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Retrospect Runs In Slow Motion


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Recently have been experiencing Extremely slow behavior in Retrospect.

 

I'm using 7.6, though had been using 7.5 when this started.

 

Retrospect is running on a Windows XP system and backing up the one computer onto an alternating file backup set. The backup sets are on a separate drive. The file system is NTFS. The account usually running the backups at night has admin rights.

 

The behavior is that upon start, the splash comes up and stays there for minutes - about ten. Then the Retrospect application window starts up and slowly creates the various elements. After a while, it seems to speed up a bit, but there is still an obviously delay. Typing a command can take two minutes to result in some action, if it happens at all. The disk is solid pretty mucn constant - but there is no execution running.

 

Here's the odd part.

 

I patiently went through this long startup and *finally* got Retrospect to run. More patiently than a cat, I gradually eliminated scripts and other settings that should have had some effect on the symptoms.

 

I forgot the backup sets on the D: drive. I 'unbuilt' the backup script. I deleted the backup script. I moved the backup files to a different folder. I set all the preferences to default. I paid for the 7.7 update.

 

There are no automated backups. There are no backup sets. I 'forgot' an extra drive that we periodically use to make disk copy backups.

 

There's nothing running. There is nothing to run with. Later, I moved the Retrospect.ini out onto the desktop and restarted the program.

 

And it still takes many minutes to start up and minutes between each command. I still get every bit the same symptoms.

 

My next attempt will probably be to remove Retrospect and rip out the associated items in Regedit.

 

However, I thought I'd ask here in case someone might have a less drastic suggestion.

 

Thanks,

Joy

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Just to add a bit, I tried to get it working again this evening.

 

Please note that when I start Retrospect, the system crawls. When I quit Retrospect, everything is back to normal.

 

Starting Retrospect gives the splash for three minutes before the skeleton of the application window comes open. The window fills in around three minutes or so later, but all controls are grayed out.

 

There was no further change and I killed it at 15 minutes. Uninstalling and reinstalling from scratch was no better.

 

To the best of my knowledge, there was no new software installed in the past two months except for Microsoft updates.

 

And until five weeks ago, Retrospect has been running great for the past eleven years.

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Please note that when I start Retrospect, the system crawls. When I quit Retrospect, everything is back to normal.

 

Starting Retrospect gives the splash for three minutes before the skeleton of the application window comes open. The window fills in around three minutes or so later, but all controls are grayed out.

 

Look in your Event Logs for disk/drive errors. Scan the drive containing your configuration and catalogs. Preferably do the scan with a boot disk (SpinRite or Ultimate Boot Disk utility). I have seen Retrospect/Windows become non-responsive for minutes save for a brief second or two in between disk attempts.

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This problem (and a host of other backup/startup/restore problems) is undoubtedly related to a recent automatic update to Windows.

I first had this very problem about 3 weeks ago but having figured out that it began very shortly after I installed an update to Windows (my version is XP SP 3).

For what it is worth I think (but CANNOT BE SURE) that the conflict lay in the .NET framework update

I tried rolling back the updates one by one without a great deal of success (MS makes it pretty hard to do) I then did a restore from Retrospect to my Windows folder of a week earlier. Hey presto problem gone and Retrospect ran smoothly for the next three weeks UNTIL friday when another Win update was accepted (by my kids) and resulted in a usual 10minute 1 am backup still hanging the computer 11 hours later.

Yes I know the easy solution would have been to repeat what I had done previously but somehow my backup folder was corrupted and all of my backup files disappeared. So far I have tried reinstalling Windows XP (repair install) NO CHANGE, Reinstalling Retropsect (no change), upgrading retrospect to version 7.7 (no change) and about to try to look for another backup solution. Clearly the number of hang/error/fail to start problems that have cropped up in the last few weeks on the bulletin boards are related to this update issue. We all had a fully functioning product beforehand and we are all experiencing (and describing slightly differently) much the same issues.

PLEASE ROXIO person, find the conflict and give us a resolution path otherwise my multi year use (and upgrades) of your otherwise excellent product will end. Just can't spend hours and hours trying to make my back up solution viable.

Edited by Shmoozy
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{snippage}For what it is worth I think (but CANNOT BE SURE) that the conflict lay in the .NET framework update{snippage}

 

I saw that same update come through last week on both of my XP computers. And thinking about it, I think I've seen signs of it at work, too.

 

I've ordered Windows 64 Pro, as I'd intended to do for some time, and the intention is to install it and see if that fixes the problem.

 

Hopefully, we'll be seeing an update at some near date. I, too, have been using Retrospect for many years and this is more than an inconvenience.

 

Thank you for working this out.

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Look in your Event Logs for disk/drive errors.{snippage}

 

Both the windows drive and the drive where the backup files are kept are six-month old 1TB SATA II Seagates.

 

Neither show errors in the logs.

 

Again, I start Retrospect, the system screeches to a crawl. Quit Retrospect and the system is back to normal.

 

No other programs exhibit this behavior.

 

If it were a hardware error, the symptoms would be different.

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I should have said my version was XP PRO SP (albeit the 32 bit version). I also thought a Windows reinstall(with all the wonderful stuff that goes with doing that) would have helped but it did not. I imagine that unless you do a clean install you won't be any better off. Problem though is that if you set to automatic updates (or even manual ones) unless you are very very careful Microsoft will update your new installation and you will end up in exactly the same place.

