Advice on disk-image software

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I’ve read and searched here about the various utilities available, (Acronis, Macrium,Easeus etc.) but would appreciate an up to date recommendation for my personal needs.

I probably would only on average do a monthly back-up (vital data is backed up regularly on Flash Drives)but would like the ability to replicate the various apps/progs and settings that I use daily.

I have Win 8.1 and don’t mind paying for software if necessary, as everyone has to make a living.

My basic question is, what is the easiest/least complicated software to be able to restore to my laptop or a new one in the event of a physical loss?

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That’s a question that can’t be answered because it will be an opinion that you’ll be getting.

My vote is for Macrium, not to sideline any others, but only because I have been using it for the past 3 years and I am satisfied with it.

I recommend that you get enough information on all potential candidates by doing the actual work of researching them out individually
then make your own determination. You will be in a position to rule a few of the choices out very quickly.

**Moved to maintenance section.

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I said that I’d researched already, but frankly a lot of the terminology was over my head.

“Imaging”, “cloning”, incremental back-ups”, encryption (necessary or not?)…guess I was looking for an easy answer.

I don’t need or want to be an expert on this stuff, just want an easy way to restore my system in the event of a disaster of some sort. Thanks anyway for taking the trouble to respond.

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I said that I’d researched already, but frankly a lot of the terminology was over my head.

“Imaging”, “cloning”, incremental back-ups”, encryption (necessary or not?)…guess I was looking for an easy answer.

I don’t need or want to be an expert on this stuff, just want an easy way to restore my system in the event of a disaster of some sort. Thanks anyway for taking the trouble to respond.

There are no easy answers to your question and there never will be unless you take the time to learn something.
That does NOT mean you have to become an expert, but it does mean you have to put some effort into figuring
out what your needs are and then learning how to employ whatever means you decide upon.
You can check this thread out too for more info.
There are many many simple step-by-step tutorials out there for just about any application you decide on,
and just as many forums that can assist.

Keep it simple but more importantly, base it around what your specific needs are.
Keep in mind:
1. Imaging is only ONE form of backup that is very good, but it should not be 100% relied upon alone.
2. Get the necessary hardware to accomplish your backup goals.
(This could mean anything from buying and installing other internal drives into your computer or investing in a few external drives).
3. Don’t ever rely on one means of backup alone, especially imaging. Get those extra drives and hard copy important data to them.

Imaging: Is the fastest and best way to get your operating system up and running quickly, but it is by no means a sole backup regimen
in and of itself. Imaging applications encompass a wide range of complexity so choose those options that fit your needs.
Cloning: Most useful if you have a spare drive on hand and are easily familiar with “hot swapping” or working inside your computer’s case to add and remove drives. NOT an efficient means of backup for the average user.
Incremental image based backups: All but useless unless you are a frequent modifier of your data and applications on a single drive.
Keeping and maintaining data organization is a better alternative to a wasteful incremental form of imaging backup.
Encryption: Optional and not necessary, but useful if you have higher level security needs. Most people don’t.

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There are no easy answers to your question and there never will be unless you take the time to learn something.
That does NOT mean you have to become an expert, but it does mean you have to put some effort into figuring
out what your needs are and then learning how to employ whatever means you decide upon.
You can check this thread out too for more info.
There are many many simple step-by-step tutorials out there for just about any application you decide on,
and just as many forums that can assist.

Keep it simple but more importantly, base it around what your specific needs are.
Keep in mind:
1. Imaging is only ONE form of backup that is very good, but it should not be 100% relied upon alone.
2. Get the necessary hardware to accomplish your backup goals.
(This could mean anything from buying and installing other internal drives into your computer or investing in a few external drives).
3. Don’t ever rely on one means of backup alone, especially imaging. Get those extra drives and hard copy important data to them.

Imaging: Is the fastest and best way to get your operating system up and running quickly, but it is by no means a sole backup regimen
in and of itself. Imaging applications encompass a wide range of complexity so choose those options that fit your needs.
Cloning: Most useful if you have a spare drive on hand and are easily familiar with “hot swapping” or working inside your computer’s case to add and remove drives. NOT an efficient means of backup for the average user.
Incremental image based backups: All but useless unless you are a frequent modifier of your data and applications on a single drive.
Keeping and maintaining data organization is a better alternative to a wasteful incremental form of imaging backup.
Encryption: Optional and not necessary, but useful if you have higher level security needs. Most people don’t.

A useful post, notwithstanding the admonitions in your first two paragraphs.

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I’m now a wiser man and am grateful for the generous advice given by you all.

I shall now download a 30 day trial of two of the products mentioned and see which works the easiest for my needs.

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Incremental image based backups: All but useless unless you are a frequent modifier of your data …

Thank you Clint! I never dared to voice this opinion and feel better now after reading your post.

I do well remember times when the storage space required for backups was so expensive that incremental backups were the only reasonable solution that we could argue to management.

Since the advent of multi-TB shirt pocket sized disk drives above age old argument is null and void.

