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Best Free Backup Program

 
In a Hurry?
  Go straight to the Quick Selection Guide
Introduction

Most people know they should backup their important files, and most plan to, but it seems that it is one of those things that often gets put off, until sometimes it's too late. One reason it gets put off is because of the time and difficulty involved in backup procedure. A good backup program should make this task as simple and painless as possible. 

If you are reading this article it is likely you already know the importance of backing up your files and have come looking for some software that will help you do just that without having to spend a lot of time learning how to use it.  To appeal to the average user, a backup program should have a wizard or step by step guide that takes them through the process of backing up their files.  Then they should be able to set it and forget it, and have confidence that it will continue to work behind the scenes to protect their data.

As I reviewed more than a dozen backup solutions I looked for ease of use, a scheduler, support for backing up to local and online storage, verification of backup archives, and an easy to use restore function.

Discussion

GFI Backup Screen ShotGFI BACKUP  home edition is my first recommendation for the average user.  GFI Backup replaces the old Titan Backup.   It is fairly easy to use, backs up archives as zip files with or without encryption, has an easy to use scheduler, supports a variety of backup locations, will do incremental and differential backups, and has a restore function that will help you restore complete archives or individual files. GFI also has support for backing up files even if they are in use.   All in all if you have already been using Titan Backup in the past you will find GFI to have a simular user experience with some nice extra features.

 FBackup Screen ShotFBackup is my second choice for the average user.  FBackup is a freeware backup solution from the creators of the popular commercial application Backup4All.  FBackup has a unique wizard which supports the free Backup4all plugins that will help you automatically backup data from a wide variety of different programs. For example if you use the Firefox or Opera browser, you could download and install the respective plugin, and once selected it will automatically backup all your user data such as bookmarks, history, and stored passwords.  (See this link for available plugins)  FBackup supports volume shadow copy so that it is able to backup files that are in use.

Cobain Backup Screen-ShotCobian Backup.  It's been around for quite a while, and although it's basic, it is totally reliable.  When I say basic I mean it, because there's not even a restore feature!  (Since it creates archives in zip format,  data can easily be recovered with about any archive utility) It's used by thousands of organizations and individual users, and has the advantage of a strong user community. There's a Unicode version that only works with Windows NT and later, and a second version that doesn't support Unicode, but works with all Windows versions.  It supports shadow copy so it can backup files that are in use at the time of backup.  Encryption of the archives is also supported.

FileHampster Screen-ShotFileHamster You might like to check out this simple real-time backup solution that allows you to make incremental backups of your working files as you save them.  As such, it keeps a list of the revisions so you can restore a file to any one its states. It automatically time stamps and stores copies each time you save, and it allows you to annotate each copy so that your revisions are fully documented.  I suggest that you watch the video demonstrations to learn more about using it. It supports several plug-ins (not free, but very cheap) such as a diff tool and a zip tool.   Note: The freeware version of Filehamster is included in the trial version.  After 30 days the full features revert back to the free features.

Toucan Screen-ShotToucan - If you are looking for a light weight portable backup solution this little app has your number.  It features both backup and sync style operations.  It supports incremental and differential backups, zip or 7-zip compression, AES 256 bit encryption using ccrypt, and a simple restore feature.

Related Products and Links
You should also check out the categories Best Free Folder Synchronization Program, and Best Free Drive Imaging Program  which are simular are other types of backup programs.
Quick Selection Guide

GFI Backup  (Home Edition)  Rating 9 of 10  Gizmo's Top Pick

Pros   Has easy to use wizards. Supports numerous backup locations and media including LAN and FTP.
Cons    
Developer Home Page   www.gfi.com/backup-hm
Download link  

http://www.gfi.com/downloads/register.aspx?pid=bkuphm&lid=en

File Size   8.7 MB   Version 2009     Installation Requirements Win XP - Vista 
Info    

Titan Backup    Rating 9 of 10  

Pros   Simple to use wizards. Supports numerous backup locations and media.
Cons   It is no longer being supported. It can't backup open or in-use files.  
Developer Home Page   http://www.neobytesolutions.com
Download link  

http://www.neobytesolutions.com/trial-versions/free/  See Below for Serial Number

File Size   6.86 MB   Version 1.5   License Type Commercial Giveaway   Installation Requirements Win 98 or later
Info  

IMPORTANT!! You need the following serial number to activate the product  (This is a legal serial designated for use by Gizmo's Readers.

