Hello all,
Backing up is essential, and I have used Acronis TrueImage for many
years now. There are pitfalls, but it has saved my data many times.
Some tips that have proven to be useful:
1) Some builds of the software are bad and to be avoided (e.g. ATI
12 build 7119). It is wise to check reports on the Net about builds
before installing. I am currently using ATI 12 build 7133, works ok.
2) Seagate and Western Digital offer free limited edtions of the
Acronis software (no automation). Check if you have Seagate or WD
disk! They work well but older versions of these are not compatible
with the paid Acronis edition. So never mix editions for backup and
restore!
3) Setup: It is good policy to set up a daily automatic schedule for
backing up. Use defaults (when setting up incremental backup), some
options do not necessarily work. I have a second disk for backing up
my work disk in thre background as well as an usb backup disk. I use
the secure zone feature, it avoids accidental mishaps. Anyway
backups must reside on a disk of their own.
4) Download or burn an ISO-linux CD for restoring. If you lose your
C: drive, you will need it. Test the CD, it should boot and show
your backups. Same goes for bundled editions. If your have different
builds or editions, you will need as many rescue CDs.
5) A nice feature is access to older versions of a file, just mount
the backup and you can grab the files you need. It even works from a
context menu of a file.
6)
Acronis OS Selector is useless. Do not install it. Ever.
Acronis has served me well, and I rely on it for backing up, but
there are other (free) alternatives that are worth considering, if
you have problems with it. Linux-based REDO backup & recovery
operates from a CD and is very
straightforward (http://redobackup.org/).
Paragon free edition is almost as versatile as Acronis
(http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/index.html)
and is free.
Best regards,
Kari Eveli
LEXITEC Book Publishing (Finland)
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