A program for creating a backup copy. Data backup software

Why is automatic backup necessary for every computer user?

While working on a computer, you constantly create or edit many documents, write reports on work, create diagrams, presentations, database files, store photos and home videos (in them your whole life) and their value is usually high. All this data is your files, which are stored on a hard, removable or network drive, which, like any device, can break at any time. A sudden failure of the storage medium (hard drive, flash drive) will inevitably lead to loss of critical files, on the creation of which a lot of time and effort was spent.

In this article I will show how easy it is to protect yourself from all causes of file loss at once.

The reasons for the failure can be very different.:

• Breakage of a PC hard drive or flash drive, on which files are stored, sooner or later happens to everyone. According to statistics, the lifespan of modern carriers ranges from 1 month to 5 years. The crash of a hard disk or flash drive can come suddenly, making it impossible to create backup copies of working documents.
• Filesystem crash is also possible and can cause complete or partial destruction of documents.
• File corruption by a virus is one of the common reasons. Even if you use modern versions of antivirus programs and regularly update your antivirus databases, the possibility of damage should not be ruled out.
• Unwanted user changes... On purpose or by accident, you or your loved ones may make changes to an important document by mistake.
• Accidental deletion of files is not uncommon by the user past the Recycle Bin and you need to restore them.
• Fire, earthquake, floodand other annoyances can also destroy all your documents.

Sometimes deleted files cannot be recovered at all. Unfortunately, most of us start thinking about automatic backup (backup) only after we have encountered data loss at least once.

How to protect files from loss?

Buy an expensive and reliable hard drive? Update your antivirus software? These measures can only delay the loss of files. The most reliable and correct solution is a regular automatic backup of files on a schedule, that is, making copies of important data. Regular - because the files are corrected, new ones appear, old ones are deleted, and the backups need to be updated by re-creating them.

Of course, automatically copying files on a daily basis is better, easier and faster than making copies manually. Manual copying requires your intervention and you can easily forget to create a copy of the generated changes in time. Regular auto-backup will reliably protect your files from loss and provide confidence in their safety.

Take care of automating the backup in advance!

A simple utility Exiland Backup for Windows allows you not only to create automatic backup files on a specified schedule, but also securely copy files from one company office to another (or others) via local network or via FTP, SFTP, FTPS (SSH). You can easily configure the automatic copying of files from the source folder to the destination folder, even if the destination folder is located on a remote server. Moreover, Exiland Backup provides the ability to both create backup copies of a folder by month and day, and to synchronize folders, making their contents the same.

Synchronization vs. Scheduled Backup - Which Should I Choose?

The difference is that when backing up the entire history of changes is saved source folder, stored by day (backups), and during synchronization, the destination folder is always one and contains exact copy source folder. In other words, if a file gets corrupted in the source folder, then after synchronization it will also get corrupted into the destination folder.

To set up a task, the program provides a convenient step-by-step wizard, so even an inexperienced PC user can set up automatic copying of files on a schedule.

At the Backup Type step in the wizard, you can choose one of the backup types (full backup, incremental backup - copying only changed files and new ones, differential backup) or synchronizing folders.

Scheduled backup. How to set up in Exiland Backup?

The program has a built-in scheduler that allows automatically start backup according to the configured backup schedule... The start time can be configured quite flexibly, for example:

• Every hour from 8:00 to 17:00
• Monday to Friday at 8:10 and 15:00, and on Saturday only at 8:10
• Once a day when you turn on the PC or connect a removable device (HDD, flash drive)

The program also allows you to start tasks manually (at the request of the User).

In addition, tasks can be launched:

• From the Windows command line
• When turning on the PC
• When you turn off your PC
• When plugging a removable device into a USB port

The program is easy to learn, does not require any special knowledge and is designed for both system administrators and ordinary users with minimal experience in owning a PC. You can learn how to work with Exiland Backup in a few minutes... It is enough to install the program and create at least one task in it, in which to set up a schedule for automatic backup.

