What software to backup drives? Backing up with Acronis

[itakey]

Is Acronis still a decent hard drive backup tool? I am still using 2014 because I hated the 2015 layout (Not that I like 2014, I loved the old layouts better).

I already know their product has gone down hill, but the 2014 version seems to be decent, but i'm not opposed to trying something else. I tested Macrium Reflect a while back but forget how it compared.

I use it to run incremental backups on my drives. Is there something out there that people like better? Basically need something to create incremental backups, and the ability to extract files from an image, or create a new drive from an image if a drive ever fails.

 

[Railgun]

I've been using acronis for a few years. It does exactly what you say, though I don't know about the file extraction. Are you looking for a change for a particular reason?

 

[Berryracer]

Acronis was great back then when MBR disks were the most used but when GPT disks began showing up on new systems and especially UEFI systems, I was able to backup the GPT partition just fine after buying the additional add-on which allows GPT disks but never succeeded with restoration. always starts and never succeeds. Since then I switched to Macrium Reflect Pro (now called the Home Edition after recently being upgraded to v6) which supports everything under the sun no problem, MBR, GPT, RAID, you name it. Never failed me once.


You can also use the free version of Macrium Reflect which has the same functionality of the paid version but the only difference between paid and free is with the free version, you can create a backup while in Windows just fine, but to restore the backup, you have to create a Macrium Reflect Resecue disk to boot up from it and initiate the restoration. The paid version allows you to add a startup entry to your boot options so when you do want to restore, the system will automatically restart into the rescure environment and start the restoration. Otherwise they're both the same, effective with no bloat like Acronis has now become, cloud storage and backup and so many extra services that come installed with Acronis.

Another thing I don't like about Acronis is it's like a yearly subscription, every year you have to buy a new version or upgrade if you want to benefit from the latest features but with Macrium Reflect you get a free upgrade for 1 year and they don't usually upgrade the main program version often.

 

[Charlie98]

I use Acronis across all my PCs... from 2012 up to I think one copy of '15. I don't know how you can say they are going 'downhill,' they still do the same thing, basically.

I don't believe you can pull files out of a backup, you would have to mount the backup to get to the files.

Personally, I use full backups, that way I have a complete copy of that day's drive (I make a backup image every night.) If one image is corrupt or something, I can always fall back on the next oldest full copy. Yes, it requires some HDD space, my images run about 110GBs, across 3 or 4 different drives every night, but I'm backing it up for a reason in the first place... why cheap out?

 

[Charlie98]

Another thing I don't like about Acronis is it's like a yearly subscription, every year you have to buy a new version or upgrade if you want to benefit from the latest features but with Macrium Reflect you get a free upgrade for 1 year and they don't usually upgrade the main program version often.

Not really... I'm still using the '12 version on 3 computers and it works fine for what I need it to. I did have to buy a version of '13 for a Haswell build, '12 didn't work for some reason, and I am buying new versions going forward... but I'll use '12 until they give me a reason not to.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I've got Acronis T-I 2014. It was part of a bundle with an HDD -- an offer I couldn't refuse -- to take a line from GodFather.​

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I've also got Roxio BackOnTrack, which was probably a freebie that came with my Creator NXT2 software.​

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I experimented with using Ti'14 for backup on my WHS-2011 box. I don't remember for sure, but I didn't run into any troubles with a "test restore."​

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But here's what I'll say.​

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If you can do it with the OS's built-in backup functions, and if it's reliable and it works, that would be my choice for any routine backup. If you don't like Windows Backup, then my first choice would probably be Acronis.​

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Frankly, I don't even use either for my data files. I use the GUI for RoboCopy -- RichCopy 4.0, downloadable from MS. Otherwise, my server backs up 4 systems nightly and doesn't miss a lick. It saved my a** once or twice, too . . .​

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For your enthusiast or home user, you'd likely have some reliable automated backup solutions which provide scheduling. You may want to supplement that with the file-copying like RichCopy.​

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Point being -- I back up my clients to the server, where the files are duplicated with StableBit. I back up the server to a handful of hot-swap drives. Some of that stuff is not volatile and doesn't change for months. Other things change daily or weekly. The Client backups will show everything changed, so it takes time. I may do that once every couple weeks. For other things -- business files and other things -- RichCopy allows for incremental backups, which reduces the time for doing them.​

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[slag]

I like Macrium reflect. Seems to work well and is free.
I don't know if it does incrementals though as I've never looked into it. The basic backup works great though.

