Tom's Hardware > Forum > Applications > Other Software > The Best Backup/image software
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gerryroberts   06-03-2007 at 09:41:33 PM

I'm looking for the best back-up software for my hard drives.

Any takers?

Thanks
gbr

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edklite   06-03-2007 at 09:53:13 PM
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you can't beat Acronis True Image

the best way is to create a rescue cd from it then boot into rescue cd and then clone(copy) the whole drive, this way you don't need another app to read your files and all you have to do is plug-in the clone and its like nothing ever happened ;)

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JQP   06-28-2007 at 08:49:09 PM
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AFAIK the trouble with Acronis is it won't backup/restore folders, only drives or partitions. And, it uses a proprietary storage format, which I find less than ideal.

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stan412   06-28-2007 at 09:33:48 PM
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I am looking for a good hard drive cloner also.
I've heard some good and bad with Acronis...

That said, what does 'Proprietary storage format' mean?

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edklite   06-28-2007 at 09:42:59 PM
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@JQP

first off acronis does backup files and folders.

second if you clone the drive all the files are saved as they are and readable without any thrid party software.

third you don't really need an app to save none os files ;)

@stan412

use Acronis True Image its the best ;)

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g-paw   06-28-2007 at 11:55:20 PM
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Acronis is a good program for cloning. My problem with Acrnis for backups is as JQP says it saves the files in a proprietary format. For just backing up files I use GoodSync and it works really well.
http://www.goodsync.com/land/land. [...] frm=frame9

Be aware, edkite and I have been around the block on the value of GoodSync so prepare for a rebuttal. :D Regardless, it's a good program and easy to use.

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edklite   06-29-2007 at 12:52:23 AM
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g-paw we already talked and:

1. we agreed if you clone the drive it does not save in proprietary state, you have the choice to save in proprietary state or as is ;)

2. show me one app that makes images of an OS and does not save that image in a proprietary state ;)

3. we also agreed that for OS backup Acronis is the best for regular file backup, media files and etc goodsync is good ;) but not for OS ;)

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g-paw   06-29-2007 at 01:03:44 AM
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Quote :

g-paw we already talked and:

1. we agreed if you clone the drive it does not save in proprietary state, you have the choice to save in proprietary state or as is ;)

2. show me one app that makes images of an OS and does not save that image in a proprietary state ;)

3. we also agreed that for OS backup Acronis is the best for regular file backup, media files and etc goodsync is good ;) but not for OS ;)



Only disagree with 3, GoodSync is best for any data files including media files :) Again my problem is backing up data files in a proprietary format when you back up regularly

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edklite   06-29-2007 at 03:38:50 AM
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good sync does not support moving os files, in other words you can not use goodsync to clone an xp install that works. ;)

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g-paw   06-29-2007 at 01:06:32 PM
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Quote :

good sync does not support moving os files, in other words you can use goodsync to clone an xp install that works. ;)



You're right, GoodSync is for regularly backing up data files, e.g., media files, photo, music, and documents.

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JQP   06-30-2007 at 11:10:41 PM
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Quote :

@JQP

first off acronis does backup files and folders.


Yeah sorry my mistake. What it won't do is copy a hard drive's contents to another hard drive without overwriting. So if you want to move your 20gb drive onto your 250gb drive (with 100gb free) with Acronis you're SOL. It isn't really billed as a synchronizer though.

Recovery is kinda quirky. I made a backup yesterday and when I wanted to recover only a few files from it, it behaved oddly. First, when I chose where to put the restored files (needed to do this to pick and choose which files to restore) it didn't actually restore everything. I had about five folders I wanted and it did one each time. I had to run through five times to get them all, which is a pain when the program doesn't remember folder locations even in the same session. Somehow Acronis seems to know about its own quirk, because it always recovered the next folder, not the one it had done previously.

And, it doesn't actually put it where you specify, but in a folder it names how it likes, in the folder you specify.

Quote :


2. show me one app that makes images of an OS and does not save that image in a proprietary state


So it's okay because everybody does it?

What's the point of being choosy about software in that case? TONS of mediocre software around.

Cool feature of Acronis I haven't tried yet, you can backup Application settings.

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JQP   06-30-2007 at 11:13:31 PM
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Quote :

I am looking for a good hard drive cloner also.
I've heard some good and bad with Acronis...

That said, what does 'Proprietary storage format' mean?


You could consult a dictionary, but in a nutshell it means "nobody else uses it." So, you can't use the format without their software, unless you or someone else cracks/hacks/writes an app to read/write it.

Unlike formats like zip, rar, etc.

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edklite   06-30-2007 at 11:21:05 PM
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Quote :


What it won't do is copy a hard drive's contents to another hard drive without overwriting. So if you want to move your 20gb drive onto your 250gb drive (with 100gb free) with Acronis you're SOL. It isn't really billed as a synchronizer though.



Acronis Disk Director Suite will copy a sized partition ;)

Quote :


Recovery is kinda quirky. I made a backup yesterday and when I wanted to recover only a few files from it, it behaved oddly. First, when I chose where to put the restored files (needed to do this to pick and choose which files to restore) it didn't actually restore everything. I had about five folders I wanted and it did one each time. I had to run through five times to get them all, which is a pain when the program doesn't remember folder locations even in the same session. Somehow Acronis seems to know about its own quirk, because it always recovered the next folder, not the one it had done previously.



the best way to backup your drive is cloning, images are unrealiable but no matter if you clone or image the best way to do it is to creat the rescue cd and then boot off the rescue cd and then clone/image from there, I recommend cloning which is what I do, works every time ;)

Quote :


2. show me one app that makes images of an OS and does not save that image in a proprietary state


So it's okay because everybody does it?

What's the point of being choosy about software in that case? TONS of mediocre software around.


no the reason there is not one available is because it can't be done yet ;)

if you wanna use acronis for backup then use the rescue cd and use the clone feature, it copies everything as they are ;)

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JQP   07-30-2007 at 10:15:07 PM
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Acronis is a joke (almost as bad as this forum's software).

 

Here's a good indication of why:

 

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/arc [...] 62205.html

 

Can't burn to DVD-R? WTF? Talk about rinky-dink!

 

The documentation is shyte, plain and simple. There are about five words in the docs about validating archives, for example. The process seems to take a very long time for incremental backup TIB validation. In fact, I suspect what it does is validate the entire archive collection, because it takes as long to validate a 100mb TIB as it does to validate a 4gb TIB, but this isn't mentioned at all in the docs so who knows?

 

Of course there's nothing at all about burning in the docs beyond a passing reference in the docs, and no mention at all of how piss-poorly TI handles burning.

 

The docs are in EFLspeak too, (eastern European dialect is my guess, though it could be Balkan).

 

My advice? Don't pay for this shyte. Note the guy in the thread who waited 2 months with no reply from these flybynighters.

 

What good is a backup application that doesn't work with DVD? What is the point of keeping backup archives solely on HDD?

 
Quote :

images are unrealiable


This from a FAN of the program. They put an unreliable backup method right there in their program. Nice.

Quote :

no the reason there is not one available is because it can't be done yet


No. There's no reason backups couldn't be done with common compression formats. The reason they aren't done that way: $$$. Not unexpected - the entire backup-restore racket seems populated with the worst of the software industry bottom-feeders.


Message edited by JQP on 07-30-2007 at 10:17:45 PM
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