Back-up software

matt · #1 08-01-2009, 10:19 PM

Hi all.

One of our laptops at home is showing signs of being on the way out.

We're wondering whether anyone can recommend some good freeware to back-up our files/programs, or even make a complete copy of our HDD?

Cheers.

Tandum (Robin) · #2 08-01-2009, 10:21 PM

http://www.2brightsparks.com/

http://www.2brightsparks.com/assets/...Back_Setup.zip

I use this software from home to medium business using windows. It can syncronise your c: drive to an external drive.

sheeny (Al) · #3 09-01-2009, 07:35 AM

Matt,

I use SecondCopy.

Very flexible, easy to use. Lets you back up changed files only on shutdown (after you've done an initial full copy

). I like to copy rather then back up as you can get your files back or access them at any time without having to do a restore or having the software installed. I tried the trial version and liked it so much I bought the registered version

. It doesn't cost much for the registered version.

Al.

acropolite (Phil) · #4 09-01-2009, 07:44 AM

Cobian backup is very good and is freeware, Second copy, as Al says, is good but not freeware.

Dennis · #5 09-01-2009, 11:30 AM

I recently purchased Acronis True Image Home 2009 based on reading some excellent reviews and the fact that Harris Technology stocks it – I consider them a good barometer for robust applications.

However, I have since stopped using it as it was too buggy and I couldn’t trust that it was doing the job properly. Sometimes the back up would fail to run and I had to coax it to run manually. I did not receive any reply to my help tickets lodged via their formal on-line help system.

Once I purchased the software, I browsed their User Forums which hosted the full spectrum of user experiences from glowing reports right down to it is buggy, support is unresponsive, etc.

I now use the back up function in Norton 360 and it appears to be working well, although the user interface is a little restricted.

Cheers

Dennis

Barrykgerdes · #6 09-01-2009, 03:18 PM

I always used Power Quests Drive image. It worked well and I have lots of DVD's with now useless stored images along with the current good ones. When I tried to use it with Vista I found it was not compatable and as the company had been bought out by Symantec it was not going to be upgraded.

I hunted around and found Acronis worked and have settled on that. So far I have not had any trouble but I only use it to make Vista images. What are the bugs? I have not found any.

Barry

Dennis · #7 09-01-2009, 03:47 PM

Hopefully not straying too far from Matt’s original question…

After running a Full Backup, for Disk Image, Data Files and E-mail, the scheduled (Incremental) backups worked for a while but then failed to run across the data and E-mail environments.

I logged the error messages with the website and didn’t get an answer and given some of the reports on the user forums, I became a little nervous concerning the reliability of my installation, so I moved to Norton 360 which I already had for AV and Firewall.

I’ll probably keep a weather eye on the Acronis website, checking for updates as the SW had a more flexible and functional interface to the somewhat restricted Norton 360 version.

However, it is good to hear of your positive experiences, as the Feedback Forums tend, by nature, to only focus on the negatives.

Cheers

Dennis

Dennis · #8 09-01-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheeny

Matt,
I use SecondCopy.
Very flexible, easy to use. Lets you back up changed files only on shutdown (after you've done an initial full copy

). I like to copy rather then back up as you can get your files back or access them at any time without having to do a restore or having the software installed. I tried the trial version and liked it so much I bought the registered version

. It doesn't cost much for the registered version.

Al.

Hey Al

Thanks! I just had a look at Second Copy and from the product details; it certainly looks much closer to what I require for my back ups compared to either Acronis or Norton 360.

All I would like to do is:

Back up my data documents, photos, spreadsheets, etc.
Back up Outlook E-mail, Contacts, Calendar, etc (Outlook.pst).
Only keep the current copy – I don’t need Revision 01, Rev 02..03..n, etc.
Don’t delete the (archive) copy in the Backup on the backup drive if/when I delete the (master) original on my live data drive.
Explore the backup archive using a simple method like File Explorer rather than relying on the proprietary methods in some backup applications.
Run backups on an automated daily schedule looking for new files or files that have changed.

So far, it appears that Second Copy meets the above requirements?

Cheers

Dennis

matt · #9 09-01-2009, 04:50 PM

Thanks guys.

I'm very appreciative of all suggestions and recommendations.

sheeny (Al) · #10 09-01-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis

Hey Al

Thanks! I just had a look at Second Copy and from the product details; it certainly looks much closer to what I require for my back ups compared to either Acronis or Norton 360.

All I would like to do is:

Back up my data documents, photos, spreadsheets, etc.
Back up Outlook E-mail, Contacts, Calendar, etc (Outlook.pst).
Only keep the current copy – I don’t need Revision 01, Rev 02..03..n, etc.
Don’t delete the (archive) copy in the Backup on the backup drive if/when I delete the (master) original on my live data drive.
Explore the backup archive using a simple method like File Explorer rather than relying on the proprietary methods in some backup applications.
Run backups on an automated daily schedule looking for new files or files that have changed.

So far, it appears that Second Copy meets the above requirements?

