Poll on Backup software

Wynona · Feb 15, 2025

AndreyT said:
No, it cannot. And we don't appreciate suggestions to "ask AI' in this forum. Please refrain from making such suggestions in the future, even if you have nothing better to do. (That is unless you are implying that the thread starter is an AI.)

And no, it is not "obvious by context". Speaking from the experience, I can attest that it often so happens that people are simply oblivious to non-imaging-based backup solutions. So, my question to the OP is: why is the poll so biased towards imaging software? Is it because the OP consciously wants/needs an imager? Or is it the OP never even knew alternative approaches existed?

You do not speak for me and and not for most of the members of this forum. I have found AI to be pretty valuable for my questions about technical issues.

There is nothing wrong with asking an AI app about something I need to know. Be It back up or imaging. If you ask the general computer user about backing up their system you will get more than one answer I am sure.

Trying to make this thread conform to your idea is not kosher.

hdmi · Feb 16, 2025

Wynona said:
You do not speak for me and and not for most of the members of this forum. I have found AI to be pretty valuable for my questions about technical issues.

There is nothing wrong with asking an AI app about something I need to know. Be It back up or imaging. If you ask the general computer user about backing up their system you will get more than one answer I am sure.

Trying to make this thread conform to your idea is not kosher.

I hate to be a party pooper, but.. the true reason why AI is useless in this case is because the parakeet and just about everyone with an internet connection can read posts #52 and #76 to obtain the definitive answer directly from the OP herself actually. :smirk:

kelper · Feb 16, 2025

For anyone who wants to read the two posts HDMI mentioned, here are links.

Poll on Backup software

Poll on Backup software

Oddly, neither post has anything to do with AI, so I don't understand his beef!

antspants · Feb 16, 2025

kelper said:
For anyone who wants to read the two posts HDMI mentioned, here are links.

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/poll-on-backup-software.4622/post-90685

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/poll-on-backup-software.4622/post-90840

Oddly, neither post has anything to do with AI, so I don't understand his beef!

First member here I ever put on ignore. I don’t know why people would even care. You’re twice member he is, just ignore it.

RD Mercer · Feb 16, 2025

antspants said:
First member here I ever put on ignore. I don’t know why people would even care. You’re twice member he is, just ignore it.

Hopefully I'm not the second, because I do like to sometimes add a bit of humor to my posts.

antspants · Feb 16, 2025

RD Mercer said:
Hopefully I'm not the second, because I do like to sometimes add a bit of humor to my posts.

But you’re not outright arrogantly rude, RD.

Quexos · Feb 16, 2025

Nothing wrong with suggesting the duplicator method...we are talking about backup stuff after all, and that very well might be a good way for someone who otherwise may not have even thought of it. Just not me! I like to tinker way too much, too frequently for that.

RD Mercer · Feb 16, 2025

Quexos said:
Nothing wrong with suggesting the duplicator method...we are talking about backup stuff after all, and that very well might be a good way for someone who otherwise may not have even thought of it. Just not me! I like to tinker way too much, too frequently for that.

Thank you! Sometimes I do wonder if some here have some stocks in Macrium.

I started out back in around 2009 using Acronis, it was easy to understand and use for me, you could actually use it within Windows. Since then, I’ve had my experiences with other software based backup software.

When I bought my 2 duplicators, it really made my backups so much easier and faster and more reliable. Yes, I do understand, as someone pointed out, not really the best for laptops, and to even push that message even further, saying more today use laptops. Well maybe, I’ve never researched that, but that’s ok, maybe they do, but it literally takes me less than 5 minutes to pull the drive out of my Dell laptop and back it up using my duplicators.

I understand the thread is/was about backup software, but are we not here to help some of the folks that may be clueless to understand the software methods? I would say if there’s things that make life simpler for others, shouldn’t we let them know of some alternative methods? Yes, maybe I am an old relic, I love my 55 Chevy, why, because I can still work on it, and I don’t need any technological based software plug in to tell me what is wrong, it helps keep my brain cells clicking.

Quexos · Feb 16, 2025

RD Mercer said:
...but it literally takes me less than 5 minutes to pull the drive out of my Dell laptop and back it up using my duplicators.

Takes me ~50 seconds to make a backup and ~15 seconds to restore one for Windows.
~22 seconds/7 seconds for Linux.

kelper · Feb 16, 2025

Disk Imaging to a fast external drive, all things being equal, must be faster than opening the case, swapping drives, duplicating and putting the drive back and rebooting! But each to his own.

RD Mercer · Feb 16, 2025

Quexos said:
Takes me ~50 seconds to make a backup and ~15 seconds to restore one for Windows.
~22 seconds/7 seconds for Linux.

I understand, I'm an old desktop relic, so I only use my laptop a few times a year.

RD Mercer · Feb 16, 2025

kelper said:
Disk Imaging to a fast external drive, all things being equal, must be faster than opening the case, swapping drives, duplicating and putting the drive back and rebooting! But each to his own.

You're right! Peace✌

Quexos · Feb 18, 2025

RD Mercer said:
I understand, I'm an old desktop relic, so I only use my laptop a few times a year.

