Your Backup Software Choice

[ironhat]

So as not to hijack the Backup thread I thougt that it might be good to have a separate one on backup software. I'm using what came with my Seagate, Bounceback. I'm not happy with it - terribly clumsy to use and, apparently, incremental backups are in the 'full' version, unless I'm missing something quite obvious. So, name your cure to the backup woes!

[cgallery]

I like the Acronis products.

[dbhost]

Backula, but I have a Windows / Linux environment, where I back up to a Linux server, and cache stuff off to a redundant drive...

[RodKirby]

"Second copy" best $30 I ever spent

http://www.secondcopy.com/products.html

Free trial it - you'll see...

[khf314]

Second the vote for Acronis. Just make sure you set it to validate the backup. Email me if you have questions.

[Ed62]

Good thread, Chiz!

"Second copy" best $30 I ever spent
http://www.secondcopy.com/products.html
Free trial it - you'll see...

Rod, have you ever had to restore the backup? Do you compress the backup? Will compressing backup files of treasured pictures restore them to original quality? So many questions.

Ed

[RodKirby]

Rod, have you ever had to restore the backup? Do you compress the backup? Will compressing backup files of treasured pictures restore them to original quality? So many questions.

Ed

I don't compress - save to DVD-RW. All files visible/available for copy/paste etc.

Try the Free trial to see if it will do what you want...

[milanuk]

What I'm using right now is Best Sync. It seemed to be the easiest to work with for what I wanted it primarily for - backing up and syncing my USB thumb drive. I take this thing every where... to college classes, to work, to club meetings, when I go on the road, etc. 4 gigabytes of information that would be, if not end of the world, at least **** inconvenient to lose or otherwise be without. The software can be configured to auto-sync any time it detects that USB drive is inserted. I have another backup job that backs up the entire C:/Documents & Settings directory tree to a separate hard drive. Not quite where I want to be, but it works for now. The biggest thing for me is the software is relatively inexpensive, and simple enough to figure out in an evening or less without having to devote a large amount of time to babysitting it. The more I have to mess with it, the less likely the backups are to happen

[gerti]

OS X Leopard comes with TimeMachine. Doesn't get much easier.

[jussi]

MS Sync Toy

[Ed62]

I don't compress - save to DVD-RW. All files visible/available for copy/paste etc.

Try the Free trial to see if it will do what you want...

Thanks, Rod. I just might do that. I also checked out Acronis. It seems to do anything you could ask for, but I think it might be overkill for my needs.

Ed

[LarryG]

I also use Second Copy ... have done so for perhaps 10 years, maybe more. A big +1 on the "best $30 ever spent" comment.

As Rod will confirm, it's not really backup software in the conventional sense. Its primary purpose is to do what its name says: make a second copy of your data files. This second copy can be virtually anywhere: on a CD/DVD drive, another hard drive, a network drive, thumb drive, whatever. There are numerous options on exactly how you can do this. What I like best is that all the files (at least the way I use it, without compression) remain in their native format and are directly readable by the originating programs.

We also use it here at the office, to back up all the CAD drawings and other files produced by a nine-person architectural firm.

I think that with the right settings SC can be used to back up your system files and/or programs, although I've never used it for that. My backup philosophy is to safeguard my irreplacable work and personal files, first and foremost. If disaster strikes, I can always FDISK a new hard disk and reinstall Windows and all my software; but if I don't have a copy of all my personal stuff, I'm scroooood.

[ironhat]

Well, no sooner did I start this thread and the wife says, "My computer is acting funny, again". Uh Oh! After a week of strange actions the short story is that I can get Windows up and running but not with much stability. I just ordered her a new Acer so we'll see how well the Bounceback backup software is working. Timely threads, indeed.

[pelligrini]

I use a combination of Ghost and Backup Exec Pro. I'll use the Backup Exec when using my tape drives. Some stuff will also get compressed into an rar archive and burnt to CD or DVD.

[Richard in Smithville]

So what are the pro's and cons of backing up to a cd/dvd? I have heard that they only last so long and you start to lose data.