Author Topic: Acronis Backup (Read 18254 times)

Renegade · « **on:** December 22, 2012, 08:48 PM »

Well, I am very unimpressed with Acronis.

I got sick of my Windows installation and problems, so I figured I'd restore it to a previously good config. I've got Acronis, so no problem, right? Wrong.

None of the backups except for the earliest one were good. Acronis apparently randomly deletes portions of the backups. So, if you actually want to make use of the software, you have to back up your backups. How silly is that?

So, I'm currently reinstalling Visual Studio, and will spend the next god-knows-how-long reinstalling numerous programs I need to work.

Very unimpressed.

Darwin · « **Reply #1 on:** December 23, 2012, 10:23 AM »

Hi Renegade - I gave up on Acronis in summer 2011. I dutifully paid my yearly maintenance fee in the spring and later in the year *tried* to upgrade to Backup&Recovery 2012. What a nighmare! It just refused to install/run properly (no longer remember precise details). Thank God I only paid $18 for the year's maintenance... I now rely on backups of my files. If I have to reinstall Windows, I will. It's quick and easy anyway and I've pared down installed programs to next to nothing.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #2 on:** December 23, 2012, 10:29 AM »

As far as I can see anything since TrueImage 9 Workstation (which was the corporate version) has been riddled with deal breaking bugs.

I can't see how they are still trading! I presume most people never actually have to use a backup so they assume they are OK.

God knows what their server products are like!

x16wda · « **Reply #3 on:** December 23, 2012, 10:56 AM »

Eesh, Acronis. I wonder how many different commercial backups programs we have all used and discarded over the years? Acronis, Macrium, GoBack, Back Up My PC, etc etc.

FWIW I've been using Paragon software for years, personally and for work, both backups and full restores, and its various releases haven't failed me yet. Biggest score was getting a free upgrade to the server technician license just before they started making them expire.

Darwin · « **Reply #4 on:** December 23, 2012, 11:08 AM »

Yes, good point x16wda. I've recently given up on using Genie Timeline and Oops! Recovery Backup as well (wasn't using them at the same time!). They both worked but were, to varying degrees, detrimental to the performance of my computer. I use Syncovery (used to be Super Flexible File) to backup my data, important program settings, and files. Works like a charm

Jibz · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2012, 01:02 PM »

I've generally heard good things about Paragon software .. what has always bugged me is how they seem to have 20 products with more or less overlapping functionality -- I can never figure out what exactly would be the right thing to get

.

Image for Windows is another one people generally praise, but it looks a bit like Ghost did 10 years ago.

I don't know which of them all you can really trust with your data anymore.

techidave · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2012, 01:34 PM »

Our school has been using Symantec Ghost Corporate Edition for several years now. it works but is extremely expensive so I am always on the look out for something cheaper.

I tried setting up FOG this past summer but we could never get it to run. I don't remember details now.

So I am looking for something else too. Needs to run from a network and also work with PXE boot.

Curt · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2012, 04:17 PM »

Renegade was once saved by Acronis, but I am joining the choir of this thread...

... Poof! BSOD!
I just about could have cried...
...
Long & short, I was able to pull out a backup from the Acronis non-stop backup. Phew~! Lost some of the audio, but I at least got the lion's share.
-Renegade (July 17, 2011, 07:13 AM)

It's good to hear that somehow is having a much better experience with Acronis than I have had. In the end I got so disappointed that I uninstalled my licensed Acronis TrueImage2010.
-Curt (July 17, 2011, 10:19 AM)

Today I received an old-fashioned snail mail from my Internet Supplier, promising me unlimited backup for a mere $5 per month. I will take the offer. But still I too am searching for a good backup for the system files. I will however not give praise to Paragon; their habit of launching major upgrades every year, instead of calling it a subscription, (or at least offer an automatic subscription), is not acceptable to me. The way Paragon is doing it is a guarantee that minor improvements (or any changes but no improvements!) will be labelled "new year => new version => major upgrade!" :-(

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2012, 06:15 PM »

The way Paragon is doing it is a guarantee that minor improvements (or any changes but no improvements!) will be labelled "new year => new version => major upgrade!" :-(
-Curt (December 23, 2012, 04:17 PM)

Apps don't stop working and you don't have to upgrade!

