Looking for FREE backup software for W2K8

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Hello,

I would like to ask about some FREE backup software for Windows 2008 as the native one in Windows 2008 doesn't support backup of folders.
I use Fbackup but it looks like it replace/overwrite the previous one and I need a backup from last seven days.

Regards

 

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I don't know of any decent free backup software, you do get what you pay for really.

You may want to consider BackupAssist. It's pretty good and doesn't cost a lot.

There is a quite a cheap version of BackupExec you can get now also (about £50), but I think it's only available via OEM's rather than you being able to buy it from Symantec.

 

edit: Double post.

 

In this months ADMIN magazine they had a brief article on a product called bacula http://www.bacula.org/en/ Might be worth a gamble if your feeling saucy!

 

ADMIN Magazine? What's that when it's at home?

 

http://www.admin-magazine.com/ <this available from all good magazine shops, and probably the seedy ones too!

 

£9.99 wow when did magazine's start getting that expensive.

 

I guess that most people read their publications online now, sad really. They probably have to charge a premium to stay profitable

 

The one I bought was 7.99, pricey yes but I was interested in what might be inbetween the covers as it were!

 

I wish mags would also offer a no DVD version as I hate paying for DVD's I don't want. Reason I stopped buying magazine's in the first place.

 

Whats wrong with windows backup? You can't backup folders??
I dont have a plain 2008 box to test but on 2008 R2 folders work fine

 

I believe that it's volumes only with the vanilla 2008 version, it's pretty dire really. The only use is if you want to create a bare metal backup really. Doesn't support tapes either and if you want to backup to disk, it has to format it to it's own filesystem.

 

Would have been easier if MS had not bothered including any backup facility at all, I guess by the 2k8 version they assume everyone uses other products for backing up.

 

unfortunatelly Windows 2008 doesn't support backup for folders and this possibility is only available in Windows 2008R2.

True ;)

 

damn
im glad they went back in R2 to a fairly useful one
2003 could do folders too if i recall

i never did much 2008 stuff before R2 came out so i miss a few beats sometimes with that product

 

Perhaps but R2s backup is pretty nice
has VSS support, backs up to NAS and disk, can even natively do Exchange 2010 backups and flush logs!

 

If you're after folder synch/backup then I use Synchback from 2 BrightSparks. It works, although sometimes the logs leave a little to be desired.

http://www.2brightsparks.com/download-syncback.html

Free version available as well as paid.

 

Thanks for reply, unfortunately I need a backup from last four days (each day). Is there any way to set this up or some paid software is the only solution - any reconsiderations?

 

Making sure you've got a reliable backup solution is a must for any user - and more so for an administrator. Why? Well, mostly because your users probably aren't very good at remembering to back up their own files. And so it falls to you to provide the right software for the job!

Backup software is a difficult category to tackle nowadays as the distinction between backup and synchronization apps has become a little blurred. Prices being what they are, my personal choice is to use external or removable hard drives for my backup chores - my current favorites are Bonkey and Cobian.
To make sure you've got plenty of options to choose from, I've split this list into three different categories so that you can choose from the options that are best suited to your environment.


Integrated Burning

Comodo Backup [win]
They do make than a great firewall. Comodo Backup is an excellent free solution. It has extremely flexible scheduling and notification options, supports FTP destinations, can burn multisession DVDs, and has a synchronization mode for quick realtime backups.

DFIncBackup [win]
As is the case with most backup applications, there's a free and paid version. The free one still handles CD/DVD backups, and it also does incremental .zip jobs as well - only backing up files that have changed or weren't present in your previous job.

SE Backup [win]
Sports a very simple interface, does CD and DVD burning and compression, and is available as a portable application. Scheduling isn't built in, but it supports command line launching with parameters which works very well with Windows' own Task Scheduler.

File Copy

Abakt [win]
Though it's no longer developed, Abakt is still a great choice. It's got a great file filtering system, supports 7zip and zip compression, file splitting, password protection, and does differential and incremental backups.

Areca [win]
Free, open source, and wicked powerful. Areca is loaded with features: compression, encryption, simulation, merging, transaction commit/rollback, filtering, and more. It's command line interface provides excellent automation options and Areca also supports scripting of post-job actions.

Bonkey [win] [mac]
The "Backup Monkey." If I was giving points for best mascot, this one would be a clear winner.

Bonkey runs on both Windows and Mac, and has a lot of great features. It supports email, FTP, and Amazon S3, compression, encryption, scheduling, and synchronization. It'll even back up MS SQL server databases.



Cobian Backup [win]
Apart from being a great application, Cobian's developer has an excellent tutorial online to help you get started. Though it is no longer open source, you may still download the last version that was (v. There's also a portable version.

One of my favorite features of Cobian is its ability to handle pre- and post- job events. I use it to issue net stop and net start commands to ensure safe backups of our horrible, horrible point-of-sale system. Cobian also has the ability to control and monitor all its instances on your network from your own workstation.

JaBack [win] [mac]
Allows backup to FTP and email (as well as any drive on your computer or network), and sports a flexible scheduler. It also has a file monitor function that will perform backup operations whenever changes are detected.

Mathusalem [mac]
Offers FTP/SFTP, Amazon S3, WebDav, and SMB support for backups on OSX. Mathusalem can compress to zip and dmg, will resume failed uploads, and supports scheduling and command line launching. It's also open source.

Server-Based

Bacula [win] [mac] [linux]
Bacula is an enterprise grade network backup solution that runs on just about every platform imagineable. It's a much more complex system than the other options I've mentioned, but is extremely powerful and well-suited to a medium or large scale network.

BackupPC [win] [linux]
A Linux-based, client-free enterprise solution for backing up Windows and Linux machines. BackupPC uses SMB, tar, and rsync to extract backup data from client computers. It 's got a powerful web-based interface for administrators and users, and will even email reminders to users that have been remiss in performing backups.

It's a very flexible solution, and is open source.

NasBackup [win] [linux]
Uses a simple Windows GUI and rsync to perform backups from client machines to a central server. It'll do incremental backups, scheduling, compression, encryption, and the server offers useful per-client controls like limiting the number of versions to store and expiration dates. It also provides daily summaries via email.


Restore [win] [mac] [linux]
The self-proclaimed "reason backup was invented." It's definitely a great product, and full of terrific features. Its web interface is very easy to understand and use - and makes it easy for the mobile admin to monitor and control Restore from anywhere.

Restore supports FTP, WebDav, SSH/SFTP, and multiple revisions. It also provides powerful admin tools, making it easy to create and control users, groups, jobs, and scheduling.

 

I will have a look. Thanks for great info

Regards