 

[Hulk]

I like Macrium reflect. Seems to work well and is free.
I don't know if it does incrementals though as I've never looked into it. The basic backup works great though.

I use Acronis for a disk image but honestly I only do that about once a year.

For my weekly back ups I use FreeFileSync. Here's why.

First of all I'm most concerned with my data. If I lose my Windows set up and apps it's a hassle but not the end of the world. I can just reload everything. That's why the infrequent image back ups.

Second I don't like back up programs that "package" my files. As you noted I want to be able to get at them just like normal files. Use FreeFileSync I can set up a couple of quick back ups and run them in like 2 minutes. One from my C drive to a secondary back up drive on my main rig. Another one to back up to my router external drive, another to my HTPC, and finally the last to my laptop. I can run them in a few minutes, they're incremental and then I have four back ups that I know work just like normal files. In addition all of the computers are synced after the back up. Furthermore if I'm working on one of those other computers I can "reverse" the back up with just one button press in FreeFileSync.

I'm been using this program for years and it's been flawless.

 

[ArisVer]

I use Acronis for a disk image but honestly I don't do that about once a year.

For my weekly back ups I use FreeFileSync. Here's why.

First of all I'm most concerned with my data. If I lose my Windows set up and apps it's a hassle but not the end of the world. I can just reload everything. That's why the infrequent image back ups.

Second I don't like back up programs that "package" my files. As you noted I want to be able to get at them just like normal files.

+1


The same here. I use Acronis from WD (the free version) for OS disk cloning which does not happen often, and FreeFileSync to backup data (usually 5-6 large folders/partitions). Some infrequent folders are backup up manually.

 

[SolMiester]

I use shadow protect for clients, however AOMEI backerupper
http://www.backup-utility.com/free-backup-software.html
is free and does the same sort of thing, image based, schedule with increments if desired.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I use Acronis for a disk image but honestly I only do that about once a year.

For my weekly back ups I use FreeFileSync. Here's why.

First of all I'm most concerned with my data. If I lose my Windows set up and apps it's a hassle but not the end of the world. I can just reload everything. That's why the infrequent image back ups.

Second I don't like back up programs that "package" my files. As you noted I want to be able to get at them just like normal files. Use FreeFileSync I can set up a couple of quick back ups and run them in like 2 minutes. One from my C drive to a secondary back up drive on my main rig. Another one to back up to my router external drive, another to my HTPC, and finally the last to my laptop. I can run them in a few minutes, they're incremental and then I have four back ups that I know work just like normal files. In addition all of the computers are synced after the back up. Furthermore if I'm working on one of those other computers I can "reverse" the back up with just one button press in FreeFileSync.

I'm been using this program for years and it's been flawless.

My point exactly. Certain files are so important, if you wanted to use an imaging program like Acronis/Macrium, or even Windows' own backup imaging, you'd still want a backup immediately accessible at the file level.

You'd like to have scheduled, automated backup. But you'd also like to take backup disks off line or remove them to save power. If certain backups aren't being made daily, why have a disk drive spinning for days without backup updates? All have my machines are equipped with one or more hotswap bays and caddies for these discretionary, "manual" backups.

Now you mention something called FreeFileSync. I BELIEVE there is a feature in Windows that synchs drives and their contents, but I haven't explored the possibilities yet. So I might look into FreeFileSync, but I also try to keep things lean, clean and mean: fewer add-on programs if Windows does the same things. That's just "a principle." One could discover that adding another program that replicates Windows features works just fine.

 

[ArisVer]

Perhaps you mean the SyncToy from Microsoft. I think it's part of the Sysinternals suite or the PowerToys; it can (could) be downloaded individually.

Edit. SyncToySetupPackage_v21_x64.exe is the filename (for search purposes).