What kind of rubbish software is this Acronis.

[Apple Grew]

I installed Acronis today and now it seems to be a useless crap! I wanted to take full backup of my HDD but wow this guy (which is running 2 processes in background) can't even take backup of files that r in use. This means the 'program files' files and windows files etc. which r in use won't be backed up and now when I restore my drive these files won't be there! But this is very reason for which I installed it!

Furthermore, when I created my Secure Drive it for some reason shifted my one 1GB hidden drive to another location. This partition contains a specially configured version of Windows which allows to play media files immediately. Now laptop is incapable of booting into that partition. :(

[r4may]

Not Much help but:-

I have never used Acronis so I don't have an opinion on it but lost of our members sware by it. However there are not many Backup Programs that can backup files that are 'Open' (or in use) as these files are liable to change thus making the backup incorrect. however essential O/S system files that are running get backed up as they operate from memory not from file once running.

Backup should be run only when nothing else is running excepting essential O/S system files.

However other members may be able to help more

[Apple Grew]

Please reply. How do I take backup of them and how do I restore my hidden partition to its current location (I made a backup of that partition in my C drive before creating my Secure drive)

[r4may]

As I said Using Acronis I do not know.

I use Norton Ghost which actually reboots the system to it's own DOS and backes up all you tell it to in the backup setup. You may have to unhide your hidden partition first though.

[-pops-]

Did you learn how to use it properly before you put it into action?

I have used Acronis for many years without any problems whatever. Yes, you need to learn how to use it effectively. No, you can't just "plug it in" and expect it to perform.

[Apple Grew]

Did you learn how to use it properly before you put it into action?

I have used Acronis for many years without any problems whatever. Yes, you need to learn how to use it effectively. No, you can't just "plug it in" and expect it to perform.

Well then please tell me how do I backup my open files. Furthermore, I must mention that one of the opened folder was opened by Windows Explorer (I learnt it using TuneUp Process Manager). I killed explorer and checked to see that is the folder is still beign locked by some other process but it was not. Now clicked Retry in Acronis but it still maintained its stand that it cannot take the backup of that file.

Furthermore, please give a solution to my hidden partition problem I mentioned in my 1st (opening) post in this thread. No body is saying anything about it. :(

[dadyassa]

I have never used it, but if I was having problems I would post on here..... Official Acronis Support Forum

[jason.b.c]

Apple Grew --

My advise to you would be: Forget about all this "back-up software" and go out and purchase yourself another hard drive to put everything on ( an external one perhaps )..., I know it'll cost you boo-koo bucks now to it this way but it's the only more "sure-fire" way i can think of...

What do you think..??

[-pops-]

Have you read the manual to find out how to use this software - a question I hinted at before but you have avoided answering. It is not the place here to give details of how to use Acronis when the program itself is provided with a comprehensive (80+ page) manual.

[tggkao526]

you seems to have missed my post, I already put up a guide for alternative using freeware.

here, read it.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?s...st&p=215503

I already tested selfimage and it backsup all files, including those in use. It can be found here:

http://selfimage.excelcia.org/

It also offers compression and is able to backup hidden partitions.

I read your previous post and know that you seems to be lacking the windows installation cd. you can use linux instead of windows preinstall environment, or if you want, I can build the windows PE for you, all you need to do then is build the hd image and burn it onto a dvd along with windows pe. It won't be long. I created one before, the minimal is around 50mb and to make it look like windows xp, you'll need around 250mb plus space for apps.

[Apple Grew]

you seems to have missed my post, I already put up a guide for alternative using freeware.

here, read it.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?s...st&p=215503

I already tested selfimage and it backsup all files, including those in use. It can be found here:

http://selfimage.excelcia.org/

It also offers compression and is able to backup hidden partitions.

I read your previous post and know that you seems to be lacking the windows installation cd. you can use linux instead of windows preinstall environment, or if you want, I can build the windows PE for you, all you need to do then is build the hd image and burn it onto a dvd along with windows pe. It won't be long. I created one before, the minimal is around 50mb and to make it look like windows xp, you'll need around 250mb plus space for apps.

Yes I did read about selfImage but how will I restore the image when my OS won't boot. If no OS then SelfImage can't run and it can't restore. But the Windows PE thing seems to be the answer. What exactly is windows PE.

-pops-

Yes I haven't read the manual, but maybe I am handling the software correctly.

1> I 1st created Secure Zone

2> I then chose BackUp from Pick a Task.

3> I chosw My Data as my backup type

4> I then selected the files to backup

5> I chose Acronis Secure Zone in BackUp Archive Location

Then it started. I don't seem to have made any mistakes. BTW I also just created a backup of C:\Windows directory. As r4may pointed out it got backed up w/o fuss, but backing Program Files is a problem.

-----------------------------ANd BTW------------

Why is everybody keeping mum over how to move my misplaced hidden partition (see my openning post) back to its original position. Will Partition Magic be of any help?

[deuces wild]

I have used Acronis for many years without any problems whatever. Yes, you need to learn how to use it effectively. No, you can't just "plug it in" and expect it to perform.

I have used it for over a year with absolutely no problems either.

Sounds like pilot error to me. B)

-pops-

Yes I haven't read the manual,.....

Doh! :lol:

[tggkao526]

Windows pe or windows preinstall environment is a portable windows that can boot via the cd-rom. So it's really useful since it can access fat and ntfs, and you can preform backups if your computer crashes. In additon to that, you can load win pe with apps of your choice, such as selfimage, and carry on administrative tasks. I only used it briefly so I don't really know all the limitations, but the inability to use vpns windows provided is one of them. (I tried to use it to get past my office's damn restrictive windows and firewall, but it failed cause of the damn vpn wasn't installed correctly and I didn't bother to learn other kinds or fix it.)