Exiland Backup is a combination of simplicity of the interface and flexibility of functionality for automatic scheduled backups in a local network, via FTP (SFTP, SSH), to external media (HDD, flash drive), etc. Differential copying is supported ( only changed files compared to the previous backup), which significantly speeds up the backup process and significantly saves hard disk space. The program has a completely Russian interface, competent error handling in exceptional situations, fault tolerance in case of communication breaks with a remote PC. Exiland Backup is located in the System Tray and copies files in the backgroundwithout interfering with the work of other programs.

You can download a free version of Exiland Backup Free to sample on your data before you want to purchase a license for the Standard or Professional edition.

Hello, friends!

Despite all your efforts to keep your PC running, sooner or later you will have to deal with such a phenomenon as the failure of the Windows operating system.

And the most terrible result of this can be the loss of information contained in the computer.

On a PC, as you know, in addition to photos and all sorts of things downloaded from the Internet, all kinds of documentation are often stored. In addition, you, like most other users, probably have special programs customized according to your preferences that you would not want to reinstall. You don't want to lose all this, do you?

In order not to regret lost data and not to waste time recovering it using special applications, I advise you to back up. This is the only way you can save the files you need from a sad fate.

In today's article, we will look at the most effective backup software.

Acronis True Image Home

This application is the most popular among backup utilities. Although it is mainly intended for working with logical drives, nevertheless, this program can also copy certain files and directories.

The application has a large number of all kinds of settings to perform any kind of backup. So, for example, in the options of this program, you can select the type of backup, set up the creation of copies according to the schedule, etc.

Acronis has three concepts of backups:

1. incremental,
2. differential,
3. complete.

A full backup contains a complete image of a logical disk.

During the creation of a differential backup, only those files are archived that have undergone any changes since the moment of the full backup.

Incremental means adding changed files to a full backup, starting from the moment of the last backup.

Acronis also allows you to choose the level of data compression and set a password for the backup.

Acronis True Image Home can be downloaded free of charge from any computer software resource.

Norton ghost

This convenient and functional product allows you to create backup images of logical drives and carry out the system recovery process.

Norton Ghost is very similar to the software described above. You can create incremental, differential and full archives here, but Norton Gost can create archives with a high compression level, which saves disk space and minimizes the recovery process.

In addition, the program provides filters that allow you to copy files of certain types, including driver files.

The program is great, but paid. The free version is only available for 30 days.

A very powerful and easy-to-use tool that you can use for free. It includes a built-in wizard, which makes it possible to perform backup step by step. This approach makes it possible to use the utility even for complete "dummies".

Of the huge number of functions of this application, I would especially highlight the archive protection system by setting a password and encryption, increased filtering parameters, the ability to check the status of the copied, an excellent task scheduler. With this program you can:

• write the backup data to an optical or hard disk;
• send them to FTP server or Comodo online server.

File Backup Watcher Free

A free utility with a step-by-step wizard that helps novice users complete all the steps correctly. Has a convenient scheduler with a user-friendly interface.

File Backup can not only backup, but also work with ZIP and write data to any optical media.

The copier

Another great free application focused on performing copies in an automatic mode according to a given schedule. Prepares copies in the form of ZIP archives and writes them to the hard disk. Allows you to create and multivolume archives.

FBackup

With this utility, you can back up all the data you need in minutes. The presence of the auto-backup function allows you to configure the backup according to the schedule, so you do not have to back up data manually.

Copies are more convenient and reliable to store on an external hard drive. Of course, a USB flash drive can also be used for this, but this method is appropriate only when backing up a small amount of information, since a large-capacity flash drive is quite expensive.

To store the reserved files on the hard disk, you should allocate some separate space for them to minimize the risk of accidental deletion.

Reservation is a rather complicated matter that requires the user to have special knowledge and skills.

Yours faithfully! Abdullin Ruslan

It would seem that there is nothing difficult in creating a backup, but many users often forget how important it is to take care of the safety of their data in time. After all, you can lose important files due to a technical failure, theft or infection of your computer with a virus.

But where do you start? Of course, you can always manually copy important files to a free disk. However, to simplify the process, it would still be more logical to turn to professional programs that will help you create a backup copy with a minimum of your time and effort.

