Some Useful Free Windows Programs for Backing Up Your Files

As we all know, regular backups are an essential part of computer maintenance. However, backing up the whole system can be time consuming and usually does not get done often enough to keep up with the day-to-day changes in personal files. Many PC users do their backups once a week or even less often and run the risk of losing everything done in between. What is needed is a way to do quick backups of recently changed files on a more frequent schedule.

My own backup routine includes very frequent backups of the personal folders where I keep current work and less frequent but regular whole system backups. For the latter, I use imaging software, such as the one native to Windows 7. In this tip, I will mention several good free applications from Microsoft that provide easy backup of individual folders. These file backups can be done to USB keys or other removable media. The backups can be set to include only files that have changed and can be quite fast.

The Xcopy command

The command line in all current versions of Windows comes with a powerful way to back up files and folders called Xcopy. I have described its use in detail at another site. Personally, I find it easy to use but for those who are not fans of the command line, I have wrapped this command inside a regular Windows Explorer interface. This little VBScript program can be downloaded from this page.  It is the first link under the heading “Windows management scripts”. The script is easy to use. Unzip it and put it anywhere convenient. 

Robocopy

 Another native Windows command-line utility for file backups is called Robocopy. This first appeared in Windows Server but is now included with Windows Vista/7. For Windows XP it can be downloaded from Microsoft as part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. Personally, I find Xcopy to do just as well but Robocopy has some additional options and is preferred by many.

For those who don’t like the command line and prefer a GUI, Microsoft has provided one for Robocopy at this link.

RichCopy

This is another Microsoft offering although an unsupported one. It comes with a graphical interface and is very fast. I have tried it in Windows XP and Windows 7. The download is at this link on Microsoft Technet. The description says that RichCopy is multi-threaded and is especially suitable for copying over networks. It is able to cope with file transfers that get momentarily interrupted by network glitches. 

Other information: Best Free File Copy Utility

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This tips section is maintained by Vic Laurie. Vic runs a Windows blog called The PC Informant and also operates a computer education website.

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