BR 10 Compact Edition

Hello,

I have the Backup and Recovery 10 Compact Edition (that I got as part of a promotion) installed on my Windows 7 Pro x64 machine and am testing it mostly for providing imaging services within Win 7.

My main question is: will I be able to get updates to the program for free (assuming there are updates for each version), or is this a one-time snapshot of the program that I can't update?

I like the non-bloated feel of the software vs. Acronis. Acronis has been my choice for some time now (after leaving symantec for the same reason) but has of recent been too 'feature-rich' for my blood.

I'm looking for a new solution going forward and there will be a lot of family and customers who follow along with me.

Thanks!

 

Hi,

No, I am afraid the special promotions don't get updates.

The always free B &R 10 free on the Paragon does get updates. Not as many features as the Compact - but still a a great app. for free.

I guess the special giveaway is to encourage you to consider the paid version in the future.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Yeah, I figured that was the case...

 

Still, can't complain - it's a great freebie.

 

I do like it for many reasons...mainly because it doesn't load my system with drivers, services and link my license key to a MAC address What is Acronis thinking?

Anyway, I agree SIW2. Nice product and free makes it really nice.

 

I was very pleasantly surprised to see that it doesn't have anything running until you start it yourself. It also seems to include all the functions of PM10Free, so I only need one product instead of two. And the best thing about it is it works. Acronis trashed my MBR.

I do think, though, that Paragon would be well advised to clean up its product line. I was so happy with the free versions that I wanted to see what I would get if I paid for the retail product, and I got so confused I gave up.

They have a BU and Recovery Suite for $70. More than I wanted to pay, but not ridiculous. But wait, below that they have a Disk Management product that seems to combine the features of their $70 Backup and their $40 PM Suite, all for $40. So why wouldn't I get that instead? And then they have Drive Backup, and then they have BR Compact. What they don't seem to have is a chart that lets you see what each does and doesn't do. And the product descriptions don't mention the other products, so I guess it's up to you to read several long descriptions and compare and contrast them yourself.

They just make it way too hard for someone to be confident that he's getting the product best suited for him -- especially when they are giving away software that really should be all most people need.

IMO they should have one BR product, one PM product, and one combo product that costs more, not less, than the others. And they should have a very prominent link to a chart that shows what each does. Not that I have an MBA, but I doubt I'm the only potential customer who thought their website was too much work.

 

It doesn't include the Move /Resize function of PM 2010 Free - which is pretty important - so you still need that.

Fortunately PM 2010 Free is quite small.

I agree about the product range. One understands they like to have a product for every niche - but the whole area of differentition and marketing has room for improvement.

I do.

They make great software - they don't always display it to best effect. I believe they could dominate the market. Perhaps they'll offer me job . LOL.

You might have a look at the HDM 2010 range - out soon - updates the HDM 2009 suite - which I think you refer to above. The Compact will keep you going till then.