Back up my software

A standout feature is the WinPE recovery media, which in the worst case scenario comes to the rescue for when your PC refuses to even boot. Via a bootable USB stick, users can rescue files, fix boot problems, and even perform a restoration to get up and running again in a jiffy. A home plan is charged for a single home user license. For business users you will need to contact Paragon for a quote.

For modest users this will suffice, but it falls short when it comes to the interface, support for platforms other than Windows and Linux, and more advanced tasks. However, it does at least include any upgrades to the program, and also supports backup to cloud providers including OneDrive and Dropbox.

The standout feature of NovaBackup PC is the security offered, as the software runs locally to send the data to a local media drive, and does not connect to the internet. Also, the backup can be performed with AES bit encryption for extra security.

Home users are charged for an annual subscription for a single PC, which offers protection against data loss, ransomware, and hardware failure. There is a trial available for Windows XP and higher, although not for other platforms.

This software is focused on traditional drive backup to a media drive, and the developer offers separate solutions for other situations including Android backup and cloud backup needs, keeping Genie Backup Manager from being a more comprehensive application.

The app sits in the Windows system tray as an icon, quietly going about its business. Notable features include the option to have the backup run at full speed via Turbo Mode, or to run in Smart Mode which intelligently adjusts itself based on the available system resources. There are a few other options worth considering, not least free backup software which is still useful but will tend to have fewer options and configurations you can customize for what you need, plus of course there's always the option to use cloud backup software.

Here we'll look more closely at some of those options:. Simply download the Google Backup and Sync app to your computer, install and run, and this will create a folder in your Windows file explorer from to which you can save your most important documents.

While there are paid options to upgrade, this can prove expensive over the long-term if you want to backup and sync a sizable hard drive. Microsoft OneDrive is the backup and sync storage option bundled with Microsoft Office There is a free version that allows up to 10GB of storage, but that it means it suffers from the same limitations as above, not least that you'd be better off using cloning or image software to back up your full hard drive.

Even still, it's a useful keep to keep the most essential files safe. Dropbox is another cloud server that allows you to save important documents online, again being free to use with the same limitations as above. Scroll down to get the detailed steps.

If you've ever reinstalled any version of Windows operating system, you may know how tedious the job is. Though Windows OS can be installed using bootable media like installation disc or USB drive, it's still troublesome and time-consuming to install all the programs, and configuring them to your satisfaction.

Just think about this, you computer suddenly goes wrong due to system errors or other reasons, you reinstall Windows trying to solve the problem, but all the apps you installed are erased all together - what a relief it will be if you can restore these programs from a backup without reinstallation.

In addition, if you've just bought a new computer and want to transfer installed programs from the old computer to the new one, an image backup can also help you restore all the programs once for all. It will backup everything in the system partition, such as, OS, system drivers, installed program, personal data, etc. And the system partition is the default location of programs if you don't change it. Then, if there is any problem, you can perform system restore and get you all of them including programs back in a very short time.

Next, I will walk you through every detailed step to backup installed programs with Windows backup and restore tool.

Step 1. After open Backup and Restore, click Create system image in the left panel. Otherwise, you will receive an error message which says: The drive is not a valid backup location. Step 3. Confirm your backup information and click Start Backup to backup installed software and everything else in the system partition. However, Windows built-in backup and restore tool have its inherent limitation.

For example, as incremental backup is not supported, backing up installed programs every time with full backup will take you much space. This was the case with Backupper 4, and the latest version has only added more options, making it a surprisingly well-rounded free offering. We hit a few performance snags with less-conventional system setups, but for the average user, it should perform as expected. Additionally, if you intend to back up to a newly purchased external hard drive, check out the software that ships with it.

Seagate, WD, and others provide backup utilities that are adequate for the average user. Some programs automatically select the appropriate files if you use the Windows library folders Documents, Photos, Videos, etc.

Boot media: Should your system crash completely, you need an alternate way to boot and run the recovery software. Any backup program should be able to create a bootable optical disc or USB thumb drive.

Some will also create a restore partition on your hard drive, which can be used instead if the hard drive is still operational. Any backup program worth its salt allows you to schedule backups. Any backup program you use should allow you to retain several previous backups, or with file backup, previous versions of the file. The better software will retain and cull older backups according to criteria you establish. Optical support: Every backup program supports hard drives, but as obsolescent as they may seem, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs are great archive media.