Four-week cycle backup plan

Topic

New Reply

[JohnH]

I can’t seem to find details that meet my query, so thought I’d outline what I’m seeking here. Perhaps I’m not expressing myself correctly.

My main backup plan is this: to create a bootable image of my main system drive (1TB M.2) on a weekly basis, on a four-week cycle, as I’m aware that some ransomware payloads can reside in systems for a few weeks in the hope of infecting people’s backups.

So: I have 2 x 2TB Thunderbolt 3 LaCie outboard SSDs, my current 1TB drive is nowhere near half-full. I want an app that will create a bootable (mirror? ISO?) of my system drive in the event that I am hit by ransomware. The plan is that I can then reformat the maliciously encrypted system drive, run the Gigabyte Smart USB Backup, then download the oldest of my weekly backups. I have a separate backup process in place for ad hoc daily protection of critical data.

The reason I am adopting this approach is to make it simple and very fast to be up and running again after a ransomware — or any other such severe — attack.

If this approach makes sense, can anyone suggest which of the many backup apps — I will definitely pay for the one I choose — might be most appropriate to this situation?

If it’s significant, the system drive is GPT.

 

 

• This topic was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by JohnH.

Reply | Quote

Replies

What you outline is very much like what I do using Macrium Reflect.  I take a full image overnight on the first Saturday of the month, then a differential image every Saturday after that.  I also take a File-and-Folder copy every month.  Besides these, I take a daily copy of my Outlook mailbox, and of my Quicken files.

I use the paid version of Macrium Reflect, a three licence version, and think that I have had excellent value for money.  I switched to Macrium from Acronis, though the latter does have its fans on this forum.

Don’t forget to make a bootable medium, disk or USB, and, important, test that it does work.  Also, do create a boot menu, which will give you the option to boot from your bootable medium.

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

2 users thanked author for this post.

LHiggins, JohnH

Reply | Quote

Does Macrium ever offer any discounts on their full version – or an option for fewer than a 4 computer license? I currently use Macrium Free and it has been fine and actually saved me a few times, but I would like to be able to run the File and Folder backup as well, and the free version doesn’t support that.

Thanks!

Reply | Quote

Actually, for me in Australia, the multi-licence version cost more than a single licence ($69), but that was not an issue for me. It’s described as a “perpetual” licence so presumably is a once-only fee, and yes, provides full functionality: full image, differential and incremental choices as well as file-and-folder options. I’m pretty sure I will adopt ScotchJohn’s approach as my system drive fills up.

 

Reply | Quote

anonymous wrote:

Actually, for me in Australia, the multi-licence version cost more than a single licence ($69)

Yes, that is what I am seeing as well – $69 for a single license and $139 for a 4-computer license. I probably need it for 2 computers, so I was hoping that they might have an alternative that was somewhere in between those two price points for 2 licenses.

Guess I need to give it a bit more thought, but having that additional capability for the file and folder backups would be great!

Thanks for the reply.

Reply | Quote

Aomei Backupper free will do file and folder backup as well as image and is generally friendlier to use than Macrium – I use both.

cheers, Paul

1 user thanked author for this post.

LHiggins

Reply | Quote

Paul T wrote:

Aomei Backupper free will do file and folder backup as well as image and is generally friendlier to use than Macrium

Thanks Paul! I will check it out! Much appreciated!

Reply | Quote

Ransomware seems to encrypt early and demand payment. Fast and easy is the usual MO of bad guys as those who are sufficiently well protected by backup are the least likely to panic and pay up.

Any of the free 3rd party backup apps we recommend will do what you want (Aomei, Paragon, EaseUs, Macrium). An interesting addition to Macrium paid is Image Guardian, where they claim to prevent anything other than Macrium writing to backup images. This potentially means you can restrict your backups to one disk.

Create a rescue disk / USB of whichever backup product you choose and boot from that to format and restore.

cheers, Paul

1 user thanked author for this post.

JohnH

Reply | Quote

Thanks Paul, especially for the Image Guardian feature info. I’ve gone with Macrium, the set-up was straightforward (though I can’t make an informed comparison, of course) and it analysed & created a 59GB image in 4min29sec from a 95GB system drive. Can’t ask for much better than that!

Reply | Quote