Can someone reccommend a good free backup software

[rozar]

I am looking for an easy to use, free, simple backup software. I want an option to what comes with Windows. I want to archive backups either daily or weekly for about 500GB of data to my local Server (2008 Server Standard). My host machines are Windows 7 and Windows Vista. This is not for syncing or replication, this is for backup. I have another software I use to sync.

This is for home use and not enterprise level


Thanks

 

[electrontau]

You can use Windows Backup feature.

I use Acronis. Good software. Worth the expense

 

[Snipergod87]

Edit: You are not backing up your server but onto the server? in that case Easus Todo Backup 2.0 will work fine, you can specify network drives and schedules:
http://www.todo-backup.com/download/

If you want to backup the server itself you will need version 1.1 as version 2.0 doesnt support Server 08
http://www.soft82.com/version/download/windows/easeus-todo-backup-1-1/

I use Easeus myself and I find it to be a pretty solid program, it is A LOT like Acronis True Image Home.

 

[rozar]

Thanks guys I have used Acronis for more years than I can remember but I didnt use it to do scheduled backups. I always just used it for imaging. I will take a look at todo also.

 

[The Old IT Guy]

Thanks guys I have used Acronis for more years than I can remember but I didnt use it to do scheduled backups. I always just used it for imaging. I will take a look at todo also.

I've used Acronis True Image Home for a long time also, and think very highly of the product and the company. Recently I upgraded to TIH 2011 and noticed its "Nonstop Backup" capability. I "turned it on" a few weeks ago. Runs totally in the background and seems to be doing an extremely good job.

Side note - I HATE the new UI. Liked the interface in Acronis True Image Home 2010 much better.

 

[The Old IT Guy]

I've used Acronis True Image Home for a long time also, and think very highly of the product and the company. Recently I upgraded to TIH 2011 and noticed its "Nonstop Backup" capability. I "turned it on" a few weeks ago. Runs totally in the background and seems to be doing an extremely good job.

Well, I'm back to retract my endorsement of Acronis True Image Home Nonstop Backup. It's extremely easy to use, but it has problems. I've discovered that it does not reliably back up my system drive. I can restore the system drive effectively with standard TIB backup but not the one created by Nonstop Backup. It restores, but the drive has errors that keep it from booting. I've had a trouble ticket open with Acronis but don't seem to be getting anywhere trying to resolve the problem.

 

[rozar]

Thats OK I dont need to do a "system drive". I normally do not try to do a running backup of those anyway (while the system is running). For a system drive I normally just do an image by booting from an Acronis CD or thumb drive. I just need to keep some files backed up.

 

[The Old IT Guy]

I've found backup images created in that manner very effective. I use a boot manager and keep a small partition with Acronis on it. Only takes a few seconds to boot and I don't have to pull out a CD. It's only the images created by Nonstop Backup that have proven unreliable.

 

[FreeDataRecovery]

Cobian is free and a popular choice... http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

For imaging check out Clonezilla, also free... http://clonezilla.org/

 

[dodolook77]

QUOTED SPAM REDACTED - SS

I have a similar requirement, however, the free software you recommend DOES NOT support schedule backup and unable to use on Server system yet. So anyone have ideas? Thanks!

 

[goldenchris81]

You can set the backup to another drive with auto sync from microsoft.