The best free file backup software: GFI Backup Home Edition
August 13, 2011 87
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In my article on FBackup I just ranted about how I am obsessed with Titan Backup. Well let me tell you my affair with Titan Backup is over; we are done – I broke up. I found myself a new love which comes in the name of GFI Backup Home Edition:
Does the interface for GFI Backup look familiar? Oh yes… now I remember: it looks just like Titan Backup! GFI Backup is literally the same thing as Titan Backup (Titan Backup is the predecessor of GFI Backup) with one difference: GFI Backup Home Edition is now free for home users. So instead of downloading old, outdated versions of Titan Backup, you can use new, free versions of GFI Backup.
To give you a run down of why I say GFI Backup is the best free file backup software, here is what GFI Backup has/can do:
- Nice clean, easy to use interface
- Backup registry and files/folders (including backup specific program data via pre-installed plugins)
- Apply filters or “masks” to your backup jobs to include/exclude specific files types
- Ability to backup files that are currently in use (via VSS)
- Backup to a local folder, external hard drive, network folder, portable device, CD/DVD or over FTP
- Create incremental, differential or stacked backups, compress your backups (ZIP64), and protect your backups with .ZIP level password protection or AES 256 encryption
- Automatically do backups with the “scheduler” including at Windows shutdown or boot
- Run a task before the backup, after the backup and shutdown/log off/sleep/hibernate computer after backup has finished
- Restore full backup or individual files/folders
- Sync the files and folders between two locations (two local locations or one local and one external such as network folder, USB, FTP, etc.)
- Ability to run GFI Backup as a service
Pretty impressive features for a free program huh? Nothing more I can ask for in a file backup program except maybe the ability to backup email from online email services (such as Gmail or Hotmail) and an open platform for plugin development. Forget Titan Backup and forget FBackup (unless of course FBackup has a plugin that GFI Backup does not) – time to get GFI Backup.
The only downside to GFI Backup is that you must fill out a short form (first name, last name and email address) in order to download it. No biggie though - if you feel too violated of your privacy you can enter fake names and email addresses because you will get a download link directly on your screen after you submit your info. However consider using real information (at least real email) so you can avoid having to register every time you want to download from GFI. You can grab GFI Backup Home Edition from the following link:
***GFI Backup Home Edition System Requirements:
- Intel Pentium III processor or above
- 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
- 8 MB free hard drive space
- Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional SP2, SP3 (x86 and the x64 versions) and all editions of Windows Vista except for Vista Starter (x86 and the x64 versions)
While officially Windows 7 is not supported, people have reported it is working just fine in Win7.
you’re VERY emotionally unstable Ashraf! How can you love FOREVER in the morning and break up and change love in the evening???????????????? Shame on you!!
I’ll download it IMMEDIATELY!!!
So So Sorry Ash
Now tell me, there are these new “Break up” or “Divorce” parties. Its the new “IN” thing to do for hipsters :-)
So, are we all going to be invited or what?
Yes, I’ll check out this new love of yours.
Peace
now on to a more practical info : my version of Titan is 2.5.0.117. If I understood correctly from what you wrote, is it worthwhile to delete it and maintain only the new GFI Backup, correct?
GOOD FIND! TKS!
@Mario: It was more like a change in 5 mins :P
@Tortuga: I am a good boy… I have no parties.
@Mario: Indeed.
Titan Backup is actually even discontinued now. Trying going to TitanBackup.com to see what I mean.
Before writing to you I’ve done that already from inside Titan Backup and got to GFI, so that’s why I taught it would be save to uninstall it. Just wanted to be sure.
Hi Ash :D
So, TitanBackup is no more!??
The page is redirected – They subbed it by this new/old ~same sw …
Well Well, this is totally a Fake divorce!!
Ha AhAh you scoundrel!
No Party then! Darn!!!!! *sniff*
I filled out the “long form” as well. My God, all it asked for was my name and email address. I was expecting a page full of input blanks. No problemo on this one. Nice find, Good “divorce”, Ashraf.
You vary like the weather in Chicago.You play host to a part time website,oh maybe I’ll give a review about GAOTD,and by the way I think so little of this stuff I’m taking a vacation,not 1-2 weeks but 3 months and wish you all were here and good luck all you dumb loyal fans.Sorry I needed to get it off my chest,we’re still friends I hope.
@pallen: Huh? o_O. Is this one of those bitter sweet moments?
Back when I first discovered GOATO I started downloading everything I could get,on the off chance that I can use this some day! Well after severial months went by my hard drive became cluttered with programs that I could not find when I needed it or lost in the clutter of useless programs. There was on person who I discovered that gave honest evaluations of the programs that GAOTD offered. That led me to searching for Ashraf’s comments before I downloaded any software. Then Ashraf started his own site and it’s become a very valueable site for me.
