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 the 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, configure the creation of copies according to the schedule, etc.
Acronis has three concepts of backups:
- incremental,
- differential,
- 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 level of compression, 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 backups 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
Good day to you, my dear readers. Frost hit well, so you won't get out on the street for a long time, although it's great there, to be honest. But not the point. In the last article I talked about that. But it turns out that most people do not want to work with standard operating system tools.
On the good they are right. The built-in tools have not very good functionality, although they are quite good, but the programs are made specifically for certain needs, so the developers are trying to make it so cool that people use this particular application. Well, that's logical, right?
And there are sooo many such applications and their eyes run wild with abundance. I will show you a few of these applications that I think are the best, but you yourself will decide for yourself which one is worthy of the title "Best backup program?", Because no one will give you a specific answer, but will only express their opinion. Well, if you do not mind, then I will express my opinion.
An excellent program for backing up the system, files, folders, messages, entire disk and other important information for you. This is a really powerful thing that you can use to protect your information. In this application, you can configure the frequency of copying yourself, and only those files in which changes have occurred. This greatly facilitates your work and in the case of some kind of "Oops", you can return at almost any point in time. The schedule is simple and straightforward.
In addition, the program has a very wide functionality and an excellent task scheduler. You can find a specific file in the image and isolate it from it separately, without affecting the image itself. And a huge plus of the program is that it has its own remote space. There is, of course, a fly in the ointment. Firstly, it is paid, and secondly, some people started complaining about the last few versions.
Aomei backupper
Nice and free program. And this is already an important factor. The backup has a number of functions useful for backups, such as a simple interface, encryption and compression of backups, speed increase, copying individual files, partitions and even disks, etc. But what about without cons? Of course they will always be. I will focus on only one, but the most important one - the lack of a schedule. Those. you can only do manual backups and cannot set the automatic image creation time.
EasyUs Todo Backup
Another good free backup software. Like other programs, this one is capable of archiving not only the entire hard drive and system images, but also individual files and folders. Also, the system has the ability to change replace any file that has undergone changes. Well, among other things, the program automatically overwrites the old image, but the schedule is just a classic. It's a shame that the program does not support the Russian language, but in principle it is not difficult to figure it out.
Macrium Reflect FREE
Great program. I myself am just delighted with her. With it, you will quickly create an image of the system, the built-in scheduler works like clockwork, the simplicity and convenience of the interface, and a high degree of security. And this is not a complete list of all the advantages. But it turns out there is one drawback. Here you can only create a system image, but you will have to purchase a paid version to back up individual files and folders. So that's it.
Cobian Backup
Another pretty good free program that I would highlight among others. There is, in principle, everything you need for a backup: copying individual files and folders, and good encryption, and a good scheduler with a schedule, and much more. This program is suitable for any user, although for beginners it may seem a little complicated to use.
Here I showed you five of my favorite backup programs. I do not advise you to choose by typing. First, look at the reviews about each program, compare the functions, but the most important thing is to test it on yourself, since one of the programs failed to restore from a backup with a bang, when everything went well with another person.
There are many factors due to which some will be fine and others will not. Everything can depend on the computer itself, and on your system, etc. So, if you didn’t succeed with one, it doesn’t mean that the application is crap. Although many will disagree with me. But I expressed my opinion, and you can express yours.
Of all these programs, my personal favorite is Acronis and Macrium Reflect. And I would recommend using one of them, although, as I said above, people had problems with the acronym of the latest versions. But on the 11th version, I did not notice anything bad. Everything was going great for me.
But what I recommend even more is the stunning look. backup course... Here you will receive the most comprehensive information since this topic and you will quickly learn to protect your files from loss without a hitch. No, seriously, the course is so great that just anyone can handle backups. No water, but everything is just on business.
Well, on this cheerful note, I finish my reviewer. I wish you to protect and safeguard all your necessary data from any circumstance.
Well, I say goodbye to you for today. I was very glad to see you on my blog and really hope to see you again. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog updates to keep up with the most interesting information. See you in the next articles. Bye Bye!
Best regards, Dmitry Kostin
The program is free for personal and commercial use.
FBackup is a free backup software for home and office use. This means you save money instead of having to pay for another data backup program.
Automatic reservation.
You create a backup profile, set it to automatically start, and you won't remember it again. FBackup will automatically create copies of data at the appointed time, which gives you not only confidence in the safety of files, but also additional free time.
zip package of backups.
When backing up the full type, the source files are archived using the standard zip algorithm. FBackup uses ZIP64 compression to create archives larger than 2GB. Moreover, you can protect archives with a password, which will be requested when extracting data from them.
