I carefully evaluated and considered the options after being burnt real bad by the Acronis 2012 junk... my choice was Macrium Reflect Pro 5. And I used it many times to recover and also to upgrade to an SSD drive. Worked flawlessly everytime. My soul is sold.
Mainly I use Macrium, seems very reliable when restoring. But I have good old image for windows that never failed a backup for extra security. Reason I dont use IFW/IFD/IFL regulary is the somewhat cumbersome restoring process. It is just much nicer to restore with Macrium Nice poll! I am a sucker for imaging/snapshot software (I need help! ) I didnt know there where so many of them!
I'm using the latest Macrium Reflect release (specifically v5.0.4694) but never used it prior to version 5.0 and so can't really comment on the upgrade process as such. I can only say that the current version seems to work very well and has never failed me yet. I reported the only glitch that I found in their forums at http://support.macrium.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4377 and they fixed it in their next subversion update. Nobody's perfect, but they do seem quite responsive. See http://www.macrium.com/pages/features.aspx for a complete current feature list. The major new items appear to be the WinPE 3.1 rescue environment (based on Windows 7) and the ReDeploy for Servers (server edition only). Nothing else messed up that I've noticed. Their straightforward user interface and comprehensible documentation is a refreshing breeze for novice users compared to many others. __ P.S.: Building the Macrium Reflect "rescue PE" into your own multi-purpose PE build with other rescue utilities (using Winbuilder, for example) can be somewhat tricky due to its launcher's tendencies (all for the best of good intentions) to re-assign drive letters, change the screen resolution, etc. But that's a relatively esoteric issue, probably not of much interest or concern to most potential users.
I use the Acronis rescue disc. AND DirSync & the Windows File Manager. Why? It's what I first tried, and it works. I'm sure other programs perform equally well. I also use DirSync from Softology and the Windows File Manager for backing up some individual files here and there.
Hey everyone I use Paragon Backup and Recovery Home 11 edition. Have Used Paragon for a long time, and is very pleased by its performance so far. I have also uploaded a copy (image file) of my hard disk to Carbonite, so I can reconstruct my PC any time, if needed.
So true! I selected Paragon since that is what I've used on the ole XP PC but so far (less than two months) I've been using Windows 7 backup on the PC I built. I still might purchase Paragon if it goes on sale or even use a Paragon free or giveaway. I do prefer some sort of a GUI over this Windows 7 backup.
@ Arvy Thanks for the solid feed back on Macrium reflect. Here's a link to What's new in version 5 for anyone who might be interested.
@ MarcP ... Thanks for the input. For anyone who may not be aware of the Acronis difficulties to which some here are referring, check out the recent Beware of Acronis "Leftovers" Issues for some eye-opening details.
Macrium Reflect Free - because of speed, convenience, and a straightforward GUI. Clonezilla - my 'backup' backup program, in case Macrium fails for some reason. I like the idea of Clonezilla, but it's slower than Reflect and the menu options can be a bit tricky & ambiguous. Takes more effort to use. I'm sure if I spent any time actually learning it, I'm sure it would be fine - but these days I expect most things to be immediately straightforward. I used to use Clonezilla primarily, but heard of Reflect from someone else and preferred it.
For imaging solutions I use only two: ATI Home 2011 and 2012 Macrium Reflect Free I never run any of my pc's without one. Saves time and money.
In reading FAQs for FarStone TotalRecovery8 Pro, I came across an interesting bit of info... Somebody help me, how do they do this? How do they disable (actually they say 'remove') a file from your local HD? Do they accomplish this via remote connection? What if I have removed their software (program but not backup files) from my computer? Does the backup file have some sort of self-deletion code? And is this commonplace? It's the first I've heard about such a thing, but maybe I don't get out much.
I use either Windows Built-In imaging, or Macrium Reflect Free when I want something faster. Both seem to get the job done without issues though...
Easeus Todo: it's fast and reliable but more specifically because it allows restoring from Windows rather than having to search for that disk every time. Set EaseUS Agent and Guard Agent services to manual to minimise overhead.
Good grief! That sounds like outright blackmail and extortion to me. I'm sure they meant to say that that the backup image files, not "any backed up files", would be removed. But a literal understanding of that statement would constitute quite a dire threat and definitely not an inducement to try it to see what actually happens. In any case, I'd be inclined to think that they're probably talking about some kind of scheduled operation by the installed trial software (or some residual remnant thereof) rather than remote action. In principle, such timed expiry actions are not unusual with trial versions as you discovered yourself with Acronis, just quite dramatic in this case if understood as written.
In my case with Acronis 2012 trial, the program was locked, or became inaccessible after 30 days. But the two backup images I had created were still there on my HD. The FarStone FAQ says, "After the 14-day usage any backed up files will be removed from your system." I'm questioning how this is achieved? And like you, I don't think they are threatening to remove "any" backed up file, despite the wording they use. Just would like to hear opinions on how they delete, or remove, the backups a user has created?
Generally speaking, any installed program with the necessary permissions to create, own and alter files -- especially one that functions at the system level like backup-imaging software must do as a matter of operational necessity -- can also delete those same files. It would be more unusual if it couldn't. The Acronis software did what it did by altering your system's registry which is also a file (actually a set of files) on your hard drive. This is not really any different in principle. Installing ANY software, thus giving it the permissions that it needs to operate within your system, is really a declaration of faith in its producers.
What if I have removed their software (program but not backup files) from my computer? Does the backup file have some sort of self-deletion code?
Not having installed this particular software, I'm guessing, of course, but it would seem logical to assume that uninstallation (without unlocking) during the trial period would also remove its backup images as part of that uninstall process. Alternatively, it might possibly leave behind some scheduled remnant to do so. As you've also discoved for yourself, uninstallation "leftovers" aren't out of the question by any means. In any case, you can be sure that their declaration of intent is not an idle one, even if its literal meaning may be slightly ambiguous. __ P.S.: Just as a matter of idle curiosity, what would you hope to gain by retaining its backups after removing the application that uses them?
On another note, any idea if Macrium Reflect's trial behaves similarly to Acronis 2012 trial, i.e. leaving hard-to-remove remnants and changing system configuration, such as disabling Windows Backup and Restore?
It does NOT alter Windows own backup or other Control Panel items in any way at all. There are some (relatively minor) variations in the Macrium Reflect installation depending on the OS version under which it is installed. So far as I can speak from direct experience, it installs its own device class filter only under earlier Windows versions such as XP. With Vista and Win7, its makes use of Window's "native" VSS and so installs only those drivers that it needs for mounting the image files that it creates. None of the latter involve the "required for boot" (start=0x00000000) services that Acronis uses for its core operations and, therefore, do NOT run the risk of BSOD traps due to "leftovers" during uninstallation of the application itself. If fact, in my own experience, just a normal Windows "Remove Programs" uninstallation of Macrium Reflect cleans itself out properly and completley so that the issue doesn't arise in the first place. At worst, if there is some uninstall glitch for some reason, you might have to deal with a nonfunctional *.mrimg file association that is merely a cosmetic annoyance and easily removed manually without any such risk.