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As most backup programs have free versions, you won’t lose anything by trying each one. If you like one more than others, then you could consider if the paid for version give you options you would use. As CLiNT says, you’ll just get everybody’s opinion, but it’s your opinion that counts on your PC. All those you mentioned are well thought of by people on this forum, so you don’t have to worry about how effective they are.

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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While I use AOMEI Data Backup, here is a link that explains all of those terms you mentioned. Hope it helps you decide, or at least better understand the terminology…

http://dottech.org/95071/windows-best-free-file-drive-system-image-sector-backup-programs-review/#Fq6zFcE5R2J1pHsF.99

Jim

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While I use AOMEI Data Backup, here is a link that explains all of those terms you mentioned. Hope it helps you decide, or at least better understand the terminology…

http://dottech.org/95071/windows-best-free-file-drive-system-image-sector-backup-programs-review/#Fq6zFcE5R2J1pHsF.99

Jim

Thanks, Jim. very helpful.

The Comments bit at the bottom is evidence of the fact that for non-experts, it is a minefield!

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My 2¢ (opinion).

I use Image for Windows by TeraByte Unlimited. As access-mdb pointed out, it also has a fully-functional 30-day free trial. I’ve been using it and its forebears for well over a decade, and have never found it wanting. And I also agree with trying each one. The GUI is different for all of them, even though much of the functionality is quite similar. But you may find one interface more intuitive and preferable to the others.

You are your own best judge of what will work best for you.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I’ve used Ghost, Acronis, CloneZilla, Macrium and Redo Backup. The easiest to use by far (in my opinion) is Redo Backup but there are two limitations: 1) It has no support for backing up/restoring partitions so it’s only useful for backing up an entire disk. 2) It has no support for restoring to a smaller hard disk than the one backed up. If these 2 limitations aren’t important then the 2-button GUI should appeal.

38953-Redo-backup-3-600×450
Click to enlarge

Another advantage is that it’s free.

The Redo Backup website appears to be down at the moment but the latest version can be downloaded from SourceForge.

I run Redo Backup from a USB stick as it’s much quicker than booting from CD. Have a look at Create a Redo Backup, Recovery Bootable USB to see how.

Hope this helps…

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Thanks, Rick, that’s what I was looking for.

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Disk image software is only any good if you can restore your files from the image. Acronis came up short for me in this respect, though it could have been operator error.

I have replaced it with Macrium, in which I have much greater confidence. I HAVE managed to restore from Macrium.

Everyone is going to have good experiences with their favourites, and bad experiences with others.

Dell E5570 Latitude, Intel Core i5 6440@2.60 GHz, 8.00 GB - Win 10 Pro

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In short, backup/restore philosophy is much like Bible philosophy, the best Bible, the best backup/restore program, respectively, are the ones which you will use regularly and religiously on a systematic basis.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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Just as an update, I tried Macrium, Easeus and AOEMI and decided on AOEMI which to me seemed the most intuitive and with the best “help”articles.

Invaluable help from this Forum, as ever.

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I have used Acronis, Avanquest Perfect Image, and Paragon disk utilities 15. The last 2 are basically identical in that Paragon is the parent coder for Avanquest. Acronis is much faster but the ability to customize your activity is much more limited than with Paragon. I’m actually happy with both. So far I haven’t had reason to go to a cloud imaging backup but I do use a cloud service for my file backups. The main advantage that I see for imaging software on your desktop is that you can create a startup disk to restore your images. If you are box has crashed, how are you going to get to the cloud to restore it. I would also caution that you actually need to use your applications and see how they work rather than waiting for a disaster and then discovering that you do not have all of your stuff. You also have to be aware that your external hard drive that you are using for an image storage has to be big enough to hold everything. A 2 TB image requires at least a 2 TB external drive. You may in fact need more than one external drive but you can either build one very cheaply or by one at one of the computer stores or even Costco. This is one of the areas where a USB 3.0 external drive actually comes in handy. The speed advantages noticeable although you may not be one of those “lucky people” to obtain the advertised USB speed. Backing up to a flash drive or zip drive is okay but you have to realize their limitations.

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A 2 TB image requires at least a 2 TB external drive.

Perhaps you mean “clone”, rather than image? I use Image for Windows, as mentioned in a previous post, and the only thing that is in the image are drive geometry and sectors being used; the images are compressed to about half the space used on the drive being imaged.

For example, My Windows 8.1 drive is 1TB with 6 partitions, and a full drive image is only 481.6GB. I store the images on a 2TB internal HDD as well as a 3TB NAS. The 2TB (actually 1.81 in Windows TB) internal drive still has 1.21TB free, even though it is holding images for two different 1TB HDD’s.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Another factor many people fail to consider is support. Some of the backup programs limit support to the first 30 to 90 days. If you need help of any kind after that you PAY! Also, do they have phone support? How do you get help if your machine is down and you can’t restore it?

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Another factor many people fail to consider is support. Some of the backup programs limit support to the first 30 to 90 days. If you need help of any kind after that you PAY! Also, do they have phone support? How do you get help if your machine is down and you can’t restore it?

Good point! And something I didn’t think to mention. TeraByte has unlimited email tech support for all their products. The times I’ve used it, I got a reply in less than 24 hours, and if there was a follow-up question, even sooner. Their support forums are also very good, with quick responses from TeraByte throughout.

