Differential Backups

I am running TI 9 with build 2337 on a windows XP machine. With past backup programs whenever I performed a differential backup, the previous differential was overwritten so that I had only the one current differential at any given time. With TI 9, it just keeps adding differentials as additional archive files. I started with a complete backup of my C partition. It was divided into 3 archive files of 4.34 gigs so that I could burn to DVD. After the complete backup I scheduled a backup selecting differential. This would perform everyday at 1:00 PM. I now have 8 archive files numbered 1 thru 8 with the first 3 being the full backup of partition C and the rest are differentials. Is this how TI 9 works? Do I delete 4 through 7 and keep the latest ( 8 )? I never saw a choice to overwrite the previous differential...or did I miss it? When I was setting up the differential, I could choose between archive file 1, 2, or 3 of the full backup of partition C, although they were all the same backup. Do I choose the first of three archives when setting up a differential or do I select the third of three archives? This is confusing to me. Usually the last archive file is used when restoring. Any help would be appreciated.

 

You can set up a command in the 'pre-backup command' section of the options to delete the previous differential backups. This way the program will automatically delete the prior differential and create a new one relative to the last full backup. The nice thing about having them all however is that you can choose to restore to any particular date for which you have a backup. If you keep deleting prior backups you will have only the latest one or the original image as possible restore points.

 

Hello Greenman,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please download and install the latest build (3567) of Acronis True Image 9.0 which is available in the Product Updates section of our web-site.

Acronis True Image 9.0 Home does not delete any previous created differential images. However, you can delete previous differental images by yourself without any problem.

Please note that a differential image contains all changes that have been done after the full image creation.
To restore the image, you need to have only the full backup and last differental one.

When you create the differential image, you can choose any file (full or differential image). Acronis True Image 9.0 recognizes it automatically and creates the new differental image without any problem.

You can also find more information on how to use Acronis True Image 9.0 Home in the respective User's Guide.

Thank you.
--
Tatyana Tsyngaeva

 

Thank you all for your help. So let me make sure I understand clearly. I perform a full partition backup that is divided into 3 archive files. When I want to perform a differential backup and the program wants to know which archive I want to perform the differential backup, I can choose any of the three archive files that makes up my full partition backup. The program performs a differential on the whole backup, not just the single archive file. And as far as overwriting, the program leaves the differential from the previous backup. Keeping all the differentials could be helpful, but the files add up - almost 750 MB per night. Keeping all the differentials sounds alot like an incremental. Again thank you for all your help. I am sure to return with more questions. I have updated to build 3567. This program is worlds ahead of the program I was using...Stomp Backup My PC version 6.

 

Since we are on this subject, I have restored many times and found ATI to be a lifesaver in my case, as I tend to screw things royally(bad installs, bad prgms,mangled programs etc) and by restoring I found things "as they were before"I used my magic fingers.
I noticed that by restore/lastDifferential Backup of a series,the restore goes thru the routine as if I was doing a restore from an Original file, it takes the same amount of time, yet the Differential file is significant smaller.
How does it work? the restore uses the original plus the differntial files?
I thought by selecting the differential file it will restore ONLY the files changed since the original?
thank you for your help.
David
XP Home edition SP2
8 build 937

 

Error, after reading the Help files I realize am doing Incremental NOT Differential as prviously stated, but my question remains.
thank you
David

 

Hello DEJAVU_US,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that the incremental backup file only contains data changed since the last full or incremental backup creation. Therefore, in order to restore data from an incremental backup, you must have all previous incremental backup files and the initial full backup. If any of successive backups is missing, restoration is impossible.

Thank you.
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Aleksandr Isakov