Best FREE image backup for Windows 10/11

Yes, you can create a bootable Emergency Disk.

 

I've been using Macrium Reflect free for almost a year now, backing up from the live environment but almost exclusively from the rescue pendrive and it so far has been flawless for this purpose as well as the couple of restores I've done from the pendrive due to dual-boot-with-Linux issues I encountered. What I really like about it - besides its so far impeccable reliability - is that it automatically decrypts my full Bitlocker-encrypted Windows O/S drive before backing up, so I don't need to suspend encryption from the live environment first. Very nice

Is it best? No idea, but it "just works" in my case.

 

I agree, Aomei is really good and basically tied with Paragon. To me Aomei has a lot to it. It's an all inclusive program that in addition to creating a backup/image, there's all these other features. What I'm looking for is a basic backup program that's focused on doing just that, which is why I chose Paragon ever so slightly above Aomei. Macrium Reflect Free is the ultimate in backups to me but with the announcement of the free version going away, I thought I should jump in to the next best thing now in preparation even though they might still continue the free version in the future. The good news is before Macrium Reflect Free goes away, there's time to see who stays consistent in releasing a good reliable backup program. Some will rise and some will fall and I for one, will be keeping a close eye over time.

 

Darn! I just saw this a moment ago. Too bad I see it remains until January 2024, which means I'll have to find an alternative by then. Maybe I'll just end up purchasing their paid product.

 

Look at the version comparison chart here: https://www.evorim.com/en/advancedbackup

It clearly states there is no CD/DVD or USB recovery environment available for the free version.

 

Going to test Rescuezilla and Redo Rescue next, but AOMEI is nearing the winner's circle for my system.

 

Strange. I made and used a boot UFD.

 

I agree too. I don't need differential or incremental backups - AOMEI anyway offer them - only
partition backups, and AOMEI is a light, secure and reliable program.

 

It's not cheap, but sometimes one can get good discounts (e.g. black Friday), and version upgrades are usually offered at 50% of the standard price to holders of regular licenses...

 

Yeah I'll keep my eyes peeled for promotions, and then I'm also interested in Aomei, so we'll see.

 

Though I am a paid user I have been watching it for years and unless I missed something Black Friday seems to be their only discount time. Or at least their only good discount of the year.

 

That's fine if I decide to purchase, then paying full price is not necessarily a big deal for me either.

 

Hi @ Beagle1957 & Brian K
↑
"Yes, you can create a bootable Emergency Disk.
Look at the version comparison chart here: https://www.evorim.com/en/advancedbackup

It clearly states there is no CD/DVD or USB recovery environment available for the free version."

You are both right!

The problem is when you boot from the USB Recovery that you created from Advanced Backup it says you cannot use it because there is no licence associated with it.
NOT exactly upfront communications, indeed a bit sneaky.

Terry

 

Terry, I can't recall seeing that message. But maybe I missed it.

 

Terry, I made another boot UFD.
The UFD booted and I saw a non English message which disappeared after 3 seconds.

The recovery environment is fully functional.

 

Be careful of which free imaging app you select. Some create images OK but cause issues with restores. Even deleting every partition on the disk. That is nasty. You could never know about restore issues unless you test your software.

I have 5 computers and my imaging software costs two cents per computer per week over the lifespan of the software. That's "almost" free.

 

Hi Brian K

Yes thanks for that I saw the brief almost subliminal level message along with the additional lack of licence info.

When I downloaded Advanced Backup it wasn't clear whether I was downloading the free version or the Pro version. Or whether it was two in one.
When I get chance I will try it again.

Terry

 

Following this thread with interest as i will be looking for free backup app when Macrium retires its free version.

I think I tried Casper Backup a few years ago, but i cannot remember how it performed. I have noticed they have a free version now.

Casper Drive Copy Product Comparison | Future Systems Solutions (fssdev.com)

I'm just looking for something simple and reliable as Macrium, if not i will purchase the home version.

 

The home version has definitely big advantages over the free version (probably more features that I know of) and these are incremental backups and extremely fast restores. If one is backing up every day, incrementals may take less than 2 minutes, and likewise restores are also blistering fast (obviously depending on hardware and volume to backup/restore). Free is good but paid is fast.

 

Did you ever test these programs? I was following the different testing you have been doing, along with other threads and different programs being tested and was wondering what your thoughts were and if you're trying out any other not mentioned backup programs. I still consider Paragon and Aomei as top backup programs at the moment with Veeam being another good one when it's stable, tested and compatible with the latest OS updates.

 

I am using paragon back up and recovery free version,Created a back up in a relatively small time,Not had to perform a recovery yet so not sure on that aspect of the program.

 

Tested Rescuezilla (which is a fork of RedoRescue). It's a great GUI front-end for Clonezilla and backup/restore functions worked correctly. If you're comfortable with a totally Linux-based solution, it would do the job. However, if you're more comfortable using a Windows-based solution with a WinPE emergency disk, I would still go with AOMEI or Paragon. I am withholding further judgment on Veeam Agent for Windows Free until the new version 6 appears sometime in the 1st quarter of 2023 - apparently the emergency disk in version 5 is incompatible with Windows 11 22H2.

 

Yea, I really like Veeam but wish they had more people working to keep up with the OS updates and release a reliable program quickly. That's the only thing that's holding them back. I might be wrong assuming that, but that's what it looks like. The backup software is excellent otherwise.

 

Testing an image backup without performing a restore is basically useless. Most programs will backup without problems restoring will be a more complex operation whether hot or cold, as there are too many things that may not work for all sorts of reasons. I know that restoring an image in a working system feels somewhat unnecessary, but it's the only way to know if it works.

 

I basically agree with you. But who likes to take the risk of destroying a working system by restoring a backup that may not work? This is a dilemma.