best backup software for windows 7

[andrewjs18]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for recommendations on good, free, backup software for windows 7.

I've been using the built-in backup software in windows and find it to be a bit lacking in functionality.

Right now my windows backups get sent to a SAMBA share, but I cannot adjust how often it does full backups, and as such, it's eating up my disk space..

What are you guys using?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have Win 7 on a separate drive from my data. to back up Win 7, I'm using Macrium Reflect Free (here is a good tutorial on how to use Macrium Reflect) once a week to make a full image. I also make an image before making any changes, such as trying out a new program. That way, if something goes pear shaped, I can restore win 7 using a previous image. In fact, I find Macrium Reflect to be far more reliable than System Restore and have System Restore turned off.

To backup my data, I use a folder/file syncing program called FreeFileSync. I have it set to Mirror. It syncs folder pairs that one has predetermined; an entire disk can be considered to be a folder. It will only copy over new and changed files on the source disk to a destination disk and delete files on the destination disk that have been deleted on the source disk. I also have it set to put any files it deletes on the destination disk to a Versioning folder on another internal disk. Since only changed data is being dealt with, he process is so fast, I can do daily backups onto two different backup HDDs.

 

[andrewjs18]

I have Win 7 on a separate drive from my data. to back up Win 7, I'm using Macrium Reflect Free (here is a good tutorial on how to use Macrium Reflect) once a week to make a full image. I also make an image before making any changes, such as trying out a new program. That way, if something goes pear shaped, I can restore win 7 using a previous image. In fact, I find Macrium Reflect to be far more reliable than System Restore and have System Restore turned off.

To backup my data, I use a folder/file syncing program called FreeFileSync. I have it set to Mirror. It syncs folder pairs that one has predetermined; an entire disk can be considered to be a folder. It will only copy over new and changed files on the source disk to a destination disk and delete files on the destination disk that have been deleted on the source disk. I also have it set to put any files it deletes on the destination disk to a Versioning folder on another internal disk. Since only changed data is being dealt with, he process is so fast, I can do daily backups onto two different backup HDDs.

I don't have access to my home computer at the moment to try out the freefilesync software, but do you happen to know if it'll sync the files/folders over a SAMBA share?

If so, this software might be PERFECT for me!

On my linux servers, I use rsync to keeps my files synced/backed up, which seems to very similar to what the software you recommended does.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Sorry, I have no clue what a SAMBA share is.

 

[andrewjs18]

Sorry, I have no clue what a SAMBA share is.

Sorry, I should of explained.

It's software that is used to allow windows machines to reach file/printer services on a linux/unix computer/server.

Samba (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'll check out the software when I get home. I appreciate it!

 

[lowie1]

hello, I use REDO from redobackup.org. It's very easy and you get a startup cd. With that you can make an image on your external harddisk. And it is free.

 

[Golden]

SyncToy will backup across CIFs/SAMBA folders:

Unsolicited But Offered: SyncToy 2.1 Tested: Backing up to a CIFS/Samba Share

SyncToy tutorial:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/278866-synctoy-backup-user-data.html

 

[dowlittlerock]

There are no good free things at all. So may be you will consider spending some money and buy a decent thing e.g.Acronis to backup the data?

 

[Golden]

:sarc:

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

There are no good free things at all. So may be you will consider spending some money and buy a decent thing e.g.Acronis to backup the data?

That's simply absurd and just not true. There are many excellent free programs available. Macrium Reflect, FreeFileSync, SyncToy, 7 Sticky Notes, CDBurnerXP (which works just great with Win 7), Converber, Desktop Calendar, Divvy, e-Sword, Glary Utilities, Avast Free, Malwarebyes Antimalware, SuperAntiSpyware, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall, Irfanview, etc. are just a few of the free programs I use (or have used) that are excellent.

 

[Pete4]

I use driveimageXML and it saved my butt more than once. The best thing about it is that it is portable, so I have a copy of it on my memory stick and if any disk fails on any of my computers, Ill take it out, put it into USB enclosure and as long as I have backup of it, I can restore it on any bootable computer or even from boot CD-ROM without running around and installing any software. It may be a little slower and is not as flashy, but it works, it copies disk bit by bit, can be scheduled for automatic backups with task scheduler and it's free for home use and very small. As far as "there are no good free things", it just makes me laugh. I guess that person never used CCcleaner, MPC, Firefox, OpenOffice/LibreOffice, 7Zip, CPU-z, Foxit, or VLC, the only program that can play 4k video on my laptop without hick up, where MS player is not even able to open it.

 

[lowie1]

You are so right Lady Fitzgerald. I have many free programs and they all work fine!!!
And DowLittle Rock, you think free programs are not "decent"? Think again. I see you still play with XP. I do, sometimes on my old pc. And I have found a way to still get new updates! 14 already, for free!!
But you don't like free so sorry for mentioning it.
Have a nice day.

L.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Out of curiosity, I looked at dowlittlerock's other two posts and he pushes Acronis in them also.

 

[lowie1]

Hello LadyFitzgelard, thanks for your message. Maybe he is a salesman...

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Hello LadyFitzgelard, thanks for your message. Maybe he is a salesman...

Who you callin' lard?

 

[lowie1]

hello Jeannie (what a nice name). English is not my first language. I don't know what you mean. Could you explane please

regard, Lowie

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

hello Jeannie (what a nice name). English is not my first language. I don't know what you mean. Could you explane please

regard, Lowie

I was teasing you about the way you misspelled my last name. Lard is another name for animal fat. Thanks for the compliment on my first name.

Btw, your English is better than many people here who have spoken it all their lives.

 

[lowie1]

thanks for the compliment Jeannie and have a good night's sleep.
Lowie.

 

[andrewjs18]

Jeannie,

maybe you can help me as the instructions for using freefilesync are almost absent.

what I'd like to do is send data from computer A to computer B, and then have the two kept in sync so when something is changed/added/deleted/moved from computer A, it gets synced to computer B, but I do not want computer B to be pushing data to computer A.

each time I've tried to use the program, it keeps showing all of my data on computer B as if it's going to sync it over to computer A, which I do not want as it's like 50gb of data.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

It's been a while since I set up my Free File Sync, but as I recall you select the source location in the left window, select the destination in the right window, and then use the green gear icon in the upper right to choose "mirror", which will replicate the source to the destination---left to right.

As you can see in this pic, mine is set up to mirror from D to E\free file sync\all data.

There are filters available through which you can include or exclude certain folders, file extensions, etc.

It sounds like maybe you have chosen computer B as the source (left window) and computer A as the destination (right window), when those should be reversed.

I have no idea if Free File Sync can be used to copy from computer to computer as opposed to drive to drive.