Acronis True Image WISH-LIST thread

Acronis TI 11 adds some entries to Windows Explorer's context menus. I can for example select a TIB file and open the context menu by right-clicking the file. Then, I can click for example the commands for validating or mounting images. However, after doing so, I still have to select the file that I want to validate or mount. It would be nice if Acronis TI already had the right-clicked file pre-selected for the subsequent operation.

 

I wish for quick bug fixes in TI 11 (or the money back, is that possible? )

 

1

possibility of excluding folders in the total backup of pc, not only files

2
(already requested...)ossibility to not start trueimagemonitor.exe, ecc.... why are they useful if i'm not doing anything with TI?

good bye

 

StardustOne is so right...

 

I have a target resource (i.e. a location where I save my images) that is not permanently available. So, if a planned task gets started while the target resource is not available, the task will, of course, not be completed successfully. Acronis TI 11.0 Home handles this situation by warning me about it when I open Acronis TI the next time. But the task is just skipped and the next execution will not be done before it is due again.

I would much prefer to have a similar solution to when the computer is off when a task is due. In this case, the task will be performed the next time I switch on my computer and log in to Windows.

For the non-available target resource problem, I could imagine the following solution: If a target resource is not available at the time a task is due, the task is to be performed immediately the next time the target resource becomes available. Such an option would be really useful.

 

I only backup a disk when idle and in a sound state - which excludes scheduling

I prefer the "warning" (that should occur next time Windows, not TIH, is started or awoken). I never do scheduled (or other unattended) backups: backup must IMO only occur when the system is shut down and in a good safe and sound state, hence my process (see "I backup each of my PCs by plugging its main HD in 2nd position in a W2K server..." in Wed 26 Sep 2007 17:36 GMT above).

Versailles, Sun 7 Oct 2007 16:58:25 +0200

 

Wish:

filetemplate, where the time and date of the backup will be auto. added to the filename

 

I wish they'd fix 10 to be compatable with my hardware before asking me to buy another release....

E6600, MSI P6N Platinum, 2GB Gskill PC 6400, WD 74GB Raptor, Seagate 320GB SATA. My new system takes twice as long as my old XP3200+ system to image or restore the exact same partition.

I only use the recovery CD for backup and restore and so far I've made 5 variations and none of them work very well. I also don't see why I should have to make a BartPE disk to do what TI10 is supposed to do.

 

As I mentioned in another thread, some how-to videos would be great, esp for those new to Acronis TI. 2 videos would suffice to start - one how to back your system up properly and one how to use that backup when needed. I would imagine that these could be done by an Acronis employee in a matter of hour(s), if that. But it would drastically shorten the learning curve for some of us.

 

Please make scheduler work in Windows Vista, and if you cannot do that, at least pop up a proper warning message saying that the backup has not worked - not just the little message bar after you open the program.

Admittedly I'm new to version 11 and Vista - but it doesn't seem to work for me.

Not sure yet whether to persevere or ask for a refund.

 

Advanced User Options in True Image Home including:-

1. Get to Linux command line

2. Option to image the MBR + Partition Table, and at the same time create a text file of the partition table eg: as reported by fdisk -l.

 

Hello

I would love for Acronis to correct the error which arises when you boot to the recovery CD, select an archive, and then you are told "Error E00070020 The archive is corrupt."

Basically at the moment, I cannot recover an archive using the boot media - many others have the same problem, as you can see from all the forum articles.

Thanks
Wizit

 

I think if the product has reached that stage for many users then it's time to make is easier to use. TI Home at least should be simple enough that you don't need to watch a video, it should be simple and quick foolproof wizards.

 

True Image archives are only restorable for a short time

Unfortunately you can't either rely on your backup made using the Windows application:

1) TIH10 or TIH11 corrupts partitions containing TIH9 archives, even when just mounting TIH9 archives in read-only mode, or trying (with no success) to create new TIH10 or TIH11 archives outside these partitions. Since all these archives share the same TIB extension, trying (by double-clicking it) to restore a TIB archive (unless it is very recent) is therefore jeopardizing your partitions and all the data they contain.

2) Acronis disclaims restoring backups (unless over a short time), see Acronis True Image Home: Product Version Compatibility:

Acronis guarantees one-version-back compatibility for different versions of the same product. This means that current product version will work with backups created with one-generation-older version.

