Question Looking for software to back up a 2 drive Windows 10 system

[timboalogo]

Hi,

I run a DAW with 2 2TB SSD drives on Windows 10. I have a gazillion programs installed, from audio samples to VSTs and VSTIs (virtual instruments and effects).

I just found out that my current backup system probably won't let me do a restore easily to new SSDs after a crash.

Given all this, I'd like to buy some software that would let me backup my whole 2 drive system as an "image" and in the event of a failure, restore everything onto the new drive(s) without a hitch.

I see posts here about Macrium but I have 2 issues with it. One is that it is an annual license and many DAW companies have switched to that revenue stream and I don't like one thing about it. The other is that I haven't seen online that Macrium Reflect can do the multi-drive backup.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[USAFRet]

I use Macrium Reflect exclusively.
Multi drive system. 6x drives.
Each physical drive on its own schedule. Generally, from 2AM to 5AM, on a 30 minute difference.

Yes, it has gone to a subscription model..
But so have its competitors!

 

[timboalogo]

Thanks for the quick reply USAFRet. Yeah 30US (40Cdn a year, wonder if Trump's tariff will include software? Just kidding) is a lot but I suppose it would save me a lot of time and worry.

Have you ever had a disk failure and had to do a restore of one of your drives?

EDIT Oh and what do you use to store the backups?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for the quick reply USAFRet. Yeah 30US (40Cdn a year, wonder if Trump's tariff will include software? Just kidding) is a lot but I suppose it would save me a lot of time and worry.

Have you ever had a disk failure and had to do a restore of one of your drives?

EDIT Oh and what do you use to store the backups?

Yes I have had a physical disk fail, and recovered.

960GB SanDisk SATA III SSD...sudden total fail. Unknown as to why.
Slot in a temp replacement, click click in Macrium....90 mins later, all 605GB data recovered, exactly as it was at 4AM that morning when it ran its nightly Incremental image.

Also used it when a recalcitrant bit of software spewed a BUNCH of crapware all over, that would not uninstall properly.

My backups for all the house systems go to a folder tree on my NAS.
Folder for each system, and then subfolder for each physical drive.

Depending on the system, Full or Incremental daily, weekly, every other day.
My main system gets Incrementals every night. My HTPC, a full Image once a week.

 

[littlepony]

Macrium is good, also to do EaseUS Todo Backup

 

[timboalogo]

OK, thanks you've sold me.

I appreciate your prompt replies,

Tim

 

[USAFRet]

OK, thanks you've sold me.

I appreciate your prompt replies,

Tim

I'm in the process of building up a new main PC. All the parts ordered, waiting on delivery.
And Macrium will be one of the 3 or 4 bits of software I actually buy for it.

 

[timboalogo]

So you're using some sort of NAS for storage. I was thinking of using a 7TB external and overwriting the entire system image during my backups.

I'm thinking I might need to rethink my strategy.

 

[USAFRet]

So you're using some sort of NAS for storage. I was thinking of using a 7TB external and overwriting the entire system image during my backups.

I'm thinking I might need to rethink my strategy.

I have a QNAP TS-453a NAS, with a couple of extra 4 bay pods.
12 drives total, approx 96TB drive space.
24/7 use since Jan 2017.

An external is just fine.
And not just 'overwriting', but a Full image, followed by a series of Incrementals.
In my system, it is a rolling 30 days. So I can recover any specific drive, or the whole system, to its state any day in the last month.
The Incrementals don't take up a lot of extra space.

For instance, a Full drive image of my C takes up 205GB.
Add on 30 days of Incrementals, and its only 404GB total.

 

[timboalogo]

Used to be a network guy 20+ years ago and thanks to you, I need to RTFM!

 

[timboalogo]

Running a full image of my 2 disks now. What I haven't seen is a way to boot the computer after a failure - to get at the Macrium software.

RTFM.

 

[USAFRet]

Running a full image of my 2 disks now. What I haven't seen is a way to boot the computer after a failure - to get at the Macrium software.

RTFM.

In the Macrium UI, on the menu bar, Other Tasks.
Create Rescue Media...
This will build a bootable flash drive.

I have one dedicated to this. It lives at the bottom of my PC case, so it is readily to hand if needed.

 

[timboalogo]

Thanks!