Looking for free win7/win10 backup with folder/file checkboxes

[bowlesj3]

Hi,

Win XP professional use to have an excellent backup. They removed it in Win 7. The XP backup was such that I could see the directories and check a checkbox to back them up. It would automatically select all the subdirectories for backup. I could then go in and uncheck selected subdirectories. I could also check select files within the directory. All this would be remembered. It had the same checkbox approach when restoring files/directories. It needs to backup/restore across a home network to another machine. This is all I need. And for now I need it only for Win 7 (although I probably should be backing up my win 10 notebook). I don't have the need to store the job which remembers these settings such that I could have different jobs (one job is fine). I took maybe a week and finally found Comodo which can do this but it is unreliable (I did the restore once and it worked and now I can't restore anything so I have limited backups across machines). I checked AOMEI which is great for image backups (reliable so far) but very cumbersome for file backups as I describe.

I don't have a week to look for one again. I don't suppose anyone knows of a freeware backup software that can do what I describe. For now I am going to check into the software that comes with the "My Passport" external drive I have. If it has this I will post the info and check this issue as solved (lets hope).

Thanks,
John

 

[wizardwillow]

U CAN TRY THIS BACKUP SOFTWARE, IT PROVES WORKS AND VERY EFFECTIVE!

StorageCraft Recovery Environment 5.2.6 ISO File - GigaPurbalingga

 

[bowlesj3]

Thanks WizardWillow. I checked into it. Avast gave me a malware warning when I went to that website. Maybe I will poke around others sites for it.

By way, Comodo may just be able to recover the file I need to return. The first try took so sooooooooooooooo long that I thought something was wrong with it. So I brought the backup archive it creates to my main machine which has a solid state drive thinking it might speed it up (also thinking that the network connection between the machines was causing issues). I left it to try and bring up the achive directory and it was talking a long time again so I went and did some chores for an hour. When I came back it had the directory of the backup files. That did not work since it needs the base it uses and the bass is on the other machine. So I am installing it on the other machine where the base is and will try to recover the file from there. I am running it there now and it is once again taking a long time to build the directory (the XP backup was very fast).

I am still going to try the stuff that comes with the MyPassport drive as well. Their sinc has checkboxes

 

[samuria]

Robocopy is built in to Windows and is very fast you can download a free GUI for it if needed

 

[bowlesj3]

Robocopy is built in to Windows and is very fast you can download a free GUI for it if needed

Thanks Samuria. I am checking into it now.

I tried Comodo on the other machine. It crapped out after taking at least 30 minutes trying to pull up the directory. That one had the latest download update. Maybe I should try the prior one. Maybe I will just remove it

 

[bowlesj3]

I retried the older version fo Comodo (4.4.1) across the home network. If finally completed the job and returned my file.

I watched a video of the Robocopy GUI. It had a lot more parameter's than I will ever use. I have kept the link to that video in my database reminder system I wrote just in case I need something more comprehensive someday.

Somehow the comodo backup differential backup files are growing much more quickly than I would think they should (probably explaining why it takes so long now that I think of it). I need to figure out what directories to uncheck that are doing that. I checked my user directory. I suspect something in there is growing fast and I will never use it.

I just tried editing the files that Comodo backs up by unchecking the checkboxes. It crapped out. Tried it again and it did it again. I remember it doing that before. I don't trust it. It is only because I can't find another one like it that I use it.

My Passport has an on the fly sync software. I would rather not have backups going while I am working live.

 

[samuria]

You don't have to use all the switch's for robocopy just running it as mirror is simple and mirrors folders it only copies changed files it's very fast and was built by ms for servers

 

[Barman58]

Best Free Windows Backup Software for PCs and Laptops - AOMEI Backupper is one option, I use the pro version which I find excellent, but I have heard others praise the free version also

 

[bowlesj3]

You don't have to use all the switch's for robocopy just running it as mirror is simple and mirrors folders it only copies changed files it's very fast and was built by ms for servers

Okay, thanks Samuria. I am going to have supper and spend the night learning it. I need to get this resolved.

 

[bowlesj3]

Best Free Windows Backup Software for PCs and Laptops - AOMEI Backupper is one option, I use the pro version which I find excellent, but I have heard others praise the free version also

Yes, I have AOMEI. I have used it's image backup and done one full return of the machine (Win 10). It worked well. But for backing up individual files it is cumbersome I find. I think it would be faster to use the most basic dos copy. I am surprised the type of + sign expansion and checkbox selection is not a standard these days. Windows 95 had it (or was it 97/98 - can't remember...lol). I think it started with SeaGate if I remember correctly. I had their original backup before Win 97 and it had it. I am guessing the Windows people bought the rights to it because it looked almost exactly the same.

I tried something interesting. I went into the Win XP machine which I am backing up to. I pulled up the old MS backup (fond memories). I tired changing the backup source to the Win 7 machine. I thought it was going to work but I could not get the + expansion to work. Oh Well.

 

[Barman58]

The data backup setup did take a little time but it is a once only operation and as I backup Seven Data partitions over Three Hard Drives with a Compressed backup size of 1.5 TeraBytes, this is to be expected.

The trick in my experience is to select the root point of each dataset that you wish to backup, and then add exceptions by un-ticking folders that you do not wish to be included, this means that if you add anything under the root(s) in the future it is automatically included in the backup ( with the option to excluding of course)

Also earlier this evening I received an update notification from Aomi for my pro backup, one of the things they say they have added is a mirror system similar to the robocopy system - not sure if this is or will be included in the free version but is likely to be simpler interface wise than the old DOS based robocopy

 

[bowlesj3]

then add exceptions by un-ticking folders that you do not wish to be included,

I don't seem to have this option in AOMEI of unticking folders (or at least I could not find it). I am thinking it is missing from the free version.

 

[bowlesj3]

So this Robocopy interface appears a lot better than the MS one.
Robocopy with Robo Interface Tutorial - YouTube
It even has help (exactly what I need...lol).
I am not sure but I think the person in the video is the one who wrote this interface.

 

[bowlesj3]

Regarding RoboCopy, I would end up having to choose the C drive then have maybe 100 or 200 or more exclusions (way too much work and maybe there is a limit on the number). Also it does not compress.

Comodo is perfect (can compress at various levels and I can checkbox what I want). However Comodo has a bug. I can't uncheck some of the stuff I have for backup that I don't need and which is causing the differentials to grow too quickly. So unless I can find something that does the same without bugs I figure I will email them to report the bug so they fix it. If I want cloud they have that. They let me use it for free hoping I will buy extra cloud at an expense.