Author Topic: Acronis now does backup of individual files/folders (Read 26269 times)

j2callie · « **on:** April 20, 2006, 01:19 AM »

I got here by way of the mention in Gizmo's newsletter and then went browsing around --found the Reviews and an article about Backup (thanks, nice review). Clicked on the link to the recommended imaging software and found out their latest version now has document backup as well.

http://www.acronis.c.../products/trueimage/

Now if only they had a member discount .... maybe you should review the review and move them up the list. ??

Callie

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #1 on:** April 20, 2006, 04:07 AM »

Thanks for pointing that out and welcome.

Have to say though if you want file level backup Acronis isn't the software you want as it has extremely basic and limited functionality. I use Acronis for partition level backup and there it works fine.

Have a look at Genie Backup Manager Pro if you want to do file level backup or even Windows Backup (included for free with Windows 200/XP) which has far better functionality than Acronis.

There is a 50% discount for site members on Genie Backup Pro, you can read a review here

f0dder · « **Reply #2 on:** April 20, 2006, 04:16 AM »

Acronis has had file-level backup for a while... and I agree with Carol that it's pretty basic. If it only didn't sometimes confuse what to include in an incremental backup, it would suit my needs perfectly though (but it doesn't, and thus sometimes a daily incremental backup is a couple of gigabytes - ouch.)

superboyac · « **Reply #3 on:** June 08, 2006, 10:58 AM »

I have a question:

I want to keep files and folders backup up, BUT I don't want to keep it in some sort of image format or archived format. I want the files and folders to appear exactly the same on the backup drive as the orginal drive, so that when I take the backup drive somewhere else, the files can be accessed just like normal. I guess what I'm asking for is file synchronization between drives. It sounds like Acronis doesn't do this, but does Genie do it?

mouser · « **Reply #4 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:01 AM »

superboyac, almost no "backup" programs do this.
what you want is a synchronization program.
there are some that have been recommended before, though i'm not familiar with them.

back to acronis:
actually i dont care about file level backup in an imaging program, but what i would LOVE is the ability to make a drive image except specify certain folders to IGNORE. when are we going to get that feature??

superboyac · « **Reply #5 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:13 AM »

THanks mouser...follow up question:

Is it bad to do it the way I am saying? What is the disadvantage of synchronization vs backup?

mouser · « **Reply #6 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:47 AM »

there are pros and cons to making a synchronized copied compared to standard backup. others can add to this list if they think of stuff i haven't mentioned.

pro:
synchronized copy is much easier to access the data - no special software needed. easier to search etc.

cons:
no compression, so it takes much more space.
no chance of doing versioned backup of files (where you keep multiple copies of a file as it changes, so you can roll back to previous version); this is a big one for me.
takes up tens of thousands of files, as opposed to just one file for a compressed backup, which can be told to split into dvd sized chunks.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #7 on:** June 08, 2006, 11:59 AM »

Biggest one is any problems will be duplicated along when synchronised so you have no way back!

superboyac · « **Reply #8 on:** June 08, 2006, 12:03 PM »

Thank you mouser, sounds like synchronization is the solution for me. Independant access to the data on the backup drive is very important to me. Compressions, versioned backup is not an issue because space is not an issue for me (yet, especially with the enormous drives right now, I'm not doing video or anything big like that), and my data isn't the kind where I'd ever need to roll back to an earlier version.

Carol: when you say "problems", what do you mean by that? Like viruses?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #9 on:** June 08, 2006, 12:17 PM »

You will duplicate any nasties (like viruses etc) but also if you have a corrupted file that windows hasn't reported (not uncommon) it will be duplicated removing the only good copy you have! I have had this problem a number of times when I have discovered that a backup contains files of 0 bytes. Luckily old (even ancient) backups have meant I can find copies.

f0dder · « **Reply #10 on:** June 08, 2006, 12:20 PM »

Also, file syncronization tends to be slower, especially if you have lots of small files, because of the overhead of managing filesystem information. With Acronis, you get image files that you can mount as if it was a (read-only) drive. I still don't recommend acronis for file-level backup, though.

mouser: a disk-image program supporting exclusions? That wouldn't be imaging then (imaging tends to read sector-by-sector).

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #11 on:** June 08, 2006, 03:46 PM »

It is quite common for imaging software to exclude the page file and hibernation file since the contents of these are not used when the system starts normally.

JeffK · « **Reply #12 on:** June 08, 2006, 05:08 PM »

While noting the reservations posted above, if you do want a sychronisation program, you could try syncbaseSE.

Jeff

Armando · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2006, 02:48 PM »

Hello.

I know this thread has been dead for a while, but I wanted to add my experience.

I have been using SyncBackSE for more than a year now, and I find it much better and more reliable than any other backup solution. SyncBackSE is not only a synchronization program: it's a backup (incremental or whatever you want) solution AND a synchronization solution.

I've been able to do everything that Genie does and more. Like, for instance, ignoring files that have/have not been modified/created within a certain range of time; I've never been able to do that with Genie Backup -- and there are lots of other options you don't have in Genie Backup. So, I really wonder why SyncBackSE didn't figure in the backup software review. In my opinion, it's really the best.

Z.

PS: I use True Image for full backups, and SyncBackSE for synchronization and incremental backups. I backup to three different hard drives : one internal, and two externals. Never lost one single file... I can't afford to lose anything : everything, and I mean *everything* is on my computer (except for my girlfriend).

