Software for syncing/backup with an external drive

[JeremyCT]

I've looked around at various solutions, and they either seem too expensive for what I need them for, or just plain don't do what I want.

System (current):
C2Q@3GHz, 4GB RAM, USB2 expansion only, no eSATA or USB3
Win7 Ultimate 64
1x 1TB System Drive, 2x 640GB Data Drive

Soon: 120GB SSD System drive, all others will be data/storage

I have a 750 GB USB2 WD external drive that I use for backups. It's not always connected, only when I do backups. Windows Backup is useless, even if I specify to do a "system backup" it wants to backup all my data files in addition to the system files. Picking specific folders doesn't work, it still wants to back up everything, and my backup drive can't hold everything.

I want something that will allow me to pick which folders I consider essential, then back up that data to the external drive. For all intents and purposes, this is my Users directory, and maybe a few other folders. It's not a lot of data, but copying it in it's entirety every time I do a backup is cumbersome and very slow over USB2. It takes a few hours to do a full backup, which means I don't do it very often, and this is bad.

I'd like something that does incremental backups (to cut the time down) and runs when I tell it to. IOW, scripted and pre-set, but not scheduled. I'd leave the USB backup plugged in all the time, but system POST is sometimes balky with it plugged in.

What are my options? Is Acronis really the king? Is there a free option that'll do what I need it to? Any help or pointers are helpful. Everytime I start researching this on my own my head starts spinning from all the options and I wind up "leaving it for later".

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

Robocopy, built into windows, free, flexible,, why dont you want to use a scheduled task? you need to schedule something to run a script...

 

[JeremyCT]

The scheduled task will fail if the device it's supposed to access isn't there. Since this device isn't plugged in all the time, that doesn't work. Scripts work just fine without a schedule. A batch file is a simple script, and it runs when I tell it to.

Robocopy looks like it might work. If anybody else has suggestions, I'm still listening while I try to remember how to write a batch file properly to make Robocopy work how I want it to, lol.

 

[JeremyCT]

Robocopy errored out trying to copy a directory that doesn't exist, so that won't work.

2012/07/03 22:15:13 ERROR 1921 (0x00000781) Scanning Source Directory c:\Users\All Users\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\
The name of the file cannot be resolved by the system.

Waiting 30 seconds... Retrying...

Some kind of weird recursive loop. Interestingly, my Users folder doesn't have an "All Users" sub-folder, and none of the existing folders have a subfolder called "Application Data". It's called "AppData". In any case, that particular command appears to be buggy and unusable.

Still looking.

 

[JeremyCT]

Recursive loop caused by the fact that Robocopy doesn't play nice with junctions. OK, I'll try again tomorrow and add the /xj flag.

 

[Cigarsmoker]

I've got a 1 GB drive solely for backups. It's sitting in an external HDD USB2 caddie. It's switched on periodically when I want to do a backup. Win 7 built-in back up and restore works great for me. It allows me to select individual folders from multiple drives on different PCs for backup. The back up HDD is only switched on for about a hour every 2-3 weeks.

 

[Janus67]

Have you looked at Microsoft sync toy? It is a free power toy that I believe you can get from their site. I have used it for a handful of people that I.support and they all like the ease of it.

 

[JeremyCT]

I downloaded Acronis True Image Home 2012 today and got a trial key. For my purposes, it seems to be what I need. Robocopy got stuck on something even with the /xs flag and I'm a little tired of trying stuff that should work but doesn't. It looks like Acronis can do a full C: partition backup on my system in about 6 1/2 hours. It's running now, so we'll see. Considering I cancelled my last Robocopy after 6 hours (just trying to copy the Users directory), Win7's built in copy function was going to take about 12 hours to copy the Users directory and would've required babysitting, and Windows Backup is so clunky and temperamental as to be nearly worthless for me, it seems this might be the winner in the end.

$40 so I stop banging my head against the desk and stop wasting time on this is probably money well spent.