Image file vs. backup

I have been continually frustrated with using Acronis True Image, 9.0 on Windows XP. I created a complete image file of my HD. Then I tried to do incremental backups but the message says that it'll overwrite the file--which is not what I want to do. So then I created a backup using files and folders, which was okay, but then I wanted to do an incremental backup of that and the message says, "the file, XYZ.tib is not a True Image file or is corrupted." Isn't there a difference between an Image file and a Backup file? I never had that problem with Windows System BU. I understand the importance of the Image file so I can totally recreate my system in case of a crash. But how to I do a complete Back Up so I can then do daily incremental backups?

 

You have to first create a full image. It needs a new filename or it will overwrite the previous image bearing the same filename. To append an incremental to it, you select the base full image and in the following screen you choose incremental.

 

Thanks for the response. It still poses the situation, that if I create another image file, why won't I get the same message that says, the Incremental backu will overwrite the file. Is an Image file the same as a Backup? It thought the Image file was a snapshot of the entire HD at that time. I already have a complete backup (image?) of the hard drive, but when I go to create an incremental file, it says it'll overwrite the complete back-up.

 

There are two types of "backup" in TI9. One is the disk/partition backup, also called imaging, the other is files/folders backup. Only the disk/partition image is a snapshot of the whole drive/partition - the one that will enable you to restore the drive after a crash. The files/folders backup is a common backup of the files you determine.

If you created a disk image by selecting disk/partition and then full, and you now want to create an incremental to it, you should select disk/partition again, then the original full image and then incremental.

You shuld not select files/folders backup to create an incremental to the original disk/partition image.

If you select the previous full image file with the intention to create an incremental (or differential) to be appended to it and you make a mistake in selecting the options, a new full will be created. But since you (correctly) started the procedure with an already existing file name, that file would be overwritten. Hence the warning.

So, whenever you get that warning while attempting to create an incremental (or differential), cancel the operation and start it again from scratch because somewhere you've made a wrong selection.