Re: Backup software

[Kari Eveli lexitec@xxxxxxxx]

Hello Jordan,

> I've been using Acronis for years -- successfully, but
> with certain exceptions that I previously noted (involving changed
> hardware), which is said to be addressed by the current version, but
> which I have not started using yet. In fact, I just cloned a couple
> boot drives with it. (Acronis TI 2012, that is.) In that situation,
> there is no need to restore an image to find out whether the procedure
> worked. It's a simple binary outcome: you boot with the cloned drive
> after doing this; it either boots up or it doesn't (mine have), your
> programs work or they don't. End of story.


Acronis does have some pitfalls: you have to be extra careful when
setting up backup schemes, there can be problems when modifying schemes,
most of the time it is better to make a new scheme altogether, but on
the whole the program is manageable and works reliably (at least in
common everyday scenarios). Hard disk to SSD conversion works remarkably
well. As to other software, there are plenty of backup software programs
that work quite as well or even better in some respects. Acronis'
overall performance is quite impressive, though. Version changes can be
problematic in some cases (this is true of some of older versions), and
you have eliminate traces of the old version carefully before installing
a new version. See: https://kb.acronis.com/aticleanup


> On my own systems, I have a hefty roster of installed programs, many
of them specialized, and most of which I do use. Quite a number of them
happened to be giveaway or promo editions, which can *not* be reinstalled.


There is no good solution for reinstalling programs that you do not have
the installer for. In some cases copying the program folders, and
harvesting the pertinent registry settings can be done. Sometimes this
is unfeasible due to the complexity of the installation procedure. One
suggestion would be to install these programs in a virtual machine in
the first place. This would be portable to a newer environment just by
loading the VM into the newer operating environment, but this requires
foresight and planning.


> I've been experimenting with a Linux distro on an older SSD that sat
around unused here for about 3 years. It has been kind of frustrating.
Windows refuses to install to it (for a multi-boot), either because
Linux was already installed to it, or possibly due to SSD-centric issues
that have gotten finessed in later hardware, as these drives became
freer of quirks and more mainstream ?


Multibooting is something I experimented when setting up my Win7
machine. One of more capable programs was Masterbooter
(http://www.masterbooter.com/main/features_en.html), but it has not been
updated lately. When tackling multibooting which includes a Win7 or
later installation, you need also a tool like EasyBCD
(https://neosmart.net/wiki/easybcd/). All this is not for the faint of
heart. I personally would advise against multibooting and use
virtualization instead. A stable and nimble Linux is CentOS which you
can download as a ready-to-use appliance (http://browser.shell.tor.hu/).
This works remarkably well on Win7 (I have a VMware appliance).


> GRUB gets wiped out too easily.
Grub used to be a very nice solution, but the newer versions are more
complicated and perhaps more geared to experimenting with different
Linux distros than multibooting with Windows.


Best regards,

Kari Eveli
LEXITEC Book Publishing (Finland)
lexitec@xxxxxxxx

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