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NATK50

Acronis True Image for Backup

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Hello I have a question about the Software "Acronis True Image".

 

Do anybody of you using this tool for backup the sim and take it back, if the Sim is maybe corrupted or do some problems!?

 

I always do this but I have a question about this.

 

I use Prepar3d on a seperate Drive where Win 7 is not installed.

Everytime I recover my sim back my older Addons are still installed in the registry and hidden folder like where Prepar3d.cfg and scenery.cfg is located.

 

How I can backup/recovery my FS efficiently?

I hope you understand what I am talking about and could give me some great tips.

 

 

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If you have a W7, with (like Ultimate version) a back-up suite built in...that would be the best one...for it is W7 'native' and I use the CREATE SYSTEM IMAGE all the time. It's a better back-up, as it will give you back your entire system at a point of time, that obviously it was working great, or you would not have commenced a back-up. Try that first. I have Acronis as well..and it is a great tool...but have found that when you are in the 'pig pen'...it is nice to see the recovery boot up from Windows...with the option showing to restore your system from (it shows you the latest System Image File) blah, blah, file..and if you press yes...away you go...you are back in business, SYSTEM-WIDE!

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Hello I have a question about the Software "Acronis True Image".

 

Do anybody of you using this tool for backup the sim and take it back, if the Sim is maybe corrupted or do some problems!?

 

I always do this but I have a question about this.

 

I use Prepar3d on a seperate Drive where Win 7 is not installed.

Everytime I recover my sim back my older Addons are still installed in the registry and hidden folder like where Prepar3d.cfg and scenery.cfg is located.

 

How I can backup/recovery my FS efficiently?

 

I hope you understand what I am talking about and could give me some great tips.

 

For registry restore as well as settings stored by programs in user directory (which is most likely not on your P3D drive), you need to back-up and restore the disk on which Windows is installed also.

 

I use Arconis and back-up all disks on my system. Its simpler without having decide what to back-up and what no-to back and have same issues while restoring. Just back everything and restore everything when needed.

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Thanks for your reply.

So first my english is not very good but I think I understood what you wrote.

 

You said that I have to backup the drive where windows 7 is installed too, right?

 

But I think what happen if you installed new software or have new photos, documents, music etc. on your harddrive AFTER you did a backup of your whole system.

 

Then you restore your backup everything back.

 

The software and photos etc are gone right?

 

@Sesquashtoo:
I have Win 7 Prof...

So I don´t have the win 7 backup native tool..

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Well, if you have purchased of late, a WD external hard drive, you will have software included that seems to be what you are after...that is a live-time back-up of any and all disk drives as you go. So, yes..your most recent files would be backed up as well. With my method, only what was upon my system will be backed up with a SYSTEM IMAGE. As Duke stated as well, you need to back up all the time the most current Registry, and of course, with a total system image creation, that is done. It takes the what-if's out of the running. As to when I make a back-up, is when I do something significant to one of my flight sims...such as when Vector 1.20 came out. I created another system image right after defragging. I also do one more thing...and I feel this is important...back-up redundancy...that is...the most recent back-up file, gets put onto another hard drive as storage...in case, there is a system failure WHILE you are creating a back-up...therefore, there was no over-write...and you could still bring back your system, after repairng/installing another hard drive, whatever. Writing over a present back-up...is not a good practise, as the very fact of overwritng to the same location, destroys the integrity of the stored file. If you have a failure to write a complete back-up...such as a simple power failure...you are left with no chance for system recovery. So recap...always have a back-up...of the most current back-up. You are then as protected from catastrophe as you can be.

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Thanks for your reply.

So first my english is not very good but I think I understood what you wrote.

 

You said that I have to backup the drive where windows 7 is installed too, right?

 

But I think what happen if you installed new software or have new photos, documents, music etc. on your harddrive AFTER you did a backup of your whole system.

 

Then you restore your backup everything back.

 

The software and photos etc are gone right?

 

@Sesquashtoo:

I have Win 7 Prof...

So I don´t have the win 7 backup native tool..

 

Yes, you are right, you restore your documents to older state.

 

As Mitch stated above, its always better also to have a smaller back of only your personal data (My Documents, Pictures etc).

 

What you can do with full backup/restore strategy is that before doing a full restore, you first back up only your personal data. Then do full restore, and then do restore of the personal data. Now you personal data is up to date.

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Hi,

 

I've used Acronis for many years now and currently use the 2014 Home Edition. In case it helps, I trialed the 2015 edition but found it fell short of the mark. Promoted as more intuitive I found the opposite. I have found that using Acronis is a dark and serpentine business where even key features are cloaked in a maze of instructions that drive you bananas. An 'Acronis for Dummies' would sell well I feel. Maybe there is one? I never looked! And there are simpler programmes such as EZ Backup - Free.  

