After I wrote my first review of 12-Backup, 12Ghosts added the feature I wished for: the option to back up only files modified after the date you specify. This solves a complaint I had originally and has other benefits. If you back up to a network or CD every night, for example, you will find 12-Backup very handy for making backup copies as you change files during the day. There will no longer be reason to fear the loss of a day's work from a system crash at 4:45 p.m., before your nightly backup happens.
12Ghosts' 12-Backup is for the individual PC. The scheduling and continuous backup options and ease of use make this software stand out.
Arrange your backup times in any of the following ways, or use them together:
Adding and changing files on your backup list is simple. You can, of course, add a folder and specify the automatic inclusion of all files and subfolders within it.2 Besides operating from within 12-Backup, you can drag and drop files and folders from Windows Explorer directly into either the Backup or Hyperbackup list.3 Another option is to right-click a file from either Windows Explorer or the file list within your application and choose "Add to 12-Backup," which actually adds the file to Hyperbackup. This makes it quick to add to the Hyperbackup list as you are working.
File copies are in exactly the same format as the original.4 You do not need to use 12Ghosts to access your backups, a particular advantage if your computer dies and you take your backed-up files to your friend's house, where 12Ghosts may not be installed. The disadvantage is that the copies are not compressed to reduce space.
Both the normal scheduled backup and Hyperbackup make an initial copy of all files added to the list. For subsequent backups, only files that have changed are copied, saving disk space. There is one important exception: When you change to a new disk, the next backup run will make a new complete set of the latest version for each file. This is because 12-Backup does not keep a log. Instead, it simply looks for the files on the current media. Any that are not there are copied again. The exception is if you specify a date so that files last modified before your date are not copied.
The advantage is that you always have a complete set of your chosen files on your latest disk (or however many disks were used in the very last backup run), simplifying file restoration and eliminating the need to make special runs for just such a set. (If you changed disks in the middle of a run, the files already on the previous disk will not be copied to the new disk until the next run.)
12-Backup works on the idea that what it sees on the disk is what you have. If many backup runs will fit on a single media, 12-Backup can assess accurately which files are already backed up and which need a new copy. Log files, an alternative which 12-Backup does not use, may not reflect backup copies that were discarded or damaged.
A problem can arise if a single set of your files takes up most of one disk (or more). When subsequent backup runs fill the current disk and you put in a new one, the whole set of files will be copied again and the new disk may not have much space left over. (Remember, 12-Backup only knows about the files it can see, and it can't see disks that aren't loaded. The new disk will not have files that fit on the previous disk in the current run, but it will have a complete set of all the other files you have designated for backup, whether they were on the previous disk - in a previous run - or not.) This is a good reason to limit subsequent backups with a date, solving the problem.
Given the ever-increasing storage capacities of today's media, and especially if you use 12-Backup just for your data and document files, filling up a large percent of your disk is not likely to be an issue. 12-Backup is not designed for full system backups. Its strength lies in backing up personal files, and unless you are creating movies or other such huge files, the amount of space your personal files take up will be relatively small.
First, let me mention a couple of concerns that apply to any continuous backup software. The drive must be constantly available. If someone steals your computer with the backup disk in it - which is exactly where it will be - so much for backup. This is a good reason to make periodic backups that you store away from your computer, preferably in another building. Also, if you want to use the same drive for something else, you must pause Hyperbackup. Fortunately, this is very easy; just click the "Pause" button.
Hyperbackup does some wonderful things. If you modify the file while Hyperbackup is not running, of course it will not back it up. However, as soon as you start Hyperbackup, it will catch the change and copy the latest version. Certainly it should do that, but I have used another program that missed the latest version if I started it after I had changed a file. (It was not the current release, so I won't name names.)
Hyperbackup is also intelligent. Do you really need every single copy of the file you have been working on every day for the past week? Of course not. You want the last few copies in case your system hangs or you delete a paragraph and accidentally hit the shortcut keys for "save" instead of "undo."6 You also might want yesterday's version when you find out that the policies you changed this morning were not approved (much to your surprise).
Rather than waste space with innumerable versions, Hyperbackup saves only representative ones. It keeps one copy per month, one copy per day of the latest month, one copy per hour of the latest day, and one copy per minute of the latest hour (always the last copy for whatever time period). These are conveniently organized into four folders so it is easy to browse them by most recent or previous hours, days or months. This should be enough for whatever disaster might come. It saves you from having to organize older copies that you won't need anyway or from being tempted to delete all of the older versions too early.
12Ghosts Backup is not intended to back up your entire system. Software so designed will probably do it faster and use fewer tapes or disks. Furthermore, such software usually - but not always - includes the "boot" or "rescue" files in the right format to boot your system directly from your diskette or CD drive. You will probably need these if your hard drive ever crashes.5
See our review of AISBackup if you are interested in complete system backup software, which copies files to zip-file format and includes a comprehensive database that lists all versions of your backed up files. It lacks a feature like 12-Backup's "Hyperbackup," however, and takes a bit more effort to set up the backup "scripts." I have used both AISBackup and 12-Backup together for about a year and find that they complement each other well.
For the PC user who needs an up-to-the-minute, simple and straightforward backup solution for his or her personal creations, 12Ghosts Backup is worth trying. There is not much to learn, not much to pay (free to try), and it does the job. With only a little forethought and planning, backup can happen automatically. As many have learned from experience, if backup isn't automatic, it doesn't happen nearly enough.
1Revised from original review of August 10, 2002
2 This is a good reason to keep all your precious creations within a single main folder and then use subfolders to organize them. Simply select the main folder for backup and check "include subfolders" to cover everything.
3 If you prefer cut-and-paste, do not try to copy the actual file or folder. Instead, right-click it and choose "Copy Path to Clipboard." Then click the "Paste" button in 12-Backup.
4 The name that Hyperbackup gives the copy includes the directory path to identify the file's original location, but the file can still be opened normally.
5 Create a boot disk yourself from the Startup Disk tab of the Add/Remove Programs function in the Windows Control Panel.
6 By the way, those shortcut keys are CTRL+S (for save) and CTRL+Z (for undo).
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Copyright © 2003-2008 - MendoClick
Revised: July 06, 2005