Simple Backup Software.

Hello,

For several years now I have backed up the most significant files on my server, and some from my laptop to a web based service (Data Deposit Box - now KineticD). This works very well but can be expensive for large volumes of data.
In order to avoid excessive cost and be able to provide more storage space, I have just placed a large capacity NAS on my network and can access this as a mapped drive.

It should be possible to use the software provided by Kinetic to backup to this local network drive but I am having problems setting it up. So,

Can anyone recommend backup software that will work under Small Business Server 2003? If it’s free so much the better)? I don't need anything too complicated - I just need to copy uncompressed files (mainly photography) to another location.

I will continue to use the web based service for the really important stuff.

 

Please can ayone assist? :confused

 

A sync program such as SyncBack should work just fine, depending on the login requirements of your online service.

 

There's also FreeFileSync.

Here' the link for SyncBack here at MG

 

That's for the shareware version $19.95 Ken3, which is why I didn't link it. The MG link for the free version takes you to the author's site.

 

Yes moving totally to the cloud could be expensive i only use cloud for my recent project files, i wanted to move everything at first to the cloud but it turned out it would cost me a fortune each month. I decided to get an external hard drive to backup everything to it now if want to backup to NAS i would recommend you try Genie backup manger, we used to use it in the old office good software. i'm currently using mypcbackup but got no idea if it backs up to NAS.

hope this would help

 

Thanks all.

I am presently trying out FreeFileSinc which looks as though it will do the job but might be too slow.

I will report back soon.

 

That's been my experience with NAS too, tediously slow.

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of backing up data to "the cloud". What happens if your PC has no internet access due to virus infection, system crash, corrupt driver(s)? I personally recommend using a flash drive if you have small amounts of data to save: stuff like documents, pictures, videos. If you want to perform full backups that include the OS, installed programs and applications and your docs, pics, music, then you'll need an external hard drive that's at least 3 times the size of the used space on drive C: (for example: if drive C is a 500gb drive but you're only using 80gb, then an external backup drive of 320gb MINIMUM or 500gb+ is recommended). There are several freeware programs that will perform full image backups of drive C (or whatever is specified) and store the image on an external drive (or network share). I have recommended Easeus TodoBackup to friends and clients and they have all been happy with it. You can create compressed images of the backed up drive, store the image on an external drive once weekly (or whatever your schedule demands), and create a boot CD to recover the image if needed. Other similar free apps are available, check the Back Up download section here at MG.

If you just need to back up selected files and folders, Easeus works for that too, but one of the apps listed above may be more appropriate.

Hope this helped!

(network backup is ALWAYS scary slow - start it at night before bed and hope it's done before breakfast LOL)

 

Handy Backup 7 is supported by the MOST of modern existing Windows versions, SBS 2003 included. It will see your camera as an external USB drive and perform the task trivially.

 

I use this. It is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. It also allows me to make remote backups and manage them centrally. I’m storing the backups on NAS servers and there haven’t been any issues so far.

 

One thing that I really like about Karen's Replicator is the
Option to Replicate File and Folder Deletions.

If this option is selected, files and folders that Do Exist in the destination but Do Not Exist in the Source location, will
be Deleted from the destination location.

This can remove a lot of old backup stuff that is no longer needed.
It is particularly useful when backing up Browser profiles like Firefox, Pale Moon, and Opera.

There is also an option to move deletions to the Recycle Bin so you can review what has been deleted.

Home page:
KarenWare: Replicator

 

Yeah, Karen's Replicator has some cool options and features, but it seems to be a bit cumbersome and not-so-user-friendly for those of the noobish persuasion. Some of the wording is a bit ambiguous and confusing, and the overall GUI seems unnecessarily crowded. However, these observations are based on the last time I used the program which was over a year or 18 months ago, so maybe it's different now....

The older versions of Easeus ToDo Backup had a setting for "number of images to save". I'd usually set it to 5, once there are 5 images backed up from 5 consecutive weeks (or whatever schedule has been set), the oldest image is automatically deleted. I'm fairly certain that this feature has been removed from the current free version, but a bit of web searching should produce an older version with this VERY handy option, just be sure to disable "check for program updates" during/after the install process.

 

JamesP,

@MAX SyncUp. It is 2 in 1. You are able to back up locally and to online storage (imho google drive is one of the most inexpensive service).
This soft is friendly with NAS and SBS2003.