000020-ACM8KK-1YXPMT-JZT49Z-05Z6JZ-7C68TR-9Y7FU9-6PD2P8

For more information about this and an upgrade discount go --> here

FBackup    Rating 8 of 10

Pros   Easy to use wizard featuring plugins to make it easy to back up data from various other programs, like browsers, email clients, or media players.
Cons   N/A
Developer Home Page   http://fbackup.com/
Download link   http://fbackup.com/free-download.php#mirrors
File Size   8.30 MB   Version 4.2.143   License Type Unrestricted Freeware   Installation Requirements Win XP or later
Info   See the following website for free plugins for your favorite program. http://www.backup4all.com/backup-plugins.php

Cobian Backup    Rating 7 of 10

Pros   Popular program with a large support community. Very reliable.
Cons   Not as easy to use "out of the box" which might discourage inexperienced users, no restore function.
Developer Home Page   http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/index.htm
Download link   http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm
File Size   9.83 MB   Version 9.5.1.212   License Type Unrestricted Freeware   Installation Requirements Win NT or later

FileHamster    Rating 8 of 10

Pros   Works very well and easy to setup. Makes keeping working backups very simple.
Cons   Plugins require a small fee.
Developer Home Page   http://www.filehamster.com/
Download link   Download trial version from link above as the freeware version is included.
File Size   5 MB   Version 1.7.0.3   License Type Restricted Freeware (full commercial version available)   Installation Requirements Win XP or later and .Net 2.0 Framework
Portable version available   Portable version available

Toucan    Rating 9 of 10

Pros   Light-weight portable backup and sync solution with the power of normal desktop application.
Cons   N/A
Developer Home Page   http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/toucan
Download link   http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/toucan
File Size   2.4 MB   Version 2.2.1   License Type Open Source Freeware (includes program code)   Installation Requirements Win 2000 or later
 
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Average: 3.9 (51 votes)
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Comments

by CyberWolf64 (not verified) on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 17:44  (#56587)

Cobian Backup Boletus (v10.1.0.789 is latest version) supports 32 bit and 64 bit and SUPPORTS VSS in BOTH!

See this link for what is new is this version:

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

Looks like since I last ever used Cobian (which was like v , I think 6, he has MOST DEFINITELY improved the programs abilities.

Just thought I would drop this into the thread as an update/FYI.

by XsummusX (not verified) on Sun, 08/22/2010 - 01:51  (#56495)

This is an excellent summary of backup tools.

Im looking for a backup utility that will allow me to backup to multiple DVDs. For example, I have 19.8GB of data I would like to backup to some number of 4.7GB DVDs. GFI does not do this.

Anyone know of a backup utility that will do this?

by Ritho on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 06:09  (#56546)

You might try Yadis! Backup http://www.codessentials.com/products/yadisbackup.html it supports backing up directly to DVD.

Another option is to use any backup program you like, then use a zip utility like 7zip or ZipGenius which will break up archives into dvd size "bites." That can then can easily be written to disk.

by PanMan (not verified) on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 17:24  (#56951)

But Yadis! Backup is something like time machine, not standard backup program

by Ritho on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 19:17  (#56961)

Yes it will work as a versioning style backup if you enable that feature. Otherwise it works like a normal backup program with real-time backup functionality.

by BuzyBee on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 06:20  (#56161)

I read somewhere that data backup functions of disk imagining software may not be the best/reliable -- true?

Anyway, I was going to try out GFI Backup but then I checked out its support forum @ http://forums.gfi.com/GFI_Backup/forumid_52/tt.htm. Yikes! My needs are fairly basic, but definitely need ability to schedule regular backups and this appears to be a huge problem with GFI. Also, apparently GFI Backup 2009 will ignore empty folders during backup (because there's no data inside them) even if I need them backed up for future use/organization.

I would try Cobian but really need program with restore function. So still on the hunt... any other suggestions?

by Ritho on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 18:19  (#56224)

I have been testing Areca Backup. So far it has impressed. It uses more technical terminology than most home consumer grade products, so it takes a little to get going with it. It does not have a built scheduler which is what you are looking for, but it has a couple of wizards that will help you create 'shortcuts' to the backup jobs. Then you can easily use Windows Task Scheduler to schedule the jobs to run automatically. Incidentally you can to the same for GFI since it can be executed from the command line.