In addition, creating backups is extremely necessary for small business owners if it is associated with the collection of personal information about customers. So, in accordance with the recently introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, any company that gains access to personal data of users undertakes to protect this information. Personal data includes the user's name, email address and residence address, as well as the IP address.

In the settings of the backup program, you can always choose how often and which files from which folders you want to copy. In addition, you can also select the files that will require the highest level of protection. When choosing such a program, you need to pay special attention to how protected your data will be and how easily in case of a critical situation you can access them.

This list will help you get acquainted with the most common, easy-to-use and, importantly, free backup programs.

EaseUS Todo Backup Free

This program is a perfectly balanced balance between automatic protection and manual control:

Different types of backups

No setup hassle

Automatic smart backup system

With EaseUS Todo Backup Free, you can back up individual files, folders and drivers. It is also possible to create a backup of the entire system. In addition, the program offers a "smart" function: it remembers from which folders you most often copy files. However, you can also save the created copies to the cloud storage.

The program allows you to choose from several backup modes: full, incremental, differential and scheduled backup.

Some functions are available only in the premium version, however, the free version of EasusUS Todo Backup also provides enough options for a comfortable work.

The free version of EaseUS Todo Backup gives you access to almost all the features that the paid version also has. For example, you can set up scheduled backups. However, in the free version, you will not have access to backups by triggering events, which is definitely not a necessity for most users. You also won't be able to access command line copying, backup and restore Outlook mail, or transfer data from computer to computer. In fact, these functions can be useful, but they are certainly not critical for most people.

During the installation, you will be prompted to install the Chrome browser and the Bing search engine by default, so if you do not need this, then before clicking "Next", simply uncheck the corresponding boxes.

Content

People who actively work at a computer, regardless of their age, social status and professional field, actively use a variety of electronic documents. The programmer creates the source code of the programs, the secretary prints orders and memos, the photographer processes his pictures. Even a small, unintelligent child has many important documents on his computer - game state save files.

Documents, on the creation of which months, years of painstaking work were spent, can be lost in a matter of seconds, moreover, this can happen at any time, for reasons beyond your control. It takes a lot of effort, time and health to restore important data. Unfortunately, more often than not, the user begins to think about creating backups only after losing valuable information.

A smart and inexpensive way to keep your important data safe from collapse is to back up regularly. For such purposes, there are special programs that take all the care of the safety of information.

This guide will consider programs that allow you to operate with folders and specific files. The general principle of operation of all review participants is identical - you create a task in which you include the most important documents, and then plan a schedule for its launches. And you can read about the features of the programs in the text of the guide.

After the first start of the program, you are greeted by the Wizard, who offers to immediately organize a backup project.

During the first step, you enter the name of the project, and then proceed to the procedure for specifying the files and folders involved in the backup. You can set separate rules for filtering file lists so that you do not need to specify each item separately. As a next step, you can specify exclusion rules. Such a list filtering system allows you to flexibly specify which specific files need to be archived. For example, excluding files with the * .bak extension from the backup can be considered a very logical solution.

The next step is to specify the location of the archive files. You can specify not only the local file system, but also FTP resources, local network, and an optical drive partition. The last solution is not entirely intuitive. Yes, the program allows you to create backups on CD and DVD media. In such cases, this is emphasized by a separate group of options to ensure the correct configuration of the drive.

After selecting the backup target, you are asked to start configuring additional program options. And finally, during the last step of the wizard, you can familiarize yourself with all the points of the current project, after which the program will recommend creating a separate shortcut that is responsible for calling the current document. As mentioned earlier, the program does not have its own scheduler, and the backup can only be started manually, if you do not resort to third-party products.

You can add new files to the project at any time, change the current rules, filters. In addition, there is a separate group of options, the control of which is applicable to all opened projects.

First, the choice of compression algorithm for archive files is allowed. You can choose a ZIP archiver, but this restricts the archive size to 2GB. Using the CAB format removes this limitation. The archive can be self-extracting, access to it can be closed with a password, as well as using encryption.

