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Paragon System Backup 2010 Release Candidate (free)

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MilesAhead:
They used to give away Express versions.  Don't know if they stopped it.  The Express versions were the same as Personal but without the folder exclusion and file backup features(just does a complete system image backup.)  But for disaster recovery that ain't bad.  Maybe too many people were doing the Express?  They even had a 64 bit Vista version of Express.

With XP you are probably ok doing the backup capsule esp. if you can find some way to back up your MBR.  There should be some utilities on the web if you search.  They just back up your MBR to a USB key with a program to write it back to your drive.

Before you depend on any backup imaging software make sure the disaster recovery boot CD recognizes your drive.  It's a really unpleasant surprise when you assume it will work only to find out not.  My HP quad core PC is essentially the same as my Vista dual core that I've restored with Paragon a bunch of times.  So I assumed the 64 bit express would work on the new machine(makes the same Linux disaster recovery CD.)  But because HP/AMD decided for some weird reason to stick a fake raid drive in this thing, no joy!!  If you can afford to risk it, the best thing is to actually hose your system and restore it. Then you know it works for sure!!! (say if for example you know the factory system restore discs work or you have Vista install DVD or whatever.)

cmpm:
Yeah, there is a few mbr backup tools that do just the mbr.
Googling 'backup mbr' reveals some simple ones that will work.

Here's the free drive backup.

http://www.paragon-software.com/home/db-express/features.html

It doesn't say about the mbr, but it does on the paid for upgraded version.

Acronis does the mbr, I would think, because with a full restore it erases everything on the primary to restore it's backup.

Now this Paragon System Restore deal, deletes everything as well and restores from it's file. so I would say the mbr is in there. Just guessing, and the fact that a restore deleted all my current c drive and restored to the date of the backup.

Anyway, no, it's not and shouldn't be an only solution for backup. I don't think any program can be that reliable.
Any of them could fail I suppose.....

MilesAhead:
The thing is, I restored from backup with Paragon and it still didn't fix the MBR.  Of course nobody wants to hose their system just to test the fix.  But, when I bought the first image backup, which was Paragon, I had just been hit by malware that deleted my C: partition.  So at that point I didnt have much to lose.  I put XP Pro and about 1/2 dozen programs on so I could tell if they worked the same after a restore.  I deleted my C: partition, booted the restore CD and laid the saved image on.  Everything was great.  Trouble is you don't know if it will recognize your drive until the moment of truth.  If you have a busted system, that's your chance to try out the various image backup programs.  One thing I definitely didn't like about Paragon is the Personal and Pro versions you can download, don't give a real trial version.  They just give a demo.  Macrium had a time-limited but otherwise fully enabled trial version.  I backed up my system and restored it, verifying it actually worked, before shelling out the $$$  :Thmbsup:

cmpm:
So far I haven't paid for any back up programs.
I have a couple of gigs of ms system restore on for c drive.
Using Paragon System backup, and was using seagates backup thing, that came with the usb. But that got annoying.

Basically though, I keep my downloads, my docs and emails backed up in case of a melt down.

Had trouble with my mbr before paragon and tried the 'fix mbr' deal, but it didn't work, so that was a reformat.

So I don't know if it would fix an mbr problem......yet.
Don't really want to try at this point.
At least till I get my other computer back.
Then I might test it on this one.

I gave my test computer to my sister-in-law,
who's emachine died....as they do.  ;)

Carol Haynes:
If you just want to test this stuff why not do it in a virtual machine - the worse that can happen then is that the drive file gets killed and you can delete that!

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