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Re: Backup software



Hello Jordan,

I think this is not a good idea. Brain transplants are notoriously
difficult to accomplish. I tried PC Mover when switching from XP to
Win7. To put it short, it did not solve the problem it was supposed to.
Much trouble, poor results. You are better off using free tools from MS.


Something related that I have looked for at least as much is the ability to move all installed programs, shortcuts, desktop, preferences etc. from an existing Windows to a new, fresh Windows already in place elsewhere. [...] Jordan
Different situations require different strategies, the following are some basic guidelines I have found useful: A) Switching Windows versions. Backup your data, make a fresh full install, reinstall your programs, bring your data back into the various programs you use. Reinstalling makes sure that the settings are compatible with your operating system and optimized. B) Switching from a hard disk to an SSD. Check that your C: drive's contents fit into the SSD, eventually pare down the C: drive so that it fits. Use a backup program to make an image (Acronis does this very well, Macrium Reflect Free is another candidate (https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree), and many other similar programs also qualify) C) Daily backups with disaster recovery to the same machine. In spite of what has been said, Acronis does this quite well and reliably. You need to check that your setup is fully supported first by testing the backup program and system configuration you use. Most of the time I use my daily backups to recover a file that was overwritten or deleted accidentally. It is good to have a program that can recover a file or a folder from the file system context menu. Current backups are a must as you do not want to recover a file that is missing your latest edits. D) Moving systems to different hardware, virtualizing systems. You need high-end software that is provided by, e.g., StorageCraft. Paragon (https://www.paragon-software.com/medium-large-business/dm/) has also some interesting tools for these kinds of uses. E) Free tools. There are quite a few of those. Strangely enough, if you look for "free backup tools" on the Internet, you do not easily run into the obvious and maybe best options. Most of us have hard disks, and those disks come with a free backup program from Acronis. Newer versions are much more usable than they used to be, e.g., Western Digital (http://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=119&lang=en) or Seagate (http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/downloads/discwizard/). Lastly, there are lots of other freeware programs to choose from, see: https://www.lifewire.com/free-backup-software-tools-2617964 There is no reason not to back up regularly. Money is no object, and it may save your day. Best regards, Kari Eveli LEXITEC Book Publishing (Finland) lexitec@xxxxxxxx *** Lexitec Online *** Lexitec in English: http://www.lexitec.fi/english.html Home page in Finnish: http://www.lexitec.fi/