Dear Computer Lady,
Would you recommend software program for back-ups of my hard drive I’ve been told that Acronis is the best but I find it a little hard to understand. I got CMS’backup software called BounceBack Ultimate when I bought the external drive. I have had a lot of trouble installing it and aren’t sure if it’s working right. I would sure appreciate your suggestions.
Thanks, John
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Dear John,
There are many programs out there that can backup your hard drive, the best program depends on what your backup objectives are.
I use a couple of programs, first, I use carbonite online backup. It automatically backs my documents up to their secure online server. Once I have installed Carbonite, I don’t have to think of it again. A little green dot on the files and folders that I have selected for backup is there to remind me that my files are being protected. Any time that I add a file to one of my protected folders, or make changes to a file that is already backed up, the file is automatically backed up again. You can download a free trial of carbonite here:
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I also use a program called Roxio Creator 2010 to create backup copies of my documents. The thing that I absolutely love about the new version of Roxio Creator is that I can select one or more folders that I want to backup, and Roxio will tell me how many discs I need for the backup and will automatically burn several discs. Other DVD burning programs only tell you when you have too many files for one disc, and it is up to you to remove the excess. You will find Roxio Creator 2010 here:
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When I backup to an external hard drive, I prefer to use Windows Explorer to drag the folders that I want to save from my hard drive to the external hard drive. What I usually do, is open on window with the folders on the external drive, and another folder with the contents of my hard drive. I arrange the windows so that both are visible, then drag from one to the other.
If your goal is to create an image of your entire hard drive, (not just your documents) on the external hard drive, you would need a program like Roxio’s Back On Track (which is included in Roxio Creator 2010)
You can create a disaster recovery disk set that you can use to return your computer to exactly the way it was when you created the set. This is very helpful if your hard drive has failed. The recovery can also be created on an external hard drive, but you will need to create one disc that you would need to boot the computer in the event of a hard drive failure.
Elizabeth
Is Roxio’s Back on Track included in Roxio Creator 2010 or Roxio Creator 2010 Pro? At the Roxio website I only found mention of Back on Track under the Pro edition.
I have Roxio Creator 2010. I can access Back on Track by opening the program, clicking on the “Data/Copy” tab on the left and then clicking on “Backup and Restore”.
Elizabeth