Backup software - my analysis and recommendation

Until recently I use mirroring instead of backup software. It was simple and effective. There is a flaw though: anything that goes wrong on your main drive gets mirrored to your backup drive. Ransomware, viruses, user error, they're all ways to destroy mirrors. I didn't lose data personally, fortunately.

I spent most of a day yesterday testing backup software. I wrote up an article on a forum elsewhere, I'm not allowed to link according to forum rules and I won't repost, but I can send a link to anyone who PMs (I think that's allowed). I will post my conclusions though.

Here's what's important to me
- Provides full, incremental, and differential backup options
- Robust backups which minimise data loss if corruption occurs (I've had some data corruption due to bad RAM recently)
- Works with Windows 10 (note that this is a pre-release OS)

Here's what I'm only moderately concerned about
- Backup performance (it can't be awful, but not too concerned really)
- Support

I'm not concerned about price at all.

Note that backing up each file individually is more robust than combining every file into a single propriety archive, but combining into a single file (or a file split into parts) means you can get better compression and de-duplication. I want large incompressible files like images and exe files to be standalone, but I want compressible files in a larger archive. I use multiple backup sets to limit loss in the case of corruption.

My recommendations are:
- Use Cobian Backup (it's free) for backing up incompressible files. It's flexible and fast at this, but once compression is turned on it's incredibly slow - 5MB/sec compressed, 75MB/sec uncompressed. Note that it provides virtually no support for restoring backups, but as it zips/7z's files individually you can decompress yourself.
- Use AOMEI Backup (free) for compressible files. It puts all files into a large proprietary compressed file, but when damaged (with a hex editor) it still usually managed to extract the information. One downside is you have to run backups indivually, I don't think you can say "run all backup sets". There is a paid version, but I'm not sure it does anything that most people would need.

I also considered EaseUS (seems good, paid), Genie9 (timeline too simple, the other one crashed, doesn't seem to dedup), Iperious (more of a mirror than a backup program), NTI Backup (couldn't use my ReFS formatted disk), Vice Versa (mirroring), Nova/Novastor (wouldn't install on Windows 10), Backup Maker (free, seems good other than compression levels are set globally, not per backup, otherwise this was my next pick behind AOMEI).

Regarding online backups, I find them very valuable for high value, rapidly changing data like contracts, but given the relatively slow performance of Internet connections (I can buy 200Mbps up on my fiber if I want it) and the large size of images I don't personally use them for image backups. Hard drives do approximately 1000Mbps, which is 20-50X faster than most internet connections in practice, so I can back up and restore much more quickly. I have around 1TB of online backups, and in 5-10 years I may switch to using them as my primary backup scheme, but not yet.

I will look at Reflect and TrueImage at some point in the not too distant future. Other suggestions are welcome.

Any reason why you didn't try one of the most popular backup apps - Acronis True Image?

hollis_f wrote in post #17535450
Any reason why you didn't try one of the most popular backup apps - Acronis True Image?

Tried it once for PC image backups (as opposed to file backups) and found it slow. I generally didn't like it. Others love it. If you like it, use it

I bought Allway Sync a few years ago, and love it. It can run automatically if need be, and the pro license is only $26

http://allwaysync.com/​index.html

I use two methods. Any local backup can go away with disaster such as Fire, burglar, etc. so an off site back up is important, but sometimes not is quick and efficient to restore. There are a number of online backup services available, I don't know that I would recommend any specific service, but recommend do your shopping and find what works best for you.

For more convenience and that comfort feeling of easy access I use a local back up tool that backs up files without compression. I like that comfort of knowing exactly what's on the back up drive. I do check occasionally to be sure the back up is actually putting my new files on the backup drive. Again I believe it is best to do your own shopping, there are a lot of good tools out there - Look for backup and sync tools - one might suit your needs better than the other.

Don't fool yourself it is always possible to lose files, but with the dual backup I make it more difficult to happen.

Lumens wrote in post #17535633
an off site back up is important, but sometimes not is quick and efficient to restore. There are a number of online backup services available

All of which are enormously slower than my off-line backup. Even if I had to walk the 5 miles to my off-site location and wait 18 hours for the people there to turn up to work, then hop 5 miles home - backwards with my eyes closed - it would still be quicker than trying to download 2TB from the net.

digirebelva wrote in post #17535558
I bought Allway Sync a few years ago, and love it. It can run automatically if need be, and the pro license is only $26

http://allwaysync.com/​index.html

Sync is not backup. Cryptoware, virus, user error, they can all corrupt or delete your primary files and then you lose your "backups". Of course you need your backups offsite otherwise they're vulnerable. Having a permanently attached "synced" drive is almost no backup at all.

