- Fast and Easy Backup and Recovery - Acronis True Image Home 2012 provides complete system image backup and recovery of your home PC's operating system, applications, settings, and personal files
- Continuous Data Protection- Acronis Nonstop Backup automatically creates incremental backups every five minutes allowing users to roll back their systems, files, and folders to any point in time in the past; Now compatible with NAS devices
- Syncronize any digital content - Replicate your documents, videos, photos, and any other digital content between multiple locations(License required for each syncronized machine)
- Large disk support (2+ TB) and full support of latest UEFI hardware technology
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- Platform: Windows 7 / Vista / XP
- Media: Software
- Item Quantity: 1
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Product Description
PC Backup and Recovery of Systems, Applications and Files. Have you ever accidentally deleted a file, had a virus corrupt your files, or had a disk fail - These are just a few examples of how people lose pictures, music, personal and financial data every day. Don't let this happen to you. Protect your PC with Acronis True Image Home 2012, featuring local and available online backup. Acronis True Image Home 2012 assures that all your important data, including photos, videos, music, documents, and applications, are fully protected and can be recovered quickly in the event of any disaster. Use our intuitive graphical user interface to easily define where you'll be backing up your PC and how often. Create copies of your hard drive with just a few quick steps while continuing to work. If you lose an important file or need to recover an earlier version of it, don't worry: you can go back in time and retrieve it in seconds.
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133 of 145 people found the following review helpful
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[August 2012 update at end of review]
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.
[UPDATE: A user posted a comment that Windows Backup does indeed backup open files. I tested again and did not get the error I reported. If this holds I would consider Windows Backup for use at least as a supplement backup for redundancy.]
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.
UPDATE - August 28th 2012
I just did a full reinstall of TI 2012 with the latest build (7133 Update 2). It appears that this may be the last build for version 2012 because I just got an email inviting me to upgrade to TI 2013. As far as the latest build goes for version 2012, all I can say is that the software still has problems. I now use Windows Backup as an adjunct to TI for making redundant backups. There is a known bug in TI 2012 that disables Windows Backup even if you uncheck the box in TI that prevents Windows Backup from running. In the latest build of the product that I was using (6154) before installing build 7133 I had found a work around for that bug and was able to still use Windows Backup. Now with the latest build, the bug is still there, but now my work around doesn't work! Build 7133 really kills Windows Backup. Oh well. On to TI 2013. Will be posting a new review after Amazon lists the new version and have had a chance to play with it for a while.
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.
[UPDATE: A user posted a comment that Windows Backup does indeed backup open files. I tested again and did not get the error I reported. If this holds I would consider Windows Backup for use at least as a supplement backup for redundancy.]
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.
UPDATE - August 28th 2012
I just did a full reinstall of TI 2012 with the latest build (7133 Update 2). It appears that this may be the last build for version 2012 because I just got an email inviting me to upgrade to TI 2013. As far as the latest build goes for version 2012, all I can say is that the software still has problems. I now use Windows Backup as an adjunct to TI for making redundant backups. There is a known bug in TI 2012 that disables Windows Backup even if you uncheck the box in TI that prevents Windows Backup from running. In the latest build of the product that I was using (6154) before installing build 7133 I had found a work around for that bug and was able to still use Windows Backup. Now with the latest build, the bug is still there, but now my work around doesn't work! Build 7133 really kills Windows Backup. Oh well. On to TI 2013. Will be posting a new review after Amazon lists the new version and have had a chance to play with it for a while.
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
I don't enjoy and very rarely write a negative review on anything. While I've looked at v. 2012 and have had the pot sweetened with the Plus Pack for an upgrade for only USD $19.95 this Christmas holiday season, for the first time in many years, I'm NOT upgrading. Here's why:
As someone who is a backup-up nut of my system that I build myself, I switched to Acronis 9 back in the day (years ago) from Norton Ghost. It was such a relief. I updated to v. 11 and was happy as a clam.
