Restoring an older backup

[Garyg@SA]

Hi

I hope that someone can assist. I have recently been hit by ransomware and am slowly putting my system back together. One of the areas hit was my Calibre Library.

I am currently using version 4.12 and have found an old backup of my library on an external drive. It is a TIB File and has the file name of "Calibre Library_full_b136_s1_v1" (which was the standard backup from an earlier version of Calibre)

Can anyone tell me how I can restore this file (I cannot find any option in Calibre or on the web as to how I could do it).

I have created a new library called "Calibre Library" in my default directory, copied the file into that directory and then tried to do a restore but I keep getting the error that there is no backup file available.

Please can someone assist me.

Thank you

Gary

[stumped]

try to find an old , matching version of calibre - one that matches the version used to create that old backup

I think Kovid has a repository of old versions - if not then google is your friend.
restore old backup to old program version, then update the program, then make a new backup.

FYI this is why I don't like backup formats per se. if you have taken a copy of the entire library as-is, then all your books would be accessible and availble for re-import.
the issue i have with backup - restore pairs ( be that calibre, windows, or whatever is that its all or nothing- you can't pick a book out of a system image ! ) if your proprietary restore fails the backup is useless.

[theducks]

What OS?
because that name ("Calibre Library_full_b136_s1_v1") does not look like what I got / get using Windows Calibre (c 2017) and I don't remember Export -Import in much earlier versions.
The current version puts a set of 'spanned' archives into the designated folder. (I must create and name the EMPTY folder).
part-0012.calibre-data is the format (starts at 1 and goes for as many # as needed. All max out at about 1.04x G )

Prior to that, I used Winzip on the Library folder (and added the config folder)

I suspect you used a 3rd party tool. But I have been wrong. That may have been your naming convention, and it contains the standard parts, in which case Calibre should handle those using the Import part of Export-Import (on the Library Icon) (The Import tool will create the Libraries IN the location specified)

[stumped]

dose calibre backup use a proprietary format/compression or is it possible, with some effort, to break up a backup file using tools like winzip, winrar.. ?

-> OP . you said TIB file.
google tells me
What is a TIB file? Disk image created by Acronis True Image;

so get hold of that program and see what it can do for you

presumably you once owned that ?

https://fileinfo.com/extension/tib

unfortunately , TIB is a " true copy" aka a track by track system image of a hard drive so maybe it can only be restored to an empty(blank) spare drive.

[theducks]

Ah! I was pretty sure that was not a Calibre created file.
Acronis allows partial extraction: DO NOT place direct into any WORKING (one with any books) Library . Only restore as a Complete Library folder.
You can always us CALIBRE to move (copy to Library) books to other libraries

It has been a long time since the structure changed enough to make it incompatible with current releases. You should be good to go.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by stumped

FYI this is why I don't like backup formats per se. if you have taken a copy of the entire library as-is, then all your books would be accessible and availble for re-import.
the issue i have with backup - restore pairs ( be that calibre, windows, or whatever is that its all or nothing- you can't pick a book out of a system image ! ) if your proprietary restore fails the backup is useless.

Yes, same here. Manual backups of files and folders work best, I've found. I've read too many reports about system images not working when attempting to restore them.

[stumped]

I used to religiously make system images for all pcs, regularly.
Once I discovered now fast a clean install of Windows 10 is, compared to how slow a system image restore can be. I stopped doing it.
I have a software folder, backed up to usb stick. All I need for a rebuild is in there, including snapshots of config folders from app data, and all my media lives not on the c drive.
I have never used calibre import export, I just have library copies everywhere, and make extra ones whenever I feel particularly paranoid

[Quoth]

System Images may not work on replacement hardware.
I use full backups of user data (on more than one device) as well as the incremental system + user data backups of Linux "Timeshift" which are stored off site.
Totally critical stuff is also stored off site as regular files.

Dropbox, Amazon, MS Onedrive, Google etc IMO are sharing & sync systems, not backup solutions.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

System Images may not work on replacement hardware.
I use full backups of user data (on more than one device) as well as the incremental system + user data backups of Linux "Timeshift" which are stored off site.
Totally critical stuff is also stored off site as regular files.

Dropbox, Amazon, MS Onedrive, Google etc IMO are sharing & sync systems, not backup solutions.

