Best Backup Software?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nymphetamine
  • Start date Start date
"Howard Kaikow" <[email protected]> wrote:
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...

Xcopy and xxcopy simply copy files. There is no special format here.
Some GUI backup simply copy files with the option to zip the backup
set.

Drive images are a special format aren't they?
 
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...

Someone already recommended looking at the Pricelessware the nominations
page for backup software. The software that I use, Polder Backup, is on
that list, and I would like to recommend it. You get your choice of zipped
or non-zipped backups, and it can do incremental backups. An incremental
backup is one which only backs up changed or added files after the initial
backup.

For zipped backups, every single file backed up is backed up to its own
zipped file. So a corrupted zip file will only lose the data in that file,
not an entire folder or disk.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

Andy
 
Someone already recommended looking at the Pricelessware the
nominations page for backup software. The software that I use, Polder
Backup, is on that list, and I would like to recommend it. You get
your choice of zipped or non-zipped backups, and it can do incremental
backups. An incremental backup is one which only backs up changed or
added files after the initial backup.

For zipped backups, every single file backed up is backed up to its
own zipped file. So a corrupted zip file will only lose the data in
that file, not an entire folder or disk.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

Andy
Click to expand...

I second Polder Backup. Also, try Cobian Backup v5.
 
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...

I recently fought with BASK again to remember which configuration
would actually do what I wanted to do. I got fed up and looked at
xxcopy.

While this was in several instances also a pain to get to do what I
wanted (if one of its numerous switches conflicts with another, it
doesn't say so, it just doesn't do what you want - or does nothing at
all), it was FAR more flexible than any GUI-based freeware backup tool
I've tried to use.

Mainly the problem with most of these programs is if you have a LOT of
directories you want to back up AND you don't want to back ALL of them
up. Most of the GUI utilities use a "checkbox" approach to selecting
directories to back up. This doesn't work worth a damn when you have
over 1,200 directories to back up. XXcopy on the other hand has a
"directory wild card" feature which allows you to use wildcards to
select select directories - you can also use exclusion lists (which
you can simply edit in a command file) to exclude directories
(unfortunately the exclusion lists do NOT use the wild-card feature).

And since this is a DOS program, it is FAST. It's not expending tons
of CPU cycles going through a Windows library or DLL to put
information on the screen while it's running.

And since it's a command line program, you can easily write a batch
file to run it, which, combined with its own command file capability,
allows you to configure it to do just about anything. Far more
flexible than any GUI utility.

And its 200 or so switches allow you to select and manipulate files
and directories just about any way you can think of.

It's definitely not perfect. But it's more powerful and almost as
easy to use as some of the more powerful freeware backup utilities.

But the best tools I think are on Linux - and they can be used to
backup Windows files as well. Nothing like the selection capability
of regular expressions coupled with the ability to pipe to cdrecord -
which even allows you to specify the burn speed of your CD burner -
something none of the Windows GUI backup utilities can do.

If XXCopy supported regular expressions and piping, it would be
killer. Don't know if you can use it to pipe into the Windows
versions of cdrecord.

I'm exploring some of the GUI front-ends to the Linux backup utilities
now. Perhaps I can figure out a way to use them to backup my Windows
partitions as well as my Linux files - since most of my data right now
is in FAT32 partitions.
 
George Richards said:
Backup programs that are currently nominated for this groups Pricelessware
designation can be found at
http://www.pricelessware.org/2004/PL2004SYSTEMUTILITIES.htm#BackupFiles
Click to expand...

Well I tested every back up program mentioned in this thread, and the
only one that worked for me was one of those at the pricelessware.org
site: Karen's Replicator http://www.karenware.com/

It was the ONLY program that automatically deleted folders from the
destination location that were not in the source location while
backing up the source, thereby creating an exact copy. Excellent
program.
 
Well I tested every back up program mentioned in this thread, and the
only one that worked for me was one of those at the pricelessware.org
site: Karen's Replicator http://www.karenware.com/
Click to expand...
It was the ONLY program that automatically deleted folders from the
destination location that were not in the source location while
backing up the source, thereby creating an exact copy. Excellent
program.
Click to expand...

You obviously didn't check things out properly. XXCopy will do what
you said in the last paragraph with it's /clone command.

Regards, John.

--
****************************************************
,-._|\ (A.C.F FAQ) http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/faq.html
/ Oz \ John Fitzsimons - Melbourne, Australia.
\_,--.x/ http://www.aspects.org.au/index.htm
v http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/
 
John Fitzsimons said:
You obviously didn't check things out properly. XXCopy will do what
you said in the last paragraph with it's /clone command.

