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The Perfect Backup Tool for Under $1
Submitted by BruceCyr on Thu, 11/17/2005 - 19:01.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1887868,00.asp
I don't know how this backup software compares, for example, to the much more expensive Retrospect (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1847299,00.asp) that I use and endorse, but PC Mag gives it a good recommendation and its CHEAP -- and I adopted Retrospect on the basis of the magazine's review and endorsement.
I still use Acronis TrueImage 9.0 for special backup purposes, but I don't think its a full-fledged backup tool like Retrospect.
Although its default mode is as a continuous TSR, i.e., it runs from boot up and works as files are created or modified, you can apparently change its operation so that it only backs up when you want it to.
Bruce
The Perfect Backup Tool for
I went and looked at their review and at the NTI website. For the price of 99¢ U.S. it's a good price. I've used NTI CD/DVD products for several years now. I've found them to do what's advertised with a few frills. The downside of that company is their tech support is nearly non-existent, at least with their CD/DVD products. I wrote their tech support 3 months ago and haven't heard anything at all from them since.
That's been my experience, I hope others have a better relationship with them!
Backup Backup Backup
I STILL use Acronis TrueImage to backup my entire system disk, and it has never failed me. Takes about 12 minutes to make a backup and same time to restore. Would not live without it.
////// Rest Regards. //// JH Richards ///
===================================================
Hey! Every one say "Hi" to
Hey! Every one say "Hi" to this new guy
Bruce
Jeez! Scratch this comment.
Jeez! Scratch this comment. Retrospect is extraordinarily complex and complete, but a real PITA to use. Plus there are not so little gotcha's, like you have have to some sort of catalog file to restore a disk after a crash, but by default the catalog file is stored on the disk that's being backed up! You crash, you burn unless (unlike me) you were cool enough to figure out in advance that you needed to tell the program to put the catalog on the disk holding the backup! If I had even known about this option, I probably would have opted for it -- its a lot easier than reconstructing your whole PC life from scratch!
I'm back to Acronis, now 11, but there is a gotcha there too -- unless you buy a separate Universal Restorer, you can't restore to a different disk than the one you backed up. Yup, if your disk crashes, you burn without the optional UR module -- which is only available, I think, when you buy the more expensive Workstation product.
Sheesh! Backup companies aren't stupid, they're just deliberately vicious -- for fun and profit
Bruce
Acronis TrueImage 11
I'm back to Acronis, now 11, but there is a gotcha there too -- unless you buy a separate Universal Restorer, you can't restore to a different disk than the one you backed up. Yup, if your disk crashes, you burn without the optional UR module -- which is only available, I think, when you buy the more expensive Workstation product.
Bruce,
I don't know where you come up with that problem. I've been using this product for years and never had a problem with it. I regularly backup and restore it to two different drives. I always keep a spare drive that has a regularly current backup restored to it and which is totally different from my drive that I backed up. Acronis TrueImage has no problems doing this and you don't require any special UR module.
Chuck Runquist
Former Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK & Senior Technical Solutions PM for DNS
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the universe is winning. ~Rich Cook
Chuck, You're right. I
Chuck,
You're right. I misunderstood the review. Here's what Acronis support says:
"Please be assure that you don't need Universal Restore to restore your image to a brand new hard disk drive. Acronis True Image Workstation with Universal Restore is only needed when you want restore your backup archive to the brand new machine (different hardware).
If you want to upgrade only your hard drive, Acronis True Image Home will restore your backup."
However, there's a different wrinkle a user needs to understand. According to an Acronis FAQ I came across, because TrueImage uses, well, image backup, that is, a literal sector-by-sector copying process, whenever you defragment your hard drive you need to do another backup, possibly a full backup.
BTW, one side effect of my recent move to a multi-processor CPU has been the vastly increased efficiency of compressing data before backup -- I can now do a full backup with the highest rate of compression in less time than it took for normal compression on my former P4 CPU.
Bruce
Bruce
Never had a problem with my
Never had a problem with my old Norton Ghost.
I see the new one is version 14 for XP and Vista for $69.99 (why not make it $70?
) from Symantic, and appears to be all-singing and all-dancing!
Quentin
BruceCyr
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1887868,00.asp
I don't know how this backup software compares, ...but PC Mag gives it a good recommendation and its CHEAP -- an
After you have looked at the PC Mag reviews of NTI Shadow, scroll down and see the comments. They are damning about this backup programme.
Quentin
crivon1 wrote: After you
After you have looked at the PC Mag reviews of NTI Shadow, scroll down and see the comments. They are damning about this backup programme.
Quentin
Its a sign not a definitive judgment. Often times users don't like what editors like, and vice-versa. We know who and what the editors are, but we don't know squat about users. On balance, its safe to assume that most users, like most web posters, are suspect until qualified.
OTOH, consistently negative feedback is a warning that a user needs to evaluate. In any case, as noted, I'm back to using, and would recommend to other users, Acronis.
Bruce
PS: Is NTI even in business any longer?