Goodby to True Image

I have used True Image through several versions and builds, and until version 2009 have been very satisfied. The problem I'm now having may or may not lie with ATI since I am using it on a new 64 bit Vista computer. But the fact is that whatever the reason, ATI crashes whenever I try a backup. It wasn't always so. When I first installed ATI I got the crashes. Then I tried system restore, and ATI worked--for a while. Then it crashed again. System restore didn't help this time. I spoke at length with online chat, and the tech support people really tried to help. ATI still crashed. So I tried--and then purchased--ShadowProtect. No problem--the program did the backups fine. So while I don't know whether the problem is ATI, Vista, or ATI interaction with Vista I am suspicious. Mine is one of many similarly configured Dell computers, so the explanation that a programmer can't design for every single computer configuration doesn't hold water with me. The fact is I no longer trust ATI. My writing this may be a waste of time for users and Acronis tech people. But perhaps my experience may suggest to them that version 2009 has bugs that render it useless for some of us. So I'm sadly retiring ATI on my computer.

 

Glad you found a programme that works. Make sure you try a restore so you know your backup system actually works

ATI works for me so I will stay with it

 

Shadow Protect is an excellent product. I went to it also because of a new computer build and TI (which I've used since v.6 didn't cut the mustard!). Version 10 of TI took forever to do a restore, but 11 and 12 were flops for me also.

Acronis is a very fine product...only wish they would forget the need to add so many options...just image TI...Just Image as the old Powerquest's Drive Image used to do...That is why your product is popular...not because you offer the extras you keep adding that cause bloat and probably issues. Your company knows the imaging well, leave the additions to others!

Too many extras now - bet those are causing most issues!

Go back to image only and you will be the one all use once again. Quit throwing out beta products...go back and use v9's base and go from there with Imaging only and you will sell all you can make.

Allen

 

SP has few of the features offered by most of the disk imaging/backup programs around. It's big plus is that the boot disk is essentially VistaPE so there are no dirver issues if SPO runs installed in Windows, then it will run from the boot drive -- and you can add drivers on the fly when you boot the bootCD.

 

Allen L, I'm with you. I'll try this new version a few times more (just every new build) and then.....Even in the version 11 is a few "nonsenses". For example: "Scheduled backup"...what a BIG NONSENSE!!!!! When my machine is infected with virus in the time for scheduled backup, my CLEAR and perfect backup will be infected an USELESS! There is more bugs in version11, but I'm using it just for plain backup.

 

I'm using ATI 9, ATI 10 and tried ATI 2009.

With the last I go with Allen L. But there are some features that are nessesary for good backup-programs. E.g. in ATI 9 there were problems when doing full backups per schedules task in the same directory: you overwrite the old one, what isn't intended! Acronis knowledgebase lists a batch-file, what is renaming the old backup every time the task is run (by inserting the batch as pre-command), but that wasn't suitable. ATI 10 fixed that by the backup stores, and what a surprise, they used date- and time-stamps in the filenames! They can, when they want.

I've still a very old PC from the year 1995, there runs a backup-program in DOS with a streamer, that can all these nice things, too! What a shame on todays manufacturers...
And that program was stable and worked without any problems (publishing of updates was very expensive in that times, so the manufacturers were forced to make the fixes BEFORE they sold the program...).

I'm using ATI 10 and its enough for me; it has bugs, too, but I can live with them. I tried ATI 2009 but I went back to ATI 10 (they canceled the date- and time-stamps in the filenames ... and the generating of backups is NOT supportet by a full summary of ALL done options).
With the higher versions I go along with Allen L.

For Acronis I would suggest to splitt the ATI in modules.
If you want less (more), you have to pay less (more):
Basic Version only with imaging + backup, a separate module for scheduling, and so on.