Suggestions please for backup programme?

One thing that Acronis allows is the creation of an untouchable partition that can store the backup so assuming it's just the OS that's lost (or messed up) and not an HDD failure, you can simply reboot, hit F12 (or one of the F keys) and start the recovery process. It then boots into a DOS flavor and restores the backup.

So, what I did is install XP and Office 2003 and all the required patches from scratch and set all my setting the way I want it. I then activated it with Microsoft. Then I installed Acronis, cleaned up the disk using Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmentator and then did a full backup putting the files in the Acronis created safe zone.

Once that's done, I then just continued downloading and adding my trading/Adobe/Anti Spyware etc. software.

Now, when it's time to do a gut/replace, I backup the entire HDD just in case, and move that file off the PC, then reboot and do the F12. In under 10 minutes, the entire OS is restored with a totally clean version. I then get whatever patches have been released since (the OS has already been activated and the files that provide the activation are there from the restoration), then add the newest versions of the software I use.

Works perfectly for me and saves me TONS of time for not having to install XP and Office each time I do a gut/reinstall.

Highly highly recommend Acronis True Image.
 
Quote from David_IT777:

Suggestions please for backup programme to use on 2 PCs.
Both PCs have CD/DVD drives.

I want to backup both desktop and laptop pc's onto the same DVD+RW disk and add incrementals weekly or so.

Must be able to add data to the same disk but backing up from 2 pc's and obviously restore to both pc's if necessary. Also, I need Vista Support.

Thanks!
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don't bother with backups. THis is the old way of doing things.

For your DT, the best way is to have a redundant HD, running a mirror image in real time. (RAID 1)

Facts about Backups:
1. people are lazy animals. you will diligently perform your back up for about 3 days, then you will find it too troublesome.
2. back ups are never safe. Many experienced people will tell you that when they need a restore, the back up (tape, disk, or whatever) will submit to the murphy's law -- they fail to restore when you needed it most.
3. incremental back ups are the worst idea. They never work. Don't even try.
 
RAID 1 is fine unless you have a huge power spike (and discover the hard way that your UPS/surge protector doesn't work), a fire, or a pipe bursts and fries your PC.

For offsite backups I use mozy, I previously used systemrecovery.com but then I had a problem connecting to their server (they had a server failure to start the problem) and their tech support took 3 days to respond with "what problem?" then never responded again.
Mozy is free for under 2 GB, $5 a month for unlimited. Definitely worth it.

I use norton ghost with incremental backups not as a system failure recovery tool but to be able to retrieve files I deleted by accident, or my tws audit log from last month (if I somehow needed it).
 
I am using Stellar InstaBackup for my PC

InstaBackup is very useful software for backing up and protecting valuable data. This software simplifies the process of data backup and is a powerful solution for both business and personal needs. It can also be used both in a networking environment and on a single machine. Although the software is easy to use, a number of advanced options such as Full / Incremental backups, strong File Encryption, and Zip Compression are also available. The software has a simple graphical user interface, requires no prior knowledge of data backup, and is a comprehensive data protection solution for all Windows File Systems.

Prevention is better than cure. If we don't take regular backup the it can result in data lost. Although data can be recovered by using data recovery software. But the software cannot recovers those data which get corrupted and overwritten.
 
Quote from littletwig:

Acronis and Retrospect. Acronis definitely has the better user-interface, but both are very quick, very reliable, and used in large corporations (read, accepted, well-established product!). HTH.
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I have already mentioned this in another thread.
I am using (have been using) Retrospect and it hangs after Norton Security installed on my computer a file that can not be copied. The SW is not reliable if it hangs due to one file that can not be copied.
And no support to resolve the problem.
 
Casper XP 4.0 is also very good. It makes a clone of your operating HD. After the original cloning, updates are incremental and take only about 1 minute or less.
 
Thank you for sharing your experience.

Just a summary of the most frequently mentioned tools.

Acronis
www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/features-storage-media.html

Casper 4
http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/features.aspx

Paragon drive backup
http://www.fssdev.com/products/casper/features.aspx

Also comparing the products I have noticed that Acronis has a bit more flexibility as compared to Casper. Casper is more for cloning. Acronis can be used also to backup separate files. Am I correct ?

All products have trial versions. May be I will start with Acronis.
 
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