Acronis Technical Support - Waste of time?

I have had the following responses from Acronis to the 'applications running / bad sector error':

"Try latest build" - Same error, sent error log through to Acronis
"Try re-install" - Same error, sent error log through to Acronis
"Try disable logging" - Same error, sent error log through to Acronis
"Deathly silence" - Stopped returning my emails?
From this website, I have found one 'solution': "try stopping any applications that may interfere with TI" - How about telling me which applications 'may' interfere with TI?!! It is not my job to fault find Acronis software and I did not agree to be a beta tester, if Acronis themselves do not know which applications cause this problem then HTF am I supposed to know?

Is this the best Acronis can offer?

DM

 

To this point I have found Acronis tech support at least responsive, if not always able to zero in on the solution immediately. Not much contact tho (haven't had much reason to try), so the jury is still out.

You haven't identified your OS, so can't be too specific. Typically, things I have found that can tie up a filesystem include: Anti-virus programs (any), utilities like the Norton Protected Recycle bin, Windows updates, database background servers, etc. If you are running WinNT4/Win2000/WinXP Pro, you will find a "Services" applet either in the Control Panel or under Administrative tools. I would usually start there, try to identify any service that might be responsible, and right-click and Stop it. Then retry the operation. If you are running some Win9x or another, your tools are more limited, but you can hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and try a similar approach.

I would like to see Acronis build a searchable "Knowledge base", and post documents that might be of general assistance. Certainly an issue like this must have been experienced by more than one person, and the details of its resolution could help others. Their 'FAQ' is a start, but it isn't enough.

With regard to not agreeing to be a beta tester: I am a software developer and have been since the mid-1960s. These days, I have concluded that there are no software products/companies that don't (involuntarily) enlist their clientele for testing to some degree, especially right after major releases. Is this a pernicious practice? Of course it is, but the product cycle is so fast these days, that a company that doesn't move fast probably won't survive. That means that pre-release testing is usually going to be slighted. . .

Hope this helps.
A. Becker

 

"Based on the exclusive Acronis Drive Snapshot technology, Acronis True Image Server 8.0 for Windows allows to create a server disk backup image without interrupting server operations" - Acronis website

Shutting down random services on a live system is not acceptable support advice and is contary to Acronis' above statement. They are the ones that should be highlighting exactly which services do affect TI.

I would like to see Acronis putting more than a couple of dollars from the $700 they charge for their badly tested products into technical support. If you scimp on thorough testing then you need to provide decent customer service- This two bob forum is no replacement for dedicated technical support. Evidence? Look at the TI FAQ and compare with something like the detailed resource you find with Symantec Ghost or Veritas. It may be expensive but at least it is possible with Symantec to talk to an expert who will usually solve your problem on the spot.

If I had been responsible for the purchase of TI for this system I would definitely return this product ASAP.

 

Your duplicate post (acroniswasteoftime) which you put in its own thread has been removed. Please see our TOS in regards to duplicate posting.

 

I was NOT suggesting that some random group of services should be disabled permanently. I was only suggesting a diagnostic technique - one that would PROBABLY identify the service/product that might be interfering with your backup. If this machine is a production server, find a time when the network is quiet, and do the testing then. If this machine is up and serving 24/7, you will need to stop services one at a time, trying the backup test, then restarting the service. Then ask yourself what a product that was not fully integration tested for your environment is doing on a production server.

As for Acronis identifying the service responsible, how are they to know what products/services are installed or active on your server? The best that they or anyone could do is to provide a list of potentially interfering products, and you will STILL have to do the tests to identify which one(s) are involved. If you read my first post carefully, I gave you a list (admittedly rather general) to start with.

I am certainly willing to criticize where I feel criticism is due, but expecting them to tell you precisely what is going on in your particular server is hardly realistic. I haven't yet found anyone with a working crystal ball.

As for Symantec, my company was a "Symantec Shop" until recently, and I have severed any/all relations with that company or its products. I used to use PowerQuest's Drive Image product. Since Symantec bought them, I no longer deploy it. Why? A great part of the reason is the apparent dedication they have to making it impossible to speak or interact with a human being on any technical issue. They used to have forums like this. After they took some (well-deserved) hits for screwing up. they took down the forums. I even tried to call and tell them what they had done that made us leave, and the Customer Service person refused to take the information. DON'T give me Symantec as an example of anything good.

If you want to solve your problem, you will probably find someone here to provide advice or assistance. If all you want to do is bash Acronis, I doubt many will listen for long.

Over and out.
A. Becker

 

I used Drive Image prior to its amalgamation into Symantec and found it to be very reliable software. I am a somewhat unwilling Symantec personal user due to the cost involved with their technical support, and do not champion the cause of paying for technical support at all. In industry however such costs are to be expected and I have found their corporate technical service to be excellent.

With regard to your comments re: services - The reason TI was initially purchased was that the person responsible read the "backup image without interrupting server operations" blurb as meaning exactly that. Now with respect to the problems that I have had this 'no interruption' functionality is disingenuous as server operations appear to have to be interrupted to use TI. This is obviously a problem on this server and the remedy is to use a different product, hopefully one that actually does what it says on the tin.

With regard to integration testing: In the industry I work within, current good practice states that software tools do not require validation. Therefore system integration testing would not be relevant for this application.

Finally Acronis have just sent on the latest version ( of TI to see if that helps us out, this has been a pleasant surprise after days of waiting for their technical support and I applaud their response in this respect. If this version works I will certainly give credit where it is due..