Q about incremental image restore

Just using freeversion 7 of Acronis and it is working perfect on my system, very nice experience.
I have few Qs.

1- About incremental backup, the help states like this.

Suppose I make my first image of my C partition( system partition) and name it as 1. Then I make an incremental image to it and name that as 2. Then I amke another incremental image to 2 and name this as 3. Similarly image 4( invremental to 3.
Now if I want to restore image 4, then I need all the images from 1 to 4( baseline image, plus last image plus all the images in between them). Am I true?
If I am true then I don,t understand why they have stated that I need at least one or preferably all incremental images. From my understanding I must have all incremental images.

2- Secondly what are differential images. I think this feature is not there in this version. Are they different from incremental.

Thanks.

 

“From my understanding I must have all incremental imagees.”

I think your understanding is better than the documentation.
You will need the FULL and all the INCs, up to and including, the INC you wish to restore from.
DIFFs, as I recall, were not implemented in that version. A DIFF includes all the changes since the FULL even if those changes were already included in a previous DIFF. DIFFs are cumulative.

 

You are right, you need all the images from the base to the incremental you wish to restore. If you want to restore your PC to the time the last incremental was taken you have to have the base and every incremental that was done.

I suppose they said you needed at least one incremental so you could do an "incremental restore".

An incremental image captures the changes made since the last incremental image was done. A differential always refers to the base image and captures all changes made since the base image was made.

To restore a differential image you only need the base and the differential image. You do not need the differential images made between the base image and the one you are restoring. So, it should be quicker to restore a differential but it will likely take more time to create.

I don't know if it is fixed in TI10, but in TI9 you needed to have all the intermediate differentials present if you wished to validate your differential archive even though they weren't needed for the restore.

 

Thanks but now here my understyanding is gone. Can explain by an example.
I still doubt my understanding about incremental may be wrong. What if I miss an incremental image from in between the row?

 

This may only serve to confuse, but what the hell -

FULL contains files A, B, C
You add file D
INC contains D
DIFF contains D
then
You add E
INC contains E
DIFF contains D & E
then
You add F, G & H
INC contains F, G & H
DIFF contains D, E, F, G & H

 

So after image 4 if I make an incremental image 5 based upon image 1 in my posted scenario, it will be just like a differentilal image?
In any case if I am understanding correct the restore image will be exactly as ur system was when u took last incremental image or differential image. Am I true?

Thanks

 

No, all the incrementals toghether will cointain all the changes since the full image. The last differential alone will likewise cointain all the changes since the full image.

The last differential (larger file) is therefore equivalent to the the whole set of (smaller) incremental files.

True.

 

Now it makes a bit sense to me.
Is there an online manual avaialable for latest version so taht I can read more about these images.
Thanks.

 

Yes, see the FAQ sticky. You'll only get it for ver. 10, I'm afraid, but the imaging basics should be the same.

The management of the MBR is limited in ver.7, though. The MBR is included in the image and in the restore if on both instances the box next to Disk 1 is checked. It means when you are doing a whole disk image or whole disk restore.

You'll see what I mean when you compare the downloaded ver.10 Guide with what you have on screen.