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Best Data Backup Software/Solution?


sonu27

Best Data Backup Software, for home users?  

24 members have voted

  1. 1. Best Data Backup Software, for home users?

    • Genie Backup Manager Home v7.0
      1
    • Acronis True Image Home v10
      11
    • NTI Backup NOW! Deluxe Suite
      0
    • PowerBackup
      0
    • Norton Ghost
      6
    • AISBackup
      0
    • Other
      6


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I recently bought a Western Digital My Book 250GB Essential USB 2.0 External Hard Drive from Amazon.co.uk. So, I want to find out the best data backup software or solution available.

I believe it is out of Genie Backup Manager Home v7.0 and Acronis True Image Home v10, hence, the reason why I have added the latest versions in the poll. We are comparing home versions only for these to products to make it fair.

Here are some good comparisons of all the leading backup software products and reviews for each.

Here: toptenreviews.com

Now, I would like your opinion on which is best.

Hompage: Genie Backup Manager Home v7.0 | Acronis True Image Home v10

P.S. Is it possible to make this pinned?

Edited by sonu27
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You can always set up a batch file with XCopy, to copy all critical data files to your backup HD. That's quick and inexpensive and requires NO additional software above what's already included with Windows.

Now, if you want a complete Image of your C: drive, that's a bit more complex.

I've been using Ghost since 1996 when I used it in a shop environment to clone customers HD's.

Now for several years I've been using Ghost, after being bought by Norton/Symantec. I'm still using

Ghost 2003 on a boot floppy or CD to do all my Backup Image creation.

My customized Ghost Boot Disk operates in DOS (Windows ME DOS) and even though DOS cannot see the files on a NTFS drive, Ghost can and will back them up to any other partition, second internal HD or to a DVD burner.

For a 5 minute backup, I let Ghost 2003 burn it's compressed image file to my second HD.

For a more permanent backup I let Ghost burn it's image file to a DVD and put the info from the floppy disk on the DVD, making it boot right into my Custom ghost menu.

Once a Ghost Image file is created on my internal HD, it can easily be copied to a DVD or external storage device, if I so choose.

It's a fabulous system and I use it several times a week to backup my own system, and I also use it to make Restore Disks (DVD's) for my friends and customers. My Ghost Boot Disk will allow me to do Ghost backups on most any computer, with any OS all the way back to DOS.

FYI, I tried Acronis True Image 9, and found it worked, to a point, but left much to be desired, lacking much of the functionality of Ghost. I've since removed it from my PC.

So, my unqualified vote goes out to Ghost 2003.

Cheers!

Andromeda43 B)

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Your top ten review link is to a site that rates software by how much the companies pay them. Either by ‘sponsor’ fees or commission on a sale. So it’s not an unbiased review and should in no way be taken as such.

I can’t vouch for Genie, but Acronis is still the new kid on the block and while it is getting better, I still would not trust it with my data. Besides, it’s bloated and over priced for the feature set it offers.

For an affordable home solution it’s either Ghost or Paragon I’ve used both for several years, but mostly now I go with Paragon for its ease of use and speed. They were awarded a Microsoft Gold Certificate a couple of yeas ago. I’ll eat my hat when Acronis gets one.

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But I have always been reluctant to try Norton or Symantec products

I'm sorry, did I forget to mention (again) that Norton/Symantec did not write the original code for Ghost.

It was written by "Ghostsoft, Inc." in the mid 90's and was only bought by Norton/Symantec years later.

Ghost 2003 is almost exactly like the DOS version I was using in 1996, with only a few compatibility enhancements.

Don't install the whole GUI package on your HD though. All you need to run Ghost 2003 is "Ghost.exe" and "Mouse.com" on a DOS boot disk. Other files are optional.

My custom Ghost boot disk uses a Ansi Color menu and batch files to clean out several areas of the HD (on FAT-32 drives only) before running Ghost. Here's my boot disk menu.

*********************************************************

1. Run Ghost to make a new image. (Windows XP Only)

This program will delete all temp files, cookies, histories, etc.