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2006, 03:06 PM »

I have just discovered "Iomega Automatic Backup Pro" which is actually a free download from the Iomega website. You have to register with the site to download it.

Basically you can set it up to backup a set of files/folders you choose. Initially it backs up the complete set once and then does incremental backups according to a schedule or manually. One of the schedules is 'as files change' so effectively it backs up a file everytime it changes content (if that is what you want) and allows versioning of files. By default it saves 5 versions of files before it discards the oldest backup but you can set that from 1 version to inifinite versions.

You can also set it to backup multiple sets to different locations and with different schedules.

For a freebie it seems pretty neat - and transparent in use.

The only things lacking are compression and the ability to backup files locked by other processes - but for normal 'My Documents' type data files it works really well and worth giving a whirl.

I have also just got a new Seagate external USB drive (the the one press backup button). This seems to work quite neatly and can be scheduled. The Pro version o the software (a $39 upgrade after a $10 discount when you register the express version supplied) allows versioning. But again there is no compression of data. Having said that a single press button is a neat way to backup (one is running as I type) with the option of 'verify' and 'shutdown when finished' it is quite neat - and the drive appears well built (it is a 400Gb Barracuda ATA with 16Mb cache - it comes in USB 2 format and also a combi USB2/Firewire version and comes supplied with BounceBack*** Express backup software and a set of Seagate tools for setting up and maintaining hard drives - the drives come preformatted and ready to use in FAT32 with a DC power adapter including leads for US and UK sockets. I only bought one because I was looking for an offline backup solution that didn't involve burning DVDs too often and Maplin, the UK equivalent of Tandy, had then on very reduced special offer - much cheaper than a bare OEM Barracuda drive! So far I am impressed).

*** See my followup below about BounceBack - avoid!

mwb1100 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 21, 2006, 06:02 PM »

I have also just got a new Seagate external USB drive (the the one press backup button).
-Carol Haynes (August 21, 2006, 03:06 PM)

I've been curious about something with these one button backup drives - can you configure what get's run when the button is pressed, or is it hard-wired to run the bundled backup program?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #16 on:** August 22, 2006, 08:27 AM »

The Seagate drive is hardwired - but you can upgrade their software and use the Pro version (which looks pretty good).

JavaJones · « **Reply #17 on:** September 28, 2006, 11:06 PM »

The free Cobian Backup can do some pretty decent backup as well as sync-type stuff. I don't think it stacks up against the commercial apps in some respects, but in other areas it seems to have been ahead for a while at least (like FTP backup, in either direction). Worth a look for a decent free app anyway:
http://www.educ.umu....ian/cobianbackup.htm

- Oshyan

tomos · « **Reply #18 on:** September 29, 2006, 02:55 AM »

I have just discovered "Iomega Automatic Backup Pro" ...
... The only things lacking are compression and the ability to backup files locked by other processes - but for normal 'My Documents' type data files it works really well and worth giving a whirl.
-Carol Haynes (August 21, 2006, 03:06 PM)

been trying this out (Iomega Automatic Backup pro):
it does actually give an option to compress (Edit>Advanced Tab:)
I just tried a test backup of 41MB of files & backup is listed as 20MB

It does crash on my computer when i restart after being in hibernation

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #19 on:** September 29, 2006, 04:29 AM »

The Seagate drive is hardwired - but you can upgrade their software and use the Pro version (which looks pretty good).
-Carol Haynes (August 22, 2006, 08:27 AM)

Follow up - I have given up completely on the backup software provided with the Seagate drive. I upgraded to the Pro version as that also supported imaging but in order to restore an image you need a restore boot CD. I ordered one but it is useless. Crap command line Linux interface, it doesn't work with my hardware (not even the Seagate drive which is why I upgraded) particularly my RAID array (it won't even boot if that is enabled). I exchanged a number of emails with their technical support which waas pretty crap - basically it was my fault or my hardware's fault - not theirs. They refused a refund on the Pro upgrade (since it doesn't actually manage to do anything that the free version doesn't) - which is against UK law (as I understand it if a compnay is trading in another country's market they are bound by the law of that country ... though how you enforce that I don't know).

My advice avoice CMS products altogether and in particular BounceBack Pro.

The other irritating thing was that when I uninstalled it it didn't completely uninstall and left a device driver still trying to load (and failing) every startup. At first I thought it was something to do with the Seagate single button backup - but even when the drive was unplugged it still caused problems. In the end I had to track down the device in the registry and remove it manually.

JavaJones · « **Reply #20 on:** September 29, 2006, 07:35 PM »

I've experienced a lot of crashes and general instability with Iomega data software, from backup to CD burning. I'm interested in revisiting the Iomega sync app if it's improved, but it sounds like perhaps not. Anyone else playing with this? A nice and simple "as needed" (as files changes) backup app would be nice.

- Oshyan

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #21 on:** September 30, 2006, 09:25 AM »

I was running the current version of Iomega Automatic Backup Pro for some weeks without any crashes or issues. I haven#'t tried their burning software though.

By the way IABP also does imaging backups and has an ISO for the restore disc included in the download.

JavaJones · « **Reply #22 on:** September 30, 2006, 02:44 PM »

Cool, I'll check it out then. Thanks.

- Oshyan