In the next week or so I hope to have some new reviews posted. So stay tuned.

by PanMan (not verified) on Sat, 08/28/2010 - 19:44  (#56916)

Areca Backup doesn't support writing to CD/DVD

by Ritho on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 19:56  (#56962)

"In Program" CD/DVD support is not really that important anymore. You can simply put a DVD in your burner, select it as the target Windows will set up a stage folder for it and the files will automatically be written to the DVD. Areca also supports splitting up archive files into any what ever size you want or need, which is perfect for creating a set of 4.7 GB files ready to be written to DVD with your favorite burner.

by John 28 (not verified) on Sat, 08/21/2010 - 12:16  (#56464)

Does seem very interesting but appears to be only for Windows 2000/XP. I'll keep a watch as I will need a backup program for Windows Vista & 7. Anyway, I'll stay tuned!

by Ritho on Sat, 08/21/2010 - 19:51  (#56478)

Actually the somewhere Vista Support is mentioned. I have been testing how it functions on Windows 7 professional 32bit and so far have had no problems at all. Their forums indicate that it works well with 7 as well.

by John1 (not verified) on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 23:54  (#56139)

Comodo BackUp is a GREAT freeware. Should be in the list.

by Ritho on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 05:54  (#56159)

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree that Comodo Backup has matured quite a bit, and is on its way to becoming a decent product. I do have a few complaints about it though.

1. No differential or incremental style backups. How can this be? Even the most basic backup software has such features.

2. Only a proprietary compression format for backup. At the very least they could include Zip as an alternative.

3. If you are going to use a proprietary compression format, at least offer a rescue system in case of a major crash. How does quickly get at his back ups without first having to do a full install of Windows, followed by Comodo Backup just to open his archives. That is just silly! A simple bootable disk feature would be such an easy solution.

4. Does it do backup verification? Maybe. Nobody is really sure about it. The verify feature is hard to find, because it only shows up when you go to "Restore." You can verify before you restore? What good is that? It is a little late to verify your backup if you need to restore. So okay you can still use it immediately after you make a backup, but it seems strange to have to go to restore to access it. Then there is the matter of the method. All they say is that it verifies the integrity of the backup file. That sounds to me like it verifies it can be read by CB, but does not say it actually verifies each file in the backup against corruption. I feel like this all important feature, could really let you down hard. No way would I ever use CB's archive format to store my data without a something like a hash check of every file being done. Even with simple copy there should be something.

5. This one is minor, but they claim backup support for open and locked files. They don't however use shadow copy but rather their own method. In my testing it fails to copy locked files at certain times. It is better to not claim it than to claim it and not deliver.

by chrisgiz on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 16:08  (#56215)

Ritho, I couldn't agree more, I was about to post basically the same thoughts. I have used a number of Comodo products over the years (currently CIS which has matured considerably and seems to do a good job) but their backup product is nowhere in the same league and should NOT be listed here unless they make significant changes.

I disagree slightly one one point, that of ZIP files or equivalent. In this day of cheap gargantuan storage, I can't stress enough how important it is that the backup software at least offer the option of copying/backing files AS THEY ARE, with no compression or changes to checksums whatsoever.

I'm still using my old registered (paid) copy of SecondCopy for basic data files. It has incremental backups (up to 9 versions) which is incredibly useful when a file gets corrupted (Photoshop users will relate...) BUT it drives me crazy because the author still doesn't give a hoot about using VSS, so even a simple 3 Kb Wordperfect file in use generates errors and doesn't get backed up.

I've temporarily solved that problem by using Genie Timeline Free which has no incremental features but does a superb job of running in the background unnoticed while saving just about any opened file to an external USB drive.

But if anyone knows of a free backup program (aside from GFI free which I have extensively tested and is IMHO way too buggy to deserve its TSA ranking) that does incrementals while also using VSS correctly, I'm all ears!

by Ritho on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 18:47  (#56226)

I agree about saving files as they are, as that is the way I personally store files. Besides that a lot of the files I backup are image files which for the most part won't compress anyway. The reason I say they should offer none proprietary compression if possible is so that the files can be accessed without using the program itself.

I also agree that GFI does not deserve its ranking. It sort of inherited it from Titan Backup, which was a Gizmo's original 46 best I believe. (Before this site was born) But it is time to move on. They have ignored the problems to long, in the free version.

I Do like Genie Timeline, and it will probably make it in the list with reservations. I don't believe it allows for more than one job at a time. I just am not sure where the delta / block level style backup comes into play, because it seems to create multiple copies of the same file. Any idea about that?