The Cleanup works only on a FAT-32 partition.

2. Run Ghost

This program runs Ghost alone, with NO cleanup being done.

Use this version to do Ghost Restores or Ghost image without cleanup.

You must use this option on any NTFS partition.

3. Run Ghost on Windows 98 or ME (del's the Swapfile and all temp's, etc.)

4. Delete all Restore points (Windows XP. Works on FAT-32 partition only)

5. Delete Windows "Pagefile" (Windows XP. Works on FAT-32 partitions only)

6. Remove all the old Restore files in Windows ME.

(Revised 12-17-06)

Type in a number at the DOS Prompt and press ENTER.

*********************************************

As I stated earlier, I can use this boot disk to back up any computer formatted with a MS OS,

within the last 16 years.

I have this latest version on both floppy disk and CD, for the greatest compatibility.

I've recently even put it on a bootable flash drive. :thumbup

Cheers mates!

Andromeda43 B)

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for backing up simple data/programs with the option to save its own registry entries...I go with Genie...for complete HDD or Partition I use True Image Server...I use to be a fan of Ghost...which in my opinion Ghost 2003 was the best of all of them...before they screwed it up with Drive Image Software.

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Acronis has TrueImage version 7 for free.

:thumbup

Thank 4 that ! It work.

Also,I work as a PC technician, and I know that acronis is better than ghost. Norton ghost make some erros in image. I have never seen Acronis made a error.

Also Acronis, make a bit and not bytes copy of the partition/hardrive.

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I have the full version of Paragon Partition Manager 8.0 on a DVD I got from Computer Shopper latest edition.

It it any good?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And on the DVD is a trial for Acronis True Image Home v10. That's s how I heard about it.

Does anyone use the latest version here?

I was about to install it, then ZoneAlarm said it was going to install a service so I cancled it. LOL

I would like to know, if the service stays on all the time, or only when you run the program?

Edited by sonu27
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I assume you mean Acronis sonu27? It’s been a couple of versions since I played with Acronis and I do remember that it messed with things it should never be touching in my computer, but I can’t remember what it was. It was only on a test machine so I wasn’t really paying much attention to that side of things. I have however often seen Acronis listed as a running process in the HiJackThis logs of other people, so my guess would be yes, it runs all the time.

I have not upgraded to PM8 yet, but it would be a worrying development indeed if it now wanted to install a service. Not usually how PM operates.

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Yeah I meant Acronis, are you sure the latest version has got a service running all the time, even when the program is not in use.

I'm getting pretty p***ed with the diskeeper service.

BTW, is Paragon Partition Manager 8.0 any good?

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If I get the time today or tomorrow I'll give Acronis V10 a try. Partition Manager is the best - period. You can't however create backup images with it, only clones. If you have a spare partition, primary or logical, on any drive, you could use a clone as your back up. Just clone it back to your main partition if need be. This is how I always do things myself and seldom bother with images any more. It's much quicker, takes about 2 mins for me to clone my XP install - although it is stripped down with no personal data in it. If you multiboot you can boot into the backup clone now and again and keep it updated. I in fact run nothing but clones of a clean and updated master install of Windows. A clone only lasts me a few weeks before I boot into the next one. Once I've trashed 4 or 5 I just set PM to make me 4 or 5 new clones while I put the kettle on.

Edit:

Holy Moly, just downloaded trial of v10. It's a 101mb! That's an Operating System in my book.

Was going to give it a quick look but it needs to connect to register before it will install the trial. No way I'm putting it on anything other than a test machine, and I've got none net connected at the mo. I'll sort it later.

Edited by McTavish
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I agree fully with Andromeda43

Ghost is real winner function wise. It can back up hd irrespective of whether it can read the file system or not. It comes in handy when you want to back up non FAT partitions, even linux. A single file does the magic which other programs fail to do so.

Moreover ghost explorer gives the ease of extracting file /files much like explorer.

What else you need from a progrmam which can run of any media, even a floppy is more than enough for it.

Also speed wise (which includes great compression feature) ghost is great!

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