Its also interesting to note that this problem does NOT manifest itself while Windows is running in safe mode ie Retrospect splash screen and program open as it used to do in seconds and the computer does not grind to a halt. My short term fix suggestion would be to go to Safe Mode, run retrospect and restore your Windows folder only (with overwrite) from an existing backup that is say from early July and then be very cautious about which updates you allow. That worked for me last time and it is exactly what I would have done had my backup files not disappeared on me yesterday.

Edited by Shmoozy
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I should have said my version was XP PRO SP (albeit the 32 bit version).

 

When my own Retrospect 7.6 cra.. failed, I tried to reinstall it, stripped out all the backup scripts and backup sets, and uninstalled Retrospect, stripped out the registry entries, then reinstalled.

 

When that didn't work, I tried to upgrade to 7.7 (That's a $49 upgrade from 7.6? Holy cow.)

 

Same thing. Still hosed.

 

Then I ordered the Windows 7 Pro 64bit, which is what we use at work. Haven't yet received it, but I'll install it when it gets here.

 

Had I realized it was the .net update, I wouldn't have bothered to do all of that. This little glitch has cost me almost $200!

 

Funny thing, this has happened before, when perusing the old Dantz forums for answers.

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You sound pretty computer savvy so excuse me if I am stating the bleeding obvious but Win 7 (in any variant) will not install as an upgrade to Win XP. It means starting from scratch with a clean instal unless you want to go the two step route via Vista. For those of us who (wisely) skipped Vista, when MS first released Win 7 one of the biggest issues was upgradeability.

TO avoid a clean instal you have to upgrade from XP to Vista and then use a Win 7 instal disk to go from Vista to 7.

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You sound pretty computer savvy so excuse me if I am stating the bleeding obvious but Win 7 (in any variant) will not install as an upgrade to Win XP.

 

In intend to install from scratch. The XP is a two generation upgrade from Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE.

 

Yes, it's more tedious that way, but it's time to get rid of the chaff. All the data will go into a 'Windows.old' for later migration with USMT.

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I am pleased to report that I was able to wind back my Windows installation to a date in early July (the 4th as it happens) and hey presto Retrospect is working as it always did.

The method is to start in Safe Mode (where Retrospect works without the "issue") and do a restore from a back up set that you have available. The only part of my system that I restored was the Windows folder on the C drive and in setting up the restore I asked Retrospect to always overwrite. Restart out of Safe Mode and then it is all back to normal (for now at least). If XP was working well for you anyway you may wish to try this method and save the time for the W7 instal until a new machine is on the menu. :D

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The method is to start in Safe Mode (where Retrospect works without the "issue") and do a restore from a back up set that you have available.

 

Unfortunately, due to the fact that my husband didn't tell me about it until some time had passed, the backups were no longer current.

 

So not only am I spending the money, I couldn't use the program for the very reason I purchased it.

 

Figures.

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  • 3 months later...

I have noticed the same problem over the past few months - backing up from Win XP to a Win 7 system using Retrospect 7.7.562 now takes 5-6 times longer than previously.

 

Well, mine was a problem where it wouldn't run at all.

 

I've since been able to fix it - by upgrading my computer to Windows 7 Professional 64bit.

 

I really hate being a toady for MS Windows 7, but a fresh install or Retrospect after the fresh install of Win7Pro64 was a good thing.

 

Joy

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It appears that the problem is(or at least my problem was) related to Avast's interface with Retrospect following an update to Avast that occurred in July. So apologies for pointing the finger at MS who I believe (at least this time) to be innocent. The wind back of the Window's system files that I recommended above effectively undoes the changes done by Avast and this is a known issue awaiting resolution by Avast. That said a backup that used to take minutes now takes at least 45 minutes and Retrospect is not running as it used to. Awaiting with interest a program update to Retrospect.

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I've looked at my recent logs for comparable tasks, selected extracts below, and for a 700 MB Backup, the rate was previously 700MB/min, but is now 110 MB/min.

 

Dave.

 

+ Retrospect version 7.7.341

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 11/04/2011 16:43

Completed: 230 files, 684.9 MB

Performance: 690.6 MB/minute (466.9 copy, 1369.7 compare)

 

+ Retrospect version 7.7.562

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 14/05/2011 12:18

Completed: 231 files, 687.2 MB

Performance: 716.9 MB/minute (473.8 copy, 1526.9 compare)

 

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 15/06/2011 20:27

Completed: 231 files, 688.3 MB

Performance: 220.2 MB/minute (119.3 copy, 1474.7 compare)

 

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 18/09/2011 10:02

Completed: 232 files, 699.0 MB

Performance: 108.7 MB/minute (56.7 copy, 1310.5 compare)

 

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 07/10/2011 16:53

Completed: 231 files, 693.1 MB

Performance: 710.7 MB/minute (472.5 copy, 1433.8 compare)

 

+ Executing Immediate Backup at 29/11/2011 17:09

Completed: 233 files, 702.2 MB

Performance: 109.5 MB/minute (56.9 copy, 1504.5 compare)

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