[dtallon]

I've been using Acronis True Image 2010 (and 2009 before it) for backups but don't do it as frequently as I should mainly because I find it so frustrating to use. Maybe it's me, as it's a big seller, but I find it the most non-intuitive software I've ever used (and I use a lot) - everything simple seems hard and most of the terms it uses mean nothing to me.

All I want to do is a main backup, and then follow that with weekly incremental backups, but it can't even remember my selections from the previous session - or if it can, it's f~%@ing hard to find. And the way it handles you doing an incremental backup is to instruct it to do a main backup using the previous main file (!!!!). What? they couldn't be bothered to have an incremental backup button?? Or is incremental backup so unusual? Whatever, it's typical of the program.

Perhaps it's meant for systems people but, whatever, I'm sick of it and want to use something (anything) else. I can't use cloud backup because many of my files are graphics, so they're very large, and I don't want be uploading massive files all the time, so it needs to be a local solution.

Anyone recommend a (simple) alternative to Acronis True Image?

[leroys1000]

You will run into the same thing in most backup software.
The reason is it is possible to,and many people do have
more than one main,initial backup,so it is necessary to
select the main backup file to use for incremental backups.
Usually means just making a backup and then setting up a scheduled
backup and setting it as incremental.
It can be set to run automatically at a schecduled time so you don't
have to do it manually every time.

[RXman3286]

I'm with you! I've used Acronis for years but lately I've been using the free version of Macrium Reflect. Just choose the backup option, check which drive you want a mirror image of, choose where to backup and if you want on bottom left on advanced options click and you can add comments.
IT'S FREE - give it a shot.

Another free program is Easeus Todo Backup - I've never tried it but it's suppose to be good.

Want something REALLY easy, try Clickfree Transformer. Its not the hard drive with the software BUT its a USB device that houses the software and you use your own external hard drive. Just plug in one end into your external hard drive the other to the computer and it automatically backs up hundreds of extensions. ALSO with the options buttion you can add or remove extensions. SOOOO Easy. Just plug it in once you have everything set and boom does the backup effortlessly. Probably the easiest backup I know of. If you have multiple computers it recognizes each seperately!

[Jessie101]

Dtallon, have you already chosen an alternative? I have tried different backup solutions some of the simplest ones were NTI Backup Now (http://www.nticorp.com/), Easeus Todo Backup Workstation (http://www.todo-backup.com/) and Praetorian Guard (http://www.praetorianguard.net).

[DaveHd]

I have recently been reviewing many many document backup tools.

We were using Genie Backup Business, but had a few issues with the log files. They incorrectly noted the errors, and caused many confusions to our tech staff, as well, the shadow-copy function often failed, which also was very annoying as we rarely were able to backup the outlook.pst files for our staff - they commonly leave Outlook running all the time. Other than that, it was quite good.

We have recently moved to KLS backup which is very similar and one of the better backup tools in my opinion. Full/Incremental/Differential and compression with ZIP/7Zip which we prefer. Encryption options and build in schedule, for user logged in or not.

We did not like:
NETGATE Data Backup
EASEUS Todo Backup
Ocster Backup
Secura Backup
Novosoft Handy Backup
Symantec Backup Exec (it crashed our system upon install, no help from Symantec)

I did not look at:
Acronis
Ghost

But have used both, they were too large for our simple needs, backup of "my documents" folder.