Thanks Ashraf for the time and effort you invest giveing us all great advice and programs.
Thanks
Mike
@Ashraf: Huh?When you kick a pig in the butt he goes Huh Huh.I guess it went over your head.After I download this are yoy going to come out with another next week,that I will need change to.Install then uninstall so on.
@pallen: I understood what you said. It was just an awkward comment so I gave an awkward response. Feel free to criticize me but I would appreciate it if you didn’t call me a pig.
I will always continue to write about different software… that is the only way to survive in this technology blog world. Not all software I write about will be 100% unique of each other. So far GFI Backup is the best free backup program I have run into. If I find another one that is better, I will write about it. If I find another one that is not better but worth mentioning I will write about it. No one told you to download everything I write about >.>’. Download what you need and don’t download what you don’t need. Usually I am good about telling people if XXX is better than the previous XXX software I wrote about.
Lastly, no offense taken… if you disregard the pig comment. ;)
@Ashraf: I no way called you a pig , it’s an old saying.Forget it .I HATE CHATS AND COMMENT SECTIONS PEOPLE SAY THE STUPID AND RUDE THINGS AND EVEYBODY THINKS ITS FUNNY,ENOUGH FOR ME I’LL STAY OUT.BUT SAY WHAT YOU LIKE.AS I SAID I WAS HOPING TO KEEP IT FRIENDLY.
@pallen: Apologies if I offended you but calm down >.>’. I have been nothing but friendly.
Thanks for the heads-up on this one Ashraf! Titan banished to the wilderness; GFI installed in its place!
I would just like to thank Ashraf for all his time and effort. We’re not paying him for this. Do you guys know how much an I/T consultant charges for this type of service? Remember Ashraf is doing this for free. You may agree or disagree but at least encourage the lad.
Pallen: lighten up.
This isn’t a paid-for subscriber site.
When you start putting money in Ashraf’s pocket, then maybe you’ll have some basis for grumbling that he’s decided to go off on a family holiday. . .
. . . though such criticism would only be justified if what you’d spent had been equivalent to buying-in, at a commercial rate, the kind of advice Ashraf provides and the kind of work he so freely undertakes.
The kind of comment you posted was the equivalent of someone who receives a gift and then complains about the wrapping paper.
@MikeR: Hire me please. I have a family to feed: 4 wives and 15 little children.
On a serious note, come to think of it I go more off-topic than anyone else yet I censor people for that telling them to go to the forums. Shame on me. Guess what they say is true: power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
dear Ashraf
Can you please provide an alternative link.
This server is taking too long to respond.
dr nitin
@DR HOMBALKAR: Check your email please.
Three cheers for Ashraf. Thanks for putting in your time on checking out all this stuff for us, so that we can zero in on what we want to scope out further so much more quickly.
Adios Titan, hola GFI!!
Thanks for pointing me here from the mail backup reply Ash, I missed this one.
Ashraf:
1. When I had a look at my Titan before going to remove it, there was a curious file in the folder: UNWISE.EXE. Guess what it turned out to be–the uninstall .exe….:-)…! Cute….
2. Is it best to totally uninstall Titan (Revo Uninstall) before installing GFI?
3. I always have been very nervous about backup programs because you have no way of knowing what it in fact has done….I was always afraid that MAYBE I wasn’t setting something right and thus maybe it wasn’t backing up what I wanted or maybe it was deleting stuff it shouldn’t be…That’s why I have been sync-ing as well. I use SwiftCompare (in addition to Titan) because I can see everything it wants to do before it does it…and then do the deleting bit by bit. The problem is that it takes a long time. I have all my personal files on an external HD (~120GB) which I copied to a second ext.HD. Much of it is hi-res photos and 2&3d graphics, which tend to be very large files. So folders take very long to load (my GRAPHICS folder is 2.5 GB). It’s particularly difficult if I have changed a lot of file and folder names and moved them to different folders. I take the time to do the sync-ing simply because I check everything I will be deleting first. It sure would be easier to just press a button and know that the results will be exactly what I have….I use Titan too, but only because I have the constantly-synced copy of everything on the second HD as well.
How do you know your backup is really doing what you wanted it to do???
Thanks as usual–I have been wanting to ask someone about this for years….
Janet
@ Janet Berg
I always use revo to uninstall, it doesn’t seem leave as much rubbish behind.
Data is the most precious thing in the computer and we often reflects carelessness towards it.GFI Backup is an awesome and free tool to backup and recover your data.