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Re: Backup software

Hi Kari,

Responding to this a bit late.  I already follow portions of this, though some of it is not applicable for me.  First, I'd have to disagree with whoever dismissed Acronis, or said that most of the others are unreliable junk.  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.

As to the others, well I understand that Dantz Retrospect enjoyed a good reputation at one point, though I haven't kept up to date about that.  Norton GHOST must go back to the dawn of the '386 cpu (at least), and is still around.  You don't achieve the market share they had or their longevity by being unreliable.  I recall hearing good things about Macrium Reflect.  A consultant we used for awhile liked the Easeus imaging program (which used a proprietary .Ebd file format ? . . . and it was free) to back up our office systems for several years.  He's out of the picture now, and I switched over to Acronis for the office after that.  Of course, with any of these you must use them properly, and it helps if you are more familiar with the one that you decide to use.

The OS "brain transplant" scenario had a very basic appeal here, for good reasons.  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.  This rather limits my options.  One possibility might involve a VM type solution, such as Paragon GO, which you suggested at one point.  Another might be if I could turn them into portable program versions with something like ThinstallSoft -- or whatever it is now called. 

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 ?  GRUB gets wiped out too easily.  I've just about had it with Boot-It Bare Metal, which I was testing, and will be looking for a boot mediator that is simpler to set up and use, and more robust.  Possibly OSloader, which has been around for awhile.  Having my share of early Linux use issues too, but that's another story. 


   Jordan


From: Kari Eveli
To: XyList
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2017 2:49 AM
Subject: 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
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
there are lots of other freeware programs to choose from, see:

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

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