Acronis backup - Can't backup W7Libraries

[jimbo45]

Hi all
I know a lot use Acronis backup -- I've been using it for ages and never had a problem with it

However there is a defect (actually missing feature) in it that has a serious implication for Winsows 7 Users.

1) Say you have define a picture library.
2) imagine in the pictures library the folders are defined similarly as follows d:\pics1, e:\pics2, e:\subfolder\pics3, \\networkdisg\z\pics4 etc etc.
3) You now want to run a backup of DATA (not image / partition).
4) The Acronis menu presents a list of DISKS / Computer etc but no LIBRARIES.

This means that you manually will have to remember every folder that your library has within it so you can back up the library reliably.

This rather goes against the whole point of Libraries as the purpose is not to worry where on the physical disk the data is actually stored.

The built in backup with Windows DOES work with libraries for data backup - but you lose the other things a nice fast commercial program like Acronis has such as Incremental backup, compression, multi-media spanning etc etc.

I hope Acronis addresses this .

I don't think Macrium or paragon can back up libraries either.

I like libraries -- but I want to be able to back them up properly as well with my normal backup program.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yet another reason to use a file-by-file backup program for data and use imaging for your system--if you insist on imaging at all. I have been stung a time or two by placing faith in imaging, only to be sadly disappointed when crunch time came.

I make images, but always assume they are going to fail in any restore attempt--that is, I don't rely on them. If they work, fine. If they don't, I have to reinstall Windows--big deal.

But my data is always backed up file by file with another program and by periodic drag and drop copies.

 

[harpua]

I simply regularly do both sector by sector clones that don't have to be restored at all, as well as frequent image backups. If I have a recent clone, I'll likely rely on that rather than an image if I have to replace the entire system. The image backups are good for restoring specific files or groups of files, but I don't really fully trust them either. There is always the possibility that something will go wrong during the restore process. Acronis' forums are full of examples of that. Love the program anyway though.

 

[jimbo45]

Yet another reason to use a file-by-file backup program for data and use imaging for your system--if you insist on imaging at all. I have been stung a time or two by placing faith in imaging, only to be sadly disappointed when crunch time came.

I make images, but always assume they are going to fail in any restore attempt--that is, I don't rely on them. If they work, fine. If they don't, I have to reinstall Windows--big deal.

But my data is always backed up file by file with another program and by periodic drag and drop copies.

Hi there
I think you've missed or not understood the whole point here.

You say FILE BY FILE backup

BUT IF YOU USE LIBRARIES WHAT ARE THE FILES TO SELECT. If you have to look at the structure of your library every time to select the directories and files to backup - it will be complex and tedious and you are 100% certain to make errors in the data selection by missing something.


The whole point of a library is that you should be able to backup all the directories (folders) in it without worrying (or even knowing) where that data physically resides on disk. Remember again that libraries can have loads of directories in them spread over different disk drives including network ones.


We will exclude imaging for the moment since we are discussing DATA backup.


Most backup programs have some sort of menu where they allow you to select disk drives and the directories / files to select for backup.


BUT if your data is organised in LIBRARIES you really want to backup THE LIBRARY with all its data. Remember your library can have loads of different directories on it ON DIFFERENT DISK DRIVES.


It gets a real pain using "classical" data backup if say you want to backup all your photographic data and these are organised over many disk drives.


You need to be able to backup THE LIBRARY as a single unit.

(Also doing it that way should allow for incremental backups as well).


Only Windows backup seems to have this facilty to backup libraries -- but it's a bit of a clunky and slowish program without compression or incremental options.


Cheers
jimbo

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Jimbo:

I have been using Windows 7 for only a couple of weeks and haven't investigated the libraries function. I have a vague understanding of them, but don't know how that plays into backup routines.

I have continued to use my third party file by file backup program as I did on Vista and it works well.

I just select the individual directories and file extensions to include and exclude and it runs with a single click on demand.

If using libraries would prevent me from backing up in a normal manner, as you say, then I would ditch the library concept. You may well be right--that they cannot be backed up independently because they can't be selected directly. In which case, I personally would not use them as data is too critical to not have a reliable backup scheme.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.