Performing actions before / after backup.
For each backup profile, you can specify an action that will be performed before or after. For example, you set the action "Cleanup" before starting the backup, which will delete all previously archived files before creating new ones. As an action after the backup, you can set the system shutdown, logout of the user profile, immersion of the system from sleep mode - any such action will be performed at your discretion after the successful completion of the file backup operation.
Exact copies of files.
If you do not want to store files in a single archive, FBackup can create exact copies of the original objects. Due to the fact that FBackup handles empty folders correctly, you can use this type of backup to create a "mirror" copy of the original files in a specified location.
Ease of use.
The two main functions of a backup software are backing up and restoring data. FBackup makes them easy for you by offering friendly wizards. Starting with the wizard for creating a new backup profile, you specify where, how and how often to create copies - and that's it, the profile is ready to run. If you want to restore files, open the restore wizard, which will only ask where you want to restore the backup files.
Automatic updates.
FBackup automatically checks for updates once a week, which allows you to keep abreast of new versions. You can turn off the check for updates option, but it is not recommended to do so to keep your FBackup version up to date.
Multiple reservation destinations.
By default, the location of future backups is the operating system partition. To ensure the safety of your backups, you will need to place them in other destinations supported by FBackup (such as external USB / Firewire drives, or a mounted network drive). In this case, if a hardware failure occurs, your data will be safe and sound on an external independent medium.
Plugins.
Archiving open files.
If a file is in use by another program during a backup, FBackup will still be able to back up the file by using the Shadow Volume Copies service provided by Windows. Thus, in case you are using Windows 10, 8 / 8.1, 7, Vista, XP, 2016/2012/2008/2003 Server (32/64-bit), FBackup will archive these open files. For example, you can make a backup copy of your mail database and Outlook settings without closing it.
Multilanguage
Select the user interface language from currently supported (
Simple, convenient and long-established program for file backup and synchronization of folders on a schedule. Russian developer. The program has a simple, intuitive interface, but at the same time it has wide capabilities and flexible settings. Allows you to copy all or only new / changed files between local, network, removable drives, FTP / SFTP, NAS servers.
The program has 3 editions:
- Exiland Backup Free (Free, Basic Features, Windows App)
- Exiland Backup Standard (paid, extended functionality, Windows application)
- Exiland Backup Professional (Paid, Max Features, Windows Service)
Key features of the program:
- 4 types of file copying: Full, Differential, Incremental, Synchronization.
- Flexible configuration of the task launch schedule
- Compression to standard ZIP format, AES-256 encryption, archive splitting, integrity check
- Program operation as a service (Windows service)
- Copy files from multiple PCs on the local network
- Fast copying files in multiple streams (in parallel)
- Supports FTP, SFTP (SSH) protocols, copying files from Linux systems
- Detailed logging
- Notification of results by E-mail, SMS
- View backup and restore files in case of loss
- Launching external applications, command line (before and after tasks)
- Grouping tasks
Built-in scheduler
You can use the built-in scheduler, launch tasks by clicking a button in the program, or assign tasks to the Windows Scheduler (Task Manager) - in this case, you do not need to keep the program running all the time. Windows Scheduler will launch a program that will execute the task and the program will be unloaded from memory.
Duplicate backups
For reliability, you can store your backups in multiple locations. The program allows you to specify an unlimited number of locations for storing backups.
Safety
To prevent access to ZIP archives, set a password, specify the AES-256 encryption algorithm and save backups to a network folder, access to which is limited (Exiland Backup allows you to specify a username / password for accessing a network folder). All settings, passwords in the program are stored encrypted. Access to the program settings can be limited by setting a password to enter the program.
Reliability
The program has existed since 2005 and over the years of service has shown its reliability and resistance to abnormal situations, such as disconnection (network failure) during backup, incorrect file names, disk problems, etc. If the connection is broken, the program will wait for the connection to appear within the specified time and will continue copying when there is a connection with a network drive or the Internet. The user (system administrator) will receive an SMS or e-mail notification about all problem files and emergency situations.
Job creation
It is very easy to create a task. To do this, click the Create -\u003e New task button located on the top panel. Next, specify the name of the task, for example, "Working Papers", select the type of copying, folders and files to copy, compression / encryption, select the folder to save the backups and specify the launch schedule.
Now you can minimize it to the Notification Area on the System Tray and wait for the scheduled launch. You can also run the task by button on the top panel.
