A program for backing up files to a server. Data backup in simple terms
WinRAR and automatic backup of data, files in Windows 7, in Windows XP.
I think everyone is convinced that backing up valuable data is not a luxury, but a necessity.
However, only those who have already learned from bitter experience how terrible it is to lose irreplaceable data are truly engaged in this necessary work. It’s unpleasant to lose your coursework or dissertation. It's painful to lose your dissertation. But all this is small compared to what it means to lose the accounting records of a large enterprise for two or three years or the loss of a customer database.
However, practice shows that good intentions and fear of large losses are not enough for regular backups. These intentions disappear very quickly, and the only thing that can be truly reliable is an automatic system that starts itself, at least once a week, and copies everything that is needed to where it is supposed to be.
It is especially good when backup is combined with archiving, so that backup copies do not take up too much space.
Standard product Windows, program designed for backup Data archiving There is no way it will work according to schedule. But the program copes with this task brilliantly. However, in this case it must be launched not on the system Windows, and in command line mode. Windows serves to communicate with a person, but here the person has nothing to do - everything should work automatically, without his participation.
Let's divide the problem into two: first we will learn how to perform archiving in command line mode, and then we will connect what we get to the system tool Task Scheduler so that archiving occurs according to a given schedule, for example, every evening at 17:30, half an hour before the end of the working day.
To enter the task scheduler you must click Start - control panel, then as in the figure below (this figure No. 1 will be useful to us later when we plan automatic daily and weekly copying of the necessary data). RICE. No. 1
Setting Command Line Options
1. Get yourself a folder to store files that are worth archiving. Let's say this is the D:\MyWorks folder.
Using English letters in the names of the most important folders is not an unnecessary precaution. It is also good if the name has no more than 8 characters and does not contain spaces. All this, of course, is not necessary, but in very severe emergency situations when the disk has to be restored , this makes the work much easier.
2. It's best if the MyWorks folder is on a separate device, such as an external removable media or drive. It’s good if it is located on another computer on the local network. As a last resort, it can be located on a separate hard drive (physical, not logical).
And finally, if there are no additional devices for storing data at all, you can create it on the same disk. This, of course, is not a backup, but it’s still better than nothing. In this case, you need to understand that if your hard drive fails, such an archive will not save you, but at least it will protect you from your own ridiculous mistakes.
3. Let's outline two archiving modes: daily and weekly. During daily archiving, new files are added to the archive and those files to which changes have been made are replaced, that is, the archive is updated.
With weekly archiving, the same thing happens, but at the same time, files that are present in it but not in the source (deleted) are deleted from the archive. This is what happens synchronization archive. For daily archiving, create the D:\REZERV\DAILY\ folder, and for weekly archiving, create the D:\REZERV\WEEKLY\ folder.
4. Create a shortcut for WinRAR on your desktop. Rename it Daily Archiving or (DAILY). Create another WinRAR shortcut and rename it Weekly Archive. To do this, right-click on the screen, then as in Figure 2:
When you click on "Shortcut" a menu will appear. In it you need to select the program for which the shortcut is being created, click “browse” and select the WinRAR program launch file:
The shortcut is ready.
5. Right-click to open the shortcut properties dialog box Daily archiving (DAILY) and pay attention to the field An object. What is written here is the command line for launching the program associated with the shortcut (this way you can create a shortcut for any program available on your computer):
The quotation marks are necessary in this case because the search path contains a space in the Program Files folder name. Whenever there are spaces or Russian characters in the search path, quotes should be used. My backup program shortcuts look like this:
When we double-click on the shortcut, the specified command will be executed and the archiving program will start. If we want backup operations to be performed automatically upon startup, the command line must be supplemented with additional parameters. They will tell the program what to archive and where to put the archive, as well as what to do with files that have the same names.
6. Add the following parameters to the Object field:
"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" a -r -u -rr8 -y D:\Rezerv\Daily\myworks.rar D:\Wordpress\*.*
Here: “C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe” - WinRAR launch command;
a - the command “add files to archive” ( add);
R - command key that specifies archiving of all folders nested in the original one ( recursive);
U - key indicating update mode { update);
Rr8 - key that determines the creation of service records in the archive for restoration if necessary (record length - 8 sectors);
Y - key defining automatic confirmation (yes) all requests that may arise during the operation of the program;
D:\Rezerv\Daily\myworks.rar - access path and name of the archive in which the daily backup is stored (and the myworks.rar archive will be created automatically);
D:\MyWorks\ - access path to the archived folder;
*.* - wildcard characters; determine that all files (files with any names and name extensions) are archived.
