HDM 11 vs HDM 2011

Hi, first post here.

I've looked all over but can't find the answer to this, which seems odd, maybe I haven't found the right search terms!

Anyway, does any know definitively whether HDM version 11 is any different to version 2011? On the release history (website) it just says "October 2011 11 The product version has been changed to 11 due to re-branding of product line.
January 2011 2011 Paragon Hard Disk Manager 2011 Suite is released."

So...only the name has changed, or what?? Seems a lot of trouble to go to just to remove 2 and 0 everywhere, so seems doubtful. OTOH, I see there's now a 2012 free backup & restore - is that a newer engine? Was the previous free one based on 2011 and the new one is based on 11 or is there soon to be a 2012 paid version?? Such confusing naming, honestly...

Reason I'm asking is that I'd like to buy a full version but I can get 2011 for half the cost of 11. If 11 is better I'd pay the extra, but if the same clearly I may as well just get 2011 for less. Or if a 2012 version is due out, I might want hold out for that (depending when, expected pricing etc.)

If anyone has used both 2011 and 11, and there's any difference I'm interested mostly in whether there's any improvement in/worsening of speed in backup/restore. Way back in 2009, someone tested Macrium Reflect and Paragon Backup & Restore *free* and found Reflect to be much faster. Granted that was a while ago, but also many posters around the internet seem to complain that Paragon HDM/Backup & Restore 2011 can be very slow compared to both Reflect and True Image (and to confuse matters some postings say "11" when referring to "2011" and vice versa, clearly I'm not the only one confused, or maybe I am...) so I'd like to know if this has been improved or is expected to be in an imminent release - if that information is available!

Sorry for the long post and wish list - hope someone/people can help and this will also be useful to others!

Thanks - garrog.

 

You're certainly right about the array of Paragon products being confusing. I only have the HDM 11 Suite myself and so can't comare with any earlier products. But just judging by the file dates (2011-10-1 in that current HDM release package, I'd have to conclude that more than just its "branding" was changed at that time. Perhaps you could buy the 2011 package and then update it to the current v11 release free, but best to check directly with Pargon sales about that.

You're right also about Paragon's backup being a bit of a slowpoke compared to some others such as Acronis, although I understand that the most recent releases have improved that aspect somewhat. Personally, as I seldom sit around watching backup ops anyhow, I rank speed much lower than reliability on my own list of priorities. And thus far I've found the HDM 11 Suite to be very reliable.

 

Cool, thank you Arvy. Yeah I am getting a generally better impression of Paragon backup apps vs Acronis & Macrium so that's a very good point, maybe I shouldn't worry so much about speed?

However, given my 2011/11 version dilemma I'm hoping someone can give a performance comparison of HDM 11 vs 2011, and also shed a little more light on where the 2012 Free version stands in all this - surely they wouldn't release a free version more advanced than the paid - or could it be a testing ground?! In which case what's the word on the street about the next full version ppl??

Thanks again Arvy and all!

 

I think they are the same, and if there are performance differences is because of the different versions.

When I bought a license for HDM Suite in January 2011, it was called "HDM 2011 Suite". If I look for the last version I can download (at My Downloads in my account), is HDM 11 Suite, version 10.0.17. 13908, dated 18-10-2011.

The WinPE of this version hasn´t worked well for me (problems unrelated to the creation and restoring of images), so I prefer to use the previous version.

But some weeks ago I received an e-mail offering discounted HDM 11 Suite and Pro, with an automatic upgrade to the 12 version, expected for February or Mach 2012, according to the e-mail.

 

Thanks so much for your replies. I'm still intrigued but just now I found pro on offer for same price as home edition; spurred on also by above comments I thought ah hell I'll just do it!

V. useful to know new edition is planned for Feb/March, Robin A. - think I'll just be cheap though!

Notwithstanding that these may become old versions shortly, in case anyone wants to consider the download deal(s) I found -and bear in mind I can't verify the installation yet (no point putting on this Vista POS - gonna put it on replacement Win 7 machine coming Monday) - but without saying the company name it comes up high on a Google (UK) search and it looks like a January only sale (that's *GMT*, folks!). Seems above board anyway, just d/l the files and got serial ok. Sorry that was a lot of nested clauses, wasn't it.

Anyways...maybe I'll be posting again when I can't make head or tail of the manual (I'll try though) or if I find something to tell. Cheers, all - and don't let me kill the thread off just cos I've bailed if it's a useful discussion. Peace.

 

Definitely not. You can rest assured that the features included in the HDM Suite will equal and surpass those in the B&R freebie, especially if you're getting the "Pro" edition. And based on what Robin has said about updating HDM 2011 to the current HDM 11 release, you should be able to update your purchase likewise after registering it in your account on the web site.

Good luck with that instruction manual. It's not the greatest literature, but most backup ops are quite straightforward. It's the recovery processes that can sometimes get a bit tricky if dissimilar hardware is involved. Just be sure to do a FULL system backup of ALL partitions initially, including Win7's hidden "reserved" partition if present for your installation.

 

I think you can get a big discount if you upgrade within a few months,.

So if that is the case - you would be able to upgrade from your 11 to 12 if you like - probably worth asking Paragon - but I seem to recall it.

 

offtop: HDM 11 vs HDM 2011

Somebody got а pre-release version?
http://www.paragon-software.com/registration/hdm12suite.html
for me - not

 

Re: offtop: HDM 11 vs HDM 2011

I don't think it ir ready yet.

Didn't you get registration status ok message?

Maybe you need to be on a big forum or have a blog, etc .

 

Nice one, fireworker. The automated message says:

"Thank you for your registration and your interest in our company.

You will contact you directly and provide a license key and download instructions for Paragon Hard Disk Manager 12 Suite (pre-release version) as soon as it is available.

Please add eservice@paragon-software.com to your address book or/and “white lists” to avoid our letter being blocked by spam-filters."

So I don't think it's available yet, fingers crossed you will get it when it is!

 

Thanks Arvy and SIW2 for your further advice.

I'm migrating from one laptop to another and I wasn't sure if pro let me install on both old and new machines in order to do this - I checked with the supplier and they said the single licence only allows for one user but should be ok for a reasonable number of home machines as long as it's only me using them (which it is).

Maybe true, maybe not. Still, I'll give it a go - if it doesn't fly on the new machine I should be able to uninstall from the old machine and cross my fingers it re-installs on the new one (no reason it wouldn't really, just paranoid!).

I'll post here how that goes (may be a couple of days depending on this and that).

 

Paragon products (unlike Acronis) don't require hardware-specific activation for each install. So you should be okay with a single license as a temporary transfer arrangement between two machines. But you could just boot using the recovery disc. I would suggest creating your account on the web site, registering your purchase immediately, and then downloading and installing the current version release if newer than what you bought.

If you think you might need multiple installs for the longer term, they do offer a "family pack" 3-license bargain for their HDM 11 Suite. See the Buy Online page at http://www.paragon-software.com/home/hdm-personal/eshop.html