Local backup software needed for Windows 10 (NOT File History)

[avianrand]

I'm a single person software development company. I don't need anything fancy and I don't want cloud. I've done cloud before. I used CrashPlan for year. I liked it but they are closing up shop for what I used them for. There are TOOOO many cloud companies out there who come and go. I don't want to put my faith in some other company only to have them evaporate (pun intended). All this push for the cloud. Ugh. It's not always the right solution for everything.

I also tried Windows 10 File History. I don't like it. I want more control. Windows 10 has taken a TON of control away from us in many areas of the OS. Acronis seems good but I'm not sure yet. I just downloaded the trial last night. But it doesn't put the actual files on the backup. It piles all the files being backed up in to one big file. I don't like that.

I do backups to bare external HDD's in a docking station. I do all my work on a Windows 10 system in my own office. I don't need mobility when it comes to backups.

So here's what I want:

• 
  - I want a backup program from a company that's been around and will likely be around.
  - I don't care if it's free or I have to spend money. I don't need cheap. If it's good and it's $200, that's fine.
  - I don't use windows' goofy system for where I save my files. I have a RAID D drive where all that goes
  - I want to be able to choose down to the file level what's going to get backed up
  - I want to be able to look at the files on the backup and grab one I need without having to use the backup software to get at it
  - I want the backup software to run a full backup of my data drive and then let the backup run so that it does VERSION backups every hour or 2 or whenever I want
  - I should be able to turn off and take out the backup HDD, put a new one in and have the backup software know that it already did a full backup and it's just supposed to keep doing file version backups. W10 FH seemed to be confused by that.
  - I used W10 FH to do the initial full backup of 1.1 TB of data to a 2 TB drive. After that it ran fine and did version backups while I was working. Sometimes I hit the "backup now" button and it did quick little incremental/version backups as expected. Then I shut down everything for the night. I worked a little the next morning and then clicked the "backup now" button in FH. It somehow decided to do a FULL backup again. It used up the remaining 0.8 TB of the external drive. Why would it do that??????
  - I want a program that lets me control what it does and doesn't try to second guess me. But I want it to be smart enough to not do what FH did.

Any suggestions? I'm starting not to trust all the PCMag types of sources for "best of" searches.

Thanks 🙂

 

[faalin]

Could give this a try https://www.veeam.com/windows-endpoint-server-backup-free.html We use Veeam Backup and Replication Enterprise Edition on our servers.

 

[USAFRet]

Personally, I use Macrium Reflect exclusively.
Would seem to check most/all of your boxes, with a few caveats.

"- I want to be able to choose down to the file level what's going to get backed up"
Easier to backup the whole drive or partition.
But it does give the functionality of individual folders if you wish.

"- I want to be able to look at the files on the backup and grab one I need without having to use the backup software to get at it"
You can mount and open a MR image file, either Full or Incremental. It opens just like any other folder or dive in Windows Explorer.
You do need to use that MR client, though.

I have my systems on a schedule to do a Full/Incremental/Differential backup every night.
You can set whatever schedule you choose. Hourly Incrementals, if you want.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3383768/backup-situation-home.html

 

[avianrand]

I'll check those out. Thanks. I should also mention that I use Casper (been using it for a very long time) to clone my entire data drive(s) now and then and they go either in my fireproof safe or my safe deposit box at the bank. I liked having CrashPlan running too so that I'd have all those version backups in cloud storage in between my full clones. I just want all that local now. I'll still be doing occasional full clones. That's never going away. It's saved me a few times.

 

[USAFRet]

I'll check those out. Thanks. I should also mention that I use Casper (been using it for a very long time) to clone my entire data drive(s) now and then and they go either in my fireproof safe or my safe deposit box at the bank. I liked having CrashPlan running too so that I'd have all those version backups in cloud storage in between my full clones. I just want all that local now. I'll still be doing occasional full clones. That's never going away. It's saved me a few times.

My Macrium schedule is thus:
A Full backup, and then Incrementals every night for 2 weeks. Then rolled into another Full...repeat.
Each individual drive in my main system (5 drives) is on its own schedule, and gets its own target folder.
C drive - 1AM
D drive - 2AM
E drive - 3AM
etc...

Other systems are on their own schedule.
I have the paid Macrium ($70) for my main system, Macrium Free for the HTPC and wifes system.

I tried Casper, but it was not as seamless as Macrium. IMHO, anyway.

 

[gasaraki]

BackupExec

 

[Alabalcho]

Being a programmer - once you have your system image, create backup scripts around Microsoft' PowerShell, RoboCopy for your work files.
I am using WIndows 7 backup on Windows 10, and incremental backup works as expected. I would investigate what got backed up on the next day taking over your 0.8TB.

 

[avianrand]

I ran a pretty complete test of Acronis earlier today. I don't think I really like it. I spent 1/2 hour on the phone with them to get some questions answered. It's okay but not enough granular control for my taste. I also installed and did a pretty complete test with Macrium. I like it better than Acronis. I feel like I have a lot more control with it and a better ability to see what's been backed up including file changes in incremental backups.

 

[pricehale]

My Windows File History simply doesn't work. I am not a programmer. But I have found a fairly easy way to backup important folders. This method works and is a highly reliable way of backing up any folder. Each folder you want to back up will require a separate task to be created in Task Manager.

Please note there is a bug in this submission form. There are 3 strings in quotation marks. When you see a space in the text that is in quotation marks (it looks like a tab space), substitute the letter "D" for the icon (no spaces). There are 3 of these spaces in the text below.

Open Task Manager. Set up a new task. As an example, here are the settings to create a task that uses Robocopy to backup my documents folder.

The example below mirrors my documents folder to an external drive. It only copies new items and deletes anything not in my current documents folder. (you can change the options when creating the job file if you don't want it to delete anything). Robocopy does not re-copy anything already present in my backup drive's folder.

First, you must create a job file using Robocopy. This will be used by Task Manager to define your settings. Here is the command I ran to create a job file to copy my documents folder to an external drive:
"robocopy D:\Documents G:\Price\Documents /copy:dat /dcopy:T /sl /mir /xo /v /fp /log:G:\Price\Documents\mir.txt /save😀:\Documents\3ph-cfgs\Robocopy\jobs\Documents2G.rcj /R:10 /W:600"

Documents2G.rcj is the job file you just created.

Then open task manager, and create a new task. In the Actions tab of your new task, set it to start a program. Enter this in the program field:
"C:\Windows\System32\Robocopy.exe"

The "Add Arguments" field allows you to enter the job file you just created. So, using my example from above, this is what I entered in the "Add Arguments" field:
"/job:d:\Documents\3ph-cfgs\Robocopy\jobs\DOCUMENTS2G.RCJ"

You can use the other tabs of the tasks property dialog to set backup frequency, the time the job is to start, etc. This works wonderfully. It never fails to run. I am confident that if I experience a drive failure I will have my important folders backed up on other drives. It is highly reliable.