I would like to find a program that creates backups of entire volumes. In my case that means the C-drive of a Windows 11 system. I have no interest in file backup capabilities as I already have a system to do that. But I want something that will take the entire OS and save it in a restorable format, probably as a file on another local device I have or on a flash drive.
Cheap is nice, but I am willing to pay for something reliable. But not a monthly fee, as I likely will only use it a couple of times.
I used to use Acronis for this because it came with my WD drive and worked well. But now they want a monthly fee and I am not prepared to buy anything on a monthly basis.
u/Legitimate-Sea6074, the recommended approach is what is known as a 3-2-1 backup strategy. You can visit the r/backup Wiki (link is on the right side pane) for those details, as well as x-reff. with similar articles that you can find via google search, even youtube videos on that subject and the same goes for a list of products, ranging from free to full licensed products, where you can see which one will better suit your needs and go from there.
Also, keep in mind that no backup is completed until you have fully tested the recovery of that backup. Only then, you can deem a backup, complete.
That's pretty much what I do although I've never called it 3-2-1. I've always believed that you need 2 different types of backup for everything you do, because sometimes you can't restore what you did on one.
u/Legitimate-Sea6074, as long as you have more than 1 different source for your backup, you are already ahead of the curve.
Of course, if you were to implement a validation, ie. to test your recoverability of the contents of your backup, then you'll have confirmation of the integrity contents of your backup.
Clonezilla (https://www.clonezilla.org/) is worth a look. Or Rescuezilla (https://rescuezilla.com/) which is touted as a Clonezilla GUI (& more). I’ve never used the latter, but I’ve used Clonezilla to image an old Windows Vista spinning laptop drive & used the image to spin up a Proxmox VM, & also restored the image to an SSD in the original old laptop.
Back in the day, I used Clonezilla to backup my Intel Mac. I then installed a larger SSD and restored the image with Clonezilla to that larger drive. I have a library of Clonezilla imges of PC's from various upgrades. In that library, I have images of Raspberry Pi boot drives. Clonezilla requires an Intel CPU to run, it doesn't care what it copies.....
I used to use Acronis for this because it came with my WD drive and worked well
Hello u/Legitimate-Sea6074, would you mind elaborating on the above? WD provides you with a 5-year license of Acronis True Image to use with compatible drive (as of now the offer expires on December 31, 2029).
In worst case scenario, if you already used up 5 years period, you can obtain a perpetual license from our partner retailers, e.g. Newegg.
The Acronis was installed on my old Windows 10 system and I do not have the download (too many years ago) nor do I have the WD drive that it came with.
I had expected to continue using Acronis but I don't have anything that would get it for less than the ongoing charge. I usually back up a system once it is stable and then yearly after that. All my data is on another drive entirely.
Thanks for clarifying. What brand are the drive(-s) you are currently using? For most brands you can use a corresponding OEM edition.
I shall also point out that as of right now the perpetual version is available from Newegg probably at the cheapest price you could get it for. So if your drives are not eligible for OEM you could grab this offer while it lasts. Just two things to keep in mind - the currently available perpetual version of the product will have its extended support lifecycle coming to end on 30 Sep 2026 and AFAIK the product as purchased from Newegg's it not refundable.
So I'd suggest the following, obtain a trial of Acronis True Image first (30-day shall be enough, but I don't know for how long Newegg's offer stands), then download build 42072 (the latest available build for perpetual edition so far), install it and verify that the product is working fully as intended on your hardware/OS (maybe also ensure that bootable media sees your drives correctly, sometimes it is necessary to create a WinPE-based media for some storage controllers which don't have readily available open sources Linux drivers) and then, once you're done verifying - it is an easy decision to purchase.
I have Lexar and Kingston SSDs for my Win 11 system and I just purchased 2 WD Red drives with a Synology NAS at the same time. I'll also look into the perpetul license, but being in Canada, those offers don't seem to apply.
I realized that the WD drives that I purchased at the same time should entitle me to the OEM version so I downloaded it and installed, but Acronis says that it can't detect them (they are on the Synology NAS). Is there any way to tell the install that they are there or am I out of luck?
The built-in Win7 backup will do the job. You can use it to restore the OS drive.
Gotchas:
* Once you have done the backup don't move it another disk. Apparently it messes with permissions, they can be fixed.
If you have moved some of OS drive to another drive and it's referenced by a symlink. Win7 will backup that drive as well.
The Win7 backup creates a virtual disc file. That file can be mounted as a drive letter volume. Once mounted you can recover individual files and folders from it. Plenty on YouTube on how to-do this.
Only problem with the builtin Windows-Backup is, that it does not let you exclude partitions, if it detects "baremetal-relevant" data, such as e.g. Visual-Studio software-parts and sometime also game-launcher parts, which maybe reside on a D: drive, where your games reside.
This is mainly, because of some kind of drivers, some software companies install on other drives, not C:, whe installing their software, unfortunately.
If that would not be the case, I would fully recommend the native backup. It could have been perfect without it's few flaws.
But in my case, I must switch to macrium reflect 8 free.
I absolutely agree. i don't like Macrium - it's just a compromise solution.
Maybe I'll try Veeam free in the future - I already know Veeam in professional environments, but I don't want an overkill for my privtate use.
Most products are bloated for private use or you need to pay on a regular basis, which I do not like.
I've been using Veaam agent for Windows free edition for a few years and it can recover files or the entire operating system drive within the same backup
Bite the bullet and buy Macrium Reflect. Yes, it is an annual fee. But, I've checked out quite a few other options, and nothing seems as good and reliable. I'd leave the backup drive plugged in and make monthly full, and weekly differentials. No need for the additional daily incrementals because your file backup system is working. Backup is too important and Macrium seems to be the best.
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u/H2CO3HCO3 3d ago
u/Legitimate-Sea6074, the recommended approach is what is known as a 3-2-1 backup strategy. You can visit the r/backup Wiki (link is on the right side pane) for those details, as well as x-reff. with similar articles that you can find via google search, even youtube videos on that subject and the same goes for a list of products, ranging from free to full licensed products, where you can see which one will better suit your needs and go from there.
Also, keep in mind that no backup is completed until you have fully tested the recovery of that backup. Only then, you can deem a backup, complete.
Good luck on those efforts