Today I took up the longstanding task of finding Windows compatible Backup Software similar to SuperDuper! for OSX.
For those of you who have never used SuperDuper!, let me take this chance to proclaim it the one piece of backup software you will ever need. As far as my needs, SuperDuper allows me to create a bootable copy of my MacBook Pro’s harddrive on my 320GB external harddrive Westie, named for its Western Digital creators. On top of this amazing feature, SuperDuper has the option of either each time doing a complete backup (erase external drive partition and copy the MacBook’s harddrive), or what T-Shirt Software calls a SmartBackup (using the existing backup to only modify and add the files that have changed since the last backup). With the SmartBackup feature, I can do backups in literally fractions (very small fractions, in fact) of the time. All of these features are compounded by an amazingly user-friendly interface, and a low price of $30. To put it simply, this software is a must have if you worry about data loss (which you should).
“If this piece of software is so great, why are you looking for a Windows version?” you might ask. I’m on this mission for my father, who needs a reliable, simple, and accurate backup solution for his Windows XP box. So in my search, I have run across two solutions and it is them that I present to you today:
The first solution was suggested to me by my Guru-of-all-things-tech Jon, and is called Cobian Backup 8. Cobian Backup 8 is still in beta, and does offer a bootable backup solution. According to the website, the program ” is a multi-threaded program that can be used to schedule and backup your files and directories from their original location to other directories/drives in the same computer or other computer in your network. FTP backup is also supported in both directions (download and upload).” Though it is free, the program unfortunately seems to still be in development, and offers a bit less intuitive and user-friendly approach than the next program, Casper XP.
Casper XP was the other backup software I discovered in my search, and it seems to most closely resemble what I need. The program seems like the Windows equivalent of SuperDuper!, and though the price is higher, it does offer its own version of SmartBackups, which they call SmartClone technology. Though I have yet to use the program, it does seem promising. The first sentence on the website ends this great search of mine: ” Casper XPâ„¢ makes it a snap to keep a bootable backup of your Windows XP system. Just use Casper XP to copy your system hard disk to another hard disk. When your system hard disk fails or becomes corrupted, simply boot your computer directly from your backup hard disk and you’re up and running again in just seconds! It really is that easy!”
I’ll post an updated review of the program once I purchase my new MyBook 500GB External Drive and give Westie to my dad.