Active Backup Expert Pro has built-in tools for creating a remote connection with a provider. The backup files can be autonomously transferred over the modem.

The program contains quite powerful mechanisms for backing up data, but its very concept is not entirely familiar, it runs counter to the traditional structure of this class of products.

Official site:
Size: 8046 KB
Price: 29.95 $

Backup4all successfully combines rich functionality and ease of use. New backup projects are created using the Wizard, which decomposes all operations into several steps. Inside the working window of the application, you can view the tree structure of the current project, highlighting the different states of the files - changed, new, excluded, and others. As predefined examples, you are encouraged to back up the My Documents and My Pictures folders, and Internet Explorer Favorites.

All tasks can be presented in a tree structure based on groups. By default, you only have one Samples element. If you create additional groups of tasks, their list will be displayed at the top / bottom of the sidebar. All you need to do is click on the title of an element to switch to the current group.

Creating a new backup task begins with specifying its name, selecting a group, and a unique icon. You are also given the opportunity to immediately select a set of predefined settings. Each task can be accompanied by a text description.

You can specify the local file system, network, or FTP server as the backup destination. If you are going to store copies on hard drives, you must additionally specify the destination folder. However, you can immediately select the logical drive of the optical drive, after which the program will offer you to specify several additional options that are inherent only in disc burning. Backup4all uses its own recorder module. You can specify an arbitrary write speed, the ability to forcefully clear rewritable discs before recording. You can also use the UDF file system in conjunction with DirectCD / InCD, which allows you to transparently add files to media, without the hassle of creating new sessions, importing old data. Using FTP as a backup destination allows you to connect to servers directly or through a proxy, using authorization, SLL encryption. You can severely limit the speed of receiving and sending data.

There are four types of backups - full, incremental, differential, and mirroring. Depending on the percentage of difference between the current backup and the original archive, the program can automatically replace intelligent backup methods by creating a full copy. Backup4all supports several methods of encrypting archives, and also allows you to protect access to the backup with a password.

If, when specifying the source files to back up, you have selected several folders, then most likely not all data needs to be saved. You can work with two types of filters - included and excluded. As a result, depending on the specific situation, you can specify unique rules for including and excluding files.

The next step allows you to describe some additional points of the backup procedure. For example, what criterion should be used to find out whether a file has changed or not? The program allows you to select many parameters for assessing the state of the data. Various attributes of the file system, checksum, indexing and many other parameters can act as factors that determine whether a file has changed or not. The backup can be associated with some third-party action, such as launching an application. Backup4all offers to assign similar actions to be performed before and after backup. The task execution can be accompanied by sound signals, as well as by sending a notification of completion to an arbitrary email address.

And finally, the last stage of the Wizard's work is the description of the scheduler's work. Backup4all allows you to use the built-in Windows tool, but also has its own scheduler. The program has a large number of options for scheduling backup execution. For example, a workstation might wait for a period of low CPU utilization to complete a task with minimal disruption to the system. Another example - if the program detects that the computer is running on batteries instead of power, then the creation of a backup copy must be postponed.

Any project can be saved to the hard drive as a separate shortcut. For example, you decide to use the built-in scheduler. When configuring the task, specify the launch of the Backup4all project shortcut. When an event occurs, the scheduler will automatically call a third-party backup tool.

The program allows you to visually track the status of the backup. With the help of a group of filters located on the toolbar, you can specify the criteria for the displayed data, which allows you to visually track all file changes. Backup4all can display detailed statistics for each project, as well as export data to CSV files.

Before data recovery, you can specify specific versions of files, and also perform unpacking to an arbitrary directory (not over the original data).

Backup4all has one interesting feature called One Touch Backup. Its essence lies in the ability of the program to detect connected USB devices and, if successful, immediately offer to start a backup. In the program settings, it is enough to specify the source folder or select a predefined task. The backup is started with one click, hence the name - "backup at the first touch".

