Advice Request Need suggestion for a backup software

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Peter247

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Jan 3, 2020
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Having some issues lately with my PC - An ads popup on the lower right side of the screen whenever I'm connected to the internet. Also, my PC seems to run slow. So I'm thinking of doing an OS reinstallation. I came across AOMEI Backupper. Can someone who has used this software, tell me if and how it works, please? And any other suggestions will be deeply appreciated.
 

bribon77

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Jul 6, 2017
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I also use Macriun Reflect, maybe some partner knows how to do it,
But, in any case, it won't be difficult to restore if I already made a copy it would be to look for the restoration device.
But for security, the AOMEI website should
have tutorials and also on Youtube.
 

cliffspab

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Oct 4, 2019
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There's a 1-year free licence for AOMEI Pro going in the promotions forum at the moment


I'll be checking it out as soon as my backup HDD arrives
 

Chuck57

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Oct 22, 2018
433
I have Macrium free and Aomei (via the free giveaway here). Have backups with both and have tested them. On this laptop, Aomei Backupper Pro seems a little faster to both backup and restore. I'd say you couldn't go wrong using either. Grab the free Aomei giveaway. It's easy to use and you should be fine.
 
F

ForgottenSeer 823865

I am now using a snapshot software called Eazy Fix - Windows Time Machine, a kind of system restore more complete and advanced.
Great software, fully backup and convenient.
This is rebranded Rollback RX from the parent company of Horizons Datasys.
It is a snapshot software, which redirect writes to a hidden partition, and as RX, it is very unstable...try several hard shutdown of your computer (like i did) while using it and your system will be unbootable, forcing you to wipe your drives and clean install the OS...
Also, it doesn't permit the TRIM-ming of SSD.

its main advantage was the very fast speed of taking/restoring the snapshots (10sec for a snapshot, a reboot to restoring it).
I ditched it since all my computers have SSDs and Macrium is almost as fast and won't corrupt my drive.
 
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dinosaur07

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This is rebranded Rollback RX from the parent company of Horizons Datasys.
It is a snapshot software, which redirect writes to a hidden partition, and as RX, it is very unstable...try several hard shutdown of your computer (like i did) while using it and your system will be unbootable, forcing you to wipe your drives and clean install the OS...
Also, it doesn't permit the TRIM-ming of SSD.

its main advantage was the very fast speed of taking/restoring the snapshots (10sec for a snapshot, a reboot to restoring it).
I ditched it since all my computers have SSDs and Macrium is almost as fast and won't corrupt my drive.

I don`t want to hard shutdown the PC repeatedly, why would i do that? :) Your premise is erroneous. The software (the same producer as Rollback) is great for any safety needs, being backup or pure protection. Nothing is saved except for what i want to. If you use the software normally you won`t have any problems at all. Also, the OP didn`t say anything about having a SSD. So your correlations are not applicable in this case.
 

jetman

Level 10
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Jun 6, 2017
470
I have used Rollback RX for years and have not had any major problems with it- yes it has crashed (but only on a few occasions in years of use) and has saved me on numerous occasions. For me, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

I will try Macrium as an experiment sometime to see how that compares. On the face of it, Rollback RX seems faster and more convenient as everything is automated.

Rollback is NOT a system backup though- its just another line of defence against malware or unanticipated changes to your system. You still need to backup your data.
 

shmu26

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If you run a major Windows feature update, RX backups will be lost.
If you do disk-related tasks such as repartitioning, you will run into big trouble with RX.
There is a long list of issues and disasters that can happen with RX. If you manage to steer clear of all of them, it's a great software!!
 

jetman

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Jun 6, 2017
470
IF Rollback were to crash, then whats the worse that can happen ?

You just have to re-install Windows and put your applications and personal files back. Its a pain in the neck but only takes a few hours of time (at the very most). Or if you have a baseline disk image saved (using Macrium for instance) just restore that.

I manually back up personal files (photos etc) on external hard drives. Files I am currently working on are automatically saved to the cloud. So, in theory, my data should be be fairly safe.... at least I hope so......if Rollback were to crash unexpectedly.
 
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ForgottenSeer 823865

I don`t want to hard shutdown the PC repeatedly, why would i do that? :) Your premise is erroneous. The software (the same producer as Rollback) is great for any safety needs, being backup or pure protection. Nothing is saved except for what i want to. If you use the software normally you won`t have any problems at all. Also, the OP didn`t say anything about having a SSD. So your correlations are not applicable in this case.
i know how RX works I used it since for a decade with only 4-5 several massive wreckages, but it was still one of the best tool for my job at that time .
I heavily promoted it here and did a full review and guide with several advices and warnings how to optimize its use.
My guidelines: Rollback RX users guidelines
My Review: Review - [Review] Rollback RX Pro v10

Sadly it fails in several important aspects, issues reported never got fixed and now other solutions are safer and more effective.
Also, RX is vulnerable if a malware compromise those 2 bootloader processes (bcdedit.exe and bcdboot.exe, if i recall well). Those must be protected if you use RX.

You ask about the shutdowns issues I mentioned, it was to replicate a power cut. I had several, on 2 occasions, it wrecked my system to the point, not even a clean install was required but a full wipe of the drive because the MBR being corrupted by RX, hence losing my OS factory restore partition.
For a soft supposed to prevent disasters this sort of situation, isn't it amusing?
Also do you seriously dismiss the SSD issue because the OP don't mention it? All modern machines use SSD... unless using an obsolete computer who use HDD as system drive those days... ? (as if you say issues with car's airbags doesn't matter because your car doesn't have any...:rolleyes:)

You visibly don't have as much experience with RX as me or @shmu26 , if you had, you will not dismiss my points but mostly agree with them. Before contradicting me, please do some research. Go to RX forum, read post from dissatisfied users having huge disasters with it or those from TheRollbackFrog (probably the most experienced RX user) then you will understand what I'm saying...

RX concept is genius, even Comodo try to replicate it with Comodo Time Machine, but failed. The problem with RX is that you are playing with a bomb, as long as you don't touch the MBR or have a sudden shutdown, you are good, if not...
 
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jetman

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Jun 6, 2017
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Do you have a recommendation for an alternative solution Umbra ? Preferably one that is automated and just as convenient as Rollback RX?

I've never had serious issues with Rollback RX but I'd try something else to experiment with.
 
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shmu26

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Rollback MX is the best of its type. You won't find better than that. The only alternative is traditional system image software such as Macrium Reflect. The paid version of Macrium Reflect restores images very fast. The free version is much slower at restoration. For tinkerers, who restore images often, the paid version is better. For people who restore an image rarely, if ever, the free version is fine.
 

shmu26

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Would it be advisable to install Rollback RX and Macrium on the same machine?
You can do that, and in fact I have done that, but be advised that if you run a Macrium system image restore, you will destroy your RX backups and probably need to reinstall RX.

RX is very useful for folks who want to switch quickly back and forth between different software configurations, and they don't want to mess with virtual machines. Like, let's say I want to test out the performance and stability of
1 Comodo Firewall + Windows Defender
2 ESET + OSArmor
3 Kaspersky + ReHIPS
and I want to be able to switch back and forth between them, so I can perform various tasks on each.
RX is perfect for that.
 

shmu26

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RX has an interesting security advantage over Macrium Reflect free: RX stores the backups on an unmapped sector of the hard disk, so ransomware will probably not be able to find it and encrypt the backups. Usually, ransomware only attacks mapped file systems.
However, Macrium Reflect paid versions have their own form of ransomware protection.
 

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