ce4jesus 1 Posted June 5, 2008 Well after reading though some reviews I purchased Norton Ghost last fall. What a mistake. This isn't consumer software at all. For starters the PC needs to be logged onto in order for the software to run correctly according to tech support. Furthermore, if the backup doesn't run successfully, it doesn't alert you and it keeps the useless, uncompleted backup files on the drive. This is troublesome for many reasons but needless to say I discovered all this when a 500G drive was reporting no space. Finally, if it doesn't complete a backup, it has to start over!!! So to recap it needs active user management which might be well suited for an IT department that staffs 24 x 7 but for any consumer who wants unattended backups, this isn't the software. I burned $80 on what I thought was the best available. So what is everyone else using for backup software out there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATJ 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Gary, While this may not be a direct answer to your question, I started to document my backup procedure a couple of months ago and while it isn't quite finished, it may give you some ideas. Backup I'm pretty paranoid about losing my photographs so my procedure may be a little over the top, but I can say that I have been through a few hard drive failures and not lost a photograph. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wagsy 0 Posted June 6, 2008 The only best piece of software Nortons ever made is the Nortons Software Removal Tool. Get rid of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ce4jesus 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Thanks Wags...got a pretty good chuckle out of that. Andrew...I'll take a look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wagsy 0 Posted June 6, 2008 Another way it to simply make a mirror image of the whole drive or certain folders...that is the drive/folders get copied bit by bit and zipped up into one single file and then place onto another drive or two. You can even burn them to a DVD or Blu_Ray. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
echeng 0 Posted June 6, 2008 On the PC, I used Acronis True Image for system backups (awesome drive imaging software -- ask Matt Segal about it ). I used Beyond Compare 2 to update parallel directory structures on all my machines to and from the server. For automated, versioned data backups, I used Retrospect (blech!), which sucked, but worked. Retrospect on the Mac is terrible, but on the PC, it is at least fast. A friend of mine swears by SyncBackSE. I haven't used it, but he works at Microsoft and is a smart guy. It's his favorite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScubaLuke 0 Posted June 6, 2008 On the PC, I used Acronis True Image for system backups (awesome drive imaging software -- ask Matt Segal about it ). I use Acronis too. And FWIW I was able to rebuild my drive from my nightly backups after I got a nasty Trojan last winter. Luke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wagsy 0 Posted June 7, 2008 I use a FREE one. It can run backup or restore off a boot CD, DVD, USB or floppy and gets loaded into the ram so not even a problem if the computer will not boot. It can run backup or restore while Windows is running. It can copy drive to drives. It has a Task Scheduler It's very quick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cor 0 Posted June 7, 2008 I use acronis at times, but for backing up of image/music dirs I use SyncBack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arnon_Ayal 1 Posted June 7, 2008 To sync my images folders to other server and external HD I use simple DOS batch file. As a side project I'm designing now a new backup software for home / small offices, the main idea of it is to use backup options that are available at home (especially dvd/cd / blue ray) instead of the 'real' backup devices that companies & SP use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
