Waking up out of suspended mode to make a backup

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by kolban, Oct 27, 2007.

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  1. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    Well, I seem to be having a little problem with this solution. The task I wrote is set up to create a full backup followed by 6 differential backups then a full, then 6 etc. The backups are written to an Acronis "Backup Location".

    The task now runs even if the computer is in sleep mode.:) However, it seems that every time it runs, it runs a full backup. No differentials.

    Any ideas?
     
  2. Acronis Support

    Acronis Support Acronis Support Staff

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    Hello SHP,

    Could you please clarify following peculiarities related to the backup task? Whether all the backups are created full instead of differential ones or the program correctly creates the first set and fails to create next sets correctly (here I mean following: 1st run - full backup was created; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th runs - differential backup was created;
    8th run - full backup was created; 9th run - full backup was created - and differential backups were not created any more)? Do you use password protection for the backup archive?

    Thank you
    --
    Nikita Sakharov
     
  3. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    Nikita:

    Let me see if I can answer. I used a task I had created last week that was working fine (except, of course, when the computer was in sleep mode). In other words, the task had successfully created a full backup and 2 differential backups.

    When I saw the post containing Mark's solution to the sleep issue, I modified that existing task. The only change I made was to change the scheduling parameter from a daily run to "run later" (since Vista's scheduler would be running the task from a command prompt). The 3 or 4 times that the task has run since I implemented Mark's solution, it has created only full backups. So, in the backup location I use for this task, I currently have the full backup and the 2 differentials related to that full backup that were created before I used Mark's solution. Plus, I also have several new full backups that were created after I implemented Mark's solution.

    Your second question is interesting. I didn't use password protection for this task. However, when I went to delete one of the new full backups (which I had to do because I had run out of space in the backup location and Acronis wouldn't seem to want to overwrite the earlier backups) Acronis asked me for a password. It was very strange.

    I hope this helps.
     
  4. K0LO

    K0LO Registered Member

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    This hints at the credentials being different between the two tasks (backup run manually vs. scheduled backup). How do you have the task scheduler set up on this screen?

    Task.jpg

    Does the task run with the same user credentials as when you are running it manually? Do you have the "Run only when user is logged on" button selected? If not, the task may be running with System credentials, which would probably prompt you for a password when you try to delete the file.

    If this isn't it, then one thing I would try is to delete the existing Acronis task and create a new one from scratch. Let it start making backups and see how it behaves. Don't forget to change the task's file name in the batch file if you do this.
     
  5. Acronis Support

    Acronis Support Acronis Support Staff

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    Hello SHP,

    Many thanks for such a detailed description of the scenario.

    undoubtedly described scenario is not a usual one. So it's rather difficult to find out the reason of the issue at once. Somehow or other I would recommend you to recreate a task again and check if the backups are created according to the rules you've chosen. If the issue still persists please submit a request for technical support with the issue description to let us investigate it (probably we'll have to escalate the case to Quality Assurance Department in order to reproduce it). Somehow or other we will do our best to help you as soon as possible.

    Thank you
    --
    Nikita Sakharov
     
  6. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    Unfortunately, deleting and then recreating the tasks (and even deleting and recreating the Arconis Backup Location) does not fix the problem. The task does wake the computer and run, BUT it runs every time as a full backup. In the Acronis log, every time it runs it says "Create Full Backup Archive..." even though the description of the task when you hover the mouse over the task says "Create Differential Backup Archive."

    Any thoughts.
     
  7. floepie

    floepie Registered Member

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    I have what seems to be the same problem:

    I have created an entry in Vista's Task Scheduler to run TrueImageHomeService.exe with the script associated with the differential backup task setup in ATI. (I have only one ATI task and its associated script.)

    Everything works as anticipated with the exception of one fairly odd problem. If I start the task from within ATI, the result is the expected differential backup. However, if the task is run (either manually or scheduled) from within Vista's Task Scheduler, the result is a full backup rather than the expected much smaller differential backup.

    If I look into ATI's 'backup location manager', the larger ones started by Vista's Task Manager are indeed labeled as 'full', whereas the ones started within ATI itself are labeled as 'differential'.

    Is the command line of TrueImageHomeService.exe really only capable of running full backups?
     
  8. herb_tea

    herb_tea Registered Member

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    Hi All,
    I've been following this thread and implemented the solution graciouly supplied by Mark and friend (many thanks!). Everything is working well now except I'm also getting the same full instead of incremental backup behavior. I've configured TI to run a full backup and 7 incrementals then rewrite a full. Unfortunately when the task is run via Win Task Scheduler all backups are full.
     
  9. K0LO

    K0LO Registered Member

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    herb_tea:

    Other people are reporting this same issue (see post #56). It is starting to sound like this is a limitation of the Acronis scheduler, similar to the one that will not send an email notification when the task is run from the command line, but works when started from the GUI or from the Acronis Task Scheduler.
     
  10. herb_tea

    herb_tea Registered Member

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    Thanks for the info. I'll contact Acronis support as well and hopefully we'll get a speedy resolution.
     
  11. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    Herb & Mark:
    I've informed Acronis Support of the issue. If I learn anything, I'll post it here. Please if you beat me to a solution, post it!

    I'm really going crazy with this program. So close and yet so far.
     
  12. shieber

    shieber Registered Member

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    You folks are having this prob with which version(s) of ATI?
     
