Simple back up solution


  1. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #1

    Simple back up solution


    I know there are loads of recommended backup programs out there but I'm looking for a really simple solution to keep a big drive full of pictures and videos backed up regularly. And I'm looking for a conventional backup i.e. files I can view in explorer just the same as on my working drive.

    I have a separate USB portable drive which I use to do a simple drag and drop of my Pictures and Videos folder, which are on an SSD drive in my dektop (not the C drive).

    My strategy for a quick back up is to simply copy across the folders to my backup drive then select 'Yes' to merge existing folders then when prompted about files already existing on the destination in the same folders I select 'Don't copy'.

    This quickly copies across any new folders and files without copying the whole lot but there are 2 issues with this:
    1. I'm not actually copying all folders within 'Pictures' - I'm manually selecting the ones I need - something I would think a nice backup program could automate for me via a job with the relevant folders selected. There's also another folder on my C drive (Lightroom Presets) I have to remember to back up at the same time so, again, I'd think a job in backup program could 'help me remember'.
    2. Any files deleted from my working drive are not getting deleted from the back up drive.

    So does anyone know if such a program exists? I don't want to get into the hassle of complex programs with incremental back ups because they never seem to work well for me.

    E.g. incremental backups actually keep more data on the backup drive as you build up all the incremental back ups than actually exists on the working drive - which seems pretty stupid to me because you end up needing a much bigger drive for your back up. Or has this changed now and there is a simple incremental back up option where it just copies all the files updated or changed and displays them in a standard folder view like the original?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 19,383
    Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
       #2

    Try this:
    SyncToy - Backup User Data

    Couldn't be simpler
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 27
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    That's perfect.

    A couple of clicks and all the folders / files you want are copied, renamed or deleted between A and B. I can use the 'Echo' option to keep B (my backup) in sync with A (my working folder) without ever changing anything on A. This is awesome and exactly what I want a backup program to do without all the complicated nonsense.

    Thank you.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 19,383
    Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
       #4

    My pleasure
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 22:34.
Find Us