Acronis True Image WISH-LIST thread

Identify Edition in About Box

I can look in the About Box to find which version and build of TrueImage I'm using. But I don't see the edition here; am I running Corporate Workstation, or the basic "home" edition? - feature is implemented

 

I'd like to request that you please, please, please include the ability to set a "start date" in the Scheduler. In fact, it is already there, but only available when scheduling a task to run one time only! I'm trying to schedule multiple backups going every few weeks, and it's a scheduling nightmare because I don't know when a scheduled task (say running every 3 weeks) is going to actually start! - feature has been already requested

 

I'd like to see more details of each job in the list view control that shows me my jobs. Just more columns -- type of backup, compression setting, username/password, target file, and so on. - feature was implemented

 

I wish that I could run a command or script after my backup job completes successfully, and run a different command or script if it fails.

If I was using one of the higher versions, I think I would have a command-line version of True Image that would let me write a script that invoked the backup, then finish some commands at the end.

I'm loathe to upgrade to a more expensive product, however, because of all the problems I've had with the stability and support of the cheaper version.

A batch file solution would leave me manually managing and scheudling the backup operations outside of the environment. I'd have to visit each machine and update and schedule the backup job. (I could automate that with a group policy, or something, I guess). But part of the value proposition of the more expensive versions is to centralize management. - feature has been already requested

 

I wish that Acronis True Image was more performant when backing up over the network. I find that backups to a local drive are substantially faster, but backing up over the network is incredibly slow.

The network shouldn't be any slower -- at least, it shouldn't be as slow as it is compared to the local backups. I have a carefully tuned gigabit network which can copy dozens of a megabits per second, yet the fastest I see True Image write data over the network is about 3 megabytes per second.

If I backup to a local drive and then copy the file to another machine, the whole procedure takes less than twenty minutes. If I have True Image back up from the local drive to the remote machine, it takes about three hours. - feature has been already requested

 

Hi there,

for "professional" usage it should be possible to limit the backup activities to specific CPU's (e.g. just one) on SMP systems.
The use of threading is always welcome but on my box all the 4 processors are immediately taken up and that could be a serious problem if you run something else concurrently (after all, one of the TI's feature is the ability to work withing Windows...).

Second nice-to-have feature is the ability to change the task priority on-the-fly. - feature is implemented

Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Marco

 

Need ability to restore selected files and folder from the whole disk image. Backing up select files & folders does not address this need. - feature was implemented
Example: A file or folder is erased using delete from Norton or some other utility program, so that the file is not recoverable. However, a backup image of the entire drive exists. One should be able to pick the desired file(s)/folder(s), from the Disk Image thus, restoring the desired objects. Unfortunately, there is not way to know this apriori. PowerQuest's Drive Image used to do it easily-unfortunately, they are not in business and I do not trust Norton in this area. Please make this feature iavailable in Acronis!!

 

I think the ability of the installer for Acronis products to search the registry before installation and amend the installer script to take account of Acronis files that are shared across their program range.

This comes to the fore when uninstalling one product that shares a file with another product that one wishes to keep. It would be nice if the uninstall file list didn't contain the shared file.

For example TI includes SNAPAPI , so does DD, if either program is uninstalled, SNAPAPI is deleted, requiring the re-installation of the program that is to be kept.

Colin

 

Dear Pepegot1,

Acronis TrueImage 8 and 9 do this just fine. In fact, I just restored a file yesterday that I screwed up in Photoshop and then stupidly hit "save" on. Went to my full disk backup of that drive on my external, selected "plug" and it mounted the .tib file as a logical hard drive. I then 'explored' that drive, found the older good version of the file, dragged it to the location of the new screwed-up version and told the dialog box to replace the newer version. Worked like a charm.

pax / Ctein

 

I know it's in here a lot (beginning with post #1 !), so let me pile on:

DVD+/-R burning!!!!!!!!!! - feature was implemented
(and, make it bootable from the go!) - feature has been already requested

THX!

 

Being able to change the size of existing tib files to fit on a different media to that originally intended.

Say that I have split my backup into 2.2GB tib files. I then realise that I have to back it up on to CD ROM, and in order to do so I have to back up the whole thing (over 200GB in total) all over again, this time choosing to split it into 700MB chunks. - feature has been already requested

 

create tib filenames with DATE elements

I would like to schedule backups, and have the resulting backup name as YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.tib (ex 20051115_180434.tib) so multiple image files can be created and retained from the scheduler.

I have written a c++ program to find the tib file and rename as shown above which I'd like to run as a POST command, but fails - see post about the error in this forum.

Otherwise I can run my command from windows scheduler to run sometime AFTER the backup SHOULD complete, but that is guesswork and running it POST would be better.

But the best idea is tib image file naming as described above then there is no need for my program at all.

 

Re: Wish-list thread

Ok I didn't feel like reading all the other posts so there may be repeats.

