Backup Software Recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[Colin Davidson]

Greetings Fellow HTF'ers:


I am looking for some recommendations for file backup software for the home PC.


I am running Win7 - 32bit and want something that is fairly easy to configure and that will do incremental backups (newly added files and changed files if I understand the term incremental correctly) not just all selected files/folders each time it runs.


I have looked at the following:


Acronis Backup

Genie Timeline

Oops!Backup


All of the above seem to have a pretty good set of features and any one of them would probably do the job but I guess I just want to make sure there is no "buyers remorse" if I get one when I should have gotten some other one.


Thanks for the assist!


Colin


P.S. Forgot to add that I did search before posting and threads were found back in 2008 and earlier so hopefully I didn't miss a more recent post that had all this.

 

[Sam Posten]

Robocopy + gui


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robocopy

 

[mattCR]

Robocopy is a valid for a basic, file only backup.


For a system level backup, Acronis trumps almost everything else; or you can use WHS and use it for your backup setup

 

[Alfonso_M]

I've been using this one for years...


Cobian Backup


http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm


Very easy to setup, incremental/differential/full/compress,encryption,FTP backups, simple copy/move(uncompress) restore/recovery etc...


The latest version added a few more advanced features and works perfect on W7.

 

[Colin Davidson]

Thanks guys for the responses.


Went with Acronis for the features and positive reviews on a couple of other computer related sites.


Regards -


Colin

 

[JamesGeek]

Try Handy Backup software, it's reliable backup solution for Windows 7. I have used several backup programs for years, and I recommend Handy Backup.

Hope it will work for you too.

 

[Will_B]

Second Copy, at


http://www.secondcopy.com


I love it. I'd had problems with some other backup program stopping -- giving up! -- if it encountered a single unusual character in a file name. I changed to Second Copy a couple years ago and I've never stopped loving it.


$29.95

 

[theedmon10]

I was suggested ZenOK Online Backup by my boss who has it at the office it works good

 

[mattCR]

Hmm.. I'm starting to think you're a spam bot because all of your references are to ZenOK stuff, and flat out, it's a company I have never heard of.

I will throw in my recommends to Acronis.

 

[DaveF]

I want to bump this with a few more questions.


I'm thinking of doing a "Backup" speech for my Toastmasters club, and I'd like some recommendations for PC software. I'm comfortable on the Mac side, and have adopted a 3-2-1 Backup method (3 backups, two diffferent media type, 1 offisite):

* Time Machine on an external hard drive

* SuperDuper! on a second external drive

* Backblaze for offsite.



For a Windows system, speaking to a tech *unsavvy* crowd, I'm not sure what to recommend for a similar three-tier backup method. Any suggestions? My intent is to make a handout with that says: Buy a harddrive, and use this program. Buy a second harddrive, use this other program. Subscribe to this online service for "cloud" backups.


For offsite, how does Carbonite sound? My impression is it has easy and robust Windows software.


I see Acronis is particularly recommended; is it a good choice for the normal Mom and Dad audience?


Is there any sort of TimeMachine equivalent? A tool that creates rolling backups that let you recover a file from an hour ago, after making undesired changes to it?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by DaveF




For a Windows system, speaking to a tech *unsavvy* crowd...




I see Acronis is particularly recommended; is it a good choice for the normal Mom and Dad audience?

Interesting thread...and one in which I have a good deal of interest.


I recently purchased a 1 TB external HD for my wife...along with the Acronis Backup Software.

I had already backed up her My Documents folder (which contains all her documents/images/data files) myself onto the external drive. But I was hoping the Acronis software would do that sort of incremental back-up on a scheduled basis so that only updated or added files would be added onto the backup.


I tried, one night, to figure out how to set that up...but it was all greek to me. I'm not stupid and have to figure that I just don't understand the lingo used in this process...or the software is not built to do incremental back-ups. I'm not sure and will have to revisit it soon. In the meantime, back-ups are not getting done on a regular basis.