Jibz · « **Reply #9 on:** December 23, 2012, 06:23 PM »

You often end up having to upgrade because you get a new version of Windows, or new external storage hardware that is incompatible with the older version.

Renegade · « **Reply #10 on:** December 23, 2012, 06:31 PM »

Renegade was once saved by Acronis, but I am joining the choir of this thread...

... Poof! BSOD!
I just about could have cried...
...
Long & short, I was able to pull out a backup from the Acronis non-stop backup. Phew~! Lost some of the audio, but I at least got the lion's share.
-Renegade (July 17, 2011, 07:13 AM)

It's good to hear that somehow is having a much better experience with Acronis than I have had. In the end I got so disappointed that I uninstalled my licensed Acronis TrueImage2010.
-Curt (July 17, 2011, 10:19 AM)

-Curt (December 23, 2012, 04:17 PM)

That was for recovering a file, and it did it. I figured that if it worked there, it should work.

This was a full system restoration... Cripes... Not good.

I think I may well look into Paragon.

Lutz_ · « **Reply #11 on:** December 24, 2012, 12:13 AM »

I had good experiences with Paragon so far. Their free stuff is good enough most of the time.
Acronis "Nonstop Backup" feature was a total failure on my wife's PC - it turned out be "No Backup"; no working backup anyhow.

CleverCat · « **Reply #12 on:** December 24, 2012, 04:09 AM »

Acronis has 'saved my bacon' a few times and my nonstop backup has proved very useful for restoring individual folders on my Data Drive...

edbro · « **Reply #13 on:** December 24, 2012, 08:07 AM »

I'd argue that backup software is slowly becoming irrelevant. Having said that, I do use Acronis to create a system image. I also use Syncback to backup data to my NAS.

I believe backup software is becoming irrelevant because of cloud computing. The new MS Office is so tightly integrated with Skydrive that I point the Windows My Documents folder to the document folder in Skydrive. All my music is backed up in Google Music. Most everything else is backed up in Dropbox.

The cloud backups are safer than the local backups due to versioning. I have been able to restore old versions of documents that had been overwritten several times.

The only thing I use True Image for is to create a base image of new OS installs. I like to install windows, activate it and tweak it just the way I like it. Then I add a few essential utilities and image it. Now, I can have a fresh Windows install applied in only a matter of minutes.

Renegade · « **Reply #14 on:** December 24, 2012, 08:55 AM »

I had good experiences with Paragon so far. Their free stuff is good enough most of the time.
Acronis "Nonstop Backup" feature was a total failure on my wife's PC - it turned out be "No Backup"; no working backup anyhow.
-Lutz_ (December 24, 2012, 12:13 AM)

I have found the non-stop backup useful on a couple occasions for getting back files.

The only thing I use True Image for is to create a base image of new OS installs. I like to install windows, activate it and tweak it just the way I like it. Then I add a few essential utilities and image it. Now, I can have a fresh Windows install applied in only a matter of minutes.
-edbro (December 24, 2012, 08:07 AM)

Which is what I thought I did... But... Apparently Acronis deletes backups without asking... Not happy. I had a perfectly configured system... in a deleted backup.

edbro · « **Reply #15 on:** December 24, 2012, 09:40 AM »

Which is what I thought I did... But... Apparently Acronis deletes backups without asking... Not happy. I had a perfectly configured system... in a deleted backup.
-Renegade (December 24, 2012, 08:55 AM)

I don't even have it installed. I installed it only long enough to create the boot disk. I only make images from the boot disk.

40hz · « **Reply #16 on:** December 24, 2012, 11:09 AM »

I no longer trust "traditional" backups and backup software after one too many bad surprises.

