WTF? Windows 7 Backup

[coolVariable]

There is a bug in Win7 that makes it essentially unusable with larger backups.
I personally am looking to backup approx. 600GB ... backup has now been running for 28 hours and it is still only 68% done. WTF?

Googling has revealed that this is a quite well known bug, since Win7 came out but MS still HAS NOT FIXED IT?!?!?!?!
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...p/thread/3e08fc65-52f5-48ca-ae13-321cdfc44fbd

 

[Lifted]

Windows 2008, and I'm assuming Windows 7, took a major step backwards when it comes to backing up. For ages they were using technolgy that I believe was licensed from Symantec, and that license expired. Unfortunately you'll have to look at third party solutions if the limited and buggy Windows 7 solution isn't cutting it for you.

Without knowing what you're trying to backup, where you backing it up to, and what sort of schema you're looking to implement, it's hard to recommend another product as there are so many out there. A script may suffice depending on what you need. There are also free imaging solutions you can use that make full and incremental backups while Windows is running.

 

[coolVariable]

Windows 2008, and I'm assuming Windows 7, took a major step backwards when it comes to backing up. For ages they were using technolgy that I believe was licensed from Symantec, and that license expired. Unfortunately you'll have to look at third party solutions if the limited and buggy Windows 7 solution isn't cutting it for you.

Without knowing what you're trying to backup, where you backing it up to, and what sort of schema you're looking to implement, it's hard to recommend another product as there are so many out there. A script may suffice depending on what you need. There are also free imaging solutions you can use that make full and incremental backups while Windows is running.

This is for a HTPC so I am looking to back up probably 30GB of music, 50GB of photos, 200GB of various personal files (incl. backups from laptops) and 500GB of movies.
I am looking for a weekly (incremental) backup of those files (I do an image of the OS after setting it up).
Ideally, files/folders on the external (backup) HDD are accessible but (securely) password protected and encrypted (i.e. on the HTPC they just work ... on any other PC they require a password).
I would also like to be able to switch out external HDDs for the backup (so drive letters F: or G, so that I can always keep one HDD offsite.

 

[coolVariable]

Backup in Win2008 SBS works GREAT.

WTF MS? Based on google, this bug has been known for 1+ years now!
FIX IT!

 

[RebateMonger]

Backup in Win2008 SBS works GREAT.

SBS' backup does full System images, which works fine (although many of us aren't happy with it for reasons that apply only to server restoration).

It's the file-by-file backup that has problems with 400 GB+ file stores. As I'm sure you noticed, MS recommends that folks with large backups use system images instead. Multiple images taken of the same system will perform incremental backups of changed files. Those changes are incorporated into the "full" VHD backup file, while the older versions will be put into shadow copies that are deleted as the backup disk fills up.

Individual file restores are accomplished by mounting the VHD file from Windows 7 or Server 2008 R2's Disk Management console.

Many of us miss the old NTBackup program. But it badly needed to be re-written. It was 1995 technology. A full System Restore was very time-consuming, requiring the system to be re-installed before the restoration could begin. Disk operations were all 16-bit, which limited backups to 10 MegaBytes/second no matter how fast the disks or network.

 

[coolVariable]

This is for a HTPC so I am looking to back up probably 30GB of music, 50GB of photos, 200GB of various personal files (incl. backups from laptops) and 500GB of movies.
I am looking for a weekly (incremental) backup of those files (I do an image of the OS after setting it up).
Ideally, files/folders on the external (backup) HDD are accessible but (securely) password protected and encrypted (i.e. on the HTPC they just work ... on any other PC they require a password).
I would also like to be able to switch out external HDDs for the backup (so drive letters F: or G, so that I can always keep one HDD offsite.

Any good (free) backup programs that can do the above?

 

[Chiefcrowe]

I think that Macrium reflect can do this but i'm not sure if it can do all of those things in the free version. you should try it out though.

 

[coolVariable]

No freeware/open source alternative?