Why separate backups for My Data, My Email and My app settings?

When I select a backup I have a choice of the entire PC, My Data, My application settings, and My email.
I want to backup My Data, My App Settings, and my Email all in one backup why do I have to do 3 separate backups to do this?
Also when I select My Data what is the difference between selecting Documents and My Documents?
I am trying to setup to do backups for an 80 year old. All I want is to do is a full backup of all documents, all app settings, and his email settings (in one simple selection) and then to have a second selection that does an incremental backup from then on.

I don't want 3 separate full backups and 3 separate incrementals.

Thanks, Steve

 

I create two partitions :
1. System partition = Windows + Applications, I only have to backup my system partition if it has been changed, like new softwares, changed settings, ...
Creating a system partition isn't much work, it's nothing but mouse work nowadays and the rest is waiting until it is installed.
I do regular backups of this partition, but not every day.

2. Data partition = all my personal data, emails, email-address-books.
That is the most important partition, because it represents all my HARD work.
I do daily backups of this partition.

In both partitions, I always do a FULL backup.

 

So you don't even mess with the My Data, My settings, My email backup options?

 

No I backup the entire system partition and data partition, but only the data partition is daily.

Two questions, because I don't use Acronis True Image Home v10.
Are you sure that ALL settings of EACH existing software in the world have a backup ?
I had the impression, that it only was for specific softwares, not all.
Are you sure that ALL emails of EACH existing email-program in the world have a backup ?

If not, I find these extra options quite useless and even 'dangerous'.

 

I agree. Make an image of the OS/apps partition and you have all of that partition. It is my understanding that only certain app's settings get backed up.

I don't even use TI for regular data backup. I'd sooner backup individual files, not jam everything into a big container file where one bad bit in a critical location can render the whole thing useless.

My email is still on my OS drive but I don't care that much about it although I used to take special care with emails concerning on-line purchases and the like. My ISP allows 2GB for email so I just leave a copy on the server for a backup. I do clean it up every now and then though.

 

I had the same understanding, because the website of Acronis mentioned a few softwares under each option and I got suspicous.

If a user has an email-software that isn't included in the backup, he might think he is backing up his emails, while it isn't true and that's why it is dangerous.
Thanks for confirming this.

 

I use three partitions 1) OS+applications, 2)General working documents, email, MY Documents folder etc, 3) Media, e.g. pictures, MP3 files etc.

The reason for this is that the frequency of change and hence need to backup is different with each type of data. My working docs partition is backed daily, My OS partition once every 2 weeks. And my media partition is archived once a month.

Having all these on one partition would increase the amount of space I would need to hold my backups and increase the amount of time each backup takes. Not to mention the fact that it can be useful to resinstate any one partition without affecting the others.

For me this segmentation should exist regardless of what any particular backup tool offers. TI are trying to increase market share by bolting on inappropriate bells and whistles IMHO.

F.

 

For those who are unsure about how to move certain folders from the OS partition to a data drive.....

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=49222

 

Is there also a complete list of the softwares, whose settings are included in the image backup and
is there also a complete list of the email-programs, whose emails are included in the image backup, in case you use one of these extra options ?

 

Hello ErikAlbert,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please note that the current version of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home support back up messages, accounts and settings of the following e-mail clients: Microsoft Outlook 2000, 2002, 2003 and Microsoft Outlook Express.

E-mail backup is a subset of file-level backup that backs up predefined folders and requires minimum user selections. However, if need be, you can select Microsoft Outlook components and folders individually.

Please have a look at this post for a complete list of currently supported applications.

The list of supported applications will be gradually built up.

Thank you.
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Marat Setdikov