HDD backup with incremental backup option

[Old Mike]

Hello folks,

I usually backup my data using Syncback (free edition). For a week now, I notice that my laptop has become incredibly slow with weird sounds at a time. Not too sure if HDD is failing. I would like to take a full HDD backup to restore in future, should it really give up.

I am looking for a program that will let me take a COMPLETE backup of my HDD (including hidden system restore partition) i.e.CLONE HDD and there after allows me to backup updated files (i.e. updated, edited, deleted or added) on the HDD. I am not too sure if this is called as incremental backup or differential backup, but for my understanding I call it as incremental and used further in that perspective.

I agree that there are a tons of program probably do this job but I am looking for a hassle-free, sure shot working program. Certainly, I would prefer a freeware but I am willing to pay if thats what it needs. I would prefer to have an ability to make rescue media as a USB boot drive or ISO image (that can be burned when needed). I do not trust burned optical media for this business.

The programs I have tried,
- Microsoft's own back up manager - I did not find it trustworthy enough that it will save my behind when I will REALLY need it. Also I wasn't too sure if it was backing up my system restore drive. I wasn't too sure about its incremental back ups, asit showed backups by the dates. So was it an incremental one or just extra back up on the top of the old one?
- Macrium Reflect free edition - Good program but no incremental back up option for the free edition.
- Acer Backup (that came with the laptop), Cobian Backup 11, Backup Manager - There is no way to make sure that it will back up the whole disk. It gives you an option to select folders but what if I want to back up the whole HDD. Cobian backup did not show anything to restore the backups.
- NTi Shadow 4 - This one came with Fantom External HDD. I have not tried this but if its good enough, I will give it a try. I am honestly fed up with this installation and uninstallation business on probably a frail HDD.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[torres-no-tan-magnifico]

Hi Old Mike and welcome to the forum!

Paragon Backup & Recovery 2012 (Advanced) Free performs incremental backups.
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/

Have a look at the following articles for more advice and info:
https://www.techsupportalert.com/bes...ng-program.htm

https://www.techsupportalert.com/bes...backup-program

As we are a freeware site we don't discuss commercial products.

Hope this is of some help!

[crank]

I've had more problem-backups with the Windows builtin than successful. It doesn't do a system disk image unless you tell it too, not really sure what it does if you don't tell it to. Cobian is a very interesting program, but I too found deficiencies with respect to basic imaging functionality. I don't think you want to clone your disk, this will cause even large expanses of empty disk space to get copied into your image. All the recent programs will ignore empty disk space, and also system files that really don't need to be included, e.g., pagefile, hybernationfile, temp files, etc. this can save a lot of space. Paragon should be fine for what you want, and as always, it never hurts to use a second program if you want a little boost in probability of successful recovery. I've used a lot of these programs and over the years they've all failed at one time or another.