Backup4all has high-quality localization, which allows using the program even for those who are not familiar with the English language. This program cannot be called the most powerful, functional in the entire market sector. Backup4all is aimed at those who value not only broad functionality, but also usability. You can flexibly change the appearance of Backup4all (customize panels, change their layouts) based on your own preferences. This, perhaps, is not so important for a program performing backup, but even performing purely technical operations, one would like not to lose beauty, convenience, and clarity. With Backup4all, you can back up in comfort.

Every computer user knows for sure that no system is immune from errors and even critical failures, when it is not possible to restore it by conventional means. For this, programs have been developed for and including utilities that allow you to create backup copies of hard drives and logical partitions. Let's consider the most popular utilities of different complexity levels.

Software and data recovery: appropriateness of use

Some users misunderstand just how powerful these types of utilities are. Unfortunately, they mistakenly believe that the simplest option is to simply copy user files to logical partitions other than the system partition. There is another category of users who believe that it is possible to copy the entire system partition to another location, and then, in case of failure, from this copy. Alas, both are wrong.

Of course, this technique is applicable to user files, but after all, not everyone wants to clutter up another logical volume with a bunch of information or constantly keep an external medium like a USB HDD, a bunch of disks or flash drives, whose capacity is clearly limited. And with large amounts of data, you should also take into account the copying time from one volume to another. Backup and recovery programs for both the system and partitions work a little differently. Of course, in most cases you will need removable media, but the created backup copy will take up much less space.

Basic principle of operation and options for functioning

As a rule, most of the well-known and widely used utilities today mainly use the principles of creating images and compressing the copied data. At the same time, images are most often used to create copies of the operating system, which allows you to restore it in the future after an unexpected critical failure, and utilities for copying partitions or user files assume exactly compression by the type of archiving.

As for the backup options, there can be two of them. Basically, almost any system backup program offers to use an external medium (DVD, flash drive, etc.). This is only due to the fact that when restoring the system, you will have to boot not from the system partition, but from removable media. The image in the logical partition will not be recognized.

Disk backup software is another matter. In them, you can save the necessary information in other logical partitions, or, again, use removable media. But what if the used volume of the hard drive is hundreds of gigabytes? No one will allow you to record this information even in a compressed form. Alternatively, you can use an external HDD, if available, of course.

When it comes to choosing the right utility for saving user files, the best solution is a scheduled file backup program. Such a utility is capable of performing this operation without user intervention, saving all changes made over a certain period of time. New data can be added to the backup, as well as old data can be deleted from it. And all this in automatic mode! The advantage is obvious - after all, in the settings, the user only needs to set the time interval between copying points, then everything happens without it.

Native Windows backup software

So let's start with the native Windows tool. Many people think that the built-in Windows backup program does not work very well, to put it mildly. Basically, they do not want to use it only due to the fact that the utility spends too much time creating a copy, and the copy itself takes up a lot of space.

However, she also has enough advantages. After all, who else, if not Microsoft experts, know all the subtleties and nuances associated with the components that are essential for correct Windows recovery? And many users clearly underestimate the capabilities of the tool built into the system. It's not for nothing that such a backup and recovery program is included in the main set of the system?

The easiest way to get access to this utility is from the standard "Control Panel", where you select the backup and restore section. There are three main points to use here: image creation, disc creation, and copy setup. The first and second do not cause difficulties. But the third is quite interesting. The system will offer to save the copy on removable media, having previously identified the device itself. But if you look at the parameters, you can save a copy on the network, which is perfect for local computers. So in some cases, such a system backup program will be a good tool for creating a backup with the possibility of later restoring Windows from this particular copy.

Most popular utilities

Now let's look at the utilities that, according to many experts, are the most popular among users today. Immediately, we note that it is simply impossible to consider all backup programs, so we will dwell on some of them, given the level of popularity and complexity of their use. An approximate list of such utilities may look like this:

• Acronis True Image.
• Norton Ghost.
• Back2zip.
• Comodo BackUp.
• Backup4all.
• ABC Backup Pro.
• Active Backup Expert Pro.
• ApBackUP.
• File Backup Watcher Free.
• The Copier.
• Auto Backup and many others.

