Hi, I figure we're all hyper vigilant about file management or we'd be using Windows Explorer.
So what are your suggestions for hard drive backup software?
This spring at work I evaluated 47 backup programs (about 30 were installed and tested). With a rating scale of "A" to "F" I rated most of them "D"s or "F"s. There were no "A"s.
I have almost no confidence in our backups. Our (three remaining) Windows computers get daily backups to external hard drives which are rotated each week. Once a week I take each of the drives and use Directory Opus to manually compare the backup drive contents with the computers' drive contents.
I've been using DO to manually verify backups for years because I have no confidence in any backup software over the past decade.
Using DO as an independent 3-party backup verifier, I've caught significant problems with backups. For example, recently I found that on one computer Thunderbird's email repository file had not been backed up even though the backup software gave no error message.
So what backup program are you using and do you have 100% confidence in the backup 100% of the time?
I would have suggested CrashPlan. Its quite good however they announced yesterday that the free version will be cancelled in 14 months. Looks like their paid is $10/month per device. So I also am looking for a new backup tool.
I bought a license of "Acronis Backup 11 for PC" years ago. Acronis also has a cheaper backup software for home users, but I found it to be very limited in comparison to the business class version.
It can take a while to master it, but it gets the job done well after that.
Version 12 (latest) seems like a step back to later step forward twice, so I suggest you wait for version 13 or look at version 11.
I recommend Macrium Reflect free. BUT - for be sure that everything will be ok, I'm using it only from second operating system (or second computer) - I boot from different drive with Macrium Reflect installed and then I made backup of my main system drive (which is inactive). Second option is to made bootable USB with Macrium Reflect (program itself offers to make bootable USB at start) and then made backup of whole system using bootable media (so main drive is not in use).
All programs (as far as I know) that allows making backup while system is working, uses Volume Shadow Copy, which is cool feature but I don't trust it in 100%. The only one time my backup was wrong (somehow, I didn't figre why but I experience few blue screens) was when I was using backup software while system was running. All other copies was always 100% working without any problems.
I tries few backup software and finally decided that Macrium Reflect free is better even than some paid ones (what you can read on some forums). So I recommend to made system backup using Macrium Reflect but not on working system. Made copy using second drive or boot Reflect from USB.
I use the GoodSync for years now. It's very fast and advanced, yet easy to use backup & sync utility. It also doesn't lock you into any proprietary container formats etc., you can access your backup like any other files & folders. It reliably detects changes so sync/backup is lightning fast. I like that it detects rename, move etc. and actually replicates them directly on the destination instead of copying file from source again so it saves tremendous amount of time.
I mean if it's good for* likes of Harvard, NASA, Dell, Adobe, Bayer, Lockheed Martin, USA Social Security Administration, US Fed etc. it should be good enough for me too
It's really, really good, whenever I see discussion about backup solutions and nobody mentions GoodSync I feel bad as if people discussed file managers and nobody mentioned Directory Opus -- come on people!
Thank you for the suggestions. Maybe my thoughts on each of these programs will be helpful.
Wowbagger -Crashplan is great for laptops and it works fine with Linux, unlike most other cloud backup services. In our case we have a lot of new data coming into our video editing station -new 1TB to 3TB per month that we archive onto 6TB external hard drives that are then stored away for the future. So we need near-line storage. For cloud storage, Crashplan is one of the best, particularly if you are a little bit geeky.
Andersonnunes -I've been turned off by Acronis and their software was the only major program not in my testing. The reason comes from using it several years ago and during installation it altered the boot record of the boot drive. That lead to problems and eventually a scrambled drive. Maybe they don't do that any more, I don't know. There is no reason for a backup program to alter the boot record.
PeterB -I tested Macrium Reflect Business, and here are my notes (written for me, not general consumption):
Macrium Reflect (Business Edition)
Good:
Completed the Long Path Name test
Uses Volume Shadow Copy
The directories and files DO KEEP Date & Time
Bad:
“Backups” create a single monolithic Target file that contains ALL the files that are backed up.
This is Interesting: The Target file must be “Mounted” in Windows and Windows gives it a drive letter. The mounting is done with one click in the Restore section.
Also interesting -the mounted monolithic backup file can be browsed with Directory Opus since it is now a Windows drive. The “drive” is read-only, but DO can copy any file/directory from it to anywhere.
Selecting the Files and Directories is done from a Tree, but you can just pick ONE folder or file, the Tree does NOT have check boxes to the left of their names. -NOT Good.
Upon completion of a backup, the “summary” is useless -no # of files to be backed up, # of files that were not backed up, # of warnings, etc. -the basics of DoubleImage.
The Log File just lists the files that were backed up -no tab (for example) for listing failed files/directories and the reason, no tab for warnings, etc.
BOTTOM LINE: Although the mounted backup file is a very interesting compromise between copying files and a monolithic proprietary backup file, the total lack of a useful backup summary that indicates with details (# of files, etc.) success or area(s) of failure makes me NOT Confident in the created backup. Additionally, the poor Log File details doesn’t instill confidence either.
So for our needs, Macrium Reflect isn't the one.
ByteSpiller -I tested GoodSync, and here are my notes (written for me, not general consumption):
GoodSync:
Good:
Completed the Long Path Name test
Uses Volume Shadow Copy
Uses a Tree to select directories and files -but it is awkward
The directories and files DO KEEP Date & Time
The 1-way sync a.k.a. a “backup” just creates files and directories, just like copying files with Directory Opus.
Bad:
The “home page” interface is VERY cluttered and leads to confusion and possible errors. It is, among other stuff, the log file in real-time -left/right split screen. Yuk! It would be okay for a one-time setup, but NOT for day-to-day.
Leaves directories with this name all over the place: _gsdata_and that makes verifying the backup with Directory Opus (and other 3rd Party file managers) impossible.
Since independent verification of backups is impossible, it is not possible to have 100% confidence in any backup.
I don't mean to be grumpy about this, but their data is their data, not mine or yours. We don't know what their tolerance for risk and loss is. And we don't know what their verification routine is.
If you read my note on the "Bad" aspect of "GoodSync" there is No Way To Have Independent 3-Party Verification Of The Backup, for example using Directory Opus.
I absolutely rely on DO, it is my last line of defense against missing or bad data. It also is my independent check that what the backup software Said It Did, it actually did. Yes, backup reports can be wrong. Ideally you want the logging/reporting mechanism running as an independent verification function that reports what Actually happened, not what the backup program thought it did (see my Thunderbird example in my first post).
As an aside, DO does have problems also, it gives wrong information (file count, byte count, etc) when using the right-click >Properties report. GPSoft said they are not going to fix that problem because that information comes from Windows, DO doesn't actually calculate those stats. That should be fixed, DO shouldn't be giving faulty information.
Okay so what other backup programs are being used?
But note that this is for creating a full disk or partition image, not a file based backup program though the result can be mounted and the files accessed.
I highly recommend CloudBerry. I like that the software is a purchase and not a subscription. You do need to select and pay for a destination separately. But the backup software is solid.