E.g. Acronis True Image 11 Home will work with backups created by Acronis True Image 10.0 Home. Restoring backups created by older versions (Acronis True Image 9.0 and older) is also possible, but error-free data recovery is not guaranteed in this case.
​

3) Acronis doesn't offer programs' older versions (required to restore old archives), unless you are registered:

• sure, if registered, you are offered to reload your registered programs in My Registered Products (but surprisingly not all of them in My Registered Products Updates);
• but otherwise, for free or not, in Home & Home Office Product Updates, I am offered only TIH11 (b8027 of 18 Sep 07) or TIH10 (b4942 of 12 Mar 07), but NOT TIH9 - even after logging in and despite I bought TIH9 (6 Apr 06), TIH10 upgrade (28 Aug 07), TIH11 upgrade (free, 23 Sep 07), and immediately registered them all three.

4) In conclusion I would submit to Acronis to replace this policy with a more standard one, where any archive created by an Acronis program would be guaranteed restorable by any current or later version of this program.

Versailles, Mon 29 Oct 2007 07:30:35 +0100, edited 07:55:25 GMT+2

 

Re: True Image archives are only restorable for a short time

Something is weird here, I still have listed in 'myupdates' v8 and 9 - have you tried reregistering you earlier versions?

Colin

 

Acronis should display Builds, not updates

bodgy, please compare what is displayed in the 3 pages linked in my §3 and reread that §3.

This shows something I was about: Acronis pages are too numerous and confusing. They should IMO remove the link #2, and on the remaining #1 and #3, display Builds (that are absolute), not updates (that are relative to the installed build).

Versailles, Sun 4 Nov 2007 22:46:40 +0100

 

How about Hot-Key access to functions/selections on the main UI panel so that the UI can be navigated more easily in mouse-less mode? Thanks.

 

Here are my requests for TI 9.1

• backup verification could be performed (configurable in backup options pre/post commands) before a scripts executes after the image is taken (that way we can manipulate the image with the script like adding the date, move it from one folder to another, etc). Actually the verification is done only after the scripts are run, which forbids you to move, rename, etc. the image files
• be able to backup more than one full backup to a tape (scsi DLT)
• be able to format a tape (scsi DLT) through the software UI or even better schedule it.
• ba able to copy existing backup tasks to create new ones

That's pretty much it for now, I'll edit the post to add some more if need be.

 

User Interface is Very Poor for Manual Backups

Using True Image Home 11

The True Image UI seems to be totally oriented towards people who only do automatic scheduled backups. It is extremely poor for anyone who just wants to do manual backups.

I personally backup to an external USB drive which I do not want to leave running all the time. Also, my S3 Standby mode is unreliable, and I do not want to leave my computer running 24/7 just so it can do automated backups. I'm sure there are many other users out there like me who just want to do manual backups.

The very first thing that a backup utility should do well is to allow you to create backup tasks (sometimes called jobs, projects, or profiles), and then easily run one of your pre-defined tasks at any time. The ability to then schedule any of your tasks should be a secondary option. TI fails miserably for the following reasons:

1. The backup icon under "Backup and Restore" seems like an after thought when it should be the main place that users go to do a manual backup. This icon simply brings up the Backup Wizard which only allows you to do a one-time backup. After entering all the information, the wizard does not allow you to save the backup as a task. If you want to do the same backup again, you have to go through the wizard all over again.
2. About the only way to create backups that are saved and can be easily run again manually is to go to the "Scheduled Tasks" screen which is found under Management Tools -> Manage Tasks. This is not intuitive at all as I don't want to make a scheduled task, and the logical place to create or manually run a backup is in the "Backup" section.
3. When no backups have been scheduled for automatic execution, TI 11 always displays a big yellow warning banner! This is very unfriendly for anyone doing manual backups. You have to actually perform scheduled backups at least once a week to get rid of the warning.

The UI could be improved considerably with some simple text changes. If the title of the "Scheduled Tasks" screen was changed to "Task Manager", that would help a lot. It would no longer imply that this screen was only for managing scheduled tasks. It would also make more sense since you click on a "Manage Tasks" link to get to this screen.

Also, when you click on "Create New Task" (either on the sidebar or via the Operations menu), a "Schedule Task Wizard" appears. If this was called the "New Task Wizard" instead, it would be much more logical. The user is given the choice of scheduling the task or not at the end of the wizard, so the title should not imply that this wizard is only for scheduled tasks.

There needs to be some other changes as well. If you click "Backup and Restore" from the Welcome screen, there are currently only 2 items ("Backup" and "Restore"). Instead, there could be 3 items: "Create New Backup", "Run Backup Tasks", and "Restore". If you click on "Create New Backup", this would bring up the "Create Backup Wizard" as it does now. If you click on "Run Backup Tasks", it would go to another screen with a list of all your saved tasks. From there, you could easily select and run any saved task. This would be much more intuitive than going to the Management Tools section to run a backup. This new screen might only allow you to run a task, you would still go to the "Task Manager" to do things like edit or delete a task.