Dropbox can be an additional backup. I don't have any other option for off-site backups that I could update regularly. I work from home and there is no one I physically visit often enough. Yes, I back up to external drives, but they're at home. Dropbox is my only off-site backup. In theory I could keep external hard drives at my sister's, for example, but the trouble is we meet in person only 1-2 times a month. That's not sufficient for keeping my backups current. I don't have a car either and I live in an apartment, so no outbuildings where to keep stuff.

[stumped]

Dropbox used to be an excellent tool for rebuilds, until the 3 device limit arrived. Before that, I had enough free space for me to add Dropbox to a clean install then pull lots of other stuff out of that... App data configs, email backups and config.
Once I get chrome installed, sign in and let it sync, then connect to last pass for all my logins, it's almost job done.
I know that the recommended smart way is to use a Microsoft account but I don't want to do that. Local accounts only on my pcs. Mainly because I don't want Microsoft to ever lock me out for suspecious activity and then have to battle them for access. They locked me out of outlook mail once, maybe because I accidentally left a VPN running while i fetched IMAP mail, and that was a real hassle to get reinstated.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by stumped

Dropbox used to be an excellent tool for rebuilds, until the 3 device limit arrived. Before that, I had enough free space for me to add Dropbox to a clean install then pull lots of other stuff out of that... App data configs, email backups and config.
Once I get chrome installed, sign in and let it sync, then connect to last pass for all my logins, it's almost job done.
I know that the recommended smart way is to use a Microsoft account but I don't want to do that. Local accounts only on my pcs. Mainly because I don't want Microsoft to ever lock me out for suspecious activity and then have to battle them for access. They locked me out of outlook mail once, maybe because I accidentally left a VPN running while i fetched IMAP mail, and that was a real hassle to get reinstated.

Hmm I use VPN pretty often and never a peep from Microsoft. Yes, I use my Microsoft account on all my PCs and tablets. It's just less hassle. I keep my privacy options as private as possible (apps are not permitted to use most of my stuff, camera, microphone etc), but I'm generally not really worried about privacy. Life is too short for that.

As to Dropbox devices limit, I've had a paid plan for years. No way even half my stuff would fit into any free storage space, whoever the provider. Well, I'm a hoarder.

[stumped]

[QUOTE=Sirtel;3970542]Hmm I use VPN pretty often and never a peep from Microsoft. /QUOTE]

VPN was all I could think of. I have an outlook mail account specifically for Amazon shopping so that if my main email is hacked, my Amazon account state safe. Out of the blue, Microsoft said suspicious activity and shut it until I went through some recovery process.
I would not fancy that for a whole pc.
Also had hassles with steam games and their steam guard system which locked me out of my own account for not entering a code correctly. That was a real pain to fix. Try contacting steam when you can't get into their app to message them!. Luckily i had one device where I was still logged in and got to them that way. Then I completely disabled steamguard once I was back in.

Those things are maybe not so bad if you live in USA, but if you are forced into some endless call centre phone queue at international call rates, it gets cheaper to. It a new pc instead after a while !
And some, (yes Google this is you) don't even have phone numbers.
There's a great x files episode in Final season s11e7 where all the automated services revolt after Mulder fails to tip properly...and they get locked out of everything...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rm9sbG93ZXJz

[BetterRed]

TL:DR

TIB files are an Acronis True image artefact.

And I agree with whoever first wrote that vanilla copies of the folders and files are heaps better than proprietary backup formats. Best way to do it is with a folder/file synch tool - best because:

1. its fast (after first sync) which means you have no excuse for not doing it frequently,
2. individual items can be restored,
3. the backup copies can be used directly (i.e. a calibre library backup can be used by calibre as-is, in-place)
4. its not application specific, so you can use the same tool to backup all your data

BR

[stumped]

suprised the OP did not realise that TIB meant arconis
I wonder, if the ransomware ate his install / program keys, can he recover that data with a free/demo version or will he have to buy arconis again ?

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by stumped

suprised the OP did not realise that TIB meant arconis
I wonder, if the ransomware ate his install / program keys, can he recover that data with a free/demo version or will he have to buy arconis again ?

No idea, never had Acronis, I searched for "what is a .TIB file" and Acronis was top of list.

BR