Computer Backup Thoughts?

[Ben]

So for years I've been using Win7 backup to an external USB drive, which I have always found quite straightforward and reliable. Until I did a clone to upgrade my hard drive. While Win 7 backup works great, these days it runs for like 4-5 hours to complete a full backup. When I cloned my new SSD, it took like 1.5 hours max.

So I'm kinda thinking of switching how I do full backups. I'm thinking of snagging another SSD off Amazon on Cyber Monday since they are so cheap nowadays, and just monthly doing a full backup via cloning, while just doing the standard weekly "data folder" backups to the external drive via Win7.

Besides the time saver on the front end, if something ever happens, all I have to do is swap drives, almost like RAID, versus that same 4-5 hours to reimage the drive via the win7 method. Does anyone else backup via cloning? Thoughts?

[Mannlicher]

time means little to me.  On the other hand,  using my two tried and true USB external hard drives is a task I am familiar with, and understand.  I'm sticking with that

[K Frame]

You can't set it up so that it starts backing up at, say, 2 a.m. and it's done by the time you get up and need your computer?

[Ben]

You can't set it up so that it starts backing up at, say, 2 a.m. and it's done by the time you get up and need your computer?

I can, though I usually shut my computer off overnight. The current backup doesn't really slow anything down much when it runs concurrently.

The main benefit I'm seeing is a more reliable backup that I can immediately use, versus waiting for for the Win backup to reapply. Plus the benefit of essentially just having a whole new system immediately available should the primary drive fail, again similar to RAID.

[lee n. field]

So for years I've been using Win7 backup to an external USB drive, which I have always found quite straightforward and reliable. Until I did a clone to upgrade my hard drive. While Win 7 backup works great, these days it runs for like 4-5 hours to complete a full backup. When I cloned my new SSD, it took like 1.5 hours max.

So I'm kinda thinking of switching how I do full backups. I'm thinking of snagging another SSD off Amazon on Cyber Monday since they are so cheap nowadays, and just monthly doing a full backup via cloning, while just doing the standard weekly "data folder" backups to the external drive via Win7.

Besides the time saver on the front end, if something ever happens, all I have to do is swap drives, almost like RAID, versus that same 4-5 hours to reimage the drive via the win7 method. Does anyone else backup via cloning? Thoughts?

Try Veeam Endpoint Agent.  Might be less hassle than Windows 7 backup.  https://www.veeam.com/windows-endpoint-server-backup-free.html