Backup program needed
in [Windows XP]
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From: Bob CP on 1 Aug 2010 11:36 On 8/1/2010 9:55 AM, choro wrote: .... > Thanks. I will try to give xxclone a try. I am already using xcopy by going > to the DOS command center after copying and pasting one of the appropriate > xcopy commands with the required parameters from a word .doc file for which > I have put a shortcut on my desktop. This enables me to copy folders and > subfolders from the appropriate partitions on any of the hard disks which I > have installed on my computer. Note that I mentioned xxcopy (http://www.xxcopy.com/xcpymain.htm), not xcopy. xxcopy has a /clone switch that will duplicate the source exactly, including deleting any files on the destination disk that aren't on the source. Since my computers are all networked, I back up critical data between them on a daily basis (not to mention the usual external stuff...). > > ...I guess I am put off by having to reinstall all the > programs I have already installed on my old faithful and all the tweaks I > have made on my old faithful which incidentally is now a full 10 years old. > It was and remains my first true love! It's not perfect, but I've used PC Mover (http://www.laplink.com/pcmover) to transfer many programs to a new box.
From: wilby on 1 Aug 2010 15:02 On 8/1/2010 8:14 AM, Daave wrote: > wilby wrote: > >> For making disc or partition images, use Macrium Reflect Freeware >> version. I like it better than my paid for Acronis. > > What specifically about Macrium do you prefer? > > Daave: 1. It is free. 2. The backup and restore wizards are easy to use. 3. My first test of imaging a Win 7/64 pro machine, and restoring it to a new empty hard drive, worked 100% resulting in a bootable and exact copy of my system. 4. While it expects me to install it on my C: drive for doing image backups (which I do), I can (and did) also make a bootable BART CD that also does the image backups. 5. Image restores are easily done when booted to the "easy to make" Macrium emergency CD disc (Linux). Restores are also able to be done from the BART CD. 6. The free version of Macrium Reflect doesn't have many of the fancy extras such as scheduling, etc. I like this better because there are less complications to cause errors. I do an image whenever I feel like it. Acronis Paid software does all these things just as well but not better. When users start using some Acronis advanced features is when problems often happen. Go to their forum and almost every reported problem involves fancy extra features such as continuous backup, scheduling, on-line backup, and their "try & decide" feature. I've played with at least six freeware image software and, for me, Macrium is #1. Wilby
From: Daave on 1 Aug 2010 15:54 wilby wrote: > On 8/1/2010 8:14 AM, Daave wrote: >> wilby wrote: >> >>> For making disc or partition images, use Macrium Reflect Freeware >>> version. I like it better than my paid for Acronis. >> >> What specifically about Macrium do you prefer? >> >> > > Daave: > > 1. It is free. > 2. The backup and restore wizards are easy to use. > 3. My first test of imaging a Win 7/64 pro machine, and restoring it > to a new empty hard drive, worked 100% resulting in a bootable and > exact > copy of my system. > 4. While it expects me to install it on my C: drive for doing image > backups (which I do), I can (and did) also make a bootable BART CD > that also does the image backups. > 5. Image restores are easily done when booted to the "easy to make" > Macrium emergency CD disc (Linux). Restores are also able to be done > from the BART CD. > 6. The free version of Macrium Reflect doesn't have many of the fancy > extras such as scheduling, etc. I like this better because there are > less complications to cause errors. I do an image whenever I feel > like it. > Acronis Paid software does all these things just as well but not > better. When users start using some Acronis advanced features is when > problems often happen. Go to their forum and almost every reported > problem involves fancy extra features such as continuous backup, > scheduling, on-line backup, and their "try & decide" feature. > > I've played with at least six freeware image software and, for me, > Macrium is #1. Thanks for the info. Personally, I think #6 is very important, so I would either prefer the paid version of Macrium or Acronis. FWIW, I use Acronis (version 9) and it works flawlessly. I don't use "continuous" backup (I'm pretty sure version 9 doesn't have it!), but I do use the incremental imaging feature. I also like I have the option to create a clone if necessary. (Yes, I know there are free programs that can create clones.) So, to me, the advantage in using Acronis is the ability to schedule incremental images. Otherwise, I would use DriveImageXML (which sounds similar to Macrium).
From: VanguardLH on 1 Aug 2010 17:47 wilby wrote: > Henry wrote: > >> Running WinXP Pro SP2 on Dell with 3G CPU and 2G RAM. >> >> I'm looking for a good backup program. >> >> If there is something free out there that would be great. I'd like to be >> able to have the program run and only change the folders/files that have >> changed since the last time I backed up. > > For making disc or partition images, use Macrium Reflect Freeware > version. I like it better than my paid for Acronis. The free version does NOT do the incremental images that the user requested as a feature. Macrium Reflect (free) only saves full images. For a list of features missing in the free version, see: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp While it doesn't do incremental image backups, Paragon's B&R Free does do differential image backups which are much smaller than having to save a full image for every backup. Incrementals are susceptible to corruption and loss if one incremental becomes unusable in the chain back to the last full backup. Differentials consume more space but are less susceptible since you only need the one differential and the prior full image backups. Full image backups, which is the only type that Macrium Reflect Free can do, consume the most disk space to save.
From: VanguardLH on 1 Aug 2010 17:52
Henry wrote: > Running WinXP Pro SP2 on Dell with 3G CPU and 2G RAM. > > I bought a Seagate external hard drive for backup purposes and now I'm > looking for a good backup program. The one that came with the Seagate > isn't very good because it makes you backup on a schedule rather than > when you want and Microsoft's SyncToy is worthless because I don't > have all of my folders under My Documents so I have to make folder > pairs for each folder. > > If there is something free out there that would be great. I'd like to > be able to have the program run and only change the folders/files that > have changed since the last time I backed up. http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/ Doesn't do incremental image backups but will do differential image backups. If you have 5 incremental backups since the prior full backup, all 6 backups must be available and usable to do the image restore; i.e., you need full + incr1 + incr2 + incr3 + incr4 + incr5. Incrementals consume the least disk space but only record the changes made since the prior incremental backup. The longer the chain of backups the more vulnerable you are to loss if one of the incrementals is not usable. Differentials track changes made since the full backup, not from a prior incremental or differential backup. Differentials consume more space than incrementals but are smaller than full backups. Each differential backup gets progressively larger since it records changes between now and the last full backup. Restore only need 2 backups: full + diff. Other free imaging programs usually only let you save full images. Paragon is the only that I know of (so far) where its free version also does something less than a full image, like a differential. I don't know of a free one that does incremental image backups. |