Best Backup Program with no Compression?

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xSimone

xSimone

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Okay, so I'm looking for a backup software that can do Incremental Backups.. however, I need it to be able to backup without storing all my files into a compressed folder.

I want the files all to be raw, as if the disk was cloned, while also saving any changes I make in the future. That way I can just explore the disk and copy out whatever I want at any given time.

I'd also like to be able to select which files and folders I want to backup.

I tried Acronis, however it stored all my files inside of a cabinet like file called an "Acronis True Image Backup" with the name "My folders_full_b1_s1_v1"

Unless I picked the wrong setting, is there a program out there that can do what I'm after?

Thanks!

 
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xSimone

xSimone

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Yeah I've used Macrium Reflect, though does it do Incremental Backups also? I don't know if it does on the free version.. can't remember. Will need to redownload and look again.

I've used it to clone and it was awesome.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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The free version of Macrium does Full and Differential.
The paid version adds Incremental.

It also gives you the opportunity to mount an image in File Explorer, and cruise through it just like any other folder on your system.
You can retrieve a single file if desired.
 
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xSimone

xSimone

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I see. I guess I'll just grab Macrium. Acronis sucks.. lol ;U

I tried to dive into the file, yet when you go like 3-4 directories deep it just hangs and explorer dies.

I hope Macrium doesn't do the same thing.

Anyhow, I'll give it a try and report back.. thanks CountMike and USAFRet
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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I just tried that deep dive with Macrium.
Backups located on a NAS box
Inside the Macrium file....Incremental xxx.mrimage from over a week ago, the file I looked at was 5 folders deep. No problem whatsoever.
Macrium gives that particular image an available drive letter, opens in Explorer just like any other "drive".
Drag n drop the file from there to my local desktop. By default that image is Read only. But you can make it writable if you desire.
The file you copy out to your local system is, of course, fully writable.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Well, yes. You initiate that through the Macrium client.
Yl7MfbN.png
 
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xSimone

xSimone

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Okay I got Macrium, this thing's confusing as all hell.. not easy to do the setup I'm looking for. Any easy tutorial I could follow to setup an Incremental Backup?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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The Free version does not do Incrementals.
KOLQT4o.png


A Differential schedule will do almost the same thing.

Full + Incrementals:
A Full image, then the Incremental is whatever changed simnce the last Full or Incremental.
Pro: Faster, and smaller file sizes
Con: You need ALL of the intervening Incrementals to do a full recovery

Full + Differentials:
A Full image, and then the scheduled Differentials are everything that has changed since the last Full image.
Pro: You only need the previous Full, and whichever Differential you want
Con: The scheduled Differentials grow larger until the next Full image

Either way works.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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OK, you have 2 drives.
Disk 2 has your OS.
Disk 1 is a 1TB secondary drive. It has just enough free space for a Full image of the C drive.

Select the Disk 2, be sure all the partitions are checked, and click on "Image this disk..."
It will guide you through the process.
 
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A

ArtPog

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1. What is not entirely clear (at least to me) is the precise objective of your backup strategy.

2. Putting it in another way...if you could clone the contents of your current 256 GB SSD boot drive together with the contents of your 1 TB secondary drive to a third drive - say a 3 TB or 4 TB drive - and do so on a weekly or some other reasonably current basis would that be a satisfactory objective for you?

3. So that disk-imaging, incremental backups and the like would be unnecessary.

4. Obviously if you go that route there would be an additional expense involving the purchase of a drive sufficient in disk-space capacity to contain the contents of the present two drives. Is that in & of itself a deal-breaker?

5. The "third drive" containing the complete contents of your system could be installed internally in the same way as your present two drives or as a USB external HDD. The advantage of installing that recipient of the cloned contents of your present two drives is that the drive would be bootable and all data from the two drives would be accessible without any "recovery" process.

It's possible (but not absolute) that if that "third drive" was installed as a USBEHD it MIGHT be bootable as well as a USB external device. It depends (to a large extent) on the disk-cloning program utilized. I believe Macrium has that capability but I'm not certain of that since I don't usually work with Macrium. The disk-cloning program I routinely use is the Casper program and that program contains the capability of booting to a Casper-cloned USBEHD.

6. Again, I'm not at all sure whether the above is a possible option for you in view of your statements about "want(ing) the files all to be raw" and perhaps more importantly "be able to select which files and folders I want to backup.". A clone is a clone is a clone. It's an all-or-nothing situation; there's no viable option to select this or that file for disk-cloning purposes.
 
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xSimone

xSimone

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I want to be able to save everything in its raw format, then save everything that changes or new things, again.. in raw format.. because I've recently purchased a laptop I'm not feeling confident in.

It's using a PCIe NVMe SSD and a previous unit has borked over to where I need to return it.

I just want to keep my latest files, so if this does happen to me, then I have all my files and can return the laptop..

Once the problem happens where the NVMe cannot be read anylonger, my data is essentially locked from me.



I don't know I could be clearer. I just want a backup software that copies and stores my files, as well as any changes in RAW format, as if I just click copy and paste from one drive to another..

Does a program like that seriously not exist? :f

I just made a backup with Macrium, then did an Incremental update.. like.. 5 minutes after. Some reason it made 10 gigabytes worth of an Increment... what in the world. :f
 
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xSimone

xSimone

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Mkay Macrium I guess is alright. I don't like that it seems to need the program installed to access the files (mounting it to a virtual interface) but it's the closest to what I'm after so far..

As long as it doesn't miss anything during the installs.

Also, opening an Incremental is interesting, when done so, it shows the latest snapshot correct? So I can look at each version of the full disk when ever I'd like?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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An Incremental only captures those files that have changed since the last Incremental. So if you did not make a change to something on Tuesday, it would not be in Tuesday's Incremental.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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This all depends on the actual changes since the last backup, either Full or Incremental.
More changes = larger image size.

This is a screencap of the Macrium images of my current C drive, over the last two weeks.
ra3cjVd.png


Note the different file sizes.
 
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