Best Syncing Software?

[feetand nches]

Hey guys, I've been using Grsync for a long time now to Sync my Personal Files on one USB to Two other USB's as a backup. Most my backups are just that...Files...computer related and personal. ISO's and such I just download and Copy around to where I want them. But this was on Linux, now want to use something else (I think) on my Windows Machines as I'm not on Linux all that much lately, and need to learn some Software that can be used on Windows. I'm a little afraid that the Windows Grsync may not be as compatible as they say it is.

I'm looking at FreeFileSync from an extensive, exhaustive amount of research LOL. It looks very good, and there are all kinds of adjustments that one can use. I read here that this one Needed a Custom Install to avoid Bloatware.

mucommander was also in a good Youtube video I watched.

I also did a search here, and one among a few others stood out to me for some reason: FileBackupEX
Probably because it is so simple looking, and one member here said that there was no bloatware included.

Any and all comments welcome, thanks, Nasty7

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I've been using FreeFileSync for several years now, have been very happy with it, and highly recommend it (I also strongly recommend enabling Versioning in FreeFileSync). The only downside is the free version's installer does have Open Candy in it, which will install bloatware (Usually Chrome and the Google Toolbar) unless you choose custom install and uncheck the bloatware. As long as you use the custom install and pay attention instead of blindly clicking, you will not get any of the bloatware (I have a more accurate term for bloatware but Mama told me not to use that word).

Some Antivirus and Antimalware programs will give a false positive on the FreeFileSync installer. Malwarebytes 3 is one that does. After downloading the FreeFileSync installer, I temporarily turn off Malwarebytes, install FreeFileSync, "sandbox" the installer in a .zip folder (this allows me to keep the installer for possible future reuse), restart Malwarebytes, and, to be on the safe side, immediately run a scan to make sure something didn't slip through (so far, nothing has).

 

[feetand nches]

Thanks, Jeannie...from your comment it seems like all my research payed off! and that's a good thing lol.

 

[samuria]

The best way now is to use Google drive or ondrive you simply save files on your hd to the folder and it's backed up instantly then available on any device anywhere in the world giving you 26 gig backup goto another PC and files appear by magic.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The best way now is to use Google drive or ondrive you simply save files on your hd to the folder and it's backed up instantly then available on any device anywhere in the world giving you 26 gig backup goto another PC and files appear by magic.

No, that is a very bad idea. First, Google is notorious for being very nosy. It would have access to any data you send their way and use it for advertising and to sell to advertisers. Google is also notorious for discontinuing services with no or inadequate notice. I trust Google as far as I can spit upwind in a hurricane.

 

[RolandJS]

LadyF, the aforementioned Syncing process is much more a Replication process rather than a Backup process. Over in community.spiceworks.com forum, several posters indicated the important differences between syncing/replicating and backing up.

 

[RolandJS]

Concerning FreeFileSync, I noticed that if I remained with Donation versions 9.3-9.6, it appears that FreeFileSync does not revert to the normal non-Donation operations. And, with auto-update turned off by me, the only positive is that I get my monies worth a bit longer.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

LadyF, the aforementioned Syncing process is much more a Replication process rather than a Backup process. Over in community.spiceworks.com forum, several posters indicated the important differences between syncing/replicating and backing up.

I totally disagree. A backup can take many forms but its basic purpose is to provide more than one copy of your data in separate locations (ideally, data should exist in no less than three places, such as on the computer, on an onsite backup drive, and on an offsite backup drive). Imaging or cloning are the only way to backup system files, with imaging being far more efficient. They are necessary since merely copying system files will not make them bootable.

While cloning and imaging can be used to backup data, both are time consuming and extremely inefficient. A folder/file syncing program, when set to Mirror mode, will compare the original drive with the backup drive and copy any new or changed data on the original drive will be copied to the backup drive. Any data on the backup drive that is not on the original drive will be deleted from the backup drive. The result is the backup drive will essentially be an exact duplicate of the original drive. If one loses data on the original drive, the process can be reversed for recovery. Since only new, changed, and deleted files are involved, updating a backup takes far less time and involves far less writing to disk (a big boon for SSDs), unlike imaging and cloning which requires transferring all data with every update.

FreeFileSync also has an optional feature called Versioning which, when enabled, will take files deleted from the backup drive and send them to a user designated folder or drive. This protects files accidentally deleted from the original drive from loss. It can also be used to recover earlier versions of files. I strongly recommend using versioning.

Another advantage of Folder/file syncing is one does not need special software to be able to read or copy individual files or folder. In fact, if one has a data only drive die and doesn't have a replacement drive handy, one can simply remove the dead drive, replace it with the backup drive, and be up and running in minutes (this is advisable only if you have more than one backup drive, which I recommend anyway).

