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In search of ideal backup utility
markan:
Another thumbs up for Backup4all from me as well. In particular I find the interface really easy to use. A strong vote from me for registry backup though. The lack of that is the only reason I keep looking elsewhere for backup.
tslim:
Another thumbs up for Backup4all from me as well. In particular I find the interface really easy to use. A strong vote from me for registry backup though. The lack of that is the only reason I keep looking elsewhere for backup.
-markan (August 23, 2008, 06:02 AM)
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Technically, it is unicode support that is difficult for Backup4All to achieve, because it almost always means a change to more decent development tool. Softland says they rely on third party for the unicode function, I suppose he means the zip engine, but then what about log file and reports, they also need to be unicode aware. In fact even the main interface, the tree-structure that holds the group of jobs need to be unicde aware as well.
As for registry key(s) function, I think it is much simlper, it only depends on how willing the developer is to implement it. If you are a legitimate user, just press a little harder on the author, I believe you can get it in no time.
tomos:
You can have the same backup job in several backup groups, as long as you have a different name for the backup job (but it can have the same sources and destination). So your scenario works with Backup4all, and as mentioned above if you create a backup plugin for an application you can select its registry keys to be backed up too.
-Softland (August 22, 2008, 03:50 AM)
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I can't quite understand what you have stated about the job sharing. Lets say I want a backup job A to be shared by N backup groups, do you mean:
1) Those N groups can share the same piece of job A definition, but Backup4All requires different name in each group
or
2) I will need to repeat the same job A setup in each of the N group and each time with a different name
?
I hope you mean the 1) not 2).
If a job to be shared is complex, repeating the same definition in many groups is a waste of time and future change/remove of such job will become very difficult, because any change will have to be repeated in all the N groups and that is provided one can still remember exactly what are the groups that need to be changed.
-tslim (August 22, 2008, 07:29 PM)
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it sounds to me like #2 the way it was described
-
in an "ideal" backup programme It would be great to be able to simply Control+DragDrop to create a copy of a backup.
-
SFFS offers a "save as" option for backup "profiles".
btw, Slim, you mention Genie backup manager pro - the advantage of Backup4all and SFFS is that they backup to zip - AFAIK Genie doesnt (?) - not sure about Titan either but think it does zip compression (another btw, did you get to try SFFS or does the lack of registry/keys stop you ?)
Rambling a little now - looking forward to version 4 of backup4all - I've been using their plugins for a bunch of programmes but haven't yet had occasion to restore so cant really comment ...
also just briefly re interface:
"wizard" means step by step options interface - it doesnt necessarily mean less options or less advanced - it normally means this, but only in the context where there is also an advanced options interface on offer (i.e. dont get too bogged down on what it's called - give it a try - disclaimer, I havent tried Titan- but then I'm happy with what I have :P :))
Dirhael:
Btw, I review the series of screen shots by Dirhael and I find TitanBackup supports grouping.
Ah, why didn't you tell me at the beginning...
Seriously, do you know whether is it unicode aware and able to backup ADS?
If so, then it is one big step closer to my 7 needs, I wonder if the company gives discount to user who switch from their competitors...:)
-tslim (August 22, 2008, 08:25 PM)
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Unfortunately, it does not support unicode at all. Well, you are able to select the folders/files but they won't be backed up if they contain Japanese/Chinese/Korean (what I used for my tests) characters. Doesn't matter if you just use the program to copy files from location A to B on the same filesystem, it still can't handle them, and if you use the zip functionality it creates broken archives.
tslim:
-
in an "ideal" backup programme It would be great to be able to simply Control+DragDrop to create a copy of a backup.
-
SFFS offers a "save as" option for backup "profiles".
-tomos (August 23, 2008, 04:44 PM)
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Genie backup manager pro too has a "Clone job" function in its job manager.
edited:
That is from one of its pulldown menu option. If one only use it wizard to do backup, he/she could never discover that. That is one of the reason I dislike wizard. It always says "heh idiot, here is what you can/should do next"...
Duplicating backup job, IMO, is very useful when one need to create a variant of a backup job definition, i.e. a job which is slightly different from an existing one. Cloning exact copy of backup jobs and use them under different grouping like that offer by Backup4All) does not sound right.
My ideal backup job management is one step further than that. A job group is supposed to be a container and a backup job is a token inside. Sharing means actual sharing not duplicating a job N time just to make it look like being shared by N groups.
btw, Slim, you mention Genie backup manager pro - the advantage of Backup4all and SFFS is that they backup to zip - AFAIK Genie doesnt (?) - not sure about Titan either but think it does zip compression
-tomos (August 23, 2008, 04:44 PM)
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Not true!
GBM pro does create zip. Its gbp file is actually a zip file, just with the extension gbp. e.g. I can even open its gbp file with Total Commander and manipulate its content, just press CTRL+PageDown on a GBM's gbp file, and you will see the content, typically something like the below (all in a single zip or gbp file):
[MF]
[MFStreams]
[MP\Reg]
file1
file2
...
file N
Where the folder
[MF] contains sub folders, each for particular drive of the source being backup.
[MFStreams] stores ADS
[Reg] stores reg file (if a backup involve registry keys)
file1...fileN are configuration files
and of course the above folders might be absent when not needed.
In fact GBM pro has a good zip engine! and excuse me, please let me moan one more time (loudy):
This gargoyle has everything underneath powerful and superior, just that everything else on surface is too ugly and intolerable. I have no hesitation in voting its interface as the world worst user interface ever designed. Imagine every time you need to move back to the main page, even when you have not change anything in current step, that is when there is nothing pending to be saved, still it prompts you a confirmation dialog to go home... ugh!!!
(another btw, did you get to try SFFS or does the lack of registry/keys stop you ?)
-tomos (August 23, 2008, 04:44 PM)
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Make it this way, I have listed my 7 requirements right at the very first post of this thread.
I am looking for a backup utility which can at least do more than GBM Pro does, if not all of the 7 as listed.
"wizard" means step by step options interface - it doesnt necessarily mean less options or less advanced - it normally means this, but only in the context where there is also an advanced options interface on offer (i.e. dont get too bogged down on what it's called - give it a try - disclaimer, I havent tried Titan- but then I'm happy with what I have :P :))
-tomos (August 23, 2008, 04:44 PM)
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Trust me, I know what a wizard mean in the computer world and I don't only find it useless.
I think modern application run under an OOP type of O/S will run more smoothly if it let a user pick an item (in Backup utility, that means pick a group or job) then determine the action to apply. (backup, restore, clone, delete, edit, check log file, etc)
For me, select a job or group of jobs on a explorer like treeview (1 click), click on a toolbar button for what to do (another click), that is something can not be further simplified, don't you agree?
And I always believe something can not be further simplified means ultimate efficiency.
An example on user interface: http://english.xpertdesign.de/screenshots_bxp.php that I like a lot.
Note: Please look at the interface only, I am not sure about unicode support and zip engine power of this guy
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