Ritho

by Ritho on Tue, 08/17/2010 - 19:09  (#56227)

Actually after a little research I answered my own question about the block level backup. It only applies to Outlook pst files apparently. Silly! Why not allow the user the choice of which files to apply delta technology to?

by Neuromancer on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 16:49  (#56071)

Gave up on FBackup. Tried GFI Backup next...What a horrible product. Backup sceduling does not work properly at all, and I spent a few hours playing with it. Auto-rescheduling doesn't reschedule according to working days. Scheduled periodic backup on shutdown does backups on EVERY shutdown. The scheduler seems to be entirely worthless. If this is how it worked for you, how could you possibly give it a 9 out of 10 rating? Perhaps the scheduler broke in the most recent build which you haven't reviewed. Is there a way to get my hands on earlier builds?

by Ritho on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 18:50  (#56082)

Scheduling in GFI Backup has been buggy from the git go. Titan Backup (GFI's Ancestor) did not suffer from these issues. I keep hoping that GFI developers will fix these issues, but as of yet it seems to have been ignored in the freeware.

by Neuromancer on Sun, 08/15/2010 - 10:33  (#56062)

Will Fbackup automatically reschedule missed tasks? In other words, if the computer is off during a scheduled time, will Fbackup run the backup the next time the computer boots? If not, which of these backup programs does that?

by rKAnjEL on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 12:33  (#55570)

I wonder why "Comodo Backup" isn't mentioned?

It's FREE, and although I only tried it briefly it seemed like a capable product and I'd like to see how it stands compared to applications mentioned in this review.

http://backup.comodo.com/

~Yaser

by ddendaas (not verified) on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 13:46  (#54524)

What about Saftbackup?

http://www.saftware.net/en/index.html

Also read:

http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/backups-made-quick-and-easy-with-saft-backup-windows/

by Russ (not verified) on Sun, 07/04/2010 - 21:15  (#53755)

None of the backup programs are as good as Cobain Backup, it's simple, flexible reliable and runs on Win 7 and best of all it's free.

by Frutchy (not verified) on Tue, 07/13/2010 - 20:55  (#54220)

Well, I would agree, except that it does not take into account the fact that a lot of people use external media (USB stick, external hard drive). And that they often forget to stick it in or switch it on! And than Cobian will just report that the backup failed but I know by experience that a lot of people don't even look at the blinking icon anymore to see whether the backup had errors or not. They wanted a set-and-forget system and that is how they use it!

I asked Cobian to be able to generate a customizable prompt before backup starts, along with a timer in which you can specify how long the tool has to wait before it cancels the backup job because the destination (or source) is not available. But he replied that his tool is designed for unattended usage, so no pop ups. A pity.

Actually, I just got across this forum and saw that there is a real user experience available here. Maybe someone can point me to the tool I am looking for.

Such a prompt and/or wait option can also be useful if you want to do backups from/to network drives at systems start up. Since not all systems are up and running at the same time (it may even vary from day to day), it would be useful to be able to tell the backup job to wait a couple of minutes before it triggers the job. If then, within the specified time period, the remote drive is still not available, then the job should be skipped.

Otherwise Cobian is great, it now also includes mirror copying with a simple "safe mirror" concept: All files and folders that are deleted from the destination because they are no longer present in the source, are still kept in a separate place. But this "safe mirror" is common to all backup tasks so it might be difficult to find the deleted files you are looking for if you have several mirror backups with similar or identical folder structures and names.

I also use Drive Image XML for imaging purposes, great tool. And people who are looking for partition copying, resizing, and so on, should use EASEUS PARTITION MANAGER. The Home edition is freeware and really works great.

by Ritho on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 12:06  (#54315)

Frutchy,

It is regrettable that Cobain does not have the feature you mentioned, as I can see it would be quite useful. I think I have run across backup programs that request that you plug in a volume if it is not found and proceed with the backup as soon as it became available, but alas I can remember the name of it. Hopefully one of the readers here can make a suggestion. In the mean time you might want to ask in our forum. In the section called "I want a freeware program that.."

Ritho
Editor

by Anonymous on Sun, 06/06/2010 - 14:21  (#51483)

I think another software that deserves to be tried is Uranium Backup: http://www.uraniumbackup.com
Very stable and lightweight and portable.

by Mark vB (not verified) on Wed, 08/18/2010 - 17:35  (#56318)

Uranium backup looks ok, and its portable, BUT the free version doesn't have VSS (need to buy minimum of Gold version).