Using an example, I want to show how to archive files ( backup files, data) only with a certain type of extension, for example PDF documents; for this, instead of *.* you need to write *.pdf. With this command line setup, all your files with the pdf extension will be archived the first time you run the archiving program. By analogy, you can always create a command line for any other extensions.
For me personally, the folder on my computer is very important WordPress, so I created a program to copy and archive exactly this data, because it contains the main information that I work with. My command line for this folder looks like this: "C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" a -r -u -rr8 -y D:\Rezerv\Daily\myworks.rar D:\Wordpress\*.*. This way you can create a backup for any folders and any data.
Important! For Windows 7, you need to start compatibility mode and check the box - run as administrator. If archiving does not start for Windows XP, you should also check the compatibility mode.
7. Close the dialog box with OK.
8. Open the shortcut properties window Weekly archiving. In the Object field, enter the following command line “C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe” and -r -u -as -rr8 -y D:\Reserv\Weekly\myworks.rar C:\MyWorks\*.*
Compare this command with the daily copy command. Firstly, they differ in the folder in which the archive is stored, and secondly, a new key -as has appeared here. It operates in conjunction with the -u switch and provides not just adding and updating files, but also synchronization, that is, deleting files from the archive that are no longer in the source folder. If something valuable is deleted as a result of such an operation, you can always restore the file from the daily archives.
9. Close the dialog box with the button OK.
10. Test by manually running how the shortcuts for daily and weekly backups work.
Configure settings for automatic scheduled backups
To perform automatic data backup, we will use a special featureTask Scheduler.Open it with the commandMy computerControl panel System and SecurityAdministration, as shown above in FIGURE No. 1.A window will appear - task scheduler. Next, follow the figures below with numbered steps:
By analogy, we create a task for weekly copying.
From now on, every day at the end of work or at the time you specify, a daily backup task will be automatically launched, and on Fridays a special weekly backup task will be launched into a separate folder. This way you will always have two backups available.
If you do not have any external device for storing backups, it is recommended to make one of the copies to a USB drive.
The ability to run a program from the command line allows you to automate other non-standard operations. You can learn about the purpose of other commands and their keys using the program's help system.
Hello, friends!
Despite all your efforts to maintain the working condition of your PC, sooner or later you will have to face such a phenomenon as a failure of the Windows operating system.
And the worst result of this may be the loss of information contained in the computer.
As you know, on a PC, in addition to photographs and all sorts of things downloaded from the Internet, all kinds of documentation are often stored. In addition, you, like most other users, probably have special programs configured according to your preferences that you do not want to reinstall. You don’t want to lose all this, do you?
In order not to regret lost data and not waste time restoring it using special applications, I advise you to make a backup copy. This is the only way you can protect the files you need from a sad fate.
In today's article we will look at the most effective backup programs.
Acronis True Image Home
Among backup utilities, this application is the most popular. Although it is primarily designed to work with logical drives, this program can also copy certain files and directories.
The application has a large number of various settings for making reservations of any kind. So, for example, in the options of this program you can select the type of backup, configure the creation of copies according to a schedule, etc.
There are three concepts of backups in Acronis:
- incremental,
- differential,
- complete.
A full backup contains a complete image of a logical disk.
When creating a differential copy, only those files that have undergone any changes since the full backup were archived are archived.
Incremental means adding changed files to a full backup, starting from the moment of the last backup.
Acronis also allows you to choose the level of data compression and set a password for the backup.
Acronis True Image Home can be downloaded for free from any computer software resource.
Norton Ghost
This convenient and functional product allows you to create backup images of logical drives and carry out the system recovery process.
The Norton Ghost application is very similar to the software described above. It is possible to create incremental, differential and full archives, but in Norton Ghost you can create archives with a high level of compression, which saves disk space and minimizes the duration of the recovery process.
In addition, the program provides filters that allow you to copy certain types of files, including driver files.
The program is excellent, but paid. The free version is only available for 30 days.