I'll do partition images - or sync directories - when I want to protect data. Or (occasionally) set up a RAID-1 mirror on two drives if something can't allow for any downtime. (Note: RAID-1 is not as foolproof as we'd sometimes hope.)

For images I pretty much exclusively use the FOSS product Clonezilla. It's a little "geek" as far as its looks and operation goes. But so am I - so I don't really have a problem with that.

For sync I still prefer rsync (and products built on top of it such as DeltaCopy) over all others. The ability to sync to a remote location (including via SSH) makes rsync worth its weight in gold to me.

For portable sync use, my current fav is Zback. Not to say it wouldn't work just as well running on a regular desktop. I use this to keep the data on my USB sticks backed up to my network since I don't do "cloud" when it comes to anything personal or client related.

CleverCat · « **Reply #17 on:** December 25, 2012, 01:45 AM »

The only thing I use True Image for is to create a base image of new OS installs. I like to install windows, activate it and tweak it just the way I like it. Then I add a few essential utilities and image it. Now, I can have a fresh Windows install applied in only a matter of minutes.
-edbro (December 24, 2012, 08:07 AM)

I do the same!

Renegade - AFAIK Acronis only deletes backups if u configure it that way - I still have my install backup from 9 months ago, and I do a daily backup and told Acronis to only keep 3 most recent copies. It works for me....

cranioscopical · « **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2012, 11:01 AM »

FWIW I changed to Macrium Reflect. I know that it works for me — a few times I've found it faster to wipe/restore than sort out time-wasting issues.

Darwin · « **Reply #19 on:** December 26, 2012, 10:22 AM »

Hi Chris, thank you for the heads up about Macrium Reflect - taking a look at it now. What I used to use Acronis for, for the most part, was to create several images:
1. base windows install
2. Windows with updates and essential software installed
3. Windows with updates, essential software, and everything else installed - stable

That way, I could always go back to a working configuration. Macrium might be good for #3 on my list; if I have to reinstall Windows in the future I'll be in a position to create #1 and #2 at that time.

Cheers

PS also checking out Clonezilla AND hadn't noticed that edbro and Clevercat both posted essentially the same "usage" for Acronis/Cloning products as I did, so this post should have been a +1!

cranioscopical · « **Reply #20 on:** December 26, 2012, 03:00 PM »

I should have mentioned that I use the paid version of Macrium Reflect.
Deals on that seem to crop up a couple of times a year.

f0dder · « **Reply #21 on:** December 26, 2012, 04:01 PM »

For sync I still prefer rsync (and products built on top of it such as DeltaCopy) over all others. The ability to sync to a remote location (including via SSH) makes rsync worth its weight in gold to me.
-40hz (December 24, 2012, 11:09 AM)

The DeltaCopy UI screenshots makes my eyes bleed

- their Syncrify program sounds potentially useful though.

J-Mac · « **Reply #22 on:** December 27, 2012, 12:37 AM »

.... and I've pared down installed programs to next to nothing.
-Darwin (December 23, 2012, 10:23 AM)

Really? A software addict like you?! Wow!

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #23 on:** December 27, 2012, 12:40 AM »

Yes, good point x16wda. I've recently given up on using Genie Timeline and Oops! Recovery Backup as well (wasn't using them at the same time!). They both worked but were, to varying degrees, detrimental to the performance of my computer. I use Syncovery (used to be Super Flexible File) to backup my data, important program settings, and files. Works like a charm
-Darwin (December 23, 2012, 11:08 AM)

Darwin,

I am still using SFFS. I never got wind of Syncovery. Check for Updates still brings me to the SuperFlexible web site. Weird - I've been using SFFS for years and at one time corresponded fairly often with Tobias. I read about the change to Syncovery somewhere quite by accident; at first I didn't realize that it was the new incarnation of SFFS!

Is there much difference between SFFS and Syncovery? Better? Worse? About the same?

Thanks!

Jim

CleverCat · « **Reply #24 on:** December 27, 2012, 04:37 AM »

Looks and 'feels' exactly the same to me!