Trying Acronis Home 10. SLOW?! Stalls PC being saved to?

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by digitalartist71, Feb 21, 2007.

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  1. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    ok..quick description of setup:

    XP Pro Sp2 Homemade 1.6ghz 512GB Desktop (direct connect to cable interent; wireless router attached for laptop) with seperate physical drives (no partitions):
    C: 40GB (os & programs) 50% full
    D: 40GB (important data) 50% full
    F: 230GB caddy type ide enclosure type, not usb external (where all backups will go)

    XP Home Dell 5100, 2.4ghz, 512MB Laptop connected via 54mb wireless (linksys speedbooster):
    C: 30 GB (os and personal stuff; may partition soon) 50% or so full.

    I installed ATI 10 Home to try. Looks nice...but understandbly first full backup would be slow? 4+ hours slow?

    Basically tried a full backup from the Laptop C: to the Desktop Backup F: Drive via 54mb wireless through Network Places. About 18MB of 30GB drive used on Laptop and Normal compression. So resulting .tib files I think were around 15 or so GB...can't remember exactly. (btw, I will also be backing up my Desktop to that F: drive after this intial test is gets any better).

    NTBackup that comes with XP Pro seems MUCH faster same connection... I like it...but I am attracted to FULL RESTORE if failure instead of reinstalling all apps again and all settings! uggh. Not fun.

    So I am guessing this is the nature of ATI Home 10?

    So I uninstalled it. But am considering giving it another try. I may do full backups with direct connection instead of wireless to see if better times. Also the verification seems to take forever...so quit that also. Incremental seems ok...but still slower than NTBackup.

    And here is the BIGGEST reason why I uninstalled ATI:
    My Desktop (where the Backup .tib files were being stored to wirelessly), basically STOPPED during backup; .tib file creations. Could only move mouse pointer during backup, but nothing else. After done, had to reboot Desktop! hmm? So desktop is useless during backups. Really can't have that. NTBackup does not perform this badly?

    So not sure what to think here. I am guessing the wireless speed is the weak link...but really would like to use this method, since I can schedule the two pcs to wake from standby and backup routinely instead of me having to connect them via cable every day.

    :blink:

    I also tried Worksation version, seems more complex and archaic right off the bat (not sure what programs to install? so isntalled what I thought and worked, but seems more options). Not sure I need this version? or WILL I? I may need it to backup (2) more pcs in another state.

    other dilema I am considering is this:
    NTBackup I usually backup both machines at one time. But I guess I would have to use ATI to do drive imaging at seperate times in order not conflict with each other fighting over the drive and connection speed?

    one last idea: does anybody make a WIRELESS backup drive that I can put in another part of the home in case somebody breaks in and steals our pcs? this way I can just plug the wireless drive somewhere remote to the pcs and backup automatically? I noticed NETGEAR has something like this...but it connects to the router...it doesn;t have a antenna and communicate on it's own...dependednt on a router NEXT to the pc.

    THANKS!!!!!!! :)
     
  2. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    does ATI home or workstation backup via wireless? I guess i understand it doens't support wireless when restoring though? But does it work fine via wireless when backing up?
     
  3. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    does anybody know if ATI is ok to use via wireless for backing up? I understand that wireless is not supported when RESTORING...but how backing up laptops via wireless?

    thanks!:)
     
  4. thomasjk

    thomasjk Registered Member

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    Wireless is not supported at all.
     
  5. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    wow. :blink:

    Is there a "reason" why wireless is not supported? Basic NTbackup in XP Pro can use it with no problem?

    Hmm... looks like I am going to have to look yet for a whole nether way to do backups or just stick with NTBackup. I really was looking forward to using ATI for image backup...but if I cannot backup via wireless, it's pretty much useless. It's hard enough to go get the laptops, plug them in via wire, and backup daily, epecially while in use. My plan was to set the backups on schedules and have the machines wake from standby mode and backup automatically daily via wireless. :(

    It seems I was ABLE to backup via wireless during testing of the HOME version... but EXTREMELY slow for a full backup which I guess due to the slower wireless speed. But wondering if the backup is useless though? Do the wireless backups get corrupted or soemthing and just don't work? Maybe that is why wireless isn't supported? o_O

    So I assume ATI is for wired networks period. That's pretty bad considering so much is wireless these days. I could understand wireless not being supoorted in a few versions back. o_O
     
  6. seekforever

    seekforever Registered Member

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    I made 3 image files containing about 4.5GB total and copied them in Windows using 54Mb/s wireless. Took about 40 minutes. Not really a good mechanism even if wireless was supported.
     
  7. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    wow...big difference than what I experienced. my (3) 4.5gb +.5gb or so took over 4 hours! on a Linksys 54mb router and linksys 54mb laptop pcmia wireless card. and the desktop where the backups files were saved, was totally unusable at time of backup and after. had to restart the desktop when backup finished.

    i am kinda leary of ATI now after looking at a lot of options... the idea about IMAGING is awesome and really would like to put that into play... but sounds like it may be more trouble than it's worth..and especially reading some bad stuff about when it's time to RESTORE and the backup files not working.

    Almost just want to backup important stuff and not the OS or programs and do it in a way that keeps the native formats in tact instaed of compresing them all in 1 large file that may be corrupt at time of restore. sounds too risky now. :blink:
     
  8. seekforever

    seekforever Registered Member

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    Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing. My 3 files each contained 1.5GB and were stored on the local HD. I then copied them from the HD to another PC via a Linksys 54G router. I did not have TI write the files via the wireless network to the remote PC. Interestingly, the 3rd file copy failed although I was doing other things on it when it failed with "path too deep" which makes no sense at least as far as my files went.

    I image my C drives all the time and my only failure has been due to a marginal SATA cable. No complaints about reliability with TI the way I use it. I also have 2 external USB HDs which are no problem.

    Your hardware has to be compatible with the TI rescue CD and it has to be 100% solid or you are going to have trouble. When you consider the huge amount of data (gigabytes) being read and written and then read again for a validation and you only need to drop 1 bit and it gives an archive corrupted message it is obvious why your machine needs to be in top shape.

    Other things that can slow down wireless data transfer is a poor connection where the cards back-off the transfer rate or do a lot of retransmissions.

    I agree with backing up data files in their native format rather than dumping them into container files. I do not use TI for data file backup. Right now I am using Syncback Free to a second internal HD. My other, often spouted opinion, is that your personally created data files are the most important files to have backed up. Reloading Windows and apps can be a PITA but it can be done. Lose your pictures or spreadsheets and they are available nowhere else at any price.
     
  9. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    thanks for the clarification!
    Good points indeed! :)
     
  10. digitalartist71

    digitalartist71 Registered Member

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    ps... that syncback... i tried that once...seemed nice...but it seems to dump everything in one folder! it's doesn't keep the folder structure?...so all organization goes out the window. but maybe i am missing soemthing? :blink:
     
  11. seekforever

    seekforever Registered Member

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    No, it will put what you want where you want it. My backup is a mirror of the original although if a file exists in the backup and I delete it in the original, the one in the backup folder stays (default).

    I have a folder called Pictures on E which has a lot of folders under it. Synback copies E:\Pictures to N:\Backup_Pictures as I set it up. All of the folders under E:\Pictures are present under N:\Backup_Pictures
     
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