Best Backup Software?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nymphetamine
  • Start date Start date
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Nymphetamine

I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.

Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?

Thanks!
 
Nymphetamine said:
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.

Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Backup programs that are currently nominated for this groups Pricelessware
designation can be found at
http://www.pricelessware.org/2004/PL2004SYSTEMUTILITIES.htm#BackupFiles
 
On 30 Nov 2003, Nymphetamine wrote
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.
Click to expand...

What are the pros and cons of the .qic format? The reason I'm curious
is that I've been using Backup MY PC -- choosing no compression, but
backing up to .qic files -- since for me, using the format isn't in
itself a problem. (It's a standalone PC, and if everything collapsed
and I needed to rely on the disks I've burned, I'd be using a new
machine on which I can install Backup My PC.)

But I've always been a bit uneasy that .qic files aren't directly
readable in Windows -- that one needs software to translate the format.

So the short question is: does using .qic put data at any risk (or is
avoiding it purely an issue of convenience for transferring to machines
without suitable software)?
 
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George Richards said:
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.

Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Backup programs that are currently nominated for this groups Pricelessware
designation can be found at
http://www.pricelessware.org/2004/PL2004SYSTEMUTILITIES.htm#BackupFiles
 
Harvey Van Sickle said:
On 30 Nov 2003, Nymphetamine wrote


What are the pros and cons of the .qic format?
Click to expand...

I don't like it for 2 reasons - You need to restore when you want
access to the backups, and you need the program to open it.
 
I don't like it for 2 reasons - You need to restore when you want
access to the backups, and you need the program to open it.
Click to expand...

I find those remarks sort of amazing. I've used a previous
generation of the Stomp software, which was provided with my
Seagate tape drive. Since the software is nearly identical,
I assume the tape-drive backup also wrote a QIC file, but I
never knew it 'til I read it here. I still find it
completely unsignificant, since the Backup/Restore software
makes it transparent to the user.

I can't imagine a better way to restore than to use the
"Restore" option in the backup software. It gives you a
directory of the backup contents in a similar format to the
one Windows gives you for a directory on your hard disk.
When you select the file(s) you want to restore, it gives
you direct access to them.

Why would anyone want to restore any other way? Why should
anyone care that the backup is in QIC format or any other
transparent format?
 
(e-mail address removed) (Nymphetamine) wrote in
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.

Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?
Click to expand...

Try this.

http://home.hccnet.nl/s.j.francke/rkopie/rkopie.htm
 
Bob Cunningham said:
Why would anyone want to restore any other way? Why should
anyone care that the backup is in QIC format or any other
transparent format?
Click to expand...

I already explained why:

1) If your backup software fails, your backup files are inaccessible.

2) If you just want access to one file inside a deep directory from a
huge .qic file, its clearly an inconvenient process, unlike if there
was just a straight copy.
 
Bob said:
[...] also wrote a QIC file, but I
never knew it 'til I read it here. I still find it
completely unsignificant, since the Backup/Restore software
makes it transparent to the user.
Click to expand...
There might be a slight difference it what people understand, if talking
of transparent ...
Why would anyone want to restore any other way?
Click to expand...
Maybe you get the backup medias, but there is no software (free available)?
Maybe the software does not support the OS (version) you want to use?
Why should
anyone care that the backup is in QIC format or any other
transparent format?
Click to expand...
Maybe some people want to be an unrestricted owner of their date?
 
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.

Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.

Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?
Click to expand...

Good luck! I have never found a truly satisfactory backup program that's
convenient to use. My fave is Cobain, but it's far from perfect.

If Freeware authors want a great backup program to aspire to, this Shareware
program is the absolute bomb:

Second Copy 2000 at http://www.centered.com/

It's as simple or as complex as one could want, is small and portable. Fits
on a FDD.

Bob
 
I'm going to release version 2.0 real-soon-now-really (tm). It's very
simple, and does exactly what it's supposed to do: backup or synchronise
directories.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, and I think it needs auto backup scheduling for each job. :)

Bob
 
Bob Adkins said:
Oh yes, and I think it needs auto backup scheduling for each job. :)
Click to expand...

Does it have the ability to auto-eject a tape at the end of a job (for the
drives that will handle eject's)?

I've not (yet) looked at the app.

Jim
 
Nymphetamine wrote::
Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?
Click to expand...
I do use a script-combination of tar, mkisofs, cdrecord (and grep) for
multivolume CD-Backups.
They are all free and command line oriented, so I can customize them
(scheduling, incremental, ...).

Bernd
 
It's in version 2, along with a few other things, e.g. auto-verify,
simulated runs, etc. Once I finish the help file, it will be on the site.
Probably one week from now.

Thanks
 
It's in version 2, along with a few other things, e.g. auto-verify,
simulated runs, etc. Once I finish the help file, it will be on the site.
Probably one week from now.
Click to expand...

Be sure to announce it here! :)

Bob
 
(e-mail address removed) (Nymphetamine) wrote:
Click to expand...
I have Bounceback Express but I wanted something better, and everyone
recomended Stomp Backup My PC so I tried that.
Click to expand...
Stomp backs up to a .qic file, something I find very inconvenient.
Click to expand...
Whats the best software for "real" back ups, no compression or
converting to a file, just copying all the files to a different
location with real-time updating?
Click to expand...

Xxcopy!

http://www.xxcopy.com/

You can achieve your goal with xcopy that comes with Windows and a
small batch file.

xcopy /s/e/v/d c:\*.* f:\

The d switch allows for only copying files newer than the backup file
date.

Xxcopy is far superior though.

~245k with the 16 bit executable that you probably don't need.
 
ALL backup, as opposed to drive image, programs use a special format, be it
QIC or otherwise.
QIC format is based on tape technology and is, to be polite, brain dead
compared to disk based backup formats, such as those used by Dantz
Retrospect and other more modern backup programs.
 
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