1. Use more dynamic messages instead of "Operation Sucessfully Completed". For example, if I just got done checking a image I would like to see it say something like "Image is viable". - feature has been already requested

2. When backing up an image the %complete is only displayed on the main page in the lower left hand corner. This should be displayed on the little pop up box. I couldn't even see the main page by clicking on the start menu icon, I had to minimize all windows infront of the main page to see this percent complete. - feature has been already requested

when I remember more ill edit.

 

I gather that TI9 prompts the user for removable media such as CDs and DVDs.

External USB drives are also external media. Please get TI to prompt for the external USB drive if it is not available.

I like to back up a few frequently changed files each time the computer powers up. However, at this time the computer seemis to be manking the drive jump all over the place, servicing other programs which also want to run at this time. This makes the backup run very slowly.

Can there be a hold-off time specified, for example, make a backup two minutes after power up? Or alternatively, to wait until the hard drive has not been accessed for a few seconds.

As others have pointed out, the ability to add a time/date stamp to backup file names would be very handy. (But please allow the user to choose the format of the time/date stamp.)

Shraddhan

 

It sure would be good to be able to run a clone backup from the desktop (Win2000Pro) WITHOUT a reboot first! - feature has been already requested

 

I agree.

-Neal McConachie

 

. Faster/better USB drivers for the boot CD

and/or ...

. TI9 integration with BartPE

I guess the driver issue is Linux kernel development dependent, however surely better Linux USB drivers are available by now!

As for BartPE, frankly it seems the best overall solution. Why not cooperate with the developers to make an Acronis release that includes BartPE for creating rescue media?

The motivation for my request:

Backed up a 100GB int HD to a 80GB ext USB2.0 HD (with compression) using TI9 on Windows, and restored the image by booting into the TI9 Boot CD.

Backup time: 2 hours.
Restore time: 2 DAYS.

What's wrong with this picture?

-
[H]omer

 

It's too bad I can't use True Image anymore since I moved to a machine with Windows XP Professional, 64-bit Edition. My first and foremost request is to support this operating system. - feature has been already requested

 

I would like TI to be able to properly create a boot disc on a Lexar jumpdrive. Thats all.

 

I would like to see TI have some kind of tape library support. Seagate's backup exec does this now and it is a feature that is surely going to meet resistance with trying to convince my company to use TI. I use TI now at home on both windows and linux machines and I think it is great. The lack of tape library support however will eventually hurt Acronis. Afterall, imagine the network drives that your critical backups are up crashes during a restore of mission critical data.

Ideas? Suggestions? Having to change tapes manually is not an option. There should be a gui interface that can me used to manage media, schedule backups, etc. My ideal backup solution is to build a couple of MAID servers, store incremental backups to disk and bi-weekly full images to tape.

 

Is this an item for a wish list, or a bug? -

When TI9 detects a problem when making a backup, it marks the entry in the log file to indicate a failure.

However, when TI9 _crashes_ during a backup, it does not mark the entry in the log file has a failure.

Would it not be possible to mark all newly created log file entries as failures until proven otherwise? I.e. start by assuming that the operation has failed, and then on successfule completion of a backup mark it as having succeeded.

Shraddhan

 

When about to edit a task, TI9 will pop up one or more message boxes to indicate any problems with the current task.

It would be nice if these error messages could continue to be displayed while I am editing the task, so that I can be reminded as to what needs to be done, rather than have to write the information on a scrap of paper?

And is it a bug or a feature that certain problems with a task prevent it from being edited, even though the message box tells me to edit it because of the problem? For example, if the task was set up to save in a particular folder, and that folder has been remove or renamed, then I can't edit the task!

Shraddhan

 

Yesterday, I renamed the directory in which TI9 was to store its backup files, but I forgot to change the task accordingly.

Naturally, and quite rightly, when it tried to make a backup today TI9 stopped and said that there was a problem. But what it said was that the backup file I had specified was corrupt, or that I had not specified the last file in a series.

So, can errors be trapped as soon as possible? The problem was that the directory did not exist. If TI9 had told me this, that there was no such directory any more, there would have been less room for confujsion.

Shraddhan

 

When there are more than 50 entries in the task log, I am advised of the fact. However, it is not very easy to delete entries. They have to be done one at a time. Consider:

(1) Only 50 entries are not much for someone making multiple backups. (Perhaps the actual number could be made an option?)

(2) When log file entries are deleted, they could be put into a "Deleted" area, which can be emptied by the user when it gets rather full.

(3) Allow the deletion of a group of files. (I.e. by moving them as a batch to the "Deleted" area.)

These changes would make deleting old entries much easier.

Shraddhan

 

I suggest the option to make Acronis Zones on more than one disk. - feature has been already requested

Currently I get around this by backing up my 2nd disk (which contains my Acronis Zone) to a 50GB partition on the first disk. This way I can also produce dvd+rw/ram backups.

The benefit of having a 2nd Acronis Zone compared to the above, is that it would be managed automatically.. but I wouldn't be able to produce dvd backups from the Zone (AFAIK).

regards