If you've retained some DOS skills, nothing quite like a batch file. I use XXCOPY, to be found at http://www.xxcopy.com/. I have a batch file to do a full back (monthly) and another that does incremental (daily). I can also toggle either to run as needed.

John from PA wrote in post #17536186
If you've retained some DOS skills, nothing quite like a batch file. I use XXCOPY, to be found at http://www.xxcopy.com/. I have a batch file to do a full back (monthly) and another that does incremental (daily). I can also toggle either to run as needed.

How does it do incremental backups? Using the archive bit? That sounds like a reasonable option for large files, but loses the compression and easy restores of a backup program that creates a big backup files.

tim wrote in post #17536223
How does it do incremental backups? Using the archive bit? That sounds like a reasonable option for large files, but loses the compression and easy restores of a backup program that creates a big backup files.

The choices are based on command line switches not necessarily on the archive bit which is simply a two-state choice. Choices are extensive so go to http://www.xxcopy.com/​xxcopy11.htm for detail but some examples

You can select files made on or after a specified date
You can select files made before a specified date
You can select files made today only
You can select files only in a specific volume and also made only today
You can select files made in the last 45 minutes (as an example), or other intervals based on minutes, hours, days

I use subversion! Subversion not only backs up your files, it also keeps the history...
Sure, subversion is harder to learn than other tools, but once something is in subversion, it is in forever, with all the steps.
I can easily restore my projects to 2005 if I like!

Managing your Digital Photos with Subversion

pixaeiro wrote in post #17538937
I use subversion! Subversion not only backs up your files, it also keeps the history...
Sure, subversion is harder to learn than other tools, but once something is in subversion, it is in forever, with all the steps.
I can easily restore my projects to 2005 if I like!

Managing your Digital Photos with Subversion

I think we've discussed this one before. Subversion isn't backup, it's version control. You still need to back up your subversion repository, and you should still use backup software as the same issues come up - data corruption, viruses, ransomware, etc, which can take our your repository. So if you use SVN without backup software you're not really any more protected than someone who uses mirroring software.

I don't need versions of images so I wouldn't bother with version control, but each to their own.

tim wrote in post #17536087
Sync is not backup. Cryptoware, virus, user error, they can all corrupt or delete your primary files and then you lose your "backups". Of course you need your backups offsite otherwise they're vulnerable. Having a permanently attached "synced" drive is almost no backup at all.

My "backup/synch" drives are not permanently attached.
I decide when I am going to synch my data, I then connect the drive, get Allway Sync to analyse the source drive to see if there are any changes, then run the synch so that those changes are reflected on the "backup" drive.
I do that for another "backup" drive so now I have three copies of the data. One on my desktop computer and two external hard drives kept in my office at home. I also have a third external drive offsite which I rotate once a fortnight/month.

One drawback is that it is all manual (I could set up automation but choose not to). I decide when the synching will occur and thus when I connect my external hard drives. It works for my needs but YMMV

Get a used but decent PC, load Windows Home Server 2011/12 and the rest in history.

Full incremental backup and remote web access.

You can host you're own cloud from the comfort of your home and you will also have a website that you can access from all over the word.

I have mine with a Raid 1 configuration plus external drive for triple backups.

You can't go wrong with it! It's pretty much set and forget!

Not to mention it can backup all your computers at home (I don't use this feature)

VPN access and more!!!

Once deployed it's free forever!!!

AceCo55 wrote in post #17545858
My "backup/synch" drives are not permanently attached.
I decide when I am going to synch my data, I then connect the drive, get Allway Sync to analyse the source drive to see if there are any changes, then run the synch so that those changes are reflected on the "backup" drive.
I do that for another "backup" drive so now I have three copies of the data. One on my desktop computer and two external hard drives kept in my office at home. I also have a third external drive offsite which I rotate once a fortnight/month.

One drawback is that it is all manual (I could set up automation but choose not to). I decide when the synching will occur and thus when I connect my external hard drives. It works for my needs but YMMV

If you accidentally edit one image and replace it with a small jpeg instead of a large high res jpeg and you mirror your drives that large jpeg is lost forever. I had much the same scheme as you for years until I realised this problem.