What Backup Software Should I Use?

❓ Deciding what backup software to use relies on understanding what kind of backup you want to create. I'll review the options.

❓ What backup software?
Understanding the type of backup you need is important. Use image backup software like EaseUS Todo to save monthly full backups and daily incrementals to an external hard drive. Add cloud storage like Dropbox or OneDrive for real-time and off-site backup. Automate the process if you can.

Chapters
0:00 Backup software
0:40 Step by step guide
2:15 Everything versus some things
3:50 Where to back up to
5:30 Automated or manual
6:50 How many backups?
8:20 How long to keep them?
9:15 Above all, back up

More Ask Leo!

#askleo #backup #software

[thomasstambaugh]

This otherwise excellent piece omits arguably the most important "To do" -- exercise a RESTORE at least once. Backing up is just half of the solution -- the other half is restoring from backup.

In my five decades of industry experience, I can assure you that the most rigorous backup strategies in the world are a colossal waste of time if RESTORE doesn't work. This can be challenging in itself, because it is often difficult to find a safe place to perform the restore. If it's at all possible, the gold standard is to restore to a completely different machine.

The rub is that image backup, in particular, typically wants to replace whatever executables, registry settings, and so on are on the target machine. This can create all sorts of issues when restoring to a well-functioning system. Restoring to a different machine is often problematic unless the new machine is exactly the same as the machine that was imaged.

One common scenario when a backup is needed is after a failed system update. The rub is that the target system is now in an unknown state, and the target system may not be able to even access never mind run the restore utility. You'll end up needing bootable media and -- especially in the Windows worlds -- this can quickly get VERY complicated. It is often easy to do even more harm to an already broken system by improperly booting from a "restore" media. This gets particularly dicey when the restore media wants to "adjust" partitions, with various flavors of "secure" settings in the BIOS, with encrypted media, and so on.

My own imperfect approach is to run my Windows 10 Pro system on a "guest VM" running on the underlying iron. I run Rocky Linux on a robust and recent pedestal machine and I use VirtualBox (for Linux) to host my Windows 10 Pro guest VM. The advantage of this is that I can shutdown the guest VM and use Linux tools (I use rsync) to make a complete copy of the entire guest VM from a command shell in Linux. I store these copies on a different Linux file server.

I'll resist the temptation to open the Pandora's Box of Windows vs Linux networking.

I can't tell you how many times various of my clients and employers have spent days or weeks and enormous amounts of money successfully restoring from those rigorously maintained backups. A roomful of backups doesn't help if the media has failed (external drives do fail!), if the restore software is unable to get needed access to the target machine, if passwords and keys have changed, etc., etc., etc.

The bottom line is that backing up is just half of the solution -- backing up is useless unless the corresponding restore is known to work and is usable by you.

[ggisdbu]

I have two Synology NAS, one at home, one at our cabin, all connected over the net. My important files are synchronised to my local NAS, and then sysnchronised from the local NAS to the one at our cabin. I also have image backups of my C drive (I have 5 SSD drives), one full then incremental in a five day cycle. I have never lost anything. My remote NAS has a RAID configuration so I can lose one drive (of four) without losing any data.

[darrennew]

SyncToy to an encrypted removable USB drive for me, because I have a number of computers some of which share the same files (like music and vacation photos). And then just make an image backup onto the same USB drive. You can also use robocopy for file/folder backups if you're not regularly moving files between different computers. There's absolutely no need for third-party image backup software. Multiple external drives, stored in a media safe and a theft-resistant safe, all encrypted.

Decide what you want to back up, write a BAT file to invoke robocopy on a regular basis. When you change something in your OS (install programs, reconfigure something complex, etc) then use the image backup built into Windows.

[renoholland]

I use Macrium Reflect to make backups of my system drive to an external- and a portable drive. I use Backup4All to backup data to the external drive, the portable drive and OneDrive. So I have 4 copies of each file in 4 different locations. Frequently I test the backup and restore a few files. And when I leave my home for a longer time I take the portable drive with me. Luckily I haven't lost a single file in over 25 years.

[MarcoRomero-vu]

Great content! For MSPs like us, the right tech stack is vital. We've found our groove with solid backup tools and a BDR strategy, a robust RMM, top-notch cybersecurity, and Thirdlane Multi Tenant PBX for our clients' VoIP needs. This is our recipe for success. Thanks for video!

[cppctek]

Backup your backup. I also like ssd or nvme storage for backups. Spinny boy drives both internal and external have much higher failure rates and also way slower transfer times as well so if you want to backup and restore files quicker and safer get solid state storage if you can

[synen]

Im concerned about privacy and security when using cloud the way you suggest.

[grahamclarke]

I like that you put the 'click on' on the left-hand panel so I can write them down (stopping the videos if I have to) as trying to remember the sequence of them would men having to go back and forth on the video. Best computer info videos I have seen on you tube. Thank you.

[kersi-sandiego]

Reminder:
If using the cloud option, don't forget to encrypt your data.

[xKoMox]

Nice one Leo, thanks a ton for breaking down backup strategies so clearly. Your video confirmed I’m on track with image and data backups, and the three-two-one rule. Feeling way more confident about keeping my data safe now!

[francosilvestri]

I have bought a WD Elements 8TB external drive and I backup copy with robocopy everything there. Plus I plan to make images backup of my OS there too.

[JosephNJ]

This video has little to do with the title! You didn't cover backup software at all.

[TheCynysterMind]

While this advise is good as far as it is... (Just back up your stuff... figure out which is best for you BUT BACK UP YOUR STUFF)

I will disagree about the methods in this video. The old style of incremental backups I think no longer match the way that most people use their computer.
Most people have either become somewhat experts in how a computer functions or they are completely oblivious.

The traditional backups I think do not serve the vast majority of computer users.

What tends to work best is for people to put all their files on a 2nd hard drive (whether internal or external)
The connect yet another external hard drive to your computer once a week and SYNC the two drives and then put that drive in a fire safe.

What this does... is separate your files from the computer... and if your computer crashes you can just plug the other drive into a new computer.
No wasted time constantly backing up and zero time restoring.

Now the recommended method of backups is the 3, 2, 1 rule.... but just getting in the habit of backing up is the hardest hurtle to most.
I do mine once a week while having Sunday morning coffee.

[Nofanboyz]

I use:

- rsync
- Luckybackup
- Pika backup
- Timeshift (set to include /home and all user data)

[bme]

I've been using Paragon's Hard Disk Manager software for years to do backups. Never had a problem restoring when needed.

[dannid.]

What is the best free backup folder (not image) software? Freefilesync? Syncbackup? Robosync? Why? What strategy to backup thousands of ebook?

[vince]

I won't cloud store 99% of my files. I use a sync app that updates everything to my external. I simply run it each time I change files on my system. Only takes seconds. Also have backups at the bank for disaster. To complement the bank backup I put new or or updated files when I do them. I don't have any file that I have ever lost.

As for image backups only do those once a year. My total time spent to do this is maybe a 5 minutes a month

[vh]

EaseUS Todo Backup is the product of EaseUS, a software company headquartered in China.

[petrafied]

If you use a Western Digital USB drive for image backup, do not encrypt it with WD Discovery. The unlock app is only 32bit and you will not be able to use it for a restore to a 64bit machine. This issue applies to Windows PE 64-bit.

[powerpc]

I'm just using the copy/paste tools within windows to make my backups. no additional software required as you just manually copy files.