Strategy for full vs. incremental backups

I need advice on how often to make a new full backup. I have a full backup and now a string of 30 or so incremental backups each about 10% of the size of the full backup. Can I automate making a new full backup every two weeks and incremental backups daily? Is this the best way to go? Are the incremental backups cumulative, or do I need each of the preceeding 29 incremental backups to recreate the disk from the full backup and the most recent incremental backup? Thanks for any insight.

 

I had the same question myself but then again I decided not to make it myself too difficult. I am making full backups once a week after having done on demand AV/AT scans etc. I didnt liked those incremental lists and I dont care it might take some more time, I am walking the dog anyway during those excercises.
Regards,

Gerard

 

I will try to answer your questions in order; the only way to automate creating a full image is to set up and use the Acronis Secure Zone. If your full images are created via script (automated) in a regular partition the existing image will be replaced each time (same file name). The SZ handles incrementing the file name on a full image creation. Same, same as normal incrementals. The TI scheduler is pretty flexible and you ought to be able to come up with a full and incremental schedule to your liking (again, using the SZ). As to how TI does a restore from incrementals; during the course of the restore wizard you will be presented with a dialog that shows you the dates/times of the original full image and all of the incrementals associated with it. You select the date/time image that you want to restore back to and TI will handle the rest - and - it handles it very well. Could not be any simpler. Like the previous reply to your thread, I prefer to take full images. Why? Much simpler, less to deal with, less to remember, less to setup and that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are doing a catastrophic restore does not last as LONG! If you have the disk space set up a SZ and let TI manage your full images for you. If you would rather manage them yourself, set up a logical partition and do so (but, it will require manual intervention at whatever frequency you decide). Hope this helps with your decision making process.

 

The problem I have with the idea of the secure zone is that it has to be, I believe, on the same drive as TI. If that drive dies it takes the secure zone and all your images with it. You really need to have your backups on a different drive (at least), CDs or DVDs.

I wonder if it's possible to schedule multiple backups? Say, a full on the 1st of the month to one specified filename on another drive and another full on the 15th to another filename.

 

You are just in a "scheduling" quandry!

First off, the SZ does not need to be, or even should be on the same drive as TI and your OS. If the partition image(s) are placed on the same drive as the partition(s) imaged it would just not make sense. Give Acronis at least that much credit! Here is my configuration; HDD1, 4 partitions, 3 OS's and one swap. HDD2, 2 partitions, "Work" for my 3 OS's and my "SZ" (a logical partition, not an Acronis SZ). I image HDD1 in it's entirety and stash the resulting images in my "SZ" on HDD2. If I lose my "main" drive or the data thereon I just do a complete restore from the image on HDD2, partition 2. If I lose HDD2, so what? All my system/important data is still intact on HDD1 and I replace HDD2 and go about business as normal.

As for your obsession with scheduling; just keep it simple. What you really should be worrying about is a tried and true backup and RESTORE strategy that has been thoroughly tested prior to disaster striking! There is no worse feeling than that in the pit of your stomach when all has gone to hell in a handbasket and you find out that you CAN NOT restore (for whatever reason) the backups you had created earlier on!

Edit:
Forgot my puppies!

 

Hi, I am new to this forum but I have had ATI 7.0 (build 613) for a while and I have already restored my full system twice without a Hitch.
I use a Sony VAIO Laptop with Windows XP Home, 30GB HD (partitioned into "C" and "D" Drives) and 512MB RAM.
My suggestions, according to my own experience:
1.- BackUps to the "Secure Zone" inside your HD are only good as long as your HD is Physically sound. If your HD crash or develops very bad sectors...
Good Bye "Secure Zone" and all its backups!!
2.- It is ALWAYS preferable to but an EXTERNAL HD (I personally bought a SimpleTech SimpleDrive USB 2.0 120GB External HD with more than ample space to store not only my full backups but other things as well (pictures, videos, etc) and I created a FOLDER inside and named it "Full System backups).
3.- I don't waste time on incremental backups. I just do a FULL SYSTEM BACKUP every week (for me it takes only 20 minutes because I am using only 12GB out of the 30GB of my HD). You can do it every Sunday morning, just click "procceed" and go to the beach or to do your errands or walk the dog)
4.- When you do Full System Backups everything is more simple and straighforward (you also have the previous full backups). I suggest you use CHKDSK to examine your HD for errors first, then Clean your HD from all temp. files and Defrag your entire HD the Re-start your PC and you are READY for a Full Backup with Acronis.
5.- After the backup is successfully created, Re-boot your PC and then put the Acronis Bootable CD in the CD Drive and Re-start the computer so it boots with Acronis, then choose "CHECK IMAGE" to examine the already created image in your external HD Folder to see if everything was GOOD (sometimes when I tried to check an image with my OS running Acronis hung before finishing the proccess, mabe duw to background programs running, so I decided the best way to check the image is with Acronis in full control of your HD.
6.- I hope this help all of you.