Thanks

Mark

by Anonymous on Tue, 06/22/2010 - 04:07  (#52685)

For disc image backup what about macrium reflect, brilliant

by Anonymous on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 11:06  (#52837)

Useful post. Thank you.

I use and recommend Handy Backup, it's easy and reliable backup software, and works great...

http://www.handy-backup.com - freeware

Best,
MikeGeek

by Anupam on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 11:19  (#52839)

I have removed the link pointing to the trial version of the product. Please, we are a freeware site... so post about freeware only. Anything commercial, or shareware, and it will be removed.

by Anonymous on Sat, 05/29/2010 - 06:39  (#50548)

Best free backup software is Dmailer http://www.dmailer.com/dmailer-backup.html why? because:
-It is easy to use
-It has features that many of other backup softwares don't
-Is so simple and easy that you can even learn ur dog to use it when he lost a movie with scooby-doo
-The online storage features save you from many problems

by PanMan (not verified) on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 17:35  (#56953)

It doesn't support writing to cd/dvd, it's not traditional backup software but more like time machine

by Anonymous on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 12:37  (#53428)

Dmailer is OK and simple, however it will not backup Outlook nor Mozila files. It focuses purely on basic data files: Pics, Videos, etc. At least from what I could ascertain. When I emailed them, they indicated you had to buy Sync to get the Favorites backup capability. Has anyone else found differently??

by Anonymous on Fri, 05/28/2010 - 05:06  (#50485)

Just installed Toucan and tested - a bit slow on the initial sync but subsequent sync/incremental is very fast. Highly recommended. Thanks for the above review and links.

by Anonymous on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 08:27  (#50430)

Backup at shutdown - that's all I need! Is that asking too much? My top requirement is that once I have set up the backup parameters in the program, it takes care of itself: when I've finished with the pc for the day I want to hit Start/Shutdown and know that the backup will kick in, do its job and then shut down the machine while I'm safely tucked up in bed.

GFI was fine until it hit the 255 character limit, so that's no longer suitable, and Fbackup doesn't have a 'backup at shutdown' option. In fact most of the ones I've tried fail on that score.

Can anyone recommend one that does what I want please?

by Anonymous on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 01:55  (#49917)

I use and highly recomend CrashPlan, from Code42 Software can be found a crashplan.com, the home version is completly free. Can back up to extrenal hard drive, another computer on same network, or a friend in a completly house.

by Anonymous on Mon, 05/10/2010 - 18:24  (#49482)

Thank you for your web site -- most useful.
I downloaded GFI and had problems, and then downloaded Cobian. Here are my impressions. SUMMARY: I've gone with Cobian.

Pros and Cons of GFI and Cobian.

GFI:
- GFI won’t write to discs prepared using Windows Vista. Needs discs prepared with Nero.
+ GFI writes much faster than Cobian (have not checked Cobian on Nero discs).
- GFI won’t complete DVD verification without manual intervention. After writing to DVD, it spits the DVD out and then reloads it and says you must reload manually so it can continue.
- GFI appears to cause Windows crashes when a USB stick is used as the destination of its backups.
- GFI will only do incremental backups if backups are compressed. It does not support zipping files individually, so one error loses the lot.
+ GFI has an easy interface for saving settings, but doesn’t have add-ins for all applications. (Its VSS won’t cope with all files.) Most of these settings appear to be bits of the Registry. GFI’s help includes: “You can include your Windows registry in the backup. Important notice: this feature should be used with caution, as restoring the Registry can be very dangerous for a novice user and can crash the system.”
- GFI’s help and logs are not nearly as helpful as Cobian’s.

Cobian:

- Cobian appears to be very slow writing to disc. Have only tried Windows prepared discs so far, and Windows writes very slowly also. Answer appears to be that Cobian does not include disc writing software and uses another application – I guess it’s using Windows. However, writing to hard disk and then copying (using Nero) to DVD seems to be as quick as using GFI to write direct to DVD.
+ Cobian allows incremental and differential back-ups without compression.
+ Cobian allows zipping of files individually.
+ Cobian’s help and logs are much better than GFI’s, and helped me understand some of GFI's problems.
- Cobian recommends that only one’s own files are backed-up, as the system can be recreated in the case of a failure. It does not have GFI's easy interface for saving settings (but one could identify some settings areas using GFS). GFS cautions one about restoring the registry.
- There is no reference to verification in Cobian. I don’t know if the back-up is verified or not. YES – found it in the forum. Under Options/Engine, tick “check CRC for uncompressed operations”.