I've been using FreeFileSync for several years for backing up my data and it has served me well, including quick and complete recovery after a data drive became corrupted.

 

[Barman58]

Backup and syncing are similar but different system processes - at least in the way that I was taught

Syncing is a derivation of synchronising which is a system where two or more locations are kept identical. This can be one way or two way (or multiway)

Assuming three synchronised data stores - A, B, & C

In Full Synching any change in any of the locations will be replicated immediately without human intervention in the other two locations. This system can have problems with modern Ransomware attacks as the application of locks on a file on A can be replicated, (posh word for copied,) to C and D

The way that Microsoft's OneDrive or Google's Google Drive work meets the criteria of a Full Synching MultiWay system (that is backed up at the server end so can if used carefully be used to recover data locally after a crash

In the same three way system One way synchronization requires a master and slave system(s) if we use A as the master ...

Any change to store A will be replicated instantly in both B & C but changes in B or C will not make any change in A and should, in reality, be reversed to be identical to A

A backup is a copy of the state of data at a single point in time If at any time you copy the contents of A, B or C above you are making a backup A backup is normally removed from the source date after creation to protect the integrity of the backup data

There are also practical differences between Cloning and Imaging although both may use the same techniques and even software. A clone is a transfer from one working system to another working system that is performed in a single operation. It's mostly seen in the, Bit by Bit, relocation of an operating system to a larger or different type of storage medium, (HDD to SSD, or 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD Etc.)

An image uses the same bit by bit copy of the drive medium as the above clone operation but stores the resultant data image on a non live media for future rather than immediate use

A file backup copies the current state of each file in a data set to a storage set, (often compressed), and is the traditional way of storing a set of data and of working out what needs to be included in Differential or Incremental backups.

These days the status of imaging means that some backup systems now use Imaging to create the backup.

Once the initial contents check and composition required for a backup is performed, (this is needed for both storage systems), it is usually quicker to create an image of the data than to copy files and set flags on a file by file basis, Just think of how much quicker it is to create a macrium image of a drive or partition than to copy the files individually.

The major advantage of a file by file backup that allowed an individual file to be retrieved is no longer an issue with the mountability of modern images, thanks to the advances in virtualization technology it's in some cases to actually mount a virtual copy of a system backup and actually use the OS on the drive elsewhere

Also just to complete the set there is the subject of Raid, although some see this as a form of backup it is not, was never designed to be It is vulnerable to the issues that synchronising can be - an attack that damages the data on the medium used can make the system unusable, A raid system is a collection of drives working together to provide quicker access to the data needed by the user over older Bus systems that used to choke at low data rates, with the speed of the modern SSD and even the HDD you can reasonably ignore Raid except in specialist uses - It can be set-up to keep data accessible for databases where a drive fails but needs to be backed up the same as any other data drive

 

[feetand nches]

Concerning FreeFileSync, I noticed that if I remained with Donation versions 9.3-9.6, it appears that FreeFileSync does not revert to the normal non-Donation operations. And, with auto-update turned off by me, the only positive is that I get my monies worth a bit longer.

Shhhhhh! LOL, thanks Roland.

 

[feetand nches]

The best way now is to use Google drive or ondrive you simply save files on your hd to the folder and it's backed up instantly then available on any device anywhere in the world giving you 26 gig backup goto another PC and files appear by magic.

I am looking forward to using these services samuria but just not for this project. I don't think the security is all that good in the cloud for a free service. I do use Google Drive for a few things. And I can only imagine it would take a long time to backup all the stuff I have to the cloud.

 

[feetand nches]

LadyF, the aforementioned Syncing process is much more a Replication process rather than a Backup process. Over in community.spiceworks.com forum, several posters indicated the important differences between syncing/replicating and backing up.

Which "aforementioned Syncing process" are you referring to Roland, FreeFileSync or Google Drive?

I see now that I missed a post by Barman58, so will look at that also.

 

[feetand nches]

Backup and syncing are similar but different system processes - at least in the way that I was taught

Thanks Nigel, all I need to do is Sync my files once a week or more sometimes to an external Backup X2, so that I have three full backups of all my data.

 

[Barman58]

I have used all sorts of software for regular scheduled backups OS and Data, both for personal and Commercial data and am currently using Aomei Backupper to do my 256GB system SSD on a Tuesday, (takes around Fifteen minutes ). I do a full Data backup every Thursday across multiple drives and partitions (takes around 5-6 Hours with a compressed file of (currently) 1.6 Terabytes) As my data needs are greater than most and can contain commercial data I use the commercial version of the Aomei software but the free version has a lot to recommend for regular home users.

You will notice that I have only mentioned full backups, this is because I do not bother with intermediate backups but keep several copies of the regular full backups. A lot of rarely changeable data is also stored in NAS and local storage so provides some backup redundancy.