Cheers

Dennis

Yeah, Dennis. That's exactly why I like it.

Al.

acropolite (Phil) · #11 10-01-2009, 09:04 AM

Just looked at the features in Second Copy (I have version 7), I am using second copy at home, Cobian Backup at work. After comparing features, Cobian Backup will do more than Second copy and as stated is Freeware. Cobian backup can also copy multiple versions of a file, so, for example you can keep the last 2, or 5 even 10 versions if the file has been edited useful. It can also archive to an outgoing email address or upload the archive to an FTP site.

multiweb (Marc) · #12 10-01-2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dennis

I recently purchased Acronis True Image Home 2009 based on reading some excellent reviews and the fact that Harris Technology stocks it – I consider them a good barometer for robust applications.

However, I have since stopped using it as it was too buggy and I couldn’t trust that it was doing the job properly. Sometimes the back up would fail to run and I had to coax it to run manually. I did not receive any reply to my help tickets lodged via their formal on-line help system.

Once I purchased the software, I browsed their User Forums which hosted the full spectrum of user experiences from glowing reports right down to it is buggy, support is unresponsive, etc.

I now use the back up function in Norton 360 and it appears to be working well, although the user interface is a little restricted.

Cheers

Dennis

Sorry to hear about your problems with Acronis. I used it for about a year and still using it now on all my machines on the network. Got the "Acronis True Image Echo Workstation" version. Scheduled it once a week in differential mode. Never had a problem. Very robust. Fiddly to get started but once their tech support got me underway it was a breeze. I also found them very responsive. Maybe you got the "bad egg" in the lot?

Dennis · #13 10-01-2009, 10:19 AM

Hi Marc

Thanks for writing about your experience, it does help confirm that Acronis has a good pedigree as evidenced by several good reviews and many satisfied corporate and home users.

It does seem I had a bad experience with them, although not yet terminal!

As an interim solution, I decided that Norton 360 gives me the immediate security of reliable backups and I’ll continue to pursue the Acronis path more at my leisure, in the hope that I can get it work. I’ll probably wait for the next update to True Image Home 2009 before I install it again.

Cheers

Dennis

turbo_pascale (Rob) · #14 10-01-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt

Hi all.

One of our laptops at home is showing signs of being on the way out.

We're wondering whether anyone can recommend some good freeware to back-up our files/programs, or even make a complete copy of our HDD?

Cheers.

Matt, besides all of the advice above, based on your statement "signs of being on the way out" I'm assuming you fear the hard drive is failing (not the PC in general).

If that is the case, I would get the trial version of "Boot It NG". It is free, and you can make an entire disk image (save to CD, DVD, external USB device - and it will automatically span across CD/DVDs), and have a complete image of it. It installs as a boot partition, hence it all works completely outside the windows environment, hence you get EVERYTHING on the hard drive.

Buy yourself a replacement hard drive (doesn't have to be the same size - can be bigger capacity if your laptop can handle it), and then just restore the image back. You won't even know it's on a new hard drive (other than probably being faster and more space as newer drives tend to be)

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com

Note that it's only function (besides being a good "image backup" solution), is really a partition management tool/boot manager. It is a tiny bit "techie" but if you're doing it as a once-off to just move hard drives, can't go past it as it is miniscule and very good at what it does. If you're someone who wants to run different OSs, it is a fantastic little boot manager too.

Turbo

Dennis · #15 12-01-2009, 05:01 AM

Just for the record, today I received a reply from Acronis support acknowledging their receipt of my problem report and their delay in replying. I originally lodged the error report on 9th Dec 2008 and received their reply on 12th January 2009.

In that time frame, I also did my bi-annual clean install of my OS and all the apps on a new HDD, although I did not install Acronis True Image Home 2009 to see if it would work with the newly built system, as by then, I had Norton 360 running nicely.

Cheers

Dennis

multiweb (Marc) · #16 12-01-2009, 08:05 AM

I bought an E-SATA base for $25.00 I think and a couple of 500GB SATA HD. I then bought an E-SATA card. All I have to do is plug one of the 500GB HD in the external bay. It pops up as an normal drive, let Acronis do its thing then unplug the drive and shelf it. I do that once a week, takes about 30-40min per machine and runs in the background and it's automated. Just have to plug the drive in the bay and power on, but I usually get an email from Acronis Scheduler telling me I forgot to backup so I have a reminder and I do it on the spot

Dennis · #17 12-01-2009, 09:21 AM

Given that Acronis seems to have been around a few years and works fine on 1000’s, maybe 10,000’s PC’s worldwide, I figure that occasionally you may get one installation or configuration that proves difficult – it looks like it was my turn this time!

As I’ve got Norton 360 working reliably now, I’m in no rush to re-install Acronis as the main goal was to back up my data which Norton’s is doing just fine. Maybe when I’m feeling braver later in the year!

My OS, Data and Backup drives (SATA1) are all housed in removable caddies and so I can swap them without having to take the case apart and mess around inside the PC.

Cheers

Dennis