Regards, John.
Click to expand...

I didn't even bother with xxcopy because of its /command interface.
 
Richard Steven Hack said:
On 30 Nov 2003 07:40:12 -0800, (e-mail address removed) (Nymphetamine)
wrote:
Click to expand...
I recently fought with BASK again to remember which configuration
would actually do what I wanted to do. I got fed up and looked at
xxcopy.
Click to expand...
<Snip>

Thanks for an informative review.

BillR
 
Somewhat recently there were a few threads that referenced backup software.
I had been keeping those messages for reference and today I reduced the
messages to the basic information. Here it is if you care.

All links valid as of this posting.
================
Cobian Backup v5
http://www2.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cbu5.htm

e-STOR
http://www.e-stor.com

GPbackup
http://www.gpmicro.com

Handy Backup
http://www.handybackup.com

Polder Backup
http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

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

SyncBack
http://www.mjleaver.com/Software/software.htm

Xxcopy
http://www.xxcopy.com
 
(e-mail address removed) (Jim Williamson) stated:
Somewhat recently there were a few threads that referenced
backup software. I had been keeping those messages for reference
and today I reduced the messages to the basic information. Here
it is if you care.

All links valid as of this posting.
================
Cobian Backup v5
http://www2.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cbu5.htm

e-STOR
http://www.e-stor.com

GPbackup
http://www.gpmicro.com

Handy Backup
http://www.handybackup.com

Polder Backup
http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

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

SyncBack
http://www.mjleaver.com/Software/software.htm

Xxcopy
http://www.xxcopy.com
Click to expand...

New group alt.backup-software?

Thanks for cross posting your gathered information!

Appreciated.
 
Somewhat recently there were a few threads that referenced backup software.
I had been keeping those messages for reference and today I reduced the
messages to the basic information. Here it is if you care.

All links valid as of this posting.
================
Cobian Backup v5
http://www2.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cbu5.htm

e-STOR
http://www.e-stor.com

GPbackup
http://www.gpmicro.com

Handy Backup
http://www.handybackup.com

Polder Backup
http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

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

SyncBack
http://www.mjleaver.com/Software/software.htm

Xxcopy
http://www.xxcopy.com
Click to expand...
Not all freeware!
POKO
--
P. Keenan - Webmaster
Web Page Design
Manitoulin Island, Canada
http://manitoulinislandwebdesign.it-mate.co.uk/
(e-mail address removed)
 
Jim Williamson wrote in said:
All links valid as of this posting.
Click to expand...

adding two:

# Back it up! <http://w1.321.telia.com/~u32102551/>

text from website:
<quote>
Back it up! Version 5.1.4.110 1,64 MB Freeware
A backup program. Backup creates ZIP files, mirror functions via copy
or FTP. Several backup sets can be configured. Folders and separate
files can be added to each backup set. For each backup set there's the
option to delete specified files depending on the extension you enter.
For each backup set extension for files that should not be included in
the backup can be specified. Back it up! takes command line arguments
so it can be executed from a batch files for example. Or create
special shortcuts(wizards built in for this).
</quote>


# Autozip <http://www.gene6.com/?page=products&lang=en&sub=3>

from website:
<quote>
G6 AutoZip 0.1 336KB - Create zip archives using current date and
time as name.
</quote>

from <help.txt> in distr.archive:
<quote>
G6 AutoZip is a simple program designed to create zip files using
the currenttime/date as name. Combined to the Windows Task
Manager, you'll be able to archive some specified files
periodically in a different zip file. You can use a configuration
file as parameter or archive some specified files manually.
G6 AutoZip is FREEWARE. If you use it and like it, you can send me an
email ;)
</quote>

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
 
Mark Iceman cross-posted
- Argentum Backup is cheap but good.
Click to expand...

Not freeware, please do not cross-post to alt.comp.freeware
when it is not.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
 
Somewhat recently there were a few threads that referenced backup software.
I had been keeping those messages for reference and today I reduced the
messages to the basic information. Here it is if you care.

All links valid as of this posting.
================
Cobian Backup v5
http://www2.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cbu5.htm

e-STOR
http://www.e-stor.com

GPbackup
http://www.gpmicro.com

Handy Backup
http://www.handybackup.com

Polder Backup
http://www.xs4all.nl/~philippo/PolderBackup.htm

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

SyncBack
http://www.mjleaver.com/Software/software.htm

Xxcopy
http://www.xxcopy.com
Click to expand...

I like using Vice Versa Free. http://tgrmn.com
Darn... they don't appear to have the free version anymore... if anyone
is interested I can upload.
 
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