In addition, the "Create Backup Wizard" also needs to be changed. After you go through the wizard to create a new backup, it should offer to save this backup as a new task. If you choose to save the backup, then it should also give you the option to run it right away, or to schedule the task for a later time.

I hope that someone from Acronis will comment on these suggestions, and whether they can be implemented. Comments and ideas from other users on this topic are of course welcome.

 

Re: User Interface is Very Poor for Manual Backups

I agree that a lot of the GUIs are some what counter intuitive. Most of the changes you suggest would make the user experience more pleasant and would shorten the new user learning curve.

When it comes to scheduling it would be a lot better if it was clearer that setting up a task that is to be run manually more than once is what should be done.

I used to run the backup task manually by pressing the finish! flag in the GUI until I realised that a scheduled task can be run when the computer would otherwise be idle during the day. For the home user there is nothing magic in backing up overnight. I chose mine to start when I go for lunch and take the dog for a walk .
The freedom that running scheduled tasks gives is considerable. Once set up one does not have to open True Image again unless to edit tasks. It really can be fit and forget as far as backups are concerned.

My opinion of the warning bars is unprintable. I cannot see their value at all. They only begin to appear to work when the backup task is run automatically. Now someone who has set up a schedule has no need to open the GUI and would not see the silly bars anyway!
Far more important is the fact that under TI 11 a scheduled task may fail to run even though the computer is ready and waiting. Guess what, when a scheduled task fails to start the silly warning bar stays green. Misleading or what?

The main reason I rolled back to Version 10 is that it has proved to be totally reliable in running scheduled tasks.
So please Acronis fix the wobbly task performance of Version 11 and while you are at it improve the GUI.

Xpilot

 

Last TI 11 release does not support 790FX chipset, when restoring images (both by Windows on active partition or through the boot CD) it does not find any hd.
Ciao!
Baio

 

Whats' happened to the Acronis moderator input on this thread?

When it started out, you caulked see the moderator's comments in red directly after the comment/requested feature showing that it had already been requested/implemented or otherwise.

I can see that there are some very valid comments and suggestions from users who clearly know how to use the product and can see ways to make it more usable/powerful etc.

I have some suggestions of my own that I know would improve the product immeasurably, plus plenty of minor design boobs that could be easily corrected and make the life of regular professional user much less frustrating.

I'm happy to take the time to post accurate and detailed suggestions/reports but not without some indication that they will be seen by the people who can do something about it. Adobe are dreadful in this respect so I no longer bother giving them any feedback. It's just a wast of time.

 

My wish is to fix the copy from comments from "Backup Archive Location" screen. build 8053 disabled it.

 

I have been using ATI Home from version 6 and currently use 10 but just bought a copy of 11. All my requests below are based upon 10, so I wish...

1) Any ATI program could generate a professional looking form that describes some information about the backup after it has been verified. (ie. Size of the backup, % of compression, how long it took to backup and/or verify [in case you backup one place and verify on another computer like an Off-Site Backup], Name of the backup, Date & Time of backup and/or verification, etc..). Also making it customizable would be nice in case you needed to email a copy to someone else but didnt want certain information on it (like the location of the backup, names of computers, etc..)

2) Batch Verification for multiple backups along with the feature above.

3) When Restoring files & folders (especially a User folder) if a file name is too long it prompts you for an action but there is no Ignore All button so if you have 1000 temp files from a temp internet directory you have to hit Igonore and wait....Ignore and wait....Ignore and wait....

4) Wireless Backup Support

5) Windows Mobile Support for PDA's/Phone's if possible (maybe even when syncing with outlook as an added task [could even be on a schedule so it doesnt do it everytime you sync])


Thats all for now, as I keep using it I am sure there will be more. Thanks Acronis for a great product (better than Ghost!).

 

First - I'm very impressed with the quality of the support I had received with a mere demo version of Acronis' Echo Server for Linux. Acronis Support walked me through a non-standard installation, with less than 24-hour turnaround times on my e-mail, for two different Linux servers. They were better than some paid support I've experienced.

My initial wish list....A Linux Enterprise version (i.e., Linux Mgt. Console), so I could manage both MS and Linux clients. Also, hopefully a simple presentation change, add a "Sector" or bit-stream option. I suspect the "Ignore Bad Sectors" actually enables the sector backup feature, but this could be more clearly stated.