I use this program Image professionally. For Years. I initially purchased the new versions because they were new and thus ensure better and brought more features, so it was more associated in recent years with the hope that at last important functions are working properly. And yes, I've often cursed than the versions 2011-2013 and also for alternatives (O & O DiskImage, Macrium, ToolStar) wanted, and tried this. Why do I always land back at Acronis, is probably because it is so incredibly easy, almost comfortable to use and offers all the important features to me under a hood.
Why do I need Acronis? I must prepare for security of every customer's PC an image before I hand it investing. I safe on a NAS drive, on an external new USB3.0 and USB2.0 an old drive, as well as on a test computer internally. Securing is done internally by the installed version, the rest will be done with the live CD. As a rule, the pure full backups. Meanwhile I safe again my workstation with TU in 2014, but more on that later.
My previous experience with TU 2014 surprisingly very positive. Finally the security functions in the new (fast) USB3.0 plate. USB2 was never a problem. The backup on the NAS runs almost smoothly. Here one has to know but a peculiarity of the program in order to avoid the frustration:
Am I on the Explorer network browsing and please me before by the network path to the NAS, it will definitely not found in 4 of 5 cases. Often sleeping the NAS and then with Acronis simply unresponsive. However, I use the direct path (\\ NAS Name \), so it takes a little while until the NAS has woken up and I get easily in my backup folder on the NAS. So it works, you just have to know how. Idiotically only aufpoppende window "Connection Successful" is that I have an extra click away. That the connection is successful, I see the fact that I'm on NAS, love Acrosianer.
Backups (20) and recovery (5) previously functioned without problems. During recovery, I used both the restoration of entire partitions and restore individual files and paths. In both cases the recovery was successful. Sometimes Acronis approved when reading the backup file a reflection period of a half to one minute. Here it is easy to wait patiently and rumklicken not wild.
Another function is to mount an image. I have been used only twice. And I've mounted the NAS files and copied one out. Worked quickly and easily. Also to mount directly from a stored on the internal HDD Image.
So what securing client PCs are concerned, regardless of whether with live CD or the installed version, I am (again) satisfied.
What struck me after the return matches a backup hard drive is almost free of fragments. Whether it is in principle limited to or by chance, I can not care. There is a positive side effect, and led me to wegzuimagen a highly fragmented system and immediately turn to play back. With USB3.0 is no (time) topic.
What about the security of my workstation. The full backup ran without a murmur through. The first differential backup stopped. The log said that the 1st Image could not be found. This is on the NAS, which was asleep again. So it is here also the inability of Acronis, wake A Work In hibernation NAS itself, to wait a moment and start the backup after a successful contact. One star deduction. The system performance is no longer suffering from my feeling when Acronis mitläuft in HG. The task scheduler is working properly. Taking care of the backups will be assessed as soon as they came into action.
What I do not use (and also does not make sense consider), is the permanent backup and the backup to the cloud. In this respect, these features are useless and do not flow into the assessment. The situation is different in the Try & Decide. Here I need just once a quiet moment to test out the back. In an older version, I think it was 2010, I've activated it and immediately thrown out after one use.
Further Functions:
1. Clone Drive - is still being tested
2. System cleanup - What for? There are already enough tools for it.
3. DriveCleanser and File Shredder - Destroy (reliable?) Files and drives. Gibts but already.
4. Secure Zone - "A special, secure volume on your hard drive to store backups" - is nonsense, because who backs already on the drive from which the data come from?
5. Backup conversion (from Windows to Acronis and vice versa) - no idea if I'll ever need that.
A feature I would want Acronis still and consider them very useful, because it would save me the extra work with a partition manager: When playing back a backup, I should be able to have the choice, as the partition distribution should look like. So I could, for example, delete a superfluous 2nd partition equal to the back playing with and can allocate the newly available space equal to the 1st partition. This would be to make it.
Before, I was a convinced and enthusiastic Acronis users. Today I beäuge this product with very critical eyes. Nevertheless receives Acronis True Image 2014 by me, for that I use functions, a positive conclusion. It seems once again a good package to have been laced. But I will keep the matter in mind and provide an update on changes.
UPDATE 02/11/2013:
After Acronis now has angered several times during their own backup, I must revise my rating. The problems in the network are still available. The automatic backup is set so that a missed backup to be automatically rescheduled. This never works. Acronis gets access to the NAS does not go (automatically), and interrupts after 5 attempts. I start the backup manually, it goes - every now and then. Today, he suddenly could not find the previous backups and aborts. Validation finds that 3 of 4 Backups are not there, even though they are all on the board.
When replacing the system board turns out that Acronis Backup can not be restored. Foresight I had let secure Macrium addition. So it went smoothly.
For me, finally ausgesorgt these reasons Acronis. 1 star because the Notbackup via LiveCD worked so far. This I get back but also with Macrium, so the 49 Euros were an avoidable investment for Acronis.