Incremental backup help please.

Discussion in 'Acronis True Image Product Line' started by terence1, Jul 27, 2007.

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  1. terence1

    terence1 Registered Member

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    I'm new to computers & backups & Acronis!! I have made a backup of my hard drive & want to do an incremental backup but have got part way & am stumped about what to do next. I'm uploading (I hope) a screenshot of where I got to.
    I was told to select the folder to backup so I clicked drive C & the next button greyed out. Help please & what should I do? I have tried the on-board Help but cannot see any easy-step information about what I should do. o_O
    Thanks.
     
  2. Tabvla

    Tabvla Registered Member

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    Hi Terence, welcome to the Forum :D

    Thank you for letting us know that you are new to computers, backups and ATI. It really helps when someone is open about their level of expertise as that makes it easier to provide the correct advice.

    You say in your post that you "...have made a backup of my hard drive..." What is not clear from this is what type of backup you made. As the screenshot did not upload, I am unable to determine which version of ATI you are using or which Operating System is installed on your computer. Please post this information when you reply.

    The first and and by far the most important thing to understand is that there are 2 distinct categories of backups - the first is where you simply want a copy of your data and the second is where you want to be able to restore a bootable disk.

    If all you require is a copy of your data then you could use almost any method - Windows Backup; ATI Files and Folder (or My Data) backup; or even Copy & Paste will do the job. This is very easy to do.

    If however you want to create a backup of your Operating System and Programs and want to do it in such a way as to enable you to restore it so that you can recreate a bootable disk with a fully working Operating System and fully reinstated Programs, then you need to adopt a different approach.

    This approach is called making an Image of the System disk or System partition. When you restore an Image you recreate an exact mirror of the disk that you backed up.

    If you provide us with the details of your system and also exactly what you are trying to achieve then we will be able to advise you as to what you should be doing.

    T.
     
  3. Acronis Support

    Acronis Support Acronis Support Staff

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    Hello terence1,

    Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

    Please notice that there are two approaches available:

    Clone Disk - migrates/copies the entire contents of one disk drive to another;

    Backup - creates a special archive file for backup and disaster recovery purposes;

    Please take a look at this FAQ article explaining the difference between Clone Disk and Backup approaches in more detail.

    Actually, Clone Disk approach is usually used to upgrade the hard drive (e.g. install a larger disk), while Backup approach is basically dedicated for the complete data backup and disaster recovery purposes. Since you are interested in backing up your hard drive for the disaster recovery purposes, I would recommend you to follow Backup approach.

    Moreover, there are several advantages of creating an image over the disk cloning procedure such as: you can create an image without rebooting your PC, image creation can be scheduled for the particular point in time, Acronis True Image allows you to create incremental and differential images, image archive contains only the actual data and so it has a smaller size, images are ordinary files and so they can be stored on any type of the supported media, etc. However, the final choice is always up to your needs.

    Also, as Tabvla explained, you can also create file-based backups, which only store chosen file(s) data.

    To create an incremental backup you need first to create a full backup. Then, to create incremental backup, when prompted to choose location and filename please choose the existing full backup. The incremental one will be created in the same folder.

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

    Thank you.
    --
    Marat Setdikov
     
  4. terence1

    terence1 Registered Member

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    Thank you both. The problem I have is not understanding the terminology used
    in this endeavour, but let me explain how far I got with my first attempt. I went for Backup & got what I assume is a copy of my Dell 9150 drive C in my 500GB external Freecom hard drive.
    I hope I can get a screenshot uploaded for you to see how far I got this morning trying for an incremental backup. I have XPS SP2 by the way (as I do with my Dell laptop that I also want to back up) & ATI 10.

    This morning: I clicked Backup/next on the wizard/my computer to back up/disk1(C) at partition/next/ information window recommending incremental backup/OK/backup archive location/My Backup 29-06-07 folder but Next greys out. Ummm.don't know what to do next!

    I hope this makes sense?
    TerryW
     

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  5. terence1

    terence1 Registered Member

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    Hi - I think I have done it. I went to MyBackup10 & experimented clicking that & the greyed out Next lit up so I think the incremental = 11 & 12 files now.
    TW
     
  6. Tabvla

    Tabvla Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2006
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    649
    Location:
    London, England
    Hi Terence

    I am still concerned that you don't actually understand the underlying processes - which is of course quite normal for someone who is new to computers.

    Go back to my earlier post and carefully read what I have said about the differences between Data File backups and System partition Images. Fully understanding this distinction is absolutely fundamental to understanding how file systems work. And computers are based entirely on file systems. The principal diffentiating factor between operating systems is their respective file systems - so you can appreciate how important this is.

    I would also strongly recommend that you carefully read the ATI User Guide which you can download as a PDF document from the Acronis website. In particular you should study the sections on Incremental and Differential backups as well as the sections on Backups, Images and Cloning. These concepts are the foundation of understanding backups.

    If you have further questions please get back to the Forum.

    T.
     
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