A very powerful and easy to use tool that is free to use. It has a built-in wizard that allows you to make reservations step by step. This approach makes it possible for even complete “dummies” to use the utility.
Of the huge number of functions of this application, I would especially highlight the archive protection system by setting a password and encryption, increased filtering options, the ability to check the status of what was copied, and an excellent task scheduler. With this program you can:
- write backup data to an optical or hard drive;
- send them to an FTP server or Comodo online server.
File Backup Watcher Free
A free utility with a step-by-step wizard that helps novice users complete all the steps correctly. It has a convenient scheduler with a clear interface.
File Backup can not only backup, but also work with ZIP and write data to any optical media.
The Copier
Another excellent free application aimed at performing automatic copying according to a given schedule. Prepares copies in the form of ZIP archives and writes them to a hard drive. Allows you to create multi-volume archives.
FBackup
With this utility, you can backup all the data you need in a matter of minutes. The presence of the auto-backup function makes it possible to set up copying according to a schedule, so you don’t have to back up data manually.
It is more convenient and reliable to store copies on an external hard drive. Of course, you can also use a flash drive for this, but this method is only appropriate when backing up a small amount of information, since a high-capacity flash drive is quite expensive.
To store backed up files on your hard drive, you should set aside some separate space for them to minimize the risk of them being accidentally deleted.
Reservation is a rather complex matter that requires the user to have special knowledge and skills.
Sincerely! Abdullin Ruslan
It would seem that there is nothing difficult in creating a backup copy, but many users often forget how important it is to take care of the safety of their data in a timely manner. After all, you may lose important files due to a technical failure, theft, or infection of your computer with a virus.
But where to start? Of course, you can always manually copy important files to a free drive. However, to simplify the process, it would still be more logical to turn to professional programs that will help you create a backup copy with minimal expenditure of your time and effort.
In addition, creating backup copies is extremely necessary for small business owners if it involves the collection of personal information about clients. Thus, in accordance with the recently introduced General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, any company that gains access to users’ personal data is obliged to protect this information. Personal data includes the user's name, email and residential address, as well as IP address.
In the settings of the backup program, you can always choose how often and which files from which folders need to be copied. In addition, you can also select files that will require the maximum level of protection. When choosing such a program, you need to pay special attention to how protected your data will be and how easily you can access it in case of a critical situation.
This list will help you get acquainted with the most common, easy-to-use and, importantly, free programs for creating backup copies.
EaseUS Todo Backup Free
This program represents a perfectly balanced balance between automatic protection and manual control:
Various types of backup
No difficulty in setting up
Automatic smart backup system
With EaseUS Todo Backup Free, you can back up individual files, folders, and drivers. It is also possible to create a backup copy of the entire system. In addition, the program offers a “smart” feature: it remembers which folders you most often copy files from. However, you can also save the created copies in cloud storage.
The program allows you to choose from several backup modes: full, incremental, differential backup and scheduled backup.
Some functions are available only in the premium version, however, the free version of EasusUS Todo Backup provides a sufficient number of options for comfortable work.
The free version of EaseUS Todo Backup provides access to almost all the features found in the paid version. For example, you can set up scheduled backups. However, in the free version you won't be able to perform trigger event backups, which is definitely not a necessity for most users. You also won't be able to access command line copying, Outlook mail backup and recovery, or computer-to-computer transfers. In fact, these features may be useful, but they are certainly not critical for most people.
During installation, you will be prompted by default to install the Chrome browser and Bing search engine, so if you do not need this, then simply uncheck the appropriate boxes before clicking “Next”.
PC backup software is necessary because the technology that computers use, especially for data storage, is not super reliable and does not last forever. If your data was not backed up at the time of the failure or serious breakdown, then you may lose it.
It would be nice if Microsoft itself provided Windows users with something like Apple's Time Machine: an efficient solution for complete system recovery and backup that requires little interaction or configuration on the user's part.
Instead, the company ships a variety of recovery options: disk recovery, file backup, and even incomplete system backup (Windows 7). Online backup services are another option for creating backups, but desktop clients tend to offer much more flexibility. Online backup services are another option, but desktop clients tend to offer much more flexibility.
There are many options for backing up your device. Read on for an analysis of the programs.
Acronis True Image 2017
Acronis True Image –best software in terms of speed. It has all the functionality you could want, even the ability to store data online.
