Jerrybn

I concur with FreeFileSynce. I have used it for years.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Take a look at SyncBack. They have a very comprehensive free version, and two more advanced versions that you pay for but have features that extend the free (for personal use) version to work in a larger environment with multiple locations, etc.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

FBackup is free, has been around for many years and is capable of running scheduled backups. It can also backup you files in a native state (just like you copied them from one location to another) or it can back them up into Zip files which take up less space and can be easily accessed from Windows Explorer. Can backup to flash drives, hard drives etc.

11bravo

I'm a big fan of Macrium Reflect. Have the paid version (package option for 4 computers), plus use the free version on friends/family computers I support. Biggest difference FOR ME between paid and free is the paid does incrementals.

SyncBack free runs on several computers to periodically backup small files so as to be able to restore a program's database if it crashes.

Both are excellent programs.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

If you don't know the name of the program how do you plan to restore the files on your backup drive to your new computer? Will you manually copy and paste or are your backups now useless?

fvasek Loc: Abingdon, Maryland

To answer your question, copy and paste. I don’t really need the program. I like the program because with two clicks of the mouse, all the files that have been modified are updated on the backup drive in seconds.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Depends on the nature of the backup. If your backup SW or mechanism creates a simple mirror of the data, then yes, you can copy the files back, but if it compresses or manipulates the data in any way (which many backup applications do), then you’ll need the restore application to restore the data. There are many ways to backup data, and it’s important to define your needs (for example, do you want versioning/snapshots?) and understand exactly what they do.

speedmaster Loc: Kendall, FL

Go for Macrium Reflect. The home version is free and the only thing you lose is the ramsonware protection (if you feel it is important you can buy their home version that is not that pricy). Most free antivirus are already offering some ramsonware protection.

With Macrium you can make images of your whole drives but you can recover individual directories or folders if needed. Having an image of your system disk will allow you to restore it promptly in case of a crash using their emergency boot drive (external drive, I use a cheap 8Gb pen drive) that is generated by the program itself. You an also image your data partition so you can recover your data fast. Just to avoid any doubt: if your system and data drive are the same (what is not a good idea...) you can recover it all together in just one restore.
Macrium is fast, far faster than any other image software I tested like Acronis for instance and it is very reliable (till date all images I needed recovered gracefully).
If you are a little more into computers you can define different definitions for different occasions... I myself defined a full image every Sunday with a differential image every week day (only copies what changed). If needed the software assembly Sunday's full image with the incremental ones and restore it all.
You have the options of full image, incremental image and differential images and you can schedule them as you wish.
Disclaimer: I'm not associated to Macrium, just promoting their software as I like to promote good software moreover when it is (recently) offered for free with minor limitations from their pro versions. Moreover that I'm promoting their free version.
The only major drawback from a backup software is that you can't use it for imaging just directories or files but rather image the whole disk but using a full image plus differential ones will mitigate a lot this issue.

Cheers

11bravo

Agree, Macrium Reflect is the one. Also excellent in cloning drives; I never bother with included software, just use Macrium when I replace an HDD or SDD.

speedmaster Loc: Kendall, FL

Jeffers

SyncBack has three levels of coverage: Free, which is basic coverage; SyncbackSE which has many more backup options; and SyncBack Pro which can also back up your cloud. Since I use OneDrive as my cloud and it is fully synced to one of my computers, I back up using SyncBackSE on that computer and therefore get a full cloud backup. I do the same for my wife's computers. Here's a link to comparisons: https://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/compare.html

fvasek Loc: Abingdon, Maryland

Thanks to everyone for their responses and recommendations. As a result, I was able to get the information I was looking for. Thanks again, no new responses are necessary.

OZMON Loc: WIGAN UK

I use AOMEI BACKUP which is free, I use it to back up all my PC hard drives(5),and individual files such as my pics and my music,

Hip Coyote

I once heard a saying that rang true to me: "If a program is free, you are the commodity." Meaning, you get something for free, you are gonig to pay for it in some way, shape or form...Just purchase a modest backup plan with Dropbox or some other platform. Skip the free stuff, pay a few bucks and do it right.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

In general, one successful business model for consumer SW companies is to offer a free version with some limitations which then leads a percentage of the free users to opt for the paid version. If you need the extra options/features, then pony up, but if the free version satisfies your needs, then count your blessings. A couple of “photo relevant” SW aps come to mind, including Fastone viewer and the original NIK collection, and there are many others. In the PC management world, BelArc, CC Cleaner, Malwarebytes and Spybot are just of the few free valuable SW utilities which have paid upgrades, but are plenty valuable on their own.