I'm back to living on Windows 7 at work for a bit. One thing I'd like is a backup solution for files in my users folder. Some key requirements:

• Backups must be encrypted
• Must allow manual selection of folders, with support for exclusions inside a folder
• Must use Shadow Copy to be able to back up "in use" files
• Must manage it's space and prune old backups automatically
• Backups will be going to a network share

This list of requirements excludes the built in Windows Backup, since it only meets the Shadow Copy and network share requirements. There isn't a need for a full system image backup, nor do I want all non Windows files backed up.

Any suggestions based on experiences with Windows backup solutions?

Thanks,

Ahhh...I had it until that last one. Crashplan meets all of your requirements, and does it for free for local backups, but it can't back up to a network share with the Windows client. I've seen solutions that use symbolic links, but I think I've tried those before and they always seem to fail at some point. I'll let you know if I think of an alternative.

*edit*

I forgot that I've also tried a trick where a batch file is set to run at startup that connects to shares as the local system user, making the shares visible in Crashplan. This has also failed me, but maybe you can get it to work.

In the end, my entire model shifted so that all my data is on my NAS, and I went through the annoying steps of setting up Crashplan to run directly on my Synology. It's not the best solution, particularly because it disconnects from time to time, but it works well enough for me.

Thanks Matt. Good to know about Crashplan's local options.

+1 for Crashplan and even if you use the paid cloud option you can supply your own key so it's completely inaccessible by them (and also you if you lose said key of course). The local option is completely free though.

In terms of a network share, just run two Crashplans? One on the device with the network share and one on the backup client. Not ideal given it all runs in Java (still).

The way I understood it, he wants the computer to be backed up TO the network share, not back up the network share its self. I read it as the data was living on his computer primarily, not the share. Your solution is the one I'm currently using. Actually, I don't even have Crashplan installed on my desktop because I don't keep anything on it that I care about.

Right. You can't use a network share as a "local destination" but running Crashplan on the machine effectively can get the data on that other machine which I presume is the intention rather that specifically on a network share. The data is stored in a proprietary format anyway plus there's encryption etc.

I think you're making assumptions about the network destination.

A network share is exactly what he laid out in his requirements.


It sounds like you're assuming that the backup destination for these files will be another computer on the network. Yes, if that were the case then Crashplan could do this easily, and could even do it for free (you can back up two computers to each other without signing up for Crashplan's cloud services - local backups are also free).

Given the absence of information about the destination for these backups, I suppose I also made an assumption in guessing that the share was more of a NAS device than another computer. If that is the case, then unless there's been a Crashplan package written for that device and that device runs Java, then Crashplan isn't going to back that device up, and Crashplan on the Windows 7 box can't reliably back up to that NAS device.

So I guess the question is: Tom, what are you backing up to?

Correct, for this need, I want to back up a selection of files on a C:\ drive, and store it on a network share accessible via SMB. The software must run on the local computer, and must not have any cloud component.

I may script up something basic using Rsync for Windows, and somehow work out a way for it to be stored in an encrypted container on the SMB share. It's mostly to backup some specific files in case the machine tanks, to save time after getting a new machine. The challenge with this path for me is figuring out how to work with Shadow Copy to grab files Windows otherwise holds locks on.

Yeah... Good luck with that.

I don't know if it's available in Windows 7, but there is (was?) a Windows Backup provider for PowerShell in Windows 2012. That might be worth playing with. It's been a while since I actually used Windows in anger, so that could all be a bad acid trip, though.

In the end, though, for my Windows Server 2012 box, I got a copy of BackupAssist (which essentially provides a nice GUI over Windows Backup); it provides Daily/Weekly/etc. rotation capabilities which are a pain to implement yourself (even in PowerShell).

Tom, I completely forgot about another backup program that I've used before: Genie Backup Manager Pro. It seems to be capable of everything you're looking for. NAS, encryption, VSS, etc - I'm not positive about the others but I believe so. It's $70, but at least it's a one-time expense.

I've mostly recommended it for my clients who are frightened by the cloud, even if their data is encrypted before it goes up. It appears that the primary difference between Genie's Home and Pro software is the ability to encrypt (at least, I couldn't find anything that indicated the Home version would encrypt the data).