The program runs six processes in the background, which you will notice due to increased loading times. If you just need to create a backup, you'll probably be better off with Aomei Backupper Standard, but for those who need flexible settings, True Image is an indispensable solution.
Pros:
- Wide functionality and a large number of settings;
- high-quality and reliable image processing and file backup.
Minuses
- creates many processes in the background;
- attractive, but a little strange interface;
- perpetual license costs $30 for Plus and Premium versions
EaseUS ToDo Backup Home 10.5
EaseUS ToDo Backup –This is a program with an improved user interface and a wide range of functions. Despite the lack of file backup and synchronization functions, there is support for Dropbox and other online data storage services.
Pros:
- Comprehensive file and image backup
- User-friendly interface
- Backup to Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive
Minuses:
- Online support only available
- No simple file syncing or mirroring
Aomei Backupper Standard 4
Among the free programs, Backupper Standard 4 is one of the best, it has the ability to copy images, files, disk cloning, as well as the ability to plan and create multiple schedules for creating backups. The program interface, although a little retro in style, is quite simple and intuitive.
Although the program is quite slow when copying a set of files, at the same time it is the fastest software for backing up disks and partitions. The percentage of CPU usage during backup is also commendable.
Pros:
- Free
- Reliability and high-quality copies
Minuses:
- Slow copying
- Minor interface glitches
Paragon Backup & Recovery 16 Free Edition
The program performs the basic tasks of creating backup copies of disks and partitions of the Windows system. There is no FTP, files and folders, or online backup.
Pros:
- Backups compatible with most virtual hard disks
- Free for non-commercial users with registration
- Does not create background processes
Flaws:
- Only preset scheduling and saving settings in free version
- No partition for disk cloning or recovery
Macrium Reflect Free 6
This program provides sufficient functionality for the average user. If all you need is to create an image of your system and disks, then this software is the best choice.
Pros:
- free
- reliable copies of the system image
- disk cloning
Flaws:
- no file backup and synchronization options
- no incremental backup
What to look for when choosing backup software
Don't buy too much; if you choose software with functions that you don't plan to use, this can lead to unnecessary load on the system and a decrease in its performance. If you plan to copy information to external media, be sure to check the software that comes with it. Seagate, WD and other backup utilities are sufficient for a user with an average level of computer skills.
Backup files: If you only want to copy files, these programs usually work quite quickly (the operating system and software can be reinstalled, although this is labor-intensive and can be time-consuming). Some programs allow you to automatically select files if you use Windows library folders.
Image backup: The image is a representation of your entire hard drive (usually without empty sectors) or partitions, and can be used to recover both the operating system and data. The image is the most convenient way to recover in the event of a system failure, and also ensures that you do not miss any important information.
Boot disk: In case of a complete system failure, you need an alternative resource to boot the recovery system. Any backup program should be able to create a bootable optical disc or USB flash drive. Some of them will also create a recovery partition on your hard drive, which can be used if the hard drive is still working.
Schedule: If you want to have an up-to-date copy of your data, you need to schedule a backup process. Any decent backup program should offer this feature.
Versioning: If you are overwriting a previous file, then such a process cannot be called a backup (it is rather creating a mirror). Any program should allow you to store multiple copies. The best solution is software that allows you to make backups based on the criteria you specify.
Optical support: Every backup program supports hard drives, but as they seem outdated, DVDs and Blu-Rays make great archival media. If you're worried about the reliability of optical media, M-Disc claims its discs are reliable for thousands of years.
Online support: An exceptional copy of your data is insurance against force majeure events such as flood, fire and power surges. Online storage services are a great way to maintain an offsite copy of your data. Backing up to Dropbox and the like are great storage solutions.
FTP and SMB/AFP: Backing up to other computers or NAS boxes on your network or in remote locations (like your parent's house) is another way to physically protect your data with a remote or at least physically discrete copy. FTP can be used for offsite, while SMB (Windows and most OS) and AFP (Apple) are good for other PCs or NAS on your local network.
Real time: Real-time backup means that data is backed up as soon as it is changed, often when it is created or saved. This feature is also called creating a mirror and is necessary to save copies of frequently changing information. A copy will not help you recover your data in the event of a leak; in such a case there should be a planned backup.