 

[Charles Smith]

Definitely an interesting and critical thread. I need to get something going, too. I've made a few manual backups to an external HD whenever something happens, however innocent it may be, to scare the bejesus out of me. But incremental has got to be the way to go. I'm a Windows user. For all I know, there's a backup application within Windows that handles this nicely. Or in Norton Internet Security, but I'm going to jump to something free when my renewal time comes up in a few months. Actually, that will probably be Microsoft Security Essentials which might include backups. So here I am rambling on when I could be investigating this. But that's where I am right now.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

For a Windows system, speaking to a tech *unsavvy* crowd...


I see Acronis is particularly recommended; is it a good choice for the normal Mom and Dad audience?

Interesting thread...and one in which I have a good deal of interest.


I recently purchased a 1 TB external HD for my wife...along with the Acronis Backup Software.

I had already backed up her My Documents folder (which contains all her documents/images/data files) myself onto the external drive. But I was hoping the Acronis software would do that sort of incremental back-up on a scheduled basis so that only updated or added files would be added onto the backup.


I tried, one night, to figure out how to set that up...but it was all greek to me. I'm not stupid and have to figure that I just don't understand the lingo used in this process...or the software is not built to do incremental back-ups. I'm not sure and will have to revisit it soon. In the meantime, back-ups are not getting done on a regular basis.

[/QUOTE]


That's not encouraging to hear. Not to make this a Mac/PC thread...but I plug in a harddrive and the Mac says, "Do you want this to be a Time Machine drive?" You click "Yes" and you're done; it works from then on automatically. Similarly, with SuperDuper!, you run the program and you press the "Copy Now!" button to backup your entire computer and that's that. Or press the Schedule button and in five minutes you've setup a weekly (or whatever) backup, and you're done.


I was hoping there would be some easy-to-use backup software for Windows as well. But I didn't start my automated backup regime until I'd switched to the Mac, so I don't have any experience.

 

[mattCR]

For windows home user, it should be super simple:


Acronis for anything local; walk through the wizard, it will setup a full and incremental and then you just forget it.


If you are running Windows7, you're a fool not to use Microsoft's MESH application, which comes with LiveEssentials 2011. Outside of synchronizing documents on any computer anywhere, it will store 25GB of your data "in the cloud" which is enough for most people to store truly critical stuff. (I may worry about my TV programs recorded, but I don't send them to the cloud; pictures and my tax returns? Hells to the yes)


Done.

 

[DaveF]

Which part of Mesh and LiveEssentials is the backup program? I'm looking as MS's site and see the 5GB SkyDrive and the 25GB SkyDrive and the LiveEssentials and lots of stuff about Sharing, but I don't see a "Backup" tool? Do you use the "Sync" feature with sharing disabled?

 

[softlover]

Greetings Fellow HTF'ers:


I am looking for some recommendations for file backup software for the home PC.


I am running Win7 - 32bit and want something that is fairly easy to configure and that will do incremental backups (newly added files and changed files if I understand the term incremental correctly) not just all selected files/folders each time it runs.


I have looked at the following:


Acronis Backup

Genie Timeline

Oops!Backup


All of the above seem to have a pretty good set of features and any one of them would probably do the job but I guess I just want to make sure there is no "buyers remorse" if I get one when I should have gotten some other one.


Thanks for the assist!


Colin


P.S. Forgot to add that I did search before posting and threads were found back in 2008 and earlier so hopefully I didn't miss a more recent post that had all this.

You want a backup software for home PC, then you don't have to buy such a expensive software such as acronis, genie...They are perfect in backup world, but mostly only enterprises and companies need them. THEIR functions are too much for a home user. A lot of software can do schedule backup, it's not a big deal. Here I recommend easeus todo backup. It's free and can reach your needs.

 

[geekwlover]

I highly recommend you a free backup software - easeus todo backup. Compared Acronis Backup, personally, I think it is easier to use. What's more, it is free both for business and home users. Besides full backup, it also offer your incremental or differential backup.