by Ritho on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 05:15  (#49519)

Thanks for this. It is a very good user summery! Especially thanks for finding the reference to CRC (cyclic redundancy check) for Cobain.

by Anonymous on Thu, 04/29/2010 - 18:38  (#48728)

I would like to know if there any backup programs compatible to Windows 7 64 bit and if so what is your review on them.

by Anonymous on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 17:34  (#50054)

Areca Backup works fine under Windows 7 x64, although apparently not officially supported.

If you get an error message upon startup, then follow the instructions at http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=2421240&group_i.... It isn't strictly necessary to do so however, as Areca Backup seems to work fine even if you get this error message.

by Anonymous on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 09:17  (#52830)

I just tried the latest Areca build (7.1.7). It is slow (7 hours now to back up a 1.36 GB music library, with no end in sight) and a resource hog (locks up PC for minutes at a time). I'm running Windows 7 64-bit on an AMD 720 X2 triple core processor with 4 GB RAM.

by Gigante on Wed, 04/21/2010 - 08:24  (#48114)

GFI Backup doesn't backup the entire disk, only the files on it. Ie, no image. Isn't the point of backing up that you should be able to restore your system to its previous (working) state after a disk crash? GFI Backup doesn't do that.

Yes I'm aware of the Disk Imaging-section on this site, but I assumed that was diskimage-ONLY software, and that diskimaging was expected of backup software.

I'll stick to Acronis which handles ALL my backup needs, including disk imaging. *Disappointed*

by Ritho on Wed, 04/21/2010 - 09:37  (#48120)

Thank you for your comment. You are right GFI doesn't backup the entire disk as an image. That is not what it is made for, and no that is not the only point of backing up your data. Traditional file backup programs as reviewed in this category are designed to do very regular backups of your data. This could be just daily or it could be hourly, or even real-time. (Real-time refers to a backup being made as soon as changes are written to disk.) This is what they are designed to do. File imaging and disk imaging is really something entirely different. Many people use both types of programs in conjunction with each other, and as such they complement one another. Newer versions of Acronis True Image will do all these things for you, but it is not free. If you have that and like it, and it is meeting all your needs, why are you looking for something different? If you want to avoid having to pay for future versions of Acronis, then a backup routine with free software can get you the same results.

by Anonymous on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 09:35  (#47220)

Can you also backup and restore the exchange database files witth GFI or Fbackup?
Tnx

by woodshed on Sun, 04/25/2010 - 11:30  (#48387)

Anyone got expeirence with cucku backup

by Ritho on Fri, 04/16/2010 - 02:27  (#47736)

It should be possible. I don't know for sure. You will just have to try.

by Anonymous on Sun, 04/04/2010 - 20:21  (#46969)

Thanks for this interesting review (as always here)...
After reading this article, I downloaded and tested GFI.
Maybe I tested it too quickly, but I've been disappointed...

Maybe I'm wrong, but this is what I would expected from a software dealing with incremental/differential backups:
- 1st run of the job : full backup (let's say: in a volume called vol1)
- 2nd run : vol1 remains untouched. A vol2 is created and contains the delta with vol1(added/modified files)
- 3rd run : if incremental => vol3 will contain delta with vol2. If differential => vol3 contains delta with vol1.
- and so on...

What GFI backup offers :
- "Incremental backup" : overwrites modified files directly in vol1 (if not zipped) but leaves the files which are no longer in the source;
- "Differential backup" : same as incremental but deletes, in vol1, files that no longer exist in the source;
- "stack backup" : creates a full volume at each run, with a timestamp... (not good for large backups!!)

If the option to create zipped archives is chosen, then the content of the volumes (zip) is not directly modified. Otherwise, backup files are overwritten.
In any case, the "restore" function does not show the older versions of the modified files (just the last backup is shown)

=> Using the sotware's interface, it is impossible to get a file as it was "that day at that time", as a "normal" backup software would do. The only way to do so is to choose the "zip" option and manually go and get the correct zipped volume...