Recently, a friend of mine asked me to explain to her how to back up data. She is a humanist, so she needed options in which nothing needs to be configured. Since she is not a stupid person who loves to understand the problem and make a decision herself, I decided to collect basic principles for her and describe the pros and cons of certain options (as I see them). I decided to publish here in the event that it is useful to some of you - to help a friend or relative. I would be very glad to have comments on how the text could be made simpler and clearer.
Basic principles
1. Regularity and frequency
Data backup should be as regular as taking pills. It is for this discipline that one can thank oneself if suddenly some kind of collapse occurs. Sometimes it can be very painful to lose even just a few working days due to the fact that a backup has not been completed. To answer the question - how often it is possible to make a backup, having understood the data for what period of time it would be least painful for you to lose. One of the best options is to back up your data once a week on weekends.Separation
It is desirable that the data be saved to a separate external hard drive (or other medium), stored in a separate location from the main data. The principle is quite obvious - if a problem occurs, it will be localized in one place. For example, if the hard drive on your computer breaks down, the backup drive will function perfectly. However, it is worth striking a balance between ease of access and security. A hard drive next to a computer greatly increases the motivation to use it for its intended purpose. And at the same time, this is not the safest option for very important data that cannot be lost in any case. That is why there is a distinction between backup and data archiving.Rechecking
As soon as the first backup of the data is made, you must immediately check that this data can be restored from it! This means not only that the files become visible. You need to open several files to choose from and check that they are not corrupted. It is advisable to repeat such a check once in a certain period (say, once a year).Differentiation
Best practice is to differentiate data by category. The category could be their importance to you, the frequency of updates, or just the topic.Often, backup programs make so-called “images”. They look like one single file. So, in each such image, it is better to save various data.
What is it for. Data of different importance requires different handling, this is obvious. You will probably want to keep your important documents more carefully than, say, a collection of films. By dividing the data by frequency of updates, you can, for example, save time taken up by backups. Topic - what data is it desirable to restore together in one step? A striking example of two types of backup, which should be done separately:
Data backup
These are Word documents, photos, movies, etc. The same applies to this, but is often forgotten - bookmarks in the browser, letters in the mailbox, address book, calendar with appointments, banking application configuration file, etc.System backup
We are talking about the operating system with all its settings. Such a backup eliminates the need to reinstall the operating system, make all the settings, and install programs. However, this is not the most essential type of backup.Where to backup
1. External hard drive. Can often be bought right in the box. There are laptop drives - such drives are small in size, but more expensive. Ordinary hard drives can be purchased relatively cheaply with a volume of 2 TB - then you won't have to worry about disk space for a long time.Reliable enough (if not dropped or shaken excessively)
+ Relatively inexpensive
You must not forget to connect the backup disk yourself
-Not very convenient to carry (does not apply to laptop drives)
2. USB-stick - suitable as an additional tool when you would like to transfer data from one computer to another and / or have it at hand. Also, if the data itself does not want to be stored on a computer.
There is one big but - a flash drive has a limited number of records, so if you store application data on it, which will write intensively, then the USB stick will quickly order to live a long time. In addition, in my personal impression, they break down quite often. My friend, buying the most expensive flash drives, which were positioned as "not killed", received a broken flash drive in a month or two. To be fair, I must say that I still have not a single flash drive broken, some have been working for 5 years already. Nevertheless, I would not store data on only one usb-stick.
Mobile storage
+ Takes up little space
+ Very cheap
Unpredictable reliability
3. Data storage on a remote server (or in the cloud).
There are pros and cons:
The data will be available not only at home, but also at work, while traveling.
+ Locational separation of main data and backups (for example, if it happens, God forbid, the fire data survives)
+ There is no need to connect a hard drive for backup, as a rule, everything is done completely automatically.
It is advisable to encrypt the data, since it is not known who can access them
-A large amount of traffic is spent (if it is limited, then problems arise)
-Often only data up to 2 GB can be stored for free. So, such a backup is an additional cost item.
A list with a good description of the services can be found
How to backup
Here is a list of applications that you should pay attention to (in my opinion) when backing up to your hard drive.
Of the free are popular
1. Genie Backup Manager is a very convenient program, but it slows down a little when working
2. Handy Backup - simple interface, works fast.
Additionally
Often in the settings of backup programs there is an option - to make an incremental or differential backup. The practical difference is pretty simple. With a differential backup, you can save on the space it takes up. But there are only two recovery options: data in the state when the full backup was made + data at the time when the differential was made.An incremental backup, on the other hand, allows you to rollback to any of the moments in the past when the backup was made. However, especially if changes in data occurred frequently, space will be eaten up quickly.
