Backup programs for Windows and Macs

I consider six applications below, three backup programs for Windows and three partition cloning applications for Macs running Leopard.

I often arrive at a new client’s office or home and find no regular backup routine for data files. Frequently, an external USB hard drive is attached to one or more systems. Some people assume because it is there the backup will happen miraculously. Some install the backup software that came with the hard drive but have not configured or determined how to use it. Many of these programs confound me. Others require more effort and learning than the client or I am willing to invest. Backup programs like EMC’s Retrospect compress their backups into files that are only readable by the application that created them. This is a prescription for frustration when one needs to recover a file.

I have several free or inexpensive alternatives that I use depending upon the situation.

Windows Programs

My favorite XP and Vista backup program is a free application, Karen’s Replicator. It takes a minute or two to download, install, and to understand how it works and how to use it. Replicator is easy to configure and use, has lots of options, and creates easy-to-find file copies. The program reports its successes and failures, and documents the details in a log file.

A free, easy to configure and use Windows program is IdleBackup. You set it up and forget about it. It sits in the background and runs when the machine is not busy. It does not have a restore function. Instead, you find the file(s) in the backup location and copy them back with Windows Explorer.

My final Windows recommendation is Backup4all Professional an inexpensive, full-featured backup program. It costs $45. There is a trial version and two, lower priced versions, Standard ($30) and Lite ($20). Backup4all Professional is so feature rich that at first glance you may be overwhelmed. However, it is worth the effort to learn how to use it. Its backup set can span multiple volumes such as USB flash memory drives, CDs or DVDs. The backup can be compressed and encrypted, if you want. It can automatically email you a report on its activities. It backs up open and locked files like an Outlook data file. Replicator and IdleBackup cannot do these things.

Mac OS X Leopard Programs

You may think that the built-in Time Machine and an external hard drive is all you need if you use a Mac with Leopard. (Vista’s Business and Ultimate versions have a similar feature called Shadow Copy.) I prefer more control over backup and restore than Time Machine’s minimal interface.

Carbon Copy Cloner is a Mac program that can backup, synchronize or clone a drive. This last feature can be a real timesaver. It allows you to restore a machine without having to reinstall every application and document individually. It is donationware, pay as little or as much as you want.

SuperDuper! is also a feature-rich disk cloning program. It can even make the backup drive bootable. It is similar to Carbon Copy Cloner with some extra whistles and bells, such as doing incremental backups to save time. It costs $28.

Winclone is a free program that will backup Boot Camp partitions. It is common for a Mac to run Windows either on a Boot Camp partition or as a virtual machine using programs such as VMware’s Fusion or Parallels Desktop. Winclone makes an image of the Boot Camp Windows partition, which can be used to restore the Boot Camp partition to a new Mac hard drive in the event of drive failure.

Please note: Winclone is a program for sophisticated users. It can trash your Windows partition if you do not understand what you are doing.