  13. herb_tea

    herb_tea Registered Member

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    Hiya Shieber,
    I'm using Acronis True Image Home version 11.0 (build*8,053).
     
  14. babac

    babac Registered Member

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    Hi Kolban,
    WOSB is a free software that sends your computer in hibernation and wakes it up via its own scheduler.
    It may not work on some computer depending mostly on your BIOS and mother board.
     
  15. nassau62

    nassau62 Registered Member

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    This is probably a stupid question about a solution, but here goes...

    Why can't I write some trivial scheduled task to bring my VISTA out of the sleep mode about 2-5 min. before ATIH is scheduled to run a backup and let ATIH run as normally scheduled?

    The following task has been suggested to bring my VISTA out of the sleep mode:
    A command line, "/c "exit"," to wake up the computer.

    Thanks for your feedback.
     
  16. tuttle

    tuttle Guest

    K0lo (a forum member) has a guide to getting scheduling to wake Vista and run a backup. Search the forums to find it.
     
  17. K0LO

    K0LO Registered Member

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    Jack:

    No such thing as stupid questions...

    The reason that this won't work is that when Vista wakes up it starts an inactivity timer. If two minutes elapse without user activity (keyboard or mouse events) then the timer expires and Vista returns to the sleep state. This was an intentional design decision by Microsoft in an effort to prevent the "hot laptop in a backpack" syndrome.

    The only way around this is to explicity start programs with instructions to ignore the inactivity timer until after the started program has finished executing. This instruction must be compiled into the program's executable code. Acronis has not done this in their scheduler, nor have they created a way to wake the PC if it is asleep.

    If you want to work around this there is a solution in post #24.
     
  18. nassau62

    nassau62 Registered Member

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    Thanks, Mark, for pointing me in the right direction.

    BUT!!! There's a slight problem -- there is no file called TrueImageHomeService.exe in my computer. :eek:

    Where do I get it?

    Jack
     
  19. K0LO

    K0LO Registered Member

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    Jack:

    The location of this file will depend on whether you have TI version 10 or 11. It should be at:

    →TI 10: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Acronis\TrueImage\TrueImageService.exe
    →TI 11: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\TrueImageHomeService.exe

    (emphasis added).
     
  20. nassau62

    nassau62 Registered Member

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    Mark,

    I found it! Don't know why a search in VISTA didn't find it.

    You're right; a short btwn. my ears kicked in & I missed "Common Files" as you figured.

    Thanks,

    Jack
     
  21. dabl

    dabl Registered Member

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    Any updates to this issue (StayWake + command line v10 TrueImageService.exe or v11 TrueImageHomeService.exe only works for running a FULL backup job)?

    Any known workarounds?
     
  22. bcronin

    bcronin Registered Member

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    Just popping back into this thread to say that I have discovered a solution to the Vista-falls-asleep-after-2-minutes-when-awoken-in-unattended-mode that I struggled with for so long. I dont know if this registry setting is new with Vista SP1 or not, but anyway, have a look at the following. I have changed the ACSettingIndex for this key from, 78 hex (120 binary) to e10 to change the fall-back-to-sleep-timer-after-an-unattended-wakeup to to 3600 seconds (an hour). This instance of the key is for the "balanced" power scheme.

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\238C9FA8-0AAD-41ED-83F4-97BE242C8F20\7bc4a2f9-d8fc-4469-b07b-33eb785aaca0\DefaultPowerSchemeValues\381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e]
    "DCSettingIndex"=dword:00000078
    "ACSettingIndex"=dword:00000e10

    If you do a "powerfcg -qh scheme_current" you'll also see this setting listed under

    Power Setting GUID: 7bc4a2f9-d8fc-4469-b07b-33eb785aaca0 (System unattended sleep timeout)
    Minimum Possible Setting: 0x00000000
    Maximum Possible Setting: 0xffffffff
    Possible Settings increment: 0x00000001
    Possible Settings units: Seconds
    Current AC Power Setting Index: 0x00000078
    Current DC Power Setting Index: 0x00000078

    This page also has some info ...

    http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/171042-sleep-return-timeout-unattended-wake-up.html

    Hope this proves useful. I think if you change this setting you no longer need the stayawake program (but I haven't tested that).

    Cheers,
    bc
     
  23. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    I still cannot believe that Acronis has not fixed this problem. :mad:

    Unfortunately, for some reason I don't have the key 7bc4a2f9-d8fc-4469-b07b-33eb785aaca0 in my registry.

    If I'm able to find it (or its equivalent) does anyone know if this will fix the problem whereby differential tasks end up as full backups?
     
  24. bcronin

    bcronin Registered Member

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    What happens when you do the powercfg query? Do you have a key described as "(System unattended sleep timeout)"? The GUID may be different on my system than on yours for some reason (although I wouldn't have thought that possible for something called a "Globally Unique ID"). I can't swear to it but I am nearly certain that this is a new powercfg setting (or at least, newly exposed) in Vista SP1 since I do not recall ever having seen such a thing before then (and I searched for something like that for a looooooong time).
    --
    bc
     
  25. SHP

    SHP Registered Member

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    I'm not sure how to do the query. If I use the search feature on the "start" button and put in "powerfcg -qh scheme_current" I don't get anything. Then again, I don't have SP1 installed. If this fix will allow me to run incremental or differential backups, I may bite the bullet and install SP1. Generally, I'm a big "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy.
     
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