Backing-up a hard drive - Acronis of Macrium?

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I have two external hard drives I use for backing up. I've been using Acronis, but someone suggested that Macrium Reflect (free) might be better. Do any tech experts out there have suggestions/advice 

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Wood]

I have Macrium, and deeply regret the choice. The free version is crippled, so you have to end up buying it anyway. It is constantly being updated, and nags you to death from the system tray. Every update requires a computer shutdown and restart. I'm not even sure it works because the computer won't boot from the backup disk, connected via a powered esata-p port.

ETA: I'm cloning my hard drive because it's an older computer and has some software on it that I don't want to reinstall. The simple backup routine may work in the free version, but clones require the paid version.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I have Macrium, and deeply regret the choice. The free version is crippled, so you have to end up buying it anyway. It is constantly being updated, and nags you to death from the system tray. Every update requires a computer shutdown and restart. I'm not even sure it works because the computer won't boot from the backup disk, connected via a powered esata-p port.

Thanks for this. Good to know the flaws. 

[dgcasey]

I use a program called Synchredible. I do a back up every night and it works perfectly for what I want. I have the same kind of setup you do. Two WD external drives, one serving as my main drive and the other is an exact copy.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I use a program called Synchredible. I do a back up every night and it works perfectly for what I want. I have the same kind of setup you do. Two WD external drives, one serving as my main drive and the other is an exact copy.

Thanks. Doesn't it take quite a while to back up the whole computer?

[JRTomlin]

Most such programmes only back up changes. No need to backup what is already backed up. I use Carbonite because I don't believe on-site backups are safe.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Most such programmes only back up changes. No need to backup what is already backed up. I use Carbonite because I don't believe on-site backups are safe.

I do incremental backups, but it does take time.

[dgcasey]

I use a program called Synchredible. I do a back up every night and it works perfectly for what I want. I have the same kind of setup you do. Two WD external drives, one serving as my main drive and the other is an exact copy.

Thanks. Doesn't it take quite a while to back up the whole computer?

The first time you use it, it will take some time. I have two 4TB drives and I remember the first time took over 24 hours to complete. Now, it takes less than ten minutes for it to backup only what's changed since the last back up.

[LilyBLily]

When I was using Carbonite, it seemed to take forever to do new back-ups and I was never sure it was only backing up the new stuff. Plus, I never could figure out if my email was backed up.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

I think I paid (and will happily pay again) $50 for the latest Acronis which also includes Ransomware protection. The spate of Ransoneware attacks is scary, and it's one of the few things that Windows Defender isn't so good at (but not entirely useless). So Acronis is, in my oinion, well worth it. I've used Acronis for a long time on my Win 7 studio PC, but had to buy the latest version to install on my Win 10 laptop. The old version has saved me a LOT of grief over the years for when HDD just decide to give up living.
It's a good product, with good service and support. You don't really appreciate it until you've spent a week reinstalling a hacked or damaged HDD, because you didn't back it up.
Just double-check that any competing products actually allow you to reinstall your entire partition/HDD should it be needed, rather than revert to an earlier "Saved" version, which isn't quite the same thing.
And as someone else alluded to, the free versions of software rarely give you the full functions -- what would be the point? But you generally don't find out the shortcomings until you need to be rescued.

Good luck.   

[Bill Hiatt]

Most such programmes only back up changes. No need to backup what is already backed up. I use Carbonite because I don't believe on-site backups are safe.

Some kind of offsite backup is needed. Before cloud alternatives were so prevalent, I carried a backup of my home system in my work briefcase. I also from time to time left a full back at my parents' house (though they lived close enough that I might not have been protected in the event of natural disaster).

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I think I paid (and will happily pay again) $50 for the latest Acronis which also includes Ransomware protection. The spate of Ransoneware attacks is scary, and it's one of the few things that Windows Defender isn't so good at (but not entirely useless). So Acronis is, in my oinion, well worth it. I've used Acronis for a long time on my Win 7 studio PC, but had to buy the latest version to install on my Win 10 laptop. The old version has saved me a LOT of grief over the years for when HDD just decide to give up living.
It's a good product, with good service and support. You don't really appreciate it until you've spent a week reinstalling a hacked or damaged HDD, because you didn't back it up.
Just double-check that any competing products actually allow you to reinstall your entire partition/HDD should it be needed, rather than revert to an earlier "Saved" version, which isn't quite the same thing.
And as someone else alluded to, the free versions of software rarely give you the full functions -- what would be the point? But you generally don't find out the shortcomings until you need to be rescued.

Good luck.

Thanks. I think I'll stick with Acronis. I only do a full backup every couple of months as I backup my files on different USB sticks as I update or add things. Maybe I should do a full backup more often.

[JRTomlin]

Most such programmes only back up changes. No need to backup what is already backed up. I use Carbonite because I don't believe on-site backups are safe.

Some kind of offsite backup is needed. Before cloud alternatives were so prevalent, I carried a backup of my home system in my work briefcase. I also from time to time left a full back at my parents' house (though they lived close enough that I might not have been protected in the event of natural disaster).

I suspect that you are also aware that most people who claim to do regular manual backups actually fail to do so. Human nature at work. Of course, you have been an exception, but people are how they are.

It has to be an automated backup.

ETA: Of course, most people are also convinced they'll never have a house fire or a natural disaster or a theft where everything that isn't stolen is trashed. Until it happens. I remember a fellow author who I would have sworn knew better who had his laptop stolen out of his car with the only copy of his new novel on it. People amaze and I include myself in that. Left to my own devices I would certainly back up at least once a month.