Is 'TK8 Backup Professional' recommendable?

[Curt]

Tuesday 9-9-2008's Bits du Jour offer is a backup program named TK8 Backup Professional (normal price $50, Tuesday $15). I haven't heard of it before, so I thought I would come here and ask if anyone can tell about this program from experience, please? Will you recommend TK8 Backup Professional?

http://www.bitsdujou...backup-professional/
http://www.tk8.com/backup/

 

[Steven Avery]

Hi Folks,

This special is back - on Tuesday 3/24/2009

http://www.bitsdujou...backup-professional/
TK8 Backup Professional - No More Excuses -- BACKUP YOUR DATA!

There was one DonationCoder discussion that looked reasonably well on this program.

https://www.donation...opic=14486.msg127468
In search of ideal backup utility - 08/2008

Placing it up there with the high tier of solid personal backup programs:
(There is a second-tier of commercial-ware of less substance.)

  The Big 5

Backup4All Lite $20, Standard $40, Pro $50  (DC 30% on Pro)
Genie Home $50 Pro $70
Syncback SE $30 Pro $50 (and free earlier version)
EMC Retrospect Express HD $50 and for Windows 7.6 $120 (formerly Dantz)
Super Flexible File Synchronizer - Standard $35, Prof, $60 (before DC discount) -- (added 3/23)

  Of note as Imaging programs that also have standard file backup as well.
 
Macrium Reflect - $40
Paragon Drive Backup - $40 (not on Express free)

  Any reports as to how robust as a file backup (not image, which we know is their main point) tool ?

  Also loooking uphill, is the EMC Retrospect Express strong enough ?  It might make the most sense for somebody working with background both at home and corporate, getting the feel of it as a home program.  Dantz always had a good rep, except for the price point position problem .  I think this Express thing is pretty new.

All this is one area where a lot of folks might prefer a paid program and they tend to be mildly pricey (the reason I am including $ and why the Bits Special is especially interesting).  There are also a few more that might be in the same tier, or close. (e.g. NTI Backup $70, Fileback PC $55, FileStream TurboBackup $50, Second Copy $30, AIS Backup $38) . Those received some positive notices, there are a dozen or three more of mild interest.

Note this little Retrospect $40 thing .. is the demo the full program on 30-day ? Dunno.
http://my.smithmicro...etrospect/trial.html
Strange.  They gonna push the price up for you if you take the demo ?? Amazing with all the marketeers.

And some freewares that might be of interest.

Comodo, Karen's Replicator, Cobian, Idlebackup, JaBack, Amanda and Backup PC (open source, network-oriented)
Added 3/23/09
DataSafe (Sofgem), RKopie, FBackup (Softland), BackupTime (Cezeo), Toucan (PortableApps)

Worthy of mention is DSynchronize (even though Sync oriented) from Dmitrios of DtaskManager, he also has HDHacker for backing up or mucking up (or fixing or viewing) the MBR and book sectors.

SyncBack Freeware V3.2.19.0 (current version 5.4)
http://www.2brightsp...nloads.html#freeware

Drive Backup 9.0 Express - Paragon free version
http://www.paragon-s...com/home/db-express/

Feel free to add or subtract from these lists.

Not getting involved in Image and Clone and Sync and Versioning stuff here.  Oh, Backup4All Lite and Macriium and  Ez-BackItUp are four that made it to Giveaway of the Day.

Notice that Genie has a real problem mentioned in Wilders.
http://www.wildersse...ghlight=genie+backup
Genie backup manager Home
This is a definite deal-breaker for Genie, if I read that properly and it is still true.  To spend a bunch extra to backup open files is really nonsense, essentially if the backup can be done -- it should be in the basic product.  Charging extra for imaging and cloning, fine, its a different function. Conceivably for registry and boot record type stuff, since you don't need that on a normal backup (especially if you view a crash as the providential call to reinstall the OS).  Not for open files.

