increment backup query

This is my very first post,i bought true image 8 last week and made a full image backup,last night i thought i would do an incremental backup,(i have used a second HDD on my pc), it worked fine,my query is, there are now two backups on the drive, if i need to re-install from this drive which backup would i use? the full backup, or the incremental backup, thanks in advance,Tom.

 

Re: increment bakup query

Tom, you use both.

The Full Backup is exactly that - a backup of your data/system at the specific point in time that you created it. The Incremental Backup contains only the changes to your data/system since the Full Backup (or if there are more than one incremental backups since the last incremental backup).

When you need to restore the backup you can choose any backup in the series. TI writes information into each backup which relates to its position in the series. TI will sort out the sequence.

WARNING :
Always test your backups by restoring them to a TEST PARTITION and NOT the partition where they originated from.

 

Re: increment bakup query

Snipped.

As Tom is using a full disk backup would this really work? A restoration to a replacement HD would definitely prove the imaging/restore process. I have never tried to restore a whole disk image to a partition so perhaps I am missing something.

Xpilot

 

Re: increment bakup query

One question more in connction with above post, please:
I have three backup files of partition C\ ( XP Pro)- in partition D\ where I have my Archived files.
The beckups are:- MyBeckup1....4.134,304 KB
-MyBeckup2.......955,167 KB and
-MyBeckup3....3.007,247 KB
____________________________________
Total: 7,77 GB
created as incremental beckups.
In WINXP properties used space for WINXP(C is only 5,42 GB.
I am expecting that those two data should match each other- why is this big differnce between them.
If I understood well, you suggest to create one additional partition as "TEST"one, before doing any Restore.

 

Re: increment bakup query

It will work if :

- the Test Partition has sufficient space
- the source image was of a single partition
- the MBR is excluded from the restore

However, on reconsidering, based on the content of Tom's post then I think it is safe to assume that Tom may have limited experience. In lieu of that then I agree with your observation.

Tom,

If you have a spare disk then do a TEST RESTORE to that disk rather than to a separate partition.

Tks to Xpilot for the feedback

 

Re: increment bakup query

Reply to Horn :

Did you defrag the disk between MyBeckup2 and MyBeckup3? If you did that is the reason for the difference. You should always create a full backup archive after you have run defrag.

You should NEVER do a test restore back to the source. If the restore fails (e.g. the archive is corrupt) you will lose everything. You should have a separate partition where you test restore your data files. A separate disk is the best option when you want to test restore your system.

Does that make sense? If not come back to the Forum.

 

Re: increment bakup query

thankyou very much for your replies, sorry i was called away, i have a spare 40g drive which i have used for my backups of the main drive, how do i do a test restore to that drive? thanks tom.

 

Re: increment bakup query

Hello tabvla,
Thanks for your reply m'8.
Yes I defragment C:\ drive.
So I have to delete actual backups and create a new one.
One Q more please:
In case of necessity which program I have to use to repear or restore C:\ drive using a/m backup files-True Image Server or Disk Director Suite.
Thanks once again for your patiente and time

 

Re: increment bakup query

My personal view is that today hard disks are very inexpensive. You can buy a good quality SATA disk for something around £0.20 ($0.35) per gigabyte - or about 5GB for the price of a cup of coffee

An ideal setup for a home computer may be something like this:-

Disk #1 - Partition_1 : System & Programs. .. Partition_2 : Data

Disk #2 - Mirror image of Disk #1. (Stored in a locked fireproof cabinet)

Disk #3 - Disk in external USB housing. Partition 1 : Backups. .. Partition 2 : Test Restore area for data images

To avoid having to open the PC and fiddle around with the wiring, ideally Disk #1 should be housed in a quick-release rack & caddy housing.

Your procedure then is as follows:

1. Using TI create images of the Disk #1 partitions and store these on Disk #3

2. Shutdown and swap Disk #1 with Disk #2

3. Start up and boot using the Acronis Linux CD

4. Restore the images onto Disk #2

5. Boot back into Windows using Disk #2 - which now becomes your working disk

6. Store Disk #1 in the locked fireproof cabinet

7. Repeat this procedure once a month

The advantage of the above is that:

• You don't need to verify images as the restore becomes the verification
• You always have a completely tested working backup system disk immediately available
• You have 3 instances of your data which means that it is unnecessary to have CD/DVD copies
• The process is quick and easy
• If it is a family PC then you don't need to worry too much about what your kids are going to do when you are not watching

NOTE :

The above applies to a home PC but the principle could be easily extended to the Home Office PC or the Small Business environments. The main difference in these situations would be that you would separate your system and data onto separate disks or you may incorporate more sophisticated (and much more expensive!!) technologies like NAS.

 

Re: increment bakup query

Reply to Horn...

True Image is used for all your Backup and Restore processes

Disk Director is used for partitioning and booting into multiple OS's

When you restore a system disk you need to understand how the disk geomety, the Boot Manager and the OS work together. It is time well spent to read those sections in the User Guide that deal with these subjects.

 

Re: increment bakup query

I will now have to see if my interleaved comments result in a readable post or not!
Xpilot.

 

Re: increment bakup query

Hello tabvla,
Thaks for explanations.
Deleted old backups and created the new one ( full backup ), but now the size of this Mybackup file is only 2,637,575 KB and the real size of C:\ drive is 5,41 GB.
Is this O.K. or wrong , please.

 

Posted by Horn....

That depends on a number of factors such as...

* The compression factor. If you set TI for maximum compression then that takes longer but your resultant image will be smaller.

