backup options other than Macrium?

SIW2 · Jul 7, 2022

It is quite easy, just enter the pro key into the free edition. Pretty sure that gives free upgrades for year, then no more upgrades but it keeps working.

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Goldengirl52 · Jul 7, 2022

fixer said:
Should work just fine but would you know how to restore it should the need arise? You need a small bootable flash drive which you create within Reflect. You can't use the flash drive with the backup on it.

I have some idea, very little "some" :wink:

I have to get out of the apartment for awhile, but wanted to say thank you again. That backup worked, as far as I know, it's listed now on the flashdrive. I'll be back and check in a little later. Want to take some notes off the thread to save :wink:

Goldengirl52 · Jul 7, 2022

I do like the sound of Aomei and will try it out later, but again, thanks to everyone for you direction/help. My Macrium backup appears to have run fine so I have something atleast. I want to know more about what I'm doing though so will bookmark the thread. Wonderful help!!

Josey Wales · Jul 7, 2022

Ghot said:
They both do the same job, pretty much.
AOMEI, just has a whole lot fewer buttons. :)

View attachment 33334

Back in The Day we had rotary phones, but they lasted for 20 years!

TraderGary · Jul 7, 2022

I use backups that are built into Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft File History

Ghot · Jul 7, 2022

Josey Wales said:
Back in The Day we had rotary phones, but they lasted for 20 years!

I remember. Those suckers were indestructible.
Even the later push button versions, took a licking and kept on ticking. :)

pparks1 · Jul 7, 2022

Goldengirl52 said:
Snip of system info below. I just want something to backup to my flashdrive for now as I don't have an external drive in my laptop. I only want to make my own schedule, for one thing, and Free Macrium won't do that.

I'm assuming when you say your flash drive, are you talking about an SSD based hard drive, like your C: drive where all of your apps and data live? Or are you talking about an external flash drive that you plug into a USB port?

For backups of Data that I have on my box, I use Robocopy (that comes with Windows). In that box, I have a second hard drive installed. I have a scheduled task that runs this on Monday.
robocopy "C:\jsourcefolder1" F:\Monday\sourcefolder1 /mir /e /dst

It runs this on Tuesday
robocopy "C:\jsourcefolder1" F:\Tuesday\sourcefolder1 /mir /e /dst

And it repeats that for each remaining day of the week (wed, thurs, frid, sat, sun)

This runs every day. So I have a 7 day rotation of backups that I keep. This way if something gets overwritten, deleted, or accidentally corrupted, I have 7 days to figure it out before I overwrite my backups.

fixer · Jul 7, 2022

@Goldengirl52

OK, you can't do much else until you have successfully created your bootable rescue media from the MR menu.. A small (8Gb) flash drive is sufficient. Plug both flash drives in and try booting from your rescue media. That should open its own version of MR from where you should find your backup on the other flash drive. You don't want to restore it right now but you can have a look around to establish that if you did want to then it can see your system drive and could restore it if asked to.

This test is vital, as your backup is useless unless you know how to restore it and have proved that you could if you wanted.

Ghot · Jul 7, 2022

fixer said:
@Goldengirl52

OK, you can't do much else until you have successfully created your bootable rescue media from the MR menu.. A small (8Gb) flash drive is sufficient. Plug both flash drives in and try booting from your rescue media. That should open its own version of MR from where you should find your backup on the other flash drive. You don't want to restore it right now but you can have a look around to establish that if you did want to then it can see your system drive and could restore it if asked to.

This test is vital, as your backup is useless unless you know how to restore it and have proved that you could if you wanted.

Any small USB is sufficient. Even 1GB.

ChrisTech · Jul 7, 2022

cereberus said:
Way to go - suggest a method that requires a moderate command of text based command lines to an inexperienced person!

Here is why not - inflexible, requires moderate knowledge of command files, difficult to restore to different sized drives, no ability to handle single partitions - need I go on.

FFU is not designed for domestic users - it is more geared to corporate users.

I use it for Corp work yes, but also home. Taught dad how to use it to backup his laptop. He can't delete his email half the time. But if he can learn it, anyone can. It's just a few short commands.

cereberus · Jul 7, 2022

Goldengirl52 said:
I appreciate you trying to help, no worries :) I've got the flashdrive and I'll use that

The failure rate on flash drives is much higher than on convential usb hard drives.

In the end, critical data should be backed up to at least two independent (and preferably different) targets.

Winuser · Jul 7, 2022

Ghot said:
Back in the good old days. When things... just worked. :)

View attachment 33330

If I could make this work for you on Windows 10/11, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Best backup software I've ever seen. :)

I used Ghost up until Symantec bought it out and ruined it.

Winuser · Jul 7, 2022

Goldengirl52 said:
Oh Lord, this is the best one I see so far, LOL!! I can do this, I think. Macrium has a way of popping up windows that totally are way over my head. I'll go look and see if I can get this done now @fixer

This is what I do when I make my Macrium images.
1. I make a folder on my external drive. I give it todays date for the name. As an example: 7/07/22.
2. I choose the C: drive and select Image this disk. Then I make sure all of the partitions are selected.
3. Then I choose the destination folder and hit Finish.
4. Then I untick Save as a Definition File and hit OK.
In a few minutes I have my new image saved to my selected destination.

cereberus · Jul 7, 2022

ChrisTech said:
I use it for Corp work yes, but also home. Taught dad how to use it to backup his laptop. He can't delete his email half the time. But if he can learn it, anyone can. It's just a few short commands.

It is too inflexible for average user.
I disagree with your view about anybody can learn it.
Most people will not have the benefit of a "mentor".
I know how to use it, but no way would I recommend this to inexperienced users.
BTW - there is a tutorial on tenforums by Kari how to use it, but definitely no user friendly - end of story!

Winuser · Jul 7, 2022

Josey Wales said:
Back in The Day we had rotary phones, but they lasted for 20 years!

And they worked way better than the crap phones they make today. The sound was loud, crisp and clear. I still have two of them, but they aren't hooked up. I'm not saying I'm old, but I remember when my parents had a party line.

Winuser · Jul 7, 2022

TraderGary said:
I use backups that are built into Microsoft Windows.
Microsoft OneDrive

I wouldn't call it a backup, but OneDrive is a great place to save backup files and folders. I never used File History. My system backups are saved to external drives.

Bree · Jul 7, 2022

Winuser said:
I never used File History. My system backups are saved to external drives.

I use File History.

My system images are on external drives, and I have written a batch file using RoboCopy to make full or incremental backups of my most important personal files to a network drive. But I also have File History turned on and saving to the network drive as a third string to my backup strategy.

You can never have enough backups......

TraderGary · Jul 7, 2022

Winuser said:
I wouldn't call it a backup, but OneDrive is a great place to save backup files and folders. I never used File History. My system backups are saved to external drives.

If a system keeps a real-time mirror of all my data, I call it a backup.

I love it whenever I get a new computer, all I have to do is log into Windows and all my data is instantly there. All of it. Exactly like it is on all my computers that mirror to the same OneDrive.