The official win pe is sold by microsoft to factories to make recovery cds. however, using the original win xp installation cd, a person figured a way how to make win pe by copying files from the installation cd and adding his own files. Thus BartPE and variants.

The best thing about it is that it's free, just borrow a friend's winxp cd and build your own win pe with apps of your choosing.

Oh it doesn't need a cd-key. That's what I like about it. It's legal too, as long as you build it from a legal win xp cd. Though using a pirated version could be legal since we're not using a cd-key not that I'm saying you should download one... but i may be wrong. (one of the thing is if you own it, you can download it. like if you have a ps2, your allowed to download ps2 bios as backup)

as for the partition thing... check here http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/pa...oneditors.shtml

with that said, I know the few paid partition programs other than partition magic that can resize/move partitions.

Partition magic (what you said)

System commander (it's actually a bootloader with partition options)

BootIt™ Next Generation (same as system commander)

MasterBooter (same as above)

Paragon Partition Manager Pro

go here to find others

http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Softwa...ment/Partition/

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Backups should always be done in a clean state. No open files should be backed up, as a restore would restore them in a unclean state. Taking a backup while knowing it can't be used for a restore is pure waste of time, money, and disk space.

[tggkao526]

I forgot to add this.

If. IF for some reason, the partition table is changed instead of the partition being moved, that would create a HUGE problem.

It like you have a partition from 1-200 on a disk capacity of 400. if the partition table is changed from 1-200 to 100-300, all the files in 1-100 will not be there.

If this is the case. DO NOT move the partition back. Reason is that if you do, 1-200 will be overwritten with the information from 100-300.

If this is the case, you'll need a partition undelete software like R-Studio (the best I've found, it can copy files from deleted, corrupted dynamic or normal drive using fat32 or ntfs hidden or not) and copy all the files you have in that misplaced partition into another drive. I'm not sure if it restores registory files though. I only used it once after I accidentally deleted my private d: drive.

[Apple Grew]

Thanks tggkao526. That was helpful. I will now check out the softwares u pointed out.

[AlanHo]

Some of the comments by posters in thsi thread have left me a little confused.

I am aware that quite a number of Forum members, like me, use Acronis to successfully back-up and restore our computers. I take a full system back up each week of my C: drive(OS and programs) and D: drive (Documents and data). I used to take incremental back-ups but found that this took nearly as long as a full back-up so standardised on the latter.

Acronis takes a back-up whilst Windows is loaded - so there must be many files open at the time. It is said in previous posts here that you cannot take a back up of a file that is open - fair enough - but if that is the case, how is it that I can successfully retore my C: drive to the same partition and go back to a previous working state. I have done this several times when my machine has become corrupted (usually self inflicted) without problems.

This gives me the impression that Acronis takes an accurate, comprehensive and exact image of your hard drive. I can only assume that it must copy all the files - otherwise the back up would be incomplete and the OS would fail to work after a restore.

Can anyone throw some light on this - I have been delighted with Acronis and have had no reason to question its efficacy - but this thread has inspired my curiousity.

[tggkao526]

I guess it depends on the machine. the more heavily customized a system is, the more chances something would go wrong. Plus not all apps are garentee to work on all system.

I never used acronis before. I never bothered enough to use paid solution since there's always free alternatives. However, acronis is probably a good program, seeing that it's promoted here on this forum. and it probably have alot of function, you just need to find it/customize it.

Seeing that free open-sources software can back a hd up while mounted, acronis likely have the same ability. However like I said before, it depends on the current system status.

It probably would definitly work with a clean installation of windows, but after tweaking and customizing...

for example, language options. if you change the non-unicode advance language options into other language other than english. to chinese for example. some program and most with non-unicode support doesn't work, because it needs the english language file, not chinese.

I'm not saying that's the case. It's probably something else.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Alan,

Very good question! And you are right, of course - a number of system files will always be open when Windows is active, e.g. the registry files.

During a backup, nothing should be actively running, i.e. updating files. Files simply being opened, but not being written to should be OK.

User applications, say the Outlook email client, may just receive a message into its PST file while doing the backup. While the original PST file will be perfectly consistent, the PST file that was backed up however may be corrupt - because the incoming message was just half written to the file, and the directory information was not yet complete, just when that file was backed up.

This is what I meant. You may have a perfectly good PST file, then you get another problem and restore from backup, and suddenly your PST file is corrupt. Or whatever other user program was doing something during the backup.

P.S. the same thing is true when shutting down Windows. Users should make sure that their applications such as Outlook are closed when shutting down. Otherwise sooner or later they will end up with corrupt data files.

[AlanHo]

Pat

Thanks for the explanation.

I have a belt and braces approach to back-ups - the result of working from home before I retired and being totally reliant on my computer. Old habits die hard and I still maintain the back up procedures.

Not only do I use Acronis to take disc images weekly onto both a second internal hard drive and an external USB drive - I also use another back-up programme called Second Copy which copies all data files which have changed since the last back-up onto an external USB hard drive. This programme is set to take these incremental back-up copies every time I close down the computer which I do each evening and sometimes during the day more than once. It is also set to archive the last three versions of each file. This programme does not take a full disc image so does a different job to Acronis.

The advantage of Second Copy is that it stores the files in the same type of directory tree as you see in Windows Explorer - you can thus use Explorer to restore a file or a previous version by a simple copy and paste or drag and drop operation. With Acronis - you have to use the Acronis programme to restore files, folders, partitions or complete discs.

Thus I have unwittingly protected my Outlook .pst file because it is backed up during shut-down when Outlook is not running.