Windows 7 Question about Paragon backup & recovery 2011 Free edition ...

[JCinPA]

After seeing a YouTube video on bare metal backup with this program by a "Mike" from this forum, I downloaded it and created the recovery disk. But my screen when booting from the recovery disk does not look like that in the YouTube video. I cannot select my entire hard drive like Mike does, I have to select drive 0 (I think just the partition information, I'm not a techie), then Drive 1 (the data), then Drive 2 (the recovery partition, logical D: on my drive) and back them up one at a time. I am not sure I would know how to reload them using that disk.

When I run the full program from Windows 7, I get screens that look more like the YouTube. Is the YouTube made with a paid version? They show a paid home version on their website for $29.95, but when you hit download it jumps right to $49.95, there is not $30 option???

I am looking for a program that will do full image backups, and having an HP 2TB drive, I'm not that worried about backup space. I would just use the Windows backup, but I've heard it may not be reliable?? I don't understand the Windows 7 Backup with image versus System Image, either.

I'm kinda flummoxed here. And not too terribly technically adept in these things. Any advice would be appreciated. The closest thing I can get to hitting a button and making a 'carbon copy' of my hard drive, and then being able to slap it onto a newly installed hard drive and having it boot without my having to make any choices is the goal. If it's more complex, it may be more 'flexible' but it will also allow me to goof it up, I'm sure.

 

[Joe S]

One thing they may have changed the software since the video was made. I have my drive partitioned and the system (active primary) is on one and my data (Logical) on the other. I use Acronis True Image and make a separate image of each partition. That way I can reload the system without touching data. Use the Snipping Tool and take a shot of your Disk Management and post it will be easier to understand the drive setup. Do you have multiple drives on the PC?
Joe

 

[JCinPA]

I don't think they changed it, if they did, they brought the 'bare metal' part backwards, not forward. On the video it looks like the version that runs on Windows, mine is less full-featured. I suspect the 'free for home use' is not the same program as a purchased version, which is fine. They write fine software, I have no issue with their getting paid for it.

I do not have multiple drives on the PC, I have an HP 2TB USB drive. It's a new HP Pavilion desktop computer. I've read good things about Macromium Reflect on the forum here, and I'm trying that and Paragon on my old machine, which I'm comfortable experimenting on to gain experience.

 

[Joe S]

All of the free ones are stripped down some. Usually they won't let you do incremental backups. There are probably some tools removed also. It's important to make the rescue CD. Acronis has a free 30 day trial. For paid versions will also make you a special rescue CD image if you have some issue with the one you create or the updated one they have posted. They have a very good forum with a lot of helpful stuff posted also. I like the you can go into the backup file just like accessing the drive and copy one or 2 files without using the program to restore them.
Joe