 

Anyway, to get down to business. I have P3D on its own dedicated SSD and have found disk/partition backups were problematical.  When you restore, P3d thinks it's being moved, perhaps to another computer. I simply backup the Prepar3D folder only, so far with no issues. This may not be your problem of course. I have my system SSD partition fully back up of course in case of disaster. No issues in that case.   

 

Cheers,

Gareth  

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Excellent posts. Natk50, if your Windows 7 and your flight simulator are on different drives/partitions, you should back them both up at the same time. That way, the configuration files (on Windows drive) are synchronized with your simulator.

 

I have a backup job that creates an image of my C: drive for Windows and my S: drive for my simulator. I use Shadowprotect, but it can be done with any major disk imaging program (True Image, Easeus, etc). The beauty is, you can restore the drives or just mount the image and recover a file(s).

 

I am impressed that you use an imaging program. Saves so much potential grief when (and it will) something goes wrong. IMHO:

 

#1 - simulator

#2 - FSUIPC

#3 - disk imaging program. Maybe this should be #1

 

I had the imaging program b4 simulator. Saved my sorry butt countless times for other issues. Just make an image before installations or major changes and voila. I'm sorry for running off on this. But it is such cheap insurance.

 

One small tip. When Microsoft created Vista and later; they removed the ability to add comments to a file in details view. You can create a text file and add .LOG to the top. When you subsequently open the file, the current date and time will show. You can add comments which will be related to a moment in time. Then if you have to recover, you can go to the recovery environment and find the backup file with the matching creation date/time.

 

Graham

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I have Win 7 Prof...

So I don´t have the win 7 backup native tool..

 

It is available in my W7 home premium so I would imagine it is also in W7 profesional.

Look in your control panel for backup and restore.

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I have P3D on its own dedicated SSD and have found disk/partition backups were problematical.  When you restore, P3d thinks it's being moved, perhaps to another computer. I simply backup the Prepar3D folder only, so far with no issues.

 

 

Hi Gareth,

I find this a little concerning - as I understand it, Acronis won't do what I bought it for - a faithful re-install of my P3D drive (also a dedicated SSD) should the worst happen?

Taking your advice, I've also backed up "MyP3D" folder directly - but don't believe that this will solve every re-install scenario?

Thanks

Eugene 

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Hi Gareth,

I find this a little concerning - as I understand it, Acronis won't do what I bought it for - a faithful re-install of my P3D drive (also a dedicated SSD) should the worst happen?

Taking your advice, I've also backed up "MyP3D" folder directly - but don't believe that this will solve every re-install scenario?

Thanks

Eugene 

 

Few weeks back I moved from a 256GB SSD to 512GB using Arconis full disk back/restore. P3D did not complain.

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Hi Gareth,

 

Provided a disk image is restored to the same drive as it was created from, it is totally transparent to P3D or any other application. Even moving to a different drive, as long as the image fits, shouldn't make a difference. I wonder what may have disturbed P3D when you restored it? Strange...eh?

 

A disk image is IMO the absolutely best way to guard against disaster. The only thing to remember is that if P3D is on a separate drive and its data files (usually on the OS drive), are not synchronized; scenery.cfg, dll.xml, exe.xml, etc might not relflect what is actually installed and configured on the drive. That is unless you make and restore a backup of your OS partition at the same time as the sim. Perhaps that was the issue when you restored your P3D?

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I must admit to an LOL when I read Gareth's comment of Acronis's instructions! I did think I was the Dummy! Why they make the instructions so complicated I cannot fathom.

Has anyone achieved success with O&O's supposed 'One Click' Backup for Disks or Partitions?

Cheers. 

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Interesting comments. I guess there are many factors that can effect things or make the results variable. Even so, I agree a disk/partition image should provide a totally pristine restore. Backup/Restore is such a vital process I'd like to experiment and attempt to master Acronis but I am probably like most people who do the backup and hope they'll never need it. At least I do an automatic Acronis verification with all the backups I do and that's probably something to bear in mind as corrupt backups are not uncommon, hence the 'verification' option. I'm going to stick with my folder/file backups for P3D as I feel far more confident, at the moment anyway.

 

Having said that I decided to thoroughly Update, Catalogue and Store all my ORBX/FTX resources as well as my compatible aircraft. I then deleted P3D (previously 'successfully' patched) and reinstalled the full 2.4 build, followed by the ORBX Global, Regions, etc. using the triple installers and in the order recommended by ORBX. The result was unexpectedly thrilling in terms of fps, smoothness and general integrity of all the scenery. I was then emboldened to use the latest nVidia driver and try out DSR (modest but nice clear text at 1.78/21%) with which I am extremely happy.  This in turn emboldened me to tweak my i7-2700k chip from 4.4 to 4.6 and all in all I have never been more delighted with this flightsim thing. What with Opus FSI, the new Airbus, and RC4 every flight is a lot of fun and dare I say a thing of wonder.

 

All the best,

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Well...all's well that ends well.

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