As a conclusion, I already can do that with a simple robocopy batch...
And I'm still looking for something that works like the (ugly) ntbackup ;-)

maguzo

by Anonymous on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 17:28  (#50053)

Areca Backup has the functionality that you desire.

by maguzo on Sun, 04/04/2010 - 21:05  (#46972)

Just for info...
It is possible to have the old XP's or win2003's ntbackup running under win7 : just copy the file ntbackup.exe, ntmsapi.dll and vssapi.dll in the same folder and use it as a portable app.
Why am I doing all this? because I'm running Win7 Home, and I can't have the 'new' backup utility backup my data files on a network share (mapped to a drive or not).

by Anonymous on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 14:34  (#46765)

I've been using GFI but am considering switching to AutoVer or Yadis! because of GFI's lack of versioning and real time functionality. Leaning toward Yadis! in part because the program seems to be updated in a timely fashion.

by Anonymous on Sun, 04/04/2010 - 08:19  (#46914)

Try Genie Timeline 2.0

by Anonymous on Mon, 05/03/2010 - 12:01  (#49013)

The nice thing about Yadis is that it backs up whenever the file is changed. No need to set a schedule. I found this to be particularly good for applications such as programming where changes are saved quite frequently. Anyway, I'm a happy Yadis camper.

by Ritho on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 17:16  (#46773)

I was totally unaware of Yadis. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I will have to look it over a bit.

Ritho
Editor

by Anonymous on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 11:09  (#52838)

I tried Yadis! (it's their exclamation point, not mine). It is poorly documented and its error messages are cryptic. It stopped on me several times; whether this was due to bugs or limitations of the program I can't say.

by Anonymous on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 13:53  (#52861)

Also, it doesn't uninstall cleanly.

by Anonymous on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 06:37  (#46740)

After using GFI and Fbackup for some time, I have found FBackup to be a better pick. The main reason for that is that FBackup manage to backup all the files you want to backup. With GFI I had to check what files that was missing and add the missing files to the backup. The reason for this is that GFI Can't handle files/folders that are longer than the 255 character limit, Fbackup backup the files anyway, no matter how long they are.

Other reasons for picking Fbackup is the plugins that make it possible to backup firefox etc.

by Ritho on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 07:39  (#46742)

Thanks for posting your comments. Those are some very good observation. I was not aware of the 255 file character limit of GFI.

by Anonymous on Thu, 05/27/2010 - 07:57  (#50428)

Yep - same problem with the character limit - that's why I'm here looking for an alternative!

by Anonymous on Wed, 03/31/2010 - 00:30  (#46548)

Hey guys,

Im glad i found this Backup Software Review, i think you should check out Dmailer Backup Free. It seems to offer much more compaird to other free applications mentioned above.

by Anonymous on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 15:31  (#46507)

Question for you guys:
I have a lot of random mp3s with non-English file names (like Chinese, Korean, etc) and was wondering which of the backup programs you've reviewed support that. I noticed that you mentioned Cobain did, but you said it wasn't that good for the inexperienced user and it doesn't have a restore function. Are there any other good backup programs that support Unicode characters in filenames?

Thanks in advance!

by Ritho on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 19:50  (#46526)

I am really unsure about the extent of their unicode support. Your best bet is to contact the developers themselves, as these types of things are often not documented well.

A similar situation came up with one of the reviewed programs (e.g. PureSync) in the Best Free Folder Synchronization Utility. The developer claimed unicode support, but the user had problems with Icelandic characters if I remember correctly, and he had problems with some of the files.

So while your situation is not super common, it is not something that developers should over look, so ask around on their forums or send a email to their support.

Sorry I could not be of more help.
Ritho

by Anonymous on Sat, 03/13/2010 - 06:35  (#45475)

I've just downloaded Paragon's Backup & Recovery 10.1 (free edition). I haven't used it yet, but was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on it. Thanks.

by Ritho on Sat, 03/13/2010 - 10:47  (#45486)

It is reviewed in the drive imaging category (Paragon DBE). The review there is a little out of date. http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-imaging-program.htm

by Anonymous on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 05:20  (#45356)

I highly recommend FreeFileSync that is a good tool backuping files or disk to other places.

by Ritho on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 09:45  (#45369)
by Anonymous on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 20:22  (#45331)

Just installed a new free backup program Back4Sure Version 1.0

http://freenet-homepage.de/ukrebs/english/back4sure.html

It has a small footprint, plenty of useful features, a clean interface which is easy to use for beginners.
It can be installed or run as a portable application.
I recommend it!

by Ritho on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 09:44  (#45368)

Thanks for posting this. Too bad it does not do any file integrity verification.

by Anonymous on Fri, 04/16/2010 - 00:02  (#47732)
by chrisgiz on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 16:47  (#44875)

Ritho,

Thanks for this thread, it's priceless, as so is the Best Free Folder Synchronization Program thread.