* The type of files that you are backing up. If your files are principally program, word processing, database, spreadsheet type files then these can be easily compressed to only 20% of their normal value. However, if the files are media such as, photographs, music, video, then these files compress either not at all or perhaps only to 90% of their normal value.

In my experience I have found that, with TI9 compression set to "Normal" a disk (or partition) containing Windows, Programs and a normal mix of data files compresses to about 70% of its uncompressed value. I would have expected the image of your disk to be about 3.8GB.

The only way that you can be sure that everything has been backed up is to restore the image to a Test Disk (or for data to a Test Partition) and check that everything is there.

Let us know the result.

 

Reply to Xpilot....

Thanks XP for the additional comments.

It is a case of "different strokes for different folks". I think if your user is technically inexperienced then having the "bits & pieces" (be they real or virtual) separated out into easily understood physical areas is beneficial. The more technically competent user will be able to virtualise physical areas into virtual areas and will be able to understand the difference and more importantly work with virtual areas as if they were real. This is something that is often not easy for the inexperienced to mentally visualise.

Tks

 

Tabvla, (and everyone) thanks very much, sound advice and suggestions,an external usb drive sounds ideal,bests wishes,Tom.

 

Hello Tabvla,
Thaks very much for your anwer m'8.
As you sey, Yes my files are files of principally programs, word processing, database, spreadsheet type files and similar.
Compression was sett to "Normal" and seems that differnce between drive size and Mybackup is realy very big- 3,8 GB as you say looks as normal , but 2,6 GB vs 5.4 sounds bad.
I have enough space in my HD so I should create one new "Test" partition.
Actually I have dual boot with two OS- XP Pro on partition C:\,-Win 98SE on partition G:\ and partition D:\ where I keep what I am considering as important for me.On partition D:\ I have free space of abt 15 GB ,maybe creating one new "Test" partition using part of D:\ is workable.
Personaly I have no any experience in this kind of job and I am afraid to try.

 

Reply to "horn" re size of backup file....

Did you cleanup the disk before you created the backup? TI by default ignores the Recycle Bin and files with certain extensions that are considered unnecessary duplications or temporary files.

Suggest that the correct way forward is to start again by cleaning up the disk and running defrag then creating a fresh image.

* Login as Administrator
* Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools
* In the System Tools submenu click on Disk Cleanup

NOTE : If you have not done a disk cleanup for some time then Disk Cleanup can take a long time to produce the report - anything up to 10 minutes. Just be patient and wait until it comes back with a report.

* When you get the report delete the unnecessary files
* When Disk Cleanup has finished go back to the System Tools menu
* In the system Tools submenu click on Disk Defragmenter
* Select the disk or partition and run the defrag utility

NOTE : If you have not run defrag for a long time then it can take several hours to complete on a large disk. Don't interrupt the process, just wait until it finishes.

Repeat the above process for every disk and partition.

* Click Start > Run and type chkdsk X:/r where "X" is the letter of the drive (e.g. C: D: etc...)

NOTE : For a non-system disk or partition chkdsk will run immediately. For the system disk or partition a CMD window will open. Answer "y" and then restart to enable the chkdsk to run on the system disk or partition.

When you have completed all of the above create new backup images. Compare the size of the image with the size of the source and let us know the results.

 

Hello Tavbla,
All done according your instructions.
Actual situation for drive C:\ is
-Used space ....5.52 GB
-MyBackup.tib...2,689,025 KB
Repeated two times operation "Create Image" always with the same results and confirmation that "Backup succeeded".
-Checked and verified image archive for errors -received
"The image archive was successfuly verified".
Don't know what is going wrong.

 

Reply to Horn...

There is an easy way to see if all the data has been imaged.

Open TI9 and in the main window click Mount Image. The Mount Image Wizard will open. Simply follow the onscreen prompts to mount the image. Then, using Windows Explorer, navigate through the virtual drive and see if everything is there. When you are finished remember to unmount the image.

Note :
Mounting an image is not the same as restoring an image. A mounted image exists only in the virtual world, whereas a restored image exists in the real world. A mounted image is transient and is only available while it is mounted or while you are logged on.

 

Hi Tavbla,
Sorry I can't open TI9, I am using TI8 and in this version there is no Mount Image option in main window.
Maybe you can suggest other way or method to check Image file but with TI8.
Thanks for yor help and assistance m'8.

 

Hmmm..... that makes it a little more difficult.

Let me know your system specs. MOBO, RAM, Hard Disks, CD/DVD... etc.

 

In version 8 Mount Image was called Plug Image and worked in the same way as described by Tabvla in the post at 10.00 AM

 

Ther si option of "Unplag Image" only -just to remove unnecessary drives created.
Try "Verify Image" which confirms that "Verifying is succesful"
Another one is "Explore Image"-making comparison between Capacity and Free sapace seems that the size of Image is correct-5,53 GB
Only ther is letter H: instaed C: of the selected partition which can be changed to J:,K:,L: and so on.
Strange why no one from Acronis stuf even no attempt to explain differnces in size between original and image.

 

horn,

Explore Image is the tool that has later been called Mount Image and now Plug Image. That's the tool you are looking for. Accept the default drive letter (or select one from the drop-down list) and the image will be shown as a virtual drive with that letter for you to copy selected files from it to a real partition. When done, Unplug Image to delete the virtual drive.

 

Just to clarify, in version 8 it was called Plug Image, it is now Mount Image in version 9, I didn't use TI before version 8 and so don't know what it was called then, or even if it was included