Looking for a free or paid tool to back up my computer on Windows 10 and 11?
Looking for a free or paid tool to back up my computer on Windows 10 and 11?
I just ripped and converted my CD collection. I made copies of the music folders using Copy and Paste from Windows 10. These folders were big, so copying them took a long time. It also took me some time to backup them when I updated their content after ripping a new album. I looked at websites for top software recommendations for syncing and backing up music files, but because it took me too long to rip and convert my CDs, I need something reliable that is either free or reasonably priced. I want one that can move folders from my internal hard drive to an external drive and automatically update the backup when I add new music files and folders to the source folder. Since I am planning to replace my computer soon, I also need software that works well with both Windows 10 and 11. I looked at Easy2Sync and Second Copy as options, but they only seem to work on older versions of Windows like 7 or 8. Could you give me some good suggestions for backup or sync programs that fit my needs? Thanks a lot in advance.
Technically Windows Media Player can be set to place all the music that is played into its own "backup" file. I typically turn that feature off such as to eliminate duplicates in search results, but... One other thing I would mention. Bit rot is real. Keep your source disks in a safe location. Also, it is not uncommon for small bits of the end of each file to be lost after a transfer. Over time, I have had a good 20-30 seconds taken off the back end of files due to transferring them to (for instance) a new replacement disk. I screwed up and got rid of most of my CD's after doing the same and really, really wish I could change that decision. Robo Copy can be utilized to do your backups on a regular interval. All you have to do is set...
I have Macrium Reflect installed on my primary machine, but it's free on every other computer. It creates full copies of drives rather than picking random files. Before, when copying only certain folders, I relied on programs like FreeFileSync or SyncBackFree because they were better suited for that specific task.
Technically, you can set up Windows Media Player so all music gets saved in its own special "backup" file. Usually, I turn this off to stop creating extra copies that might mess up your search results... but then... One more thing I have to say about something else. Bit rot is happening. Keep your old CDs in a cool place away from the sun. Also, sometimes bits get lost at the very end of files after you copy them onto new disks. After some time, my CD players start taking two or three extra seconds just because they are reading those lost bits. I messed up and threw most of my CDs away after doing this same thing, and honestly, I wish I could change that choice. You can use Robo Copy to make automatic backups on a regular schedule. All you need is to set up the right script for the robocopy operation. It's built into Windows, but writing it down is a little weird to beginners like me. I used an old Robo Cop-y just in case it was still around to help write that script until I got better at what exactly needed to be done.
I might be a bit careful about "automated" things because how much I care about my files changes everything. I don't see any need to spend money on a paid service, even though Second Copy is really great. I've used it for almost ten years. If needed, I'd expect them to update it so it works with Windows 11. I should reach out to them... they could charge me again if I bought this version back then while the upgrade wasn't available. SyncBackFree has been working fine for me for maybe five years. FreeFileSync is good too, but I find the interface a bit clunky.