A Simple Free System Backup App

Hi, I need a simple to understand with a nice simple GUI, system backup app for my Daughter's computer. A free one or relatively inexpensive one preferred. I don't want to have to go over to my Daughter's house to do a backup because she can't understand it. Does any one have a suggestion?
She has a DELL desktop with 2GB RAM, Pent 4, 250GB HDD, running XPsp3.
Thanks in advance.

 

macrium reflect is a very simple easy to use backup software. It can make a xml file that you can place on the desktop, when you click on this file it will backup the system.
Just make sure you burn a bootdisk, because you need it to recover.

 

Agree 100% with jonyjoe81. Try this one first:

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp

 

Backup & Recovery 10 Free Edition

Panagiotis

 

Looks like a nice one, thanks. I have a friend who could use this.

 

Hi, and thanks for the suggestions. They both look like what I need.

 

This appears to be an excellent program with all the options that a novice home users needs to perform backups. It even has basic partitioning functionality. Great for those who just want basic backups for free. Thanks.....

 

What I love in paragon is the ability to restore without the need of using extra cd/dvd/usb media for restoring the system partition to a previous image. Simple select the image you want to restore and paragon will handle the rest.

Panagiotis

 

Yup, I have been using HDM pro 2009 for almost a year and I am very pleased with its performance. Paragon backup and recovery 10 appears to be a watered down version of HDM, as the gui is almost the same.

 

Hi again. While browsing the new posts at Wilders just now, I ran into the following post regarding Paragon's "Hotcore". I noticed Hotprocessing earlier while looking at Paragon's free backup download app screen shots on their website that was provided above. What is the following post about in relation to hot processing on the backup app?
"Default Booting issues with a Paragon driver
Not quite sure if this belongs here, a while back I used some paragon software, which installed the driver "hotcore.sys." Recently Windows froze, and now freezes on the "Welcome" screen when I attempt to log in. When I try to boot into safe made, it shows a list of files being loaded, but it gets to "hotcore3.sys" and then freezes. Please help!"
Reply With Quote

 

That should not worry you... it seems more like a corrupted file to me.

Panagiotis

 

OK thanks for responding. I have to be careful because I will be installing on a computer that's not mine, and the idea is to install the backup app to avoid working on my daughter's computer. If you think this fellows problem is a problem with a corrupt file only for him, I feel better.

 

Hi Panagiotis

On your recommendation I installed Paragon Drive Backup & Recovery.

On the ease of use front I fell at the first hurdle. That is on trying to create a Recovery CD.

I don't want to use the Linux CD I want to make a Bart PE (Win PE) CD. I have done this many times before but I cannot figure out how to do it from the Rescue media wizard in Back up & Recovery 10

There is no mention of a BR 10 Plugin for Bart PE?

Grateful if you could give me a few pointers

Thanks

Terry

 

I was also looking at PRIUS04's suggestion on post #3 for Macrium free backup, and one of their screen shots shows a choice between a linux cd or a Bart PE cd. So you think a Bart PE cd is the way to go? Can you tell me why for my info?

 

Hi Terry,

Paragon recovery is an hybrid linux/dos recovery. On my desktop the various linux PEs do not work but the dos version of paragon always worked like a charm.

Anyway, I run a simple test of paragon 10 free and it seems to be portable.
What features do you want/need in pe enviroment? (if you do not need mounting images as virtual drives, it should pretty easy to make a pe plugin).

Panagiotis

 

Hi Panagiotis

Thanks for your reply.

In answer to your question. I dont need virtual drives, but I do want to be able to look at and copy files from the archive.

So how do I go about making a plugin I am no expert?

On another topic, I created a linux CD and its better than I thought. The problem is that it keeps splitting the image into 2GB sections. On the installed version its easy to adjust that. But I like to work from the recovery CD for both Backup and Recovery. Unfortunately the Tools menu is missing in the Recovery CD so you cannot change from splitting to a "whole image". However, if you use the back up wizard there is a tick box to "Change settings" but when I unticked the create 2GB segments and then burned the CD it still produced a split image.

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks

Terry

 

I am going to create one, when I'll find some free time.

Can't help on this. Better ask on Paragon's subforum.

Panagiotis