Acronis True Image Home 2012 PC Backup and Recovery

As I write this review for Acronis True Image Home 2012 there are 11 existing reviews on Amazon, and each one of them rated the program 1 star. This is a real disappointment, because TI 2012 (let's just call it TI 12) could potentially be a 5 star program. In this particular version 2012, it *should* be a 4 star program. Reason being, TI does nearly everything that you want a backup program to do. It's massively rich in features. If there's something you need to accomplish related to backing up or restoring your data or operating system, TI 12 likely does it. You can't say that about most backup programs.

Still, I can't endorse TI in its current incarnation. However, since I happen to have been searching for the perfect backup program for years, and, since I have been using TI forever, perhaps in pointing out a couple of shortfalls of TI 2012 you can be clued in to what to look for in other backup programs. For example, one cool feature that's hard to find in most backup program is something you might term 'version management'. It's smart to keep multiple versions of a file in case you have to go back in time to retrieve an older copy. If you have ever had this need you know exactly what I am talking about. :>

Now, virtually all backup programs have the ability to backup only changed files. So once you do a full backup you can incrementally backup only the files that have changed. You make changes to a file 9 times... you end up with 10 backup copies (the original plus nine alternations). This occurs naturally with regular backups. A problem arises though when you need to get your hands on one of those older versions! How hard will it be to dig through your backups and locate the correct version? Traditionally this has been a tedious and time consuming process, and depending on a variety of factors such as luck, patience, karma, or whatever, you may or may not get your file back. Thus managing your versions should be a point of focus in a backup program. Traditionally, this has not been addressed well in any of the programs I've tried over the years.

TI 12 attempts to address the version management issue (version 2011 may have as well, but I skipped version 2011 due to a nearly unusable interface IMHO). TI 12 has actually integrated version management right into Windows 7. Windows 7 (and I think in Vista) added version management as a new feature to deal with the 'version issue', and provided "hooks" for backup programs to access this versioning facility. By integrated, I mean all you do is right-click on the existing file on disk (assuming it is still there), choose Properties, and there is now a "Previous Versions" tab that (theoretically) lists all previous versions of that file. In just a few mouse clicks you (theoretically) identify and restore the version you want. Wow! Cool!

Well, kind of cool. The Previous Versions tab seems to only be for use by the native Windows backup program (more on that in a minute). However, TI 12 adds a new tab to that same Properties window called "Acronis Recovery" which provides the same functionality (theoretically). But this is an example of where TI falls down sometimes.... poorly implementing what theoretically could be a very helpful feature. It's a shame Amazon does not allow you to insert screen shots, but here is an example of what I mean; Over three days I used TI 12 to do a full backup and then two incremental backs (only backing up changed files). I then looked at the properties of a file that I did NOT change. Unfortunately the file was listed three times, giving one the mistaken impression that three different versions existed. But in fact there was only one version. Furthermore, only the backup date was listed, not the file size, which would have given a clue as to if all versions were identical. What this told me was that I could not depend on the TI 12 to save me time in locating older versions of a file, which is one of the main problems such a facility should be addressing. So, close, but no cigar.

Let me go back now and say something about the built in version management in Windows 7, and then wrap up the TI 12 remarks. The aforementioned Previous Versions tab portends that Windows is somehow tracking versions of your precious files. Indeed, it does this two ways; via a Restore Point, or via Windows Backup (yes, Windows has a built-in backup program). All I will say about this facility is this: When I tried to use Windows Backup, it stalled on an "open file", giving me the choice of "retrying" or "aborting" the backup. How about a choice to skip over the open file Microsoft? You literally cannot complete the backup when this happens. Then when I tried to configure a Restore Point to track versions of my files I got two esoteric error messages. So how much faith can you have in letting Windows even back up your files, let alone version management? It is ironic that one would have to worry that files left accidentally open would hang up Windows Backup since most 3rd party backup programs (like TI 12) easily back up open files. To add insult to injury these 3rd party programs use a service built into Windows itself called Volume Shadow Copy. Yet Windows Backup does not use the service. Bizarre.

Ultimately, a back up program needs to be nearly invisible. It should simply work. And when you need to restore a file you can, with full faith, intuitively find the one you need, including older versions. Windows does not satisfy this need. TI 12 does not satisfy this need. In fact I am not aware of any backup program for Windows that satisfies this need. TI 12 comes close, and in fact I would use the program until something better came along, but the negative reviews posted here about TI 12 rendering computers unbootable is disturbing. "Do no harm" should not only be the physician's creed.

Acronis has done a great job of evolving True Image over the years. I have used it nearly since its inception to take snapshot backups of my and my clients' operating system. Backing up the OS, by the way, is just as important as backing up your data, because restoring the OS to a previous point in time is the single best way to eradicate a virus from your computer. OS backups also are great for dealing with just about any type of slow-down, recurring crashes, bloat, or anything that destabilizes the OS. It's too much of a pain to reinstall Windows from scratch anymore. True Image really shines in this department. But Acronis needs to do more usability testing and reliability testing to reinstate faith in its flagship product.

True Image Home has a Clone Drive tool I've used before to upgrade my system drive to a larger disk. Has worked for me in the past. In this case I was upgrading my data drive from a 2TB MBR to a 3TB GPT drive (GPT is used on any drive over 2TB). The documentation and the knowledge base articles on Acronis site suggested GPT was supported. I bought the program, installed it, and started the clone drive operation. It gives me two options for the clone--clone to a 2TB MBR on the 3TB drive losing 1TB of space, or expand to a 3TB GPT. I pick the latter. It says clearly what it is going to do, e.g. clone the drive to a GPT version. I click okay.

Since some Windows files were in use, it told me it needed to reboot my system to complete the operation. I clicked Okay. System never came up again.

Boot with a Windows CD. Recover System. Nope. No system partition on drive. Wow. Okay.

Go through Chat with Acronis. They tell me GPT is in fact NOT supported, despite the clear language in the program and the fact that it attempted the operation. They walk me through the same steps attempting to recover the system, but they don't know even as much as I do, and nothing works.

This despite the fact that before I did all this I used Acronis to create a "Recovery CD". Apparently that isn't worth much unless you've got a backup.

Thought since I wasn't touching my windows drive, and in fact only making a copy of my data drive I didn't need to make a backup. Oh well, time to reinstall Windows.

AVOID.

Acronis True Image Home Broke Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit.

Disaster recovery is supposed to prevent disasters. Acronis True Image Home created a disaster when I tried to uninstall the software. It permanently broke Windows 7's built-in backup feature.

I am reasonably tech-savvy. I scoured the internet to fix this problem. I downloaded Acronis's custom uninstaller that is buried deep in their website and only linked to in forum threads. I tried running homebrew registry fixes that were posted online by other Acronis victims. I tried editing the affected registry keys myself, even in "Safe" mode. After hours wasted toying with the Windows registry and various user permissions, Windows 7's built-in backup remains broken.

The only way to undo the damage Acronis has done to my computer is to reinstall Windows.

The hours of labor I have wasted on this defective product are gone forever. So is my hard-earned money. As of this writing, I am an Acronis victim in recovery for 1 minute. I now have to live the rest of my life trying to move on from the horrible experience with this cancerous, virus of a software package.

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