I've been using SecondCopy (paid version) for years, it's a rock-solid program but the developer can't be bothered to implement VSS... This has put me in several situations where important "live" files were lost to crashes.

I've been testing tried GFI Backup for a few months but it has shortcomings that truly baffle me. For example, it offers to backup Documents and Settings files (not all needed but not necessarily a bad idea either) but it *always* finishes the job with "warnings" that "Verify failed" on a bunch of these files! This seems to indicate a poor implementation of VSS. I don't think that's acceptable and I'd recommend removing this program from your Top Pick. Also, GFI runs THREE SERVICES at all times. Not good.

As few weeks ago you posted in the Synchro thread about QuickShadow Backup. I downloaded it from http://quicklytech.com/ and I have been testing it (version 1.2.6) It's a small download (1.4 MB) and it takes less than 3 MB on the drive but it's a brilliant, very fast program. I agree that it is very promising, but I do believe that some quirks need to be ironed out before it can be recommended here. For example, when I set up a backup for a data folder on my C drive to my G drive, the program forces the backup to go to G:\QuickShadow backups\C\Data

I do NOT like to have another "C" drive anywhere on my machine, even as a subfolder!

Also, there seems to be no way to simply activate/start ONE of the backups you have set up. All I see is the "force synchronize" option.

The developer does not have any active forum which I think is a serious mistake.

I was delighted though to see that they will be implementing VSS in v 1.3. (not sure when it's due though.)

Finally, for those who want/need extra features the cost is far more reasonable than other software (Single and home users, for up to 3 PCs: US$15) but here again we have a quirk, the versioning option only allows 9 older versions of files...

I would encourage other Gizmatics to try it and post here. I'd love to know what you think.

by Anonymous on Mon, 05/03/2010 - 07:28  (#49002)

Hello, I'm the QuickShadow Backup developer.

I few comments on the above...

Version 2.0.3 of QuickShadow Backup is now available (same URL as above).

Addressing the comments:

- This new version increases the number of versions you can keep on the backup - the only reason for a limit of 9 was because there is a performance impact in keeping lots of versions. If you don't mind that, then keep lots.

- The new version supports VSS / open file backup (but not in the free edition, this is a pay-for feature.)

- This version supports windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003 and Server 2008 in both 32 and 64 bit editions.

- The program is now slightly larger, so the download size is not quite as small as above (its now about 2 MB download, and a little larger on the drive, perhaps 5 MB).

- A number of other new features are added as well - the release notes set that out in great detail.

To address the comment about the structure of the backup location (G:\whatever\C\Data) etc as listed above. This comes about by a very deliberate design decision. The backup location can be a NAS drive or USB drive. The backup source can be one or more locations on the PC, including multiple drives.

Example: My development PC has drive C and drive F, which I backup to a NAS drive at \\NAS\Backups\Dev-PC

I *really* do want to know where something came from on my PC when it lands on that NAS drive, so embedded the full path including the originating drive letter in there makes it very clear where something came from.

This might not be required by all users, especially those who are very PC-literate. But for a great many mere mortals who don't want to think too hard, and just want a backup made fast and easily, this approach requires little or no thinking, and its easy to find stuff on the backup later (if you know where it is on the PC, you know where it is on the backup without ever having to know how the backup program was set up).

I hope this clears up that point.

Regards
Ashleigh (quicklytech.com)

by chrisgiz on Tue, 05/11/2010 - 21:43  (#49588)

Points well taken Ashleigh, and thank you for personally - and transparently - making yourself available here. I believe your program has the potential of being a major player in this field.

A few thoughts if I may:

- The max of 9 number of versions you can keep on the backup is just fine EXCEPT for those cases when, well, you need to have more. It'd be great if the users who need more could enable that say, a specific daily backup job. Such folks would not mind the "performance hit" because they know full well that data is more important than a few seconds or minutes.

- A 5 MB download is very reasonable, don't worry about that.

One question: Is it possible to have the "from" location of copies available as in currently (tree structure including C drive for example, I do see what you mean if one has a NAS) OR as the (more standard for "advanced" users) C\Data for example? If that would require major re-coding, no big deal.

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