True Image 11 -- first impressions

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by scharf, Sep 20, 2007.

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  1. scharf

    scharf Registered Member

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    I just the upgrade to version of Acronis True Image Home 11 (German). What I like:
    • new: file like exclusion for hard disk backup (the main reason why I did the upgrade)
    • nice new look (icons are more consistent)

    But here are a few things I dislike
    • The UI flow is very inconsistent. It is not possible to distinguish actions that start a wizard from actions that bring me to a new screen.
    • I hate the wizards -- I want to make a small change in a task and I have to click the entire wizard
    • The entire workflow is very unclear. I have a hard time finding some screen (like Backup and Restore).
    • Why are you not using the toolbar with the most important pageso_O?

    With each version, the UI becomes more confusing. I would strongly recommend to hire an experienced interaction designer to make the product usable (or at least read "About Faces 3"). The underlying technology might be great, but the UI is a catastrophe. I have a very hard time to create a mental model of the application.


    Michael
     
  2. shieber

    shieber Registered Member

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    Or at least let me customize what goes where on the menus and toolbars.

     
  3. scharf

    scharf Registered Member

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    I forgot to mention:

    • There is still no search in help! This is the only "professional" program I have ever sseen, that does not allow you to search help!
    • No context Menus on tasks. (If I right-click on a task, it gets deselected. When I then click on an action on the sidebar, it has no effect)
    • If I hide the side-bar, then the task-list is useless. Why would you allow to hide the *only* way to act on the entries in the task list -- another indication of the very immature UI.

    I think the UI feels like programmed by some hobby programmers -- Acronis should hire some professionals UI developers (just professional graphics is not enough)....

    Michael
     
  4. shieber

    shieber Registered Member

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    Excellent points and I hope you don't mind that I posted them on the wish list thread.

    These are not fatal flaws but still, this would probably be more useful than some of the other new features in 11.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 21, 2007
  5. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

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    TI 11 (on my computer, at least) still has the same progress bar "bug" that T9 and TI 10 had. This is a very simple thing to fix, but Acronis doesn't.

    If I select to create a backup image with automatic validation, the backup will start. The backup progress bar will make a complete pass while the bottom (total progress) bar will make a 50% pass. This is correct. However, when the validation begins, both bars reset to the start (0%) so the validation is done when the total progress bar is at 50% instead of 100%. This is non-critical, but it sure looks stupid.
     
  6. bodgy

    bodgy Registered Member

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    Mudcrab, I'd try re-installing TI11, as this was a reported bug and was supposed to have been fixed.

    I didn't notice that problem last night when running a schedule.

    Colin
     
  7. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

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    Colin,

    Your backup was from Windows. I'm pretty sure I ran the backup from the TI 11 CD. In the previous version the Windows and Full modes did this, the Safe Mode displayed the bars correctly (if I remember correctly).

    I'll double check both the Full mode and a backup from Vista to see which displays correctly.
     
  8. hoser_d

    hoser_d Registered Member

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    I agree with you. I think this UI is terrible. Number one, it is ugly. But more importantly like you say it is just designed terribly. I agree in regards to the wizards. I hate them. I suppose you have to leave wizards for dummies who need them in order to make changes, but for many of us who would like to accomplish a simple task without having to go through pages of wizards would be real nice.

    Acronis, PLEASE introduce an improved UI in the next release because this current one is terrible.
     
  9. jmk94903

    jmk94903 Registered Member

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    How can you be so cruel (and critical). Haven't you heard that 50% is the new 100%.:D
     
  10. MudCrab

    MudCrab Imaging Specialist

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    I'll be 50% cruel and 50% critical (and I'll start over at 0% when I switch moods). How's that? :D

    I have checked with both the Windows version and the Full version and they both still have this bug.

    Verification is selected to be run after the backup. It would be step 2 of 2.

    The backup shows as step 1 of 2, which is correct:
    backup_verify_bar_bug_backup.jpg

    Then the verify shows as step 1 of 1 (instead of 2 of 2) and the total progress bar resets:
    backup_verify_bar_bug.jpg

    Also, the Operation in progress displayed in the lower right corner of the TI windows displays 0% to 50% for the backup and then starts over a 0% for the verify, ending at 50%. The estimated time for the verify to finish is also extremely high and then comes down rapidly throughout the verify even though the estimated time is correct when the backup portion completes.
     
  11. gkweb

    gkweb Expert Firewall Tester

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    Hello,

    I agree that while the icons are great, the UI is confusing. They should have choose "Tabs" (for instance) or anything else that allows us to quickly go where we want. Also, they should set the green color when you have done a backup in the last 30 days for instance. However, as I only do manual backups, I am flagged as yellow (bad :ninja: ) whereas I do my duty :)

    Regards,
    gkweb.
     
  12. Zecke

    Zecke Registered Member

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    Hi,

    it's all true. The bug with the bar (annoying) is still there (hope they fixed it now).

    But there some other bugs in TI11 which were gone in TI10 (last build):

    - I can't backup Outlook. I had this error in TI10 with the first version. Now it came back with TI11.

    - The saving of my settings of my programs sometimes works and other times crashes with an error (close program or debug). This was also in TI10 first release and now it's back again.

    It' seems, that they didn't test it before shipping! This release is the worst one of Acronis ever. The UI is catastrophic and unusable (for example the missing context menu in Tasks).

    Also annoying is that the progam always tells me, I have no tasks planned (i do it manually!). There are tasks, so why it always reminds me?

    I now use TI10 again. It works much better than TI11.

    PLEASE ARCRONIS FIX THIS PROBLEMS QUICKLY!

    Best regards,
    Zecke
     
  13. desaubin

    desaubin Registered Member

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    Just found another bug:
    When I start Drive Cleanser and close ATI (Drive Cleaner will operate in separate window) and I start ATI to do a backup, it crashes :)
     
  14. L Bainbridge

    L Bainbridge Registered Member

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    I've faithfully upgraded ATI through 7, 8, 9 & 10 incarnations - each time putting up with a bit more bloat or features I don't need & paying effectively an annual fee for the privilege.
    I know others have had problems with ATI but it's always worked well for me when I've needed to restore an image from an internal HD, because that's all I ever have used it for.
    One thing I have consistently noted is that the imaging/ restoring speed has not improved from 8 through to 10.
    I recently trialled Shadow Protect which does it much quicker & sticks to just one function - imaging.
    Given that's all I want an imaging program to do , I've ditched ATI now & would advise others to look at the other programs out there (e.g. Paragon & Shadow Protect).
    IMHO Acronis need to get True Image imaging faster & more reliably across external HDs etc. and correcting the glitches in the software before they add more new features.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2007
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