Tell me the Best backup softwares for Windows 7

Discussion in 'Application Software' started by Wonder.Wonder.Wonder, Jun 2, 2010.

?

Which Backup Tool(s) are you using?

  1. Windows 7 inbuilt Backup and Restore

    16.2%
  2. Acronis True Image Home 2010

    54.3%
  3. Macrium Reflect paid (or Free)

    3.0%
  4. Norton Ghost 14 or 15 (or Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 )

    18.5%
  5. Shadow Protect

    3.4%
  6. O&O DiskImage

    2.3%
  7. Paragon disk image

    2.3%
  8. Image for Windows

    1.9%
  9. DriveClone 7.0.3 (Farstone)

    1.5%
  10. Others, Please post it

    10.2%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. xiezhoupeng351_

    xiezhoupeng351_ MDL Junior Member

    Jun 2, 2010
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    I checked it again, and the status is
    Norton Ghost (Automatic) Started
    SymSnapService (Manual) Started
    Symantec SymSnap VSS Provider (Manual)---didn't show 'started'

    I think you may go to Administrative Tools\System Configuration\Start up to close the unnecessary service.

    For other software such as Acronis, I can also find two services:
    Acronis non-stop backup service (Automatic) started
    Acronis scheduler2 Service (Automatic) started

    I don't think two services can slow down the computer. The speed depends on you hardware and how you organize your computer.
     
  2. Yurbuh Tuggly

    Yurbuh Tuggly MDL Member

    Jul 26, 2009
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    Of course you can stop the services and processes when not in use (in fact, I scheduled some batch files to do just that), but the point is, why should you have to tell a program to stop running when you are not using it? Speed of the computer is not the issue, using resources without any reason is. And yes, Norton is not the only offender here. If most installs were left to their own devices, they would all start up and run all the time and the System Tray would meet the Start Orb (or Button). And there would be no resources left to do anything else. I choose to make choices for software that does what I want, when I want it, and otherwise stay out of my Ram.
     
  3. xiezhoupeng351_

    xiezhoupeng351_ MDL Junior Member

    Jun 2, 2010
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    Well, the services is useful in some way we don't know. I have tried to stop the service when I didn't use Norton Ghost, then when I opened Norton Ghost, the service was not started simutaniously, of course Norton wouldn't run correctly under this condition.

    If you complain the 'useless' services when you don't use that software, the best way is to suggest Microsoft to optimize the OS so as to force the software developer to change their way. There's no use to complain some certain software since most of them HAVE services started even you don't use them. Norton or Acronis is just one of them.
     
  4. Yurbuh Tuggly

    Yurbuh Tuggly MDL Member

    Jul 26, 2009
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    Or, just stop using and recommending software that follows that path and attempts to take over the entire system.
    Which I do.
    "Microsoft" has little or nothing to do with it. They cannot stop the devopment and deployment of crappy, bloated utility software.
     
  5. xiezhoupeng351_

    xiezhoupeng351_ MDL Junior Member

    Jun 2, 2010
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    Yes. It's better if we can find good alternatives.
    So which software can fulfill your requirement currently? I suppose you might have found some.
     
  6. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    For those using win 7 inbuilt backup, I have one query.
    I cannot seem to store incremental backups in the same partition.
    Although system imaging and restoring is excellent in win 7, this seems to be a problem for me.
    Win 7 saves image as `WindowsImageBackup'. Is there a solution for this:
    1. Install win 7 enterprise and back it up to say H: Image stored as windowsimagebackup
    2. Install win 7 ultimate and back it up to the same H: cannot do it as win 7 says it will overwrite the backup.
    Basically, the problem is that I can store only 1 image on 1 partition.
    If I change the name of 1st backup on H: from original `WindowsImageBackup' to say `WindowsImageBackup200610', win 7 does not recognise that image during restoring.

    Any solutions. Want to stick with win 7 inbuilt imaging as far as possible.
     
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  7. Yurbuh Tuggly

    Yurbuh Tuggly MDL Member

    Jul 26, 2009
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    It is if you know where to look.
    Or just buy it.
    I have 4.04.
     
  8. urie

    urie Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 21, 2007
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    #70 urie, Jun 23, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
  9. ippytattoo

    ippytattoo MDL Senior Member

    Jul 17, 2008
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    I am using WHS which does incrimental daily back-ups of all computers in my house. Also it provides shared folders for all my media to all the computers and extenders on the network. I have had to restore my computers a couple of times from these back-ups (from my own mistakes during "testing") and have never had any problems, even on my RAID 0 machine. So I would have to say that I am pretty happy with this as a solution.
     
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  10. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    I faced a peculiar problem with win 7 system image restore recently. This is the sequence:
    1. Had earlier backed up image with win 7 backup.
    2. Wanted to backup that image on a new HDD (which was new).
    3. For that I had changed the partition size on old HDD, even installed winxp on new HDD so that one partition became C:
    4. tried system image of win 7 hoping that the image in 1 would now sit on new HDD.
    5. 4 failed. win 7 backed up image on old HDD, changed the partition back to original, even changed the partition of new HDD to what it was on the day of the backup.
    6. I think Acronis Migrate Easy Image 7 or something like that is for this purpose.
    7. One final important thing: is sys image reserved really necessary. I do not use bitlocker and basically use sys. image because I think that it is essential for win 7 to make system image. Migrating sys. reserved partition to a new HDD is tough, and I have seen C: and sys. reserved residing on different HDDs.
     
