Backup Sofware Suggestions

[JamesJ]

I just purchased a Western Digital external hd and was looking for
suggestions
on good image and backup software.
I would think image software creates a boot disk for recovery.
I want to be able to control when I make the backups and I don't want the
program to
start up automatically at boot up, or at least allow me to decide.
Price up to $40.00

Thanks,
James

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I just purchased a Western Digital external hd and was looking for
suggestions
on good image and backup software.
I would think image software creates a boot disk for recovery.
I want to be able to control when I make the backups and I don't want the
program to
start up automatically at boot up, or at least allow me to decide.
Price up to $40.00

I recommend Acronis True Image

 

[Manny Weisbord]

I just purchased a Western Digital external hd and was looking for
suggestions
on good image and backup software.
I would think image software creates a boot disk for recovery.
I want to be able to control when I make the backups and I don't want the
program to
start up automatically at boot up, or at least allow me to decide.
Price up to $40.00

Thanks,
James

Acronis True Image... buy it at newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...BESTMATCH&Description=acronis+true+image+2009

 

[Karim Af Afnel]

on good image and backup software.

My suggest are the onboard tools (Backup and Complete backup) of Vista.
Sure, the Arconis tool offers more functions, but who needs all that stuff.

The complete backup (image) creates a full image, the next backups are
incremental on block level.

boot disk for recovery.

The Vista disk is the bootdisk.

I want to be able to control when I make the backups

Windows gives you everything

Try it.

 

[JamesJ]

Can I recover from the 'image' that vista creates?

James

 

[Dave]

You mean "restore"?
Yes.
But not versions of Vista contain Complete Backup...

 

[Dave]

sheesh....

But not ALL versions of Vista contain Complete Backup...

 

[JamesJ]

I couldn't find complete backups only backups for personal files.
My goal is to format my hard drive and install Vista Basic. And once
it's installed with all updates I want to create a backup of my entire
drive. I guess they
refer to it as an image. In order to restore this image one needs to have a
boot disc with
the software that was used to create the image?

James

 

[Dave]

Vista Home Basic does NOT include the Complete Backup program that will make
an image of your complete drive. It only includes the file backup program.

If you have Vista Business or Ultimate, then you can use Complete Backup to
make an image backup to another drive, partition or DVDs.
Then you can create a bootable repair CD/DVD (or use the Vista installation
DVD), which will allow you to restore the backup.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/backup.aspx

If you don't have Vista Business or Ultimate, then you have to use another
backup program like Acronis True Image.

 

[Gordon]

My suggest are the onboard tools (Backup and Complete backup) of Vista.
Sure, the Arconis tool offers more functions, but who needs all that
stuff.

The complete backup (image) creates a full image, the next backups are
incremental on block level.

Yes, and if prior un-joined up thinking of MS is anything to go by, Windows
7 and subsequent versions will have a DIFFERENT backup program that won't
read Vista Backup files. (vide W98 to Win XP to Win Vista....)
At least Acronis will read it's own backups...

 

[Karim Af Afnel]

Hi Gorden,

the Image file (from Complete PC Backup) is a *.vhd file virtual harddisk
file.
You can mount it on vista (with tricks) or in Windows 7 with onboard tools,
or boot it as virtual machine.

The files from the Vista Backup Utility are simple *.zip files. If you want
you can open it everywhere, no need for the backup utility. With the backup
utility it is only much more comfortable.

Do you have a reference that Windows 7 backup and image tools are not
compatible with Vista?
But as I said you can always open the files.

Back to James problem. If you (James) need an alternative tool I recommend
Acronis too.

 

[Gordon]

Hi Gorden,

the Image file (from Complete PC Backup) is a *.vhd file virtual harddisk
file.
You can mount it on vista (with tricks) or in Windows 7 with onboard
tools, or boot it as virtual machine.

But why would you need to if MS made ALL their backup files compatible with
each version of Windows backup?

The files from the Vista Backup Utility are simple *.zip files. If you
want you can open it everywhere, no need for the backup utility. With the
backup utility it is only much more comfortable.

Do you have a reference that Windows 7 backup and image tools are not
compatible with Vista?

No, but going on past experiences (W98 backup not readable with XP and XP
backup not readable in Vista) there's a fairly good chance!

 

[Karim Af Afnel]

But why would you need to if MS made ALL their backup files compatible
with each version of Windows backup?

You don't need to, it's only an alternative way to access the files. Or for
test purposes.

No, but going on past experiences (W98 backup not readable with XP and XP
backup not readable in Vista) there's a fairly good chance!

I don't think so. The NT backup utility was introduced with NT! With Vista
it was time for a new method.
From NT to XP and Server 2003 there was no change.
You can restore the XP Backup in Vista (Seven) with the Windows NT Backup -
Restore Utility from the Microsoft Download Center.

 

[Gordon]

You don't need to, it's only an alternative way to access the files. Or
for test purposes.


I don't think so. The NT backup utility was introduced with NT! With Vista
it was time for a new method.
From NT to XP and Server 2003 there was no change.
You can restore the XP Backup in Vista (Seven) with the Windows NT
Backup - Restore Utility from the Microsoft Download Center.

Yes all that is all very well. We are talking here about ordinary computer
users.
There were LOTS of posts in the XP forums along the line of "I used Backup
in W98 to backup my data, bought a new machine with XP, now the XP backup
won't restore my backed-up files". Ditto in the Vista groups the same.
THAT'S what I am talking about. The average user doesn't KNOW what vhd files
are, or that the backup files are zip files. They EXPECT that if they make a
backup in one version of Windows, they can restore in another version, and
that plainly has NOT happened in the past.

 

[Karim Af Afnel]

Yes all that is all very well. We are talking here about ordinary computer
users.

Ok, now I understand. From this point of view I agree, but it is not easy to
fulfill all the needs from the
ordinary to professional user.