Continuous Backup: In this case, "continuous" simply means backing up on a tight schedule, usually every 5-15 minutes, rather than every day or week. Use continuous backup for rapidly changing data sets where transfer rates are too slow or processing power is too valuable for real-time backup.
Performance. Most backups run in the background or after hours, so performance isn't a big issue in the consumer space. However, if you are backing up multiple machines or in multiple locations at the same time, or dealing with very large data sets, speed may be an important factor.
How do we test?
We run each program with the different types of backups it is capable of. This largely tests the reliability and compatibility with the equipment. We make copies: an image of approximately 115 GB (two partitions) and an image of approximately 50 GB created from a collection of smaller files and folders. We then mount the images and verify their integrity using the program's recovery functions. We also test bootable USB drives created by programs.
Translation from www.itnews.com
12233 times 10 Viewed times today
Everyone solves the problem of backing up data in their own way: some use an external HDD drive for this, others copy everything important to CDs and DVDs, some prefer to have an “extra” internal hard drive, where they dump files and folders from time to time. But, by and large, the problem of backup is not where to create a copy of important data, but rather remembering to do it. Every person who works at a computer has important files that are often changed and supplemented. These can be Excel tables, Word documents, files that store settings for various programs - from the disk cataloger database to user browser profiles. Such files have much greater value than films, videos, music and other data that are downloaded from the Internet by the gigabyte and recorded on backup media. Burning a once downloaded movie to disk is a simple matter. But daily creation of copies of constantly changing work files is quite a troublesome task, and few people are so organized that they constantly remember the need for backup and make it. In today's review, we will look at programs that eliminate the need to remember to constantly save a copy of important data. Moreover, we will focus only on those of them that have free status.
Developer: Desktop SoftwareDistribution size: 10 MB
Distribution: free
File Backup Watcher Free is a simplified version of a commercial utility produced by the same company. There are few features in the free version, but for some they may be quite enough. The program interface is represented by three tabs, from which you can draw a conclusion about its main functions - “Backup”, “CD/DVD recorder” and ZIP. So, in addition to backing up data, the program is capable of recording to optical media and working with ZIP archives. However, all three main functions exist separately. In other words, you cannot configure the program to automatically compress copies of files and write them to disk.
In order for the program to perform backups, you need to create a profile. The step-by-step wizard will not let you get confused in the settings - first select the profile name, then indicate the folder from which you want to copy files. In this case, you can specify whether nested directories should be taken into account. After this, select the folder in which the backups will be stored. File Backup Watcher Free does not provide the ability to backup to a CD/DVD or to a network drive, so such a folder can only be located on one of the local drives. The USB drive connected to the computer is also not in the list of devices. The last step of the wizard is to configure the task scheduler. In order to see its settings, you need to select the automatic copying method. The planner is made very conveniently: each month, day of the week, day, hour and minute has its own button. By pressing the necessary buttons, you can specify the time at which files will be copied.
After the profile is created, its name is displayed on the first tab of the program. Even if the automatic copying method is selected for the profile, the task can be started manually using the button on the program toolbar or the F5 key. For more convenient management of profiles, the program provides the ability to organize them into folders. However, you cannot launch all profiles by clicking on the folder name - to do this you will have to open the folder and select all the profile names. If you have created tasks that File Backup Watcher Free should run on a schedule, the program can be placed in the tray, and it will silently run in the specified mode. When a program is active, its icon is grey-green. If you need to postpone completing tasks for a while, you can simply click on the icon and select the “Pause” command in the menu. The icon will turn gray and red and operation will be suspended. When performing a backup, File Backup Watcher Free places a copy of the original directory in the specified folder, adding the date and time of copying to its name. When copying again, the program simply creates a new folder with a different name. Thus, the task of deleting old backups falls on the user's shoulders - after a while there may be too many of them. You will have to manually burn saved copies to DVD or archive them. Both tabs - "CD/DVD recorder" and ZIP - have a file manager. On the archiver tab, it is single-panel - by selecting files, they can be zipped or unzipped using buttons on the toolbar or commands in the context menu.
On the disc burning tab, the file manager is presented in two panels - the first displays all the files on the hard drive, the second allows you to create the contents of the disk by dragging files and folders onto it using the mouse. It's important to note that File Backup Watcher Free can not only burn discs, but also create ISO files.
