Inexpensive software for synching backup

fenlander_uk

Like the OP I am more concerned with backing up data than with preserving an operating system. In my case I have a lot of large media files, so the issue is demanding in a different way from documents. Cloud storage, for example, is impractical because of the size of the files being backed up.

I have used Synctoy, but it's worth noting that this Microsoft program was discontinued in 2009, so any version you find (2.1 was the last) will be seriously old. I have also used FreeFileSync (on linux), but found it clumsy. My favourite Windows utility by far is SyncBackFree which is quick to set up and use and has been totally reliable for me. Invariably, these utilities work best if you are logical, even fastidious, in organising your data.

dipsomaniac

in over 40 years of computing i don't think i have ever restored a os from a disc image so i don't bother wasting time manually creating images of the system. if you have os on 1 x drive and files/media on a 2nd drive it is so easy to reinstall or reset win10 these days without the need for using 3rd party software.

i use microsofts synctoy (free, old, simple, just works) to backup docs to onedrive (manually daily) and external drives (manually weekly). once the initial sync is completed it only takes minutes to run subsequent backups

Frozen_up_north

victor2 wrote: »

That then makes you wonder how secure password protected ZIP files are or what other encryption would you use for cloud storage?

I wouldn’t trust zip file passwords to be secure. Veracrypt is a more robust encryption tool:

https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Home.html

Tom99

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

I wouldn’t trust zip file passwords to be secure. Veracrypt is a more robust encryption tool:
https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/Home.html

Yes I use Veracrypt on the laptop files but I am not sure how you would back up the encrypted volume to say Google Drive as my Veracrypt volume file is 10GB and you would not want to constantly be backing-up a 10GB file. Also I don't think the 'date modified' changed when you update one of the file in the volume.

victor2

Tom99 wrote: »

Yes I use Veracrypt on the laptop files but I am not sure how you would back up the encrypted volume to say Google Drive as my Veracrypt volume file is 10GB and you would not want to constantly be backing-up a 10GB file. Also I don't think the 'date modified' changed when you update one of the file in the volume.

Good point there. I have 60GB of data, plus about the same in pictures, and don't want to transfer the lot every day! Same problem with a zip file, if you went that way. Encrypted storage of individual files with a private key local to you looks more promising, even if not the cheapest solution!

Tom99

victor2 wrote: »

Good point there. I have 60GB of data, plus about the same in pictures, and don't want to transfer the lot every day! Same problem with a zip file, if you went that way. Encrypted storage of individual files with a private key local to you looks more promising, even if not the cheapest solution!

Apparently Cryptomator overcomes that problem and will only back-up the changed files to Google Drive, I have not tried it.
https://cryptomator.org/

BooJewels

Apologies for not responding sooner, I've just been silly busy this week, I'm going to have a better test with the software over the weekend when I hopefully have a bit more time. I've quickly tried FreeFileSync and it seems to work efficiently and fast, so I may well move to it for my own backups, as you can save particular regular tasks/directory combinations, which might be useful. Total Commander that I usually use is more general file management software, which has other functions too - for example, I use it for downloading, organising and renaming digital photos from memory cards.

victor2 wrote: »

My most common need to recover a file is when I've screwed up something like a spreadsheet and saved it. I then need to recover an earlier version from before I messed it up.

Yep, when I mentioned earlier about replacing a file I'd loused up, it almost always will be a spreadsheet - they're just so easy to totally mess up!:rotfl:

Like the OP I am more concerned with backing up data than with preserving an operating system. In my case I have a lot of large media files, so the issue is demanding in a different way from documents. Cloud storage, for example, is impractical because of the size of the files being backed up.

I didn't get as far as mentioning that in my earlier comment, but the sheer volume of files is an issue with cloud storage too, as I do digital photography and shoot RAW+JPEG too, so they're the as large as possible. Although, in fairness, they're not as important as domestic data like bills, bank statements and correspondence.

My favourite Windows utility by far is SyncBackFree which is quick to set up and use and has been totally reliable for me. Invariably, these utilities work best if you are logical, even fastidious, in organising your data.

Thanks, I'll look at that over the weekend. I am very organised and systematic with my own data (well, it works for me, someone else might find it unfathomable) - it's my husband that's the problematic one.