Purchase also includes free upgrades for every incremental .xx upgrade of any purchased product, and there are gobs of additional free software tools that work with their products.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Another factor many people fail to consider is support. Some of the backup programs limit support to the first 30 to 90 days. If you need help of any kind after that you PAY! Also, do they have phone support? How do you get help if your machine is down and you can’t restore it?

One of the things which keeps me using Macrium Reflect Free are the company’s excellent Tutorials and Support Forums. Not the instant access of a phone call, but free to registered users, and the folks who actually develop Macrium Reflect sometimes chime in. Experienced fellow users are the most valuable asset there. And further support is available from many of us in the Windows Secrets Lounge. None of which costs anything.

As for support here in The Lounge, Acronis, Paragon and EaseUS ToDo are also popular, and many of us know how those programs work, too.

-- rc primak

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See the Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 464 • 2015-01-15 for the article on Mastering Windows 8’s backup/restore system

I think all you need is there in Windows 8

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I use Seagate Disk Wizard. It’s a free program you can download from the Seagate website. You can use it if at least one of the hard drives is Seagate or Maxtor. It is not a fancy program, but the functionality you get with the free version sounds like it would meet your needs. I am very pleased with this program.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Windows 8.1 has very easy to use backup software. You can create a system image anytime you want by a couple of clicks or by creating a regular schedule for automated backup. Other “data” is automatically being backed up by Win 8’s File History, and you can tell it make (and auto-update your data to an external drive, a network drive, or on Microsoft’s free OneDrive. These functions are all built-in to Windows 8 so you might want to try them out, if only just for fun!

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Windows 8.1 has very easy to use backup software. You can create a system image anytime you want by a couple of clicks or by creating a regular schedule for automated backup. Other “data” is automatically being backed up by Win 8’s File History, and you can tell it make (and auto-update your data to an external drive, a network drive, or on Microsoft’s free OneDrive. These functions are all built-in to Windows 8 so you might want to try them out, if only just for fun!

My main kick against the Windows 8 backup system is that it utilizes libraries. I neither like nor use libraries, and have them disabled via the registry. I’ve read/heard all about the many benefits of libraries, etc. but I have my own file storage and retrieval system that I have developed and fine-tuned over the years that works extremely well for me. I have no need for doing it the “Windows” way.

Similarly, my partitioning/drive imaging backup system has been developed and fine-tuned in harmony with my way of handling files, I’m simply far too comfortable with what I do and how it works to start making changes, and I have total confidence in it.

[/size]However—

Having said all that, for those who are newer to these systems and practices, the important aspect is to take the advice that has been offered, which is to invest the time necessary to figure out one’s needs, do some research on the software available, pick a few that seem to fit what you have decided to be your needs/goals for a backup routine, and try them out to see how they fit.

The time one spends to get a reliable and practical backup regimen (meaning one that will be faithfully used) established is much more pleasant and rewarding than the time one may well spend grieving over the loss of irreplaceable files, photos, videos, or what-have-you.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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ShadowProtect. ShadowProtect was the top-of-the-line favourite in the Lounge in days of yore (when The Lounge was The Lounge, Windows Secrets was something else, and Fred Langa had his list, or whatever), and it still exists, but for home users in the present market it is expensive, at $100 per machine. I have my old copy and qualify for an upgrade price, but I am up to my ears in Acronis these days, and from viewing the StorageCraft site it looks like they are catering to the business crowd. (Businesses have legacy systems and tend to be locked in; home consumers are a fickle lot and are more price-sensitive, I think.)

Speaking of Acronis, I had an infamous problem a couple of days ago whereby a Windows 8.1 computer got locked on shutdown with an ‘Operations are in progress…’ perpetual motion error. I had never run into this before Windows 8, and I thought for the longest time that it was a Windows 8 bug, but it turns out that it is a well-known Acronis bug that has remained on the scene for years without ever having been fixed (Edited to add: or so it is claimed by several online sources). This was Acronis 2015, by the way, and it helps to check on known problems with any software. As it happens, Acronis has a forum of its own that you might be well advised to visit before buying and after buying, to keep track of such things. l’d recommend Acronis sooner or later anyway, but I’m sure not happy about the error on that machine at present.

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I agree about Libraries, don’t need or want…As I said earlier, Aoemi seemed the one that most suited me and I now have a back-up regime in place with which I’m comfortable.

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Assuming your backup system allows it, be sure to create a bootable recovery disk or flash drive (or both) available at all times. If you do have to perform a restore, it is advisable to use the bootable device even if it appears that you don’t need it.

With modern large hard drives, I set a healthy percentage for restore points, and I create restore points manually from time to time when I remember to do so. These are useful if something appears to go wrong and I don’t want to restore from backup unless I have to.

When everything appears to be performing very well, I make a backup labelled ‘gold’ to signify that it is a stable setup, and I keep it available for a longer time than regular backups with the usual name.

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Somebody said it elsewhere: backup, backup, backup.
I add: backup/restore programs are like Bible versions, the best ones are the ones used on a routine basis.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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