Martin

 

Hi again Martin,

Please log into your account at acronis.com and download Build 3567 of TI 9.0 Home. Uninstall Build 2337 via Windows Control Panel's "Add or Remove Programs" before installing the new build.

Build 3567 is a BIG improvement on previous builds, incorporating a completely new imaging engine, a number of bug fixes (although there are still a few minor ones remaining) and some worthwhile additional features. So, repeat the above exercise with the new build and let us know how you got on. With luck it will have sorted out this particular problem.

Regards

 

Good morning. That was a quick reply!!

The build I have came form the link given to me by Acronis when I bought v.9 just a couple of weeks back. I told them that I could not install the normal downloaded version as the laptop on which I wanted to install it has no internet connection - I always got to a registration section which would abort the installation when I couldn't connect to their website.

I'll try to find the latest build and try to install it, and post back.

All the best,

Martin

 

Installed the new build OK - but the problem is exactly as before.

I have e-mailed Acronis Support, with a copy of their report.exe file, but would still much appreciate any further ideas you might have.

Martin

 

Please confirm that you recreated all the Files and Folder images (full and differentials) using Build 3567? If you did, then I'm stumped .

Perhaps one of our other forum members could repeat the exercise I posted in #9 above and report back their results? Who knows, my interpretation of Files and Folders differential restore may well be incorrect .

Regards

 

Yes, I started from scratch. The crux of the problem seems to be that I don't get subfolders in my folder tree showing the different images I have made, original + differentials: I only ever get the one, and only ever shows additions (for instance, if I add a fourth subfolder and make yet another differential, that will show in the Acronis folder tree at a restore). No matter what I delete however, it stays put in the Acronis tree.

I've made fresh full backups of my partitions now and will have to do this in future until this is sorted out. It is a pain, because I back them up onto DVD and onto an external firewire drive, so it takes me quite a time all in all.

Very, VERY odd that I get this problem and you clearly do not....

Thanks again for all the input. If I get any solution throgh Acronis I'll surely let you know.

Martin

 

Hmm, I've been pondering over this for a while and the thought struck me that maybe the fact that my "baseline" F&F image was created using Build 2337, whilst the two differentials were created with Build 3567, had some bearing on the matter. So..., I decided to start again, this time using Build 3567 to create the baseline F&F image and the two F&F differentials. Guess what? Now when I open the 2nd differential for a F&F restore I only have the single Local Disk (C:\) folder and the 2006-04-24 folder is still there (see screenshot) - which is exactly the same problem that you reported .

I'm aware that the structure of image files has changed between Build 2337 and Build 3567 but why it should throw up the two different results is difficult to explain. Perhaps Build 3567 recognised that the original baseline F&F image was created in the old format and, instead of creating new differentials, rejected the old baseline and created new full F&F images instead. This would account for why the 2006-04-24 folder didn't appear in what was supposed to be 2nd differential but was, in fact, an additional full F&F image.

Anyway, the bottom line is, the Build 3567 files and folders restore function from Files and Folders differential images isn't working as we would expect i.e. no way should a deleted file or folder appear in a differential image created after the file/folder was deleted. Hopefully Acronis Support can throw a little light on this soon.

Regards

 

I did build the baseline image with the new build, so I don't think that that is the problem. Amazing (but consoling!!) that suddenly you get the same thing as I do!! Bear in mind though I have had this problem with both builds.

I have now made new baseline images and written them to DVDs and copied them to my external drives so I am OK to date. It would be good to get this sorted though in time for when I want to make a differential backup next, in a couple of weeks maybe.

I'll wait and see what Acronis support says,

Martin

 

Some confusion here I'm afraid Martin. The point I tried to make was, that, the reason I didn't see the problem initially was probably because my "baseline" Files and Folders image was created with the old build (2337) whilst the subsequent differentials were generated by the new (3567). As soon as the baseline and associated differentials were created by the same build (as in your case) the problem reared its ugly head. My theory for why I didn't experience the problem initially is that Build 3567 somehow got confused by the old Files and Folders baseline and therefore ended up creating full images each time instead of differentials. Hence reason for the two Local Disk directory trees (C: and C:\) and why the deleted folder didn't appear in the, so called, 2nd differential as demonstrated in Post #9 above.

Yes, it will be interesting to hear what Acronis Support have to say about Build 3567's inability to exclude previously deleted files or folders from subsequent Files and Folders differential images.

Regards

 

My fault - I didn't read your message closely enough!

M.

 

Menorcaman,

You mentioned above that Build 3567 has "a number of bug fixes (although there are still a few minor ones remaining)". I was wondering is there a list anywhere of the outstanding minor bugs? I've been running TI very happily for a year now and upgraded to 3567 today, so I'd be very interested to know of any issues I need to be careful of.

I hope this post is not considered to be butting in. If so, my apologies and please treat it with the contempt it deserves.

Regards,
Brian.

 

You are more than welcome to join us Brian!! I'll leave Menorcaman to answer your question though..

Martin

 

Thanks, Martin!

 

Hi Brian,

Well, apart from this one obviously (for which we are still awaiting Acronis Support comments), here are some other relevant links:

* <Restore just boot.ini>. No comment yet from Acronis Support.
* <Build 3567 - Unnecessary Verification?>.
* <Build 3567: Apparent debris in registry from earlier builds>.
* <Build 3567: Acronis TI Backup Image Explorer>.
* <Problem with Differential Backups>.

This is probably not a definitive list of general bugs as I, for one, haven't carried out a full systematic test of the new build (too busy getting ready for our summer visitors ). However, I guess it will do to be getting on with .

Regards