Me too! I don't even own a laptop, though I can surely understand why a more 'mobile' person would want one. I like my big, clunky desktop/entertainment center/stereo/guitar amp/recording "studio"/gaming rig that I can build and repair and tweak all I like. Plus I can't stand using those tiny screens on laptops, or worse the postage stamp sized phones...and the audio quality of both those is ear-bleed piercing!

RD Mercer · Feb 18, 2025

Quexos said:
Me too! I don't even own a laptop, though I can surely understand why a more 'mobile' person would want one. I like my big, clunky desktop/entertainment center/stereo/guitar amp/recording "studio"/gaming rig that I can build and repair and tweak all I like. Plus I can't stand using those tiny screens on laptops, or worse the postage stamp sized phones...and the audio quality of both those is ear-bleed piercing!

I have one of the old Vintage P1 Alienware Area 51 Aurora 7500 Predator PC Computer Cases, you can almost crawl up inside this case and sit down and do any needed work or changes. Wait until some of these laptop'ers get to be in their middle and upper 70's, maybe earlier, they will need a 30" led keyboard, 90" monitor.

hdmi · Feb 21, 2025

kelper said:
For anyone who wants to read the two posts HDMI mentioned, here are links.

Poll on Backup software

Poll on Backup software

Oddly, neither post has anything to do with AI, so I don't understand his beef!

There is no "beef". Just wondering why anyone would suggest to use AI to find the anwer to a question about the OP's reasoning behind her using imaging software for backups, when everyone and their non-artificial cat can just read the thread to conclude that the OP had already explained her reasoning behind that.

gunrunnerjohn · May 12, 2025

RD Mercer said:
When I bought my 2 duplicators, it really made my backups so much easier and faster and more reliable. Yes, I do understand, as someone pointed out, not really the best for laptops, and to even push that message even further, saying more today use laptops. Well maybe, I’ve never researched that, but that’s ok, maybe they do, but it literally takes me less than 5 minutes to pull the drive out of my Dell laptop and back it up using my duplicators.

I understand the thread is/was about backup software, but are we not here to help some of the folks that may be clueless to understand the software methods? I would say if there’s things that make life simpler for others, shouldn’t we let them know of some alternative methods? Yes, maybe I am an old relic, I love my 55 Chevy, why, because I can still work on it, and I don’t need any technological based software plug in to tell me what is wrong, it helps keep my brain cells clicking.

I don't get why a duplicator is so great for backups. Will it work? Sure. Is it a PITA? You bet! I don't want to take my computer apart every day so I can do my data backup, that seems really silly!

As far as taking the drive out of your laptop, many modern laptops do not make that even remotely easy. Yes, it can be done, but it takes a couple dozen tiny screws to do the task. As for 5 minutes, in your dreams! Let's not even get into the ease in which you can damage the laptop in the process. So much for making it easy for the clueless! If they can't master a simple imaging application, taking apart a modern laptop is going to be a way bigger challenge!

Most of my backups are totally automated, but every week one of two 4TB external drives gets connected and a total backup of all boot and data partitions is made, then the drive gets disconnected. How that could possibly be easier with a duplicator I have no idea.

Just for the record, I do have disk duplicators, one that does SATA<->SATA, and one that will do SATA<->M.2. And no, it never even occurred to me to actually use them for backup devices. I have cloned a couple of boot drives with them, that's about it. I also use them for temporary docking stations.

RD Mercer · May 12, 2025

gunrunnerjohn said:
I don't get why a duplicator is so great for backups. Will it work? Sure. Is it a PITA? You bet! I don't want to take my computer apart every day so I can do my data backup, that seems really silly!

Silly? Well it works for me, is that ok?

gunrunnerjohn · May 12, 2025

RD Mercer said:
Silly? Well it works for me, is that ok?

It's OK with me since I don't have to take my computer apart to do a backup. :lmao:

Dru2 · May 12, 2025

RD Mercer said:
When I bought my 2 duplicators, it really made my backups so much easier and faster and more reliable. Yes, I do understand, as someone pointed out, not really the best for laptops, and to even push that message even further, saying more today use laptops. Well maybe, I’ve never researched that, but that’s ok, maybe they do, but it literally takes me less than 5 minutes to pull the drive out of my Dell laptop and back it up using my duplicators.

Wouldn't it be much simpler to attach an external drive and backup that way instead of opening a laptop and pulling the drive out to back it up???

Certainly what I do. I have an internal drive that gets backups, and and external drive that backs up that drive. Certainly don't see the logic in constantly pulling a drive out a laptop to backup all the time, when I can simply add an external drive to do the same.... back up the internal drive.

RD Mercer · May 12, 2025

gunrunnerjohn said:
It's OK with me since I don't have to take my computer apart to do a backup.

Not one of my PC's have the side door on them, I mean who keeps the door on their PC? :lmao:

Poll on Backup software

Which imaging program do you use for backups?

Macrium

EaseUS todo

Aomei

Windows 7 system imaging in Windows 10 or 11

Acronis

Ashampoo

Paragon

Cloud based

Other (please post to explain)

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