Overall, despite its limited functionality, File Backup Watcher Free is a fairly convenient and simple backup solution. It can be safely recommended to anyone who is used to storing copies of files on a second hard drive. If the main hard drive fails, you will certainly appreciate the program's performance.
Developer: ree-backup.info/back2zip.htmlDistribution size: 535 KB
Distribution: free
This program is distinguished by its incredibly fast installation (the entire process takes just a few seconds) and its lively nature. Immediately after installation, Back2zip automatically creates a new backup job, assuming that you store your most important files in the My Documents folder. In addition, the program creates a MyBackup folder on drive F (if you don’t have one, it may choose another one) and immediately begins copying the contents of the “My Documents” directory into it. You can guess that Back2zip is actively working by the animation of the tray icon. In short, the first thing you need to do after starting the program is to delete the automatically created task. Back2zip is built on the principle “it couldn’t be simpler.” There are no familiar wizards here - all operations can be performed directly in the main program window. First, by clicking on the Add Folder button, you specify the folder whose contents you want to monitor (it can also be added by simply dragging it from the file manager), then using the Select Folder button, you select the folder in which copies will be saved. It can be located not only on a local drive, but also on a network drive. USB storage devices are also supported.
As the program developers rightly note in the documentation, “there is no third step in setting up the program”; after the first two, it is ready to work. Simplicity, however, also has its downside. First, there can only be one folder for saving copies, and if you change it, it changes for all jobs. Secondly, backup cannot be started for only one task - all are executed at once. Back2zip has a task scheduler where you can select the interval for saving copies - from 20 minutes to 6 hours. In addition, you can limit the running time of the program, say, allow it to make copies only at night.
It is worth paying attention to the settings for creating copies. Firstly, Back2zip can archive files in ZIP format, and the user can even choose the compression level.
Secondly, the program is able to save previous copies. In its settings, you can specify the time during which copies of files will be saved - from one day to two weeks. All copies older than the selected period will be automatically deleted. If you wish, you can disable the ability to save earlier copies, and then each time the old files will be replaced with new ones. Despite the fact that all tasks are saved in one folder, you cannot get confused in them. Back2zip works like this: in the directory selected for copying data, it creates a folder that is named exactly the same as the folder that is being copied. A directory is created in it, the name of which consists of the current date, and files are placed in it. If you choose to save previous copies in the settings, there are several folders with dates. In general, the program made a very good impression: the interface is simple and convenient, I was pleased with the possibilities of archiving files and automatically deleting old copies.
Developer: thecopier.narod.ruDistribution size: 1.5 MB
Distribution: free
The Copier consists of three separate utilities, which can be a little confusing at first. The first of them is responsible for composing backup tasks, the second is for executing them, and the third contains program settings. Each of the three utilities can be launched separately. The first component that you will become familiar with after installing the program is the “Task Editor”. With its help, tasks are compiled, that is, it is indicated what, where and when needs to be copied. The result of working in the "Task Editor" is a database file with a Dat extension, which is saved and then loaded into the main module of The Copier. The Job Editor window includes four tabs. First, you need to select a name for the task, then on the “Archive” tab, add files and folders, copies of which you want to save. One task can contain a whole list of files and folders, and regular expressions can be used. For example, to copy all files in a folder that have the Doc extension, you need to add the line Drive:Folder:*.doc. Exceptions can also be used. This is convenient if there are files of different types in a folder, and you need to copy everything except one or two types. Exceptions are indicated in a special field in *.exe format. If you do not uncheck the "Apply to entire list" checkbox, they will be valid for all folders that are selected for copying.
On the same tab, you need to specify the name of the archive in which copies of files will be saved, and the path to it on disk. The name can be created using a mask. *Y in the name means the year in the format of four digits, *y - the year in the format of the last two digits, *M - month, *D - day, etc. (all available masks and their meanings can be found in the help file). The archive name can include any combination of masks. For example, if a backup is performed on October 11, then the saved archive that uses the *D*M.zip mask will be named 1110.zip. The "Copies" tab is used to select folders to which you want to copy important files. You can select several folders (located on the hard drives of your computer or on the local network) and for each specify the frequency of saving. You can create copies daily or on specified days of the week. If you select Odd/Even, backups will be saved to different folders on odd and even days. On the "Additional copies" tab, you can specify the folders into which previously saved archives should be copied. Thus, we are dealing with double data storage - first the main files are copied to a safe place and placed in an archive, and then a copy is created for this archive. Such copies may be created at the end of each week, month, quarter or year. If desired, the original archive can be automatically deleted. On the Commands tab, you can set different actions to be performed before or after the backup. Teams can be external or internal. Internal ones include copying, moving, renaming and deleting files, and external ones include launching various applications. After completing work on a task, it is saved and then opened in the main module of The Copier. You only need to do this once - then the program remembers the path to the file and opens it automatically. It is worth noting that one data file can contain several tasks, each of which has its own parameters for the archive, folders in which saving is performed, etc. From the main program window, you can start a backup manually, view and print a report.