Now let's try to look at the top five. Please note! At the moment, we are considering backup programs, mainly used for workstations (user computers). Solutions for server systems and networks will be discussed separately.

Acronis True Image

Of course, this is one of the most powerful and popular utilities, enjoying well-deserved success and trust of many users, although it belongs to the entry-level programs. Nevertheless, she has enough opportunities.

After starting the application, the user is taken to the main menu, where you can select several options for actions. In this case, we are interested in the section for creating a backup and restoring (there are additional utilities in the menu, which, for obvious reasons, will not be considered now). After entering, the "Wizard" is activated, which will help create a backup. In the process, you can choose what exactly you want to create a copy of (a system for recovering "from scratch", files, settings, etc.). In "Copy Type" it is better to choose "Incremental" as it will help save space. If the media is large enough, full copy can be used, and differential copy can be used to create multiple copies. When creating a copy of the system, you will be prompted to make a bootable disk.

Here's what's interesting: the utility shows fairly high performance in terms of the speed of creating a backup copy, time, compression. So, for example, to compress data of about 20 GB, it will take an average of 8-9 minutes, and the size of the final copy will be a little over 8 GB.

Norton ghost

Before us is another powerful utility. As usual, after the start of the program, the "Wizard" is launched to guide you through all the steps.

This utility is notable for the fact that it can be used to create a hidden partition on the hard drive where a copy will be stored (and from it you can recover both data and the system). In addition, many parameters can be changed in it: the type of read control, the type of recording, compression, the number of points for simultaneous access, etc. As for performance, the application compresses the same 20 GB to a size of just over 7.5 GB, which it takes about 9 minutes. In general, the result is pretty good.

Back2zip

And here is the scheduled backup program. It differs in that its installation takes only a couple of seconds, and after launching it automatically creates a new task and starts copying data, assuming that user files are stored in the My Documents folder. Unfortunately, this is also the main disadvantage.

When starting the task, you need to delete, and then select the original destination folder. There is no "wizard" in the usual sense, everything is done from the main window. In the scheduler, you can set the copy interval from 20 minutes to 6 hours. Overall, the easiest solution for entry-level users.

Comodo BackUp

Here is another interesting utility that can compete even with commercial products. Its main feature is the presence of as many as five operating modes and a huge number of settings.

Interestingly, the utility is able to react to changes in the files included in the backup in real time. As soon as the original file is modified and saved, the application immediately creates a copy of it, adding and replacing the final item in the backup. Apart from the scheduler, we can separately mark the start of creating copies either at the time of start or at the exit.

Backup4all

Finally, let's look at another free utility that allows, so to speak, to make backups for everything that may be needed in the future at the same time in one fell swoop.

This utility is interesting in that it allows you to save copies not only on external or internal media, but also on networks, or even on FTP servers. There are a lot of editable parameters and settings, among which there are four copying methods, as well as support. Besides, the interface is very simple, and the display of folders and tasks is presented in a tree-like structure of the "Explorer" type. Also, the user can divide the copied data into categories like documents, pictures, etc., assign each project its own label. Naturally, there is also a "Task Scheduler" in which you can specify, for example, the creation of copies exclusively at a time of low CPU load.

Server systems solutions

There are also dedicated backup software for server systems and networks. Among all this variety, three of the most powerful can be whitened:

• Symantec Backup Exec 11d System Recovery.
• Yosemite Backup Standard Master Server.
• Shadow Protect Small Business Server Edition.

These utilities are considered to be a good backup tool for small businesses. At the same time, “from scratch” recovery can be performed from any workstation in the network. But the most important thing is that you need to make a reservation only once, all subsequent changes will be saved automatically. All applications have a "Explorer" interface and can be remotely controlled from any terminal on the network.

Instead of an afterword

It remains to add that not all backup / restore programs were considered here, which allow you to create backups of both systems and files, and then restore them from the created copies. However, it seems that even a brief information about the above programs will give many an idea of \u200b\u200bhow it works, and why all this is needed. For obvious reasons, we leave the question of choosing the right software open, since it already depends on the preferences of the user or the system administrator.