Mixing Ghosting with data backups

Hi all, I've been using ATI for years to ghost a clean install of my PC and it has saved me from bloatware and malware countless times.

Recently, I've become fed up with the backup software I've been using for my data from another manufacturer and decided to give ATI a try for that as well.

I was wondering if someone could confirm the following strategy for me to make sure it will do what I expect it to.

I am using 10.0

I have recently re-installed Windows XP Pro on an old computer and got all my important software and updates installed. I have ghosted this to an Acronis Secure Zone. I know from experience, I can always restore my PC to this pristine condition if things go wrong.

Now...

I plan to backup my data (My Documents folder) to the Acronis Secure Zone as an incremental backup. And I will schedule this for nightly backups if that can be done.

My question is this:

Let's say I accidentally install some malware on my PC plus a few apps I don't really need.

If I restore my PC from the Acronis Secure Zone, will I get my clean install + my latest data but not all of the other apps I have installed in the meantime?

Do I have that right?

If not, what am I missing?

 

Bumpity bump bump.

 

Although I didn't try it with the latest version, I don't think you can mix them.

Using TI9, I said I wanted to make a Files and Folders (data) backup. I then selected an old image to append it to. When I hit Next, a message box came up saying the file was an image and did I want to overwrite it with a full data backup.

You can do images, and you can make image incrementals. It is, as you probably know, possible to extract your data files from the image if necessary. Personally, I prefer to backup my data files with SyncBack and keep them as individual files in their native format rather than stuff them into a giant proprietary format container.

 

Thanks for the response!

OK, well maybe I screwed up then because I did a data backup to a Secure Zone where I already had a ghost of my clean system. Are you saying I have torched my ghost? If so, better to know that now than later because this PC has only been up for 3 days and I'd rather start over from scratch now than later.

 

Hello mavraam,

Thank you for using Acronis True Image

To check the backup files you can launch the Recovery Wizard and select Acronis Secure Zone as a source for the recovery operation. You will be able to view the content.

It is rather dangerous to place different backup files to Acronis Secure Zone. For example, if you have a partition backup in the zone and there is no enough space for backing up some folders (My Data), the program will delete the partition backup to free space for the folders backup.

Thank you.

--

Oleg Lee

 

I'm using Acronis*True*Image® Personal version 10.0 (build*4,955)

I have made a Secure Zone of 80 GB's on a External Hard drive(500 GB's), and stored a Image of my Hard drive there.
I cannot see anything on my External hard drive, except that the disc space has lessened in accord with the size of the partition, "Secure Zone ".
From reading this thread I'm a little lost. I'm new to making disk images, the Help file says I can add Files and Folders to a backup but when I run the Wizard there is only options for partitions, and Hard Drive images .
My initial question is do I only see the "Ghost" if I Restore a backup, I cannot see any Logs, or records to give me any idea of what is going on ? Could someone point me in the right direction for some further information on this product which was a free giveaway, the interface of the program I have is very limited, as compared to the Help instructions
Thanks

EDIT:
I reread the previous post :

 

You can't see the contents of the secure zone by normal Windows methods, only by TI.

I never use a Secure Zone since I prefer just to keep my backups in a normal windows folder so I can't tell you exactly where to look. There should be something that lets you examine the contents of the SZ or you could start the Restore Wizard and see what it will let you restore from the SZ. Cancel out of the wizard if you don't wish to do a restore.

 

Thanks for your reply seekforever

I'm learning my way around a handful of "Backup" programs, plus how best to utilise a 500 GB External Hard drive I bought recently . I used a partition manager program to check the drive , the Secure Zone is there and info about it, so at least I know space backed up, remaining, etc.
I'm taking this slowly as there's a couple of ways I want to backup, I was surprised that Acronis*True*Image® Personal version 10.0 (build*4,955) is so limited.
Been checking out Macrium Reflect which has a few more features . To create a System Image, and have a differential backup of my media files as they acrue is the aim . Early days yet, 500 GB's is an awesome sized backup drive, just need the right software .

 

I am not familiar with the limitations of the Personal version but TI Home etc will do incrementals, differentials, full, images, data file backups, etc.

I personally only use TI to image my C partition for backups and I run it manually only when I want it done, ie, not scheduled.

For data files, I do not care to put them into a giant proprietary container file which needs the program that created them to read them. For data files, I use SyncBackSE but there are others, which copies the files in their native format to the backup device.

 

Hello Purplexity,

Thank you for your interesting in Acronis True Image

Acronis True image 10.0 Home Personal doesn’t support the following:

- Applications Settings backup
- E-mail backup
- System restore
- Incremental/differential backup
- Log view
- Backup Locations
- File backup
- Disk cloning

Best regards,
--
Dmitry Nikolaev

 

"Acronis True image 10.0 Home Personal doesn’t support the following:

- Applications Settings backup
- E-mail backup
- System restore
- Incremental/differential backup
- Log view
- Backup Locations
- File backup
- Disk cloning"

Well, I am watching the discussion on the Acronis forums for a while, so there should be not many things to make me surprised.... But, what the hell one so called "backup" software CAN DO except for things (quoted above) that it CAN´T DO.....? Is this really a backup software, or only a software that can lead you to a madness?

 

I don't know where you got this list, but it needs some clarification.

TI 7-2009 will make image backups of entire drives or partitions and everything on the drive or partition can be restored. If you make an image of your boot drive and it has only one partition and is the only hard drive in the computer, you can restore everything on the computer from that backup.

The image will contain the operating system, all installed programs, all program settings, all data files including e-mail, address books, etc. It can be restored to the same hard drive or to a new hard drive just taken out of its factory packaging. The restored drive will be bootable just like the original.

Incremental and differential image backups have been supported at least since TI 8.

All the versions support cloning drives. Note that only an entire drive can be cloned not an individual partition on a drive.

Some later versions of True Image have the ability to also create separate backups (not drive/partition images) that contain ONLY the system settings, only e-mail, only selected files and folders.

TI 10 is certainly a backup program. Is this clear now?

 

The list of features not supported is from Post #10 by Acronis.

This is for TI 10 Home Personal, not one of the regular retail versions of TI.

 

TI 10 Personal was a freebie in a UK magazine recently.

 

If they added viewing logs to it and offered it in TI2009 for the latest HW support, it is all I really need - never use the other "great features".

 

Thanks for your feedback as to the functions of TI 10 Personal . It really does very little, and for someone just starting out with this type of software it really isn't a great idea. Yes, it was "a freebie in a UK magazine recently".

There are free Backup and imaging programs which however do all the functions this can't. It was very misleading to include the Help file for the fully enabled version, it can only cause disdain and if I may say, is a bad way of marketing your product. Thanks .