Then after my faithful 32-bit XP system died, I built a new 64-bit Win7 one this year--and having done so, I had no choice but to upgrade again - to Home 2011 since v.11 was not 64-bit friendly. And that's when the problems started: backups wouldn't work or not restore, or weird things would happen during the backup and then abort the backups. The progress bar/"time remaining" is also so totally out of whack, it's ridiculous.
On top of that, one thing I never cared much for was their customer support online. But since I was doing fine for years, I didn't care. However this time, it was a deal-breaker; in part because during this critical period the support forum at the U.S. site linked one to... the Japanese Acronis forum (!!??).
When the problems started with v.2011 that I had just gotten, the graphic designer in me kind of liked the new slick interface that was so different from the old ones - but it just quickly frustrating me:
--- The previous versions may not have looked as sexy, but one had more user-friendly, sequential control over the backup process. A few more click-throughs than the new ones, but it was logical and reversible if necessary before hitting "Proceed" without having to cancel everything and start all over.
Fortunately...
I had to buy a new hard drive and it came with a stripped down/older re-version of Acronis -- essentially that less-sexy but usable v.9 to v.11 one I was able to rely on for years. And so I uninstalled v. 2011 and never looked back. The 2012 version looks like a very minimal change from the 2011. My old workhorse is back and I feel backup safe again.
So for me these last two or three versions of Acronis Home are much like what Windows Millennium (and in part Vista) were to Microsoft -- they look cool but are bloated and prone to be buggy. It's also kind of like people who build sites that are so Flash-heavy, they take forever to load.
Why can't software companies stick to the K.I.S.S. Golden Rule: Keep It Simple, Sam.
And uninstalling can still leave behind files in your system that have to be scooped out with a separate "cleaner" utility from Acronis. That's just plain sloppy engineering.
And last but not least, I find it outrageous that one has to pay so much for each upgrade. It's a rip-off compared to how many other software companies do it. The only time you get a decent deal is Christmas.
For a company that has become almost a virtual monopoly in terms of being bundled with just about every major hard drive on the market, it seems that maybe they're resting on their laurels and getting greedy and/or lazy. I really hope not - for I've been a long-term fan who recommended this software to more than one person over the years and DO want to be pleasantly surprised again.
But for the next couple of years or so, my wallet is staying... closed.
In short: I need a reliable backup machine, not some cutesy-sexy GUI hood under which there are cracks in the engine block. These "new and improved" versions of Acronis Home are not either of those qualities for me.
--- Naturally, the above is just one person's experience and point-of-view. But from the overall ratings, I'm not the only one to have become disappointed. ---
As someone who is a backup-up nut of my system that I build myself, I switched to Acronis 9 back in the day (years ago) from Norton Ghost. It was such a relief. I updated to v. 11 and was happy as a clam.
Then after my faithful 32-bit XP system died, I built a new 64-bit Win7 one this year--and having done so, I had no choice but to upgrade again - to Home 2011 since v.11 was not 64-bit friendly. And that's when the problems started: backups wouldn't work or not restore, or weird things would happen during the backup and then abort the backups. The progress bar/"time remaining" is also so totally out of whack, it's ridiculous.
On top of that, one thing I never cared much for was their customer support online. But since I was doing fine for years, I didn't care. However this time, it was a deal-breaker; in part because during this critical period the support forum at the U.S. site linked one to... the Japanese Acronis forum (!!??).
When the problems started with v.2011 that I had just gotten, the graphic designer in me kind of liked the new slick interface that was so different from the old ones - but it just quickly frustrating me:
--- The previous versions may not have looked as sexy, but one had more user-friendly, sequential control over the backup process. A few more click-throughs than the new ones, but it was logical and reversible if necessary before hitting "Proceed" without having to cancel everything and start all over.
Fortunately...