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  11. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    #73 acyuta, Jun 28, 2010
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2010
    Faced a peculiar problem with ACronis TIH 2010 working with key.
    Sequence of events:
    1. Made a sys. image thru win 7 image backup
    2. installed acronis and used it for sometime. did not uninstall it.
    3. restored the old system image which had no acronis.
    4. acronis remained and default boot config became cd or dvd, then acronis loader.... Hung there.
    5. had to reformat the entire c: drive and system reserved, reinstall win 7 so that c, sys. reserved was clean.
    6. will now try to restore image in 1 hoping that I will not get acronis loader....
    It seems acronis tih hides or resides and is unaffected by win 7 sys. image.

    Writing after doing 6: Without uninstall, it changed the boot seq. to dvd, acronis loader, c: and Win 7 image restore could not change the sequence. So 4 was due to the fact acronis loader started but could not find its body.
     
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  12. pandapanda

    pandapanda MDL Novice

    Jun 29, 2010
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    Maybe you can help me to define a good backup setting:

    In the past I have been using the backup programs that came with Vista business. I had two scheduled plans, a weekly backup of the user folder and a monthly CompletePC backup of all my hard disks partitions.

    I do know older versions of Ghost etc. which are certainly excellent tools for computer replication, but as far as my personal computer was concerned the Vista tools seemed perfect (did not miss any functions).

    However Windows 7 made things more complicated. It seems I can only define one Backup-plan, and the CompletePC backup only involves the System partition. My harddisk has two partitions (on purpose) and I always liked the idea to be able to quickly replace a broken hard disk and just restore the CompletePC backup without further file selection or copying. On the other hand I liked the frequent User folder backups, in case I would mess up some document and would like to access older versions without intervening with current files. I do not seem to be able to do this like it was possible with Vista.

    Any opinions on the changes between Vista and Windows 7 inbuild tools as far as backup is concerned?

    Are there any recommended settings for the Windows 7 tools or a good guide?
     
  13. xiezhoupeng351_

    xiezhoupeng351_ MDL Junior Member

    Jun 2, 2010
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    Are you meaning problem of Norton Ghost or Windows7 inbuild tools?
    For Norton Ghost, there should be no difference under Vista or Win7.
     
  14. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    One big problem in windows 7 system image that I came across recently and caused me some problems to be explained below:
    1. created 4-5 images on an internal HDD (naming subfolders in windowsimagebackup main folder as say A-PC1, A-PC2, V-PC1, etc)
    2. created the same and different images on an external HDD.

    Boot from system repair disk.
    Windows system image does not recognise many of the images from the hard disk or external HDD. Worst, booting at time 0 (t+0) makes it recognise say image 3 but booting from the same sys. repair disk 5 mins later (because the recognised image was not my choice of backup) makes it not recognise the same image 3 (so cannot restore from that image). Boot again and it may recognise that image (to restore) but then miss another image.

    What this means is that you are not sure whether the image being created will be recognised by sys. repair disk when you need it.

    This problem of not recognising images has totally shaken my confidence in win 7 image backup. I now want to try Acronis or Paragon HDM Pro 2010.

    I just have some queries about Acronis TIH 2010 or 2011 (have 2010):
    1. after installing it, should my first step be creating a bootable rescue media (like win 7 sys. rep. disk).
    2. does acronis by default backup c: and sys. reserved (these 2 are the ones I want to restore). Data is anyway backed up with syncback pro.
    3. I do not want incremental backups just staged backups: say OS activated as image 1, main software as image 2, drivers plus all frequently and quickly installable software as stage 3. Then I can delete say image 3 on a 1-2 day basis and replace it with a new stage 3 image. Images 1 and 2 are more permanent.
     
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  15. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    Has anyone here tried ShadowProtect. I have recently used ShadowProtect 3.5 Recovery CD and my experience with it vis-a-vis Acronis CD is that it takes somewhat longer to load and operationalise. However that is immaterial if can backup reliably (has an option to verify the image). Acronis backs up quickly but sometimes on the recovery CD, when you click on recover and go thru the process and then specify the target partition, it does not by default and always select the c: partition.
     
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  16. spacednow

    spacednow MDL Member

    Aug 26, 2009
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    EASUS Free TODO (Google TODO) Great simple image backup, can open backup to retrieve files, works without having processes running (unless your backing up). No incremental backup though.
     
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  17. antman67

    antman67 MDL Novice

    Aug 26, 2010
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    Maybe I'm just too old school? I just back up all my data to an external USB drive and keep my restore CDs handy.
     
  18. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    Just my opinion. I do not install any backup softwares on PC but do backups from CD. Over the last month, have used 3 three boot CD backup softwares and I would rate Ghost as the best but also slowest, then Shadow Protect, and lastly Acronis. Ghost and Shadow Protect do give more detail so you know what you are doing. Acronis is the quickest to load and complete but the recovery from boot CD would sometimes not go where I wanted. The problem: boot from acronis CD (TIH 2010), recover, ..., choose image (C:). Now, unlike in Ghost and SP, Acronis does not by default identify the target Partition and asks to select it. An error here can cause formating of the entire HDD.

    I consider Ghost as the best in boot CD. Only problem: it sometimes changes the drive letters after recovery so what was D before becomes I or whatever. However, that is a small problem and easily corrected after recovery.

    In all 3, one has to be careful about the drive letters as sometimes C in windows becomes something else (say M) and M becomes C. So blindly selecting C and backing up can lead to backing up something else.
     
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