To change report parameters and make other changes, you need to go to the settings window. It defines the schedule according to which the copying is performed. Here you can select not only the frequency of creating file copies, but also the time of day. The scheduler settings are quite flexible - you can copy on all days except weekends, on selected days of the week or month, once a day when the program starts, etc. Here, in the settings, you can specify the parameters for creating an archive, such as the degree of compression, creating a self-extracting archive, saving empty directories, and encoding file names. If you plan to back up large amounts of data, it makes sense to specify a single volume size. It can be equal, for example, to the size of a CD. Also interesting is the ability to choose the behavior of the program after performing a backup. It can send a report by e-mail, print it, close it, and even turn off the computer.
Among the disadvantages of The Copier, it is worth noting a slightly confusing scheme of work (it would be more logical to organize it within one utility, rather than create several) and the inability to download several data files at the same time. In other words, if you want to create several different backup jobs that need to run constantly, you need to put them in one data file, otherwise you will have to constantly load one DAT file after another into The Copier.
Developer: Comodo GroupDistribution size: 4.5 MB
Distribution: free
This program is so functional that it can compete with many commercial analogues. The user gets the opportunity to create different backup tasks, configure each of them separately, and run them in manual or automatic modes. The window for adding a new task contains a number of tabs on which the backup project is fully configured. There are as many as five data saving modes available.
In addition to simple copying, Comodo BackUp offers file transfer (after which the original files will be unavailable in the old location), copying with subsequent deletion of old copies, transfer with deletion of old copies. In addition, there is an interesting synchronization mode in which the backup copy is created not according to a schedule, but in real time. As soon as the program commits changes to the source file, it immediately creates a copy of it. When using this mode, you do not need to use the scheduler; if you have chosen any other backup method, you will need it. The scheduler is very flexible and allows you to perform backups on specific days of the week, months, and days of the month. The copying start time is also indicated. In addition, it is possible to execute the task periodically, after a specified number of hours, when the program starts or when it is closed. Comodo BackUp can do more than just copy all files from a selected folder. In the project settings, you can specify whether subfolders should be taken into account, and if necessary, specify which subdirectories should be excluded from the task. It is also possible to exclude some files by selecting their type, specifying attributes, minimum or maximum size. You can do the opposite, that is, specify not exceptions, but masks for files that should be copied.
Backup copies of data can be saved not only on local or network drives, but also on a USB drive, FTP server, or recorded on a CD/DVD. When you choose to burn to a CD, the program can set a volume label and erase data that is already written to the disc.
On the Options tab, very important parameters are set that relate to saving copies of files. Comodo BackUp can operate in either full or incremental backup mode. In the first case, each time the job is executed, the data will be copied completely. In the case of an incremental backup, a complete copy of the data is created only the first time, and then only those files that have changed since the previous recording are copied.
When working with different data, it often happens that it is necessary to restore an old copy of a file because important information was accidentally overwritten, deleted or edited in the new one. Therefore, it makes sense to keep several backup copies. Their number is indicated in the Number of Version field. Files can be copied in their original form or packed into a ZIP archive. Comodo BackUp supports choosing the compression level, as well as adding a password to open the file. For convenience, variable data such as date and time can be used in the archive name. The same goes for the name of the folder in which the backups are saved. The execution of Comodo BackUp tasks can be linked to the launch of other applications. For example, you can select an application that should be launched before the backup is performed or immediately after it completes. To ensure that all backup parameters are entered correctly, you can test the job on the Test tab. If some data is missing, for example, it is not indicated where to save copies, the program will display a corresponding message and you can correct the error.
