OT: Backup Software

[Puckdropper]

I'm looking at using Syncbackfree to backup a Windows 7 Home Premium box to a NAS. I was just curious if anyone has used that software or had a favorite alternative?

This is for a non-technical family member's PC, so it needs to be as simple as possible. Ideally, if things work properly they wouldn't even know it was there.

I'd love to use the built-in backup program, but it won't back up over the network unless you've got Windows 7 Pro or higher. Microsoft has disabled their Anytime Upgrade, so it looks like upgrading isn't an option.

Puckdropper

[J. Clarke]

Microsoft has stopped issuing Windows 7 licenses--in principle you can use a Windows 10 license with Windows 7 but in practice they've made thr process so complicated that doing it is a major pain in the butt.

Whatever you go with, test it thoroughly--that means do a full backup and restore to a _new_ drive and make sure that it actually works. The NEW drive (and I mean brand new not just different) is important--I've found that some backup software can't deal with the geometry changes that occur when restoring from older to newer drives--Windows 7's built- in backup is among them. Symantec System Recovery can deal with it but try to buy it. The time to find out is _not_ when you have an unusable backup.

[notbob]

rsync

rsync for Windows:

nb

[Keith Nuttle]

I have used Syncbackfree for years, ever since I got my LAN in the early

2000's. I use it to keep my laptop and my desktop files the same. In all of these years my only complaint is what I would like the program to do, not what it does.

When I clean out a directory and then sync, I wish I could sort by file names not the total directory name. As Syncback does it it shows the files as to be synced as:

c:\x\y\x\file1. c:\x\y\x\file2. c:\x\y\x\file3. c:\a\b\c\file1.

I would like to be able to look at the files to be synced as

c:\a\b\c\file1. c:\x\y\x\file1. c:\x\y\x\file2. c:\x\y\x\file3

In this way I could see where I moved File1 during the cleanup and delete the old file1.

I use the Windows 10 File History to then back up the desktop to and external drive.

[clare]

Macrium Reflect - hands down.

[G. Ross]

+1

[Leon]

I use "iDrive", an on line back up service. You pay for the amount of storage and you can have multiple computers or devices to back up to that account.

You can also manage your back ups by deleting obsolete data to keep your storage usage down.

I once used Carbonate but I could not delete obsolete data and after a year or so it was difficult to wade through the obsolete.

[Puckdropper]

"G. Ross" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

How does Macrium Reflect handle backup sizes? I ran in to a problem with Windows 7's backup saving all the old backups and costing me about 1TB of space. My goal is to prevent data loss from drive failure rather than "oops, I deleted it" protection.

Puckdropper

[Puckdropper]

"J. Clarke" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I wonder if any backup software does an automatic test restore. Doing one just before a new backup and just after a new backup would give you confidence the whole thing is working properly.

Puckdropper

[clare]

You can image or clone. You can keep as many images as you have storage space for.

[clare]

I would never buy another Symantec problem - or use one if it was given to me.

[Leon]

IMHO if you have an issue with a drive failure you are better off reinstalling the OS and programs. Back up your data only. I would not want to copy a cluttered image back on to a new drive. I did do that for years and spent more time making multiple images than simply reinstalling.

And I don't keep backups of my data in the same location. Worse can happen to your computer and local backups/ images are not safe either.

[J. Clarke]

OK, tell us your Symantec story.

[Larry Blanchard]

Well, the tar program will do a verify after a save, as long as the save was not compressed. But I don't know if there's a Windows version.

But I have mine set up to run at 3AM with compression and no verify and I've never had a problem.

[clare]

I have some apps that take several hours to install and get properly configured - so I make an image of a CLEAN drive . Keep the data on a data drive, not the system drive - and back it up.

I clean the system drive and re-image it after major upgrades. (at least that;s the plan - - - )

[clare]

Which one??? Ghost, Antivirus, Internet security? Hours spent dinking around with Symantec "support" trying to solve a problem?? In Symmantec-ese "support" is a 4 letter word.

[J. Clarke]

How about System Recovery, since it's relevant to the current topic.

However I have no real clue how any software vendor's support is. I've never run into a problem that I couldn't figure out on my own.

[woodchucker]

There's alway clonezilla.

[clare]

Eventually you will - particularly if you use Dymantec products. The systemhouse we have looking after the servers had the norton backup-restire product installed for a while and even THEY gave up on it ans switched to Veam's backup prosuct. Not sure how it's going to work, - but it would have to work pretty hard to be worse than the Norton product was.Half the time the backup failed, and the restore was not to be trusted. If "it usually works" is good enough for you, gop for it. I won't waste my time .

[J. Clarke]

Haven't in 40 years. And System Recovery is not a "Norton" product. The Norton product is "Ghost" and it has always been crap--a good idea poorly developed.

Sounds like your "systemhouse" lacks experience. Maybe instead of relying on a "systemhouse" you should learn how to look after your own servers.