I had to buy a new hard drive and it came with a stripped down/older re-version of Acronis -- essentially that less-sexy but usable v.9 to v.11 one I was able to rely on for years. And so I uninstalled v. 2011 and never looked back. The 2012 version looks like a very minimal change from the 2011. My old workhorse is back and I feel backup safe again.
So for me these last two or three versions of Acronis Home are much like what Windows Millennium (and in part Vista) were to Microsoft -- they look cool but are bloated and prone to be buggy. It's also kind of like people who build sites that are so Flash-heavy, they take forever to load.
Why can't software companies stick to the K.I.S.S. Golden Rule: Keep It Simple, Sam.
And uninstalling can still leave behind files in your system that have to be scooped out with a separate "cleaner" utility from Acronis. That's just plain sloppy engineering.
And last but not least, I find it outrageous that one has to pay so much for each upgrade. It's a rip-off compared to how many other software companies do it. The only time you get a decent deal is Christmas.
For a company that has become almost a virtual monopoly in terms of being bundled with just about every major hard drive on the market, it seems that maybe they're resting on their laurels and getting greedy and/or lazy. I really hope not - for I've been a long-term fan who recommended this software to more than one person over the years and DO want to be pleasantly surprised again.
But for the next couple of years or so, my wallet is staying... closed.
In short: I need a reliable backup machine, not some cutesy-sexy GUI hood under which there are cracks in the engine block. These "new and improved" versions of Acronis Home are not either of those qualities for me.
--- Naturally, the above is just one person's experience and point-of-view. But from the overall ratings, I'm not the only one to have become disappointed. ---
131 of 146 people found the following review helpful
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.
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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Acronis too particular about your system
This would be a great program if it just did what it advertised and stayed out of my system. Had a previous version of True Image? Read more
Published 15 days ago by William D. Gottschalk
4.0 out of 5 stars
True Image Home 2012 PC Backup works with latest OS
Needed newer version, got it for great price.
Works well for new systems, that use the latest OS.
Make installing new hard disk a breeze.
Works well for new systems, that use the latest OS.
Make installing new hard disk a breeze.
Published 20 days ago by Charles Turk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Utility
The software is easy to use and works very well. it is considerably better than Norton's Ghost, which is unwieldy.
Published 1 month ago by Armin Brahm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good WINDOWS backup
Like this version very much.
Do not go to the 2012 as it just does not work as smoothly.
Great for windows as I can not write my OWN scripts for backups in... Read more
Do not go to the 2012 as it just does not work as smoothly.
Great for windows as I can not write my OWN scripts for backups in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by CatMom
2.0 out of 5 stars
I could not be more disappointed
This is an awful product.
When I needed it most, it failed me.
It would not resize automatically the hard drive as the one that I put in to replace the one... Read more
When I needed it most, it failed me.
It would not resize automatically the hard drive as the one that I put in to replace the one... Read more
Published 3 months ago by terster
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works Well but Hard to Understand
I was able to creat a full recovery image and then use it with little effort, but that's only because my friend showed me the no-brainer approach for dummies.
Published 3 months ago by Don Cannon
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very, Very Bad Support
I went to their site hoping to have a simple question answered. I was a returning customer but this was only the second time in 4 years I was to use the product, and the first time... Read more
Published 4 months ago by PC
5.0 out of 5 stars
The "old" version works just fine and the price is excellent!
I purchased this software when I had problems trying to use Norton's "Ghost" on my hand-me-down laptop. This version made the backup without a fuss or problem.
Published 4 months ago by FarNorth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works Great
Everything installs easy and works great. There is a 278 MB patch to be downloaded and installed.
The program installs and work well in (win7 64)without any issues or... Read more
The program installs and work well in (win7 64)without any issues or... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tiger Woops
1.0 out of 5 stars
Acronis True Image stops PC from shutting down: unacceptable behavior
The fatal flaw in Acronis True Image is that it will stop your computer from shutting down (despite your pressing need to shut the darn thing down) if there is a backup or... Read more
Published 5 months ago by L B LeBel
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