Work in progress is also often kept synced across multiple devices using Cloud storage (OneDrive), so is protected that way between backups. It's quite simple to crate a Work in progress folder (link on desktop) that can be split into the same structure as the way you use for long term storage - add these to the OneDrive sync folders and forget them - when you complete the task you move the files and they are removed from the online store for you

When dealing with my photography as I import images into Adobe Lightroom they are converted to digital negative format and the originals are copied to a separate scratch location until they have been backed up

Backups are an important thing and so a structure that works for you whilst not being to awkward that you don't bother to keep it up is something that all serious users need to consider

 

[feetand nches]

I use Aomei also, but not for file syncing. Yes, your needs are far greater than mine. I only need to sync my files, and need that sync backup to be usable, as on a USB, in case I misplace or damage my main USB. My current personal file system consists of three USB's of high quality, and sync from the Main USB to the other two..

Now for this project, will be syncing to an external drive x2.

Thanks, Nasty7

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Backup and syncing are similar but different system processes - at least in the way that I was taught



Syncing is a derivation of synchronising which is a system where two or more locations are kept identical. This can be one way or two way (or multiway)



Assuming three synchronised data stores - A, B, & C



In Full Synching any change in any of the locations will be replicated immediately without human intervention in the other two locations. This system can have problems with modern Ransomware attacks as the application of locks on a file on A can be replicated, (posh word for copied,) to C and D



The way that Microsoft's OneDrive or Google's Google Drive work meets the criteria of a Full Synching MultiWay system (that is backed up at the server end so can if used carefully be used to recover data locally after a crash



In the same three way system One way synchronization requires a master and slave system(s) if we use A as the master ...



Any change to store A will be replicated instantly in both B & C but changes in B or C will not make any change in A and should, in reality, be reversed to be identical to A



A backup is a copy of the state of data at a single point in time If at any time you copy the contents of A, B or C above you are making a backup A backup is normally removed from the source date after creation to protect the integrity of the backup data...

You bring up valid points I didn't make as clear as I should have. Syncing is a tool that can be used for creating and maintaining backups. There are various kinds of syncing, depending on the software used. FreeFileSync has Two Way, Mirror, Update, and Custom syncing available, which, thanks to the inclusion of Custom, covers the possible range. When using a folder/file syncing program for making backups, Mirror must be used. one critical thing I failed to mention (which you did, thank you) is that for a backup drive to be a true backup, it must be kept powered down, disconnected, and stored away from the computer at all times, except while updating the backup. Other than for the sake of convenience, speed, efficiency, and, possibly, accuracy, it doesn't matter how a backup copy of data is generated, whether it is by imaging, cloning, or syncing. In my experience, folder/file syncing in Mirror mode is the easiest, fastest, and the most accurate and efficient way I have found for copying data to a backup drive and for updating that backup. I have found FreeFileSync to work well for making and updating backups.

 

[RolandJS]

"Which "aforementioned Syncing process" are you referring to Roland, FreeFileSync or Google Drive?"
I was talking about FreeFileSync

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

LadyF, the aforementioned Syncing process is much more a Replication process rather than a Backup process. Over in community.spiceworks.com forum, several posters indicated the important differences between syncing/replicating and backing up.

Roland, can you provide direct links to posts that say folder/file syncing is not a backup process? I went to that forum and didn't find anything to support that.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Concerning FreeFileSync, I noticed that if I remained with Donation versions 9.3-9.6, it appears that FreeFileSync does not revert to the normal non-Donation operations. And, with auto-update turned off by me, the only positive is that I get my monies worth a bit longer.

Apparently, you have been lucky. I've seen occasional posts on the FFS forums stating they do lose the donation perks if they don't upgrade to another donation version. Frankly, I find the non-donation version meets my needs and should for most people who use FFS for creating and maintaining backups.

I also have auto-update turned off. I'm a firm believer in "don't fix what ain't broke!". I don't download every update of anything unless they are security related or they actually fix a problem or add a new feature of benefit to me (even then, I wait a few days or so and make a System image before installing the new version). I also keep older program installation file in case I need to roll back to an earlier installation because the latest one is broken or I just don't like it.

I'm still using 9.5, even though 9.8 is out now) and it's working just fine for me.

 

[Barman58]

The way I look at this is a question of semantics,

If you use a Sync tool to create a copy of the data on an external device then remove or disconnect the device that is a backup - a copy of the state of the media at a specific time

A sync to me will always be a continuous link between two or more data locations which are kept identical over a period of time - this can be a one way, two way, or multiples of this - Once you disconnect a device you create a backup

Traditional backups, and traditional backup software are basically a one off sync process that is immediately broken