(3/23 addition - problem resolved version

Shalom,
Steven Avery

PS
Moved out of the top section to a footnote, multi-branded software without a forum or much in the way of user-developer anything, even making it to GAOTD under multi-names.

Titan Backup
East-tec  - essentially the same software.

Titan Backup 1.5 free and then 2.5 (current) at half-price.
http://www.askvg.com...kup-absolutely-free/
[Giveaway] Get FULL License of Titan Backup Absolutely FREE - Tweaking with Vishal

And East-tec is in one of the Brit mags this month, didn't check which one, version, etc, saw it tonight. Bladed Thoth of GiveawayoftheDay reviews indicates that it is a Titan clone, same #s and everything. These East-tecs and Titans may still have 4Gig file limits, maybe a zip thing.

Same type of situation with the next.
These apparently related and mediocre programs may have all made it to GAOTD.

Backup Expert Oct 9th 07 - http://www.giveawayo...y.com/backup-expert/ - $29.95
DoubleSafety 4.1 Oct 29th 07 -GAOTD - $39.95
Document Backup

[Josh]

This is a definite deal-breaker for Genie, if I read that properly and it is still true.  To spend a bunch extra to backup open files is really nonsense, essentially if the backup can be done -- it should be in the basic product.

-Steven Avery (March 22, 2009, 08:03 PM)

This was incorporated with v8. Lots of customers complained and it is now standard in the package.

[Steven Avery]

Thanks, Josh.

Here are the DonationCoder discounts on backup software.

Backup 4 All Professional - 30%
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=8775.0

Super Flexible File Synchronizer - 30%
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=8409.0
Standard $35, Prof, $60 (before discount)
(I had omitted this above because of the Synch orientation, users can indicate whether if functions fully and strongly as a pure backup software.)

Genie's has expired.

Shalom,
Steven

[tomos]

Super Flexible File Synchronizer - 30%
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=8409.0
Standard $35, Prof, $60 (before discount)
(I had omitted this above because of the Synch orientation, users can indicate whether if functions fully and strongly as a pure backup software.)

-Steven Avery (March 22, 2009, 08:24 PM)

Yes, it "functions fully and strongly as a pure backup software"

[Steven Avery]

Hi Folks,

Thanks, that would make Backup4all Prof, SuperFlexible and TK8 (tomorrow) especially interesting from the savings perspective.  Comparisons, strengths and weaknesses, would be welcome, especially the lacks in TK8 (considering it is less known, and the discount is big, the price is a few Starbucks items, and only a one day tomorrow discount).

SuperFlexible and Macrium Reflect added above, also the Titan special.  And I added a bunch more to the freeware above (trying to only include those with some real value, although a couple might be too much ease-of-use without strength I tried to cull out nothing programs and those expired that never went far.).

The same "fully and strongly" question might apply to DSynchronize, especially as I am impressed with Dmitrio's DTaskMaster and both are fully freeware.  Anybody use it for backup ?

Shalom,
Steven Avery

[nosh]

TK8 gets a big  from me. I just tried it out of curiosity and the first thing it does is give me stupid messages like:

   

Would you trust a backup program that gets thrown by a different date format?

Also I couldn't find any obvious way to backup parts of the registry (I suspect there isn't any, a search for 'registry' in the help file got me zilch). This is a big downside for me.

Deciding between a novice program like TK8 and a tried and tested app like Genie, for something as critical as backup, is a no-brainer.

<rant> I have nothing against .NET stuff per se, I'm trying to pick some C# up myself - but a good portion of the .NET based apps I have tried so far are quite disappointing. I hate the flickery controls that give the impression that all the GUI elements are tied together by bits of rubber-band and a lot of these programs throw exceptions in my face, which from an end user's POV, sucks! Hopefully, this is just sub-standard code (like I hope to churn out someday. ). </rant>

[Curt]

...stupid messages..:

[ Invalid Attachment ]

Would you trust a backup program that gets thrown by a different date format?

-nosh (March 23, 2009, 04:38 AM)

This problem is double stupid, because the date format you show is the only date format that makes perfect sense, for archiving.