Best hard drive backup software

Does anyone know of any good free hard drive backup software?  Ghost isn't free, and all I could find is this shitty thing that can only do a sector-by-sector backup because it doesn't understand NTFS, end result being that I've got a 160 GB hard disk image for a disk whose used space is under three gigs.  Not easy to store away for backup.

So, TIA

I'm quite fond of cp. I believe the equivalent under DOS is copy.

rsync is powerful. Easy to do differential/incremental backups with it.

rdiff-backup sounds good as well but I haven't tried that yet.

SyncBack SE
Now go, and hang your head in shame.

>>2,3
Those don't preserve the boot sector / don't produce a single file

Copying filesystems to a firewire drive takes FOR FUCKING EVER, plus it's HFS+, meaning NTFS shit doesn't get preserved. 

>>4
Same thing, except it ISN'T FREE. 

I think I should clarify that what I'm trying to do is to make an image that I can just restore my main computer with if I ever hose it, just saying fuck it to all the files and settings on there. (I already keep my most important stuff on aforementioned firewire HD and many many usb flash disks)  I need a way to get back to a clean install without having to go through hours of work reinstalling everything.

>>5
What prevents you from adding the line
dd if=/dev/hdX of=bootsect.backup bs=512 count=1
to your script?

And about the single file, just fucking tar the stuff.

>>6
What part of "I'm using NTFS" didn't you get?  Last I checked, XP doesn't come with tar.  Plus, that's an extra step, and in this case, an extra step that at least doubles the time I spend doing this shit.

Besides, that's fucking overly complicated bs to just do a simple task.  Not everyone is a fucking linux fag who loves to type a hundred asinine commands every ten minutes just to get anything done.

I guess you'd just rather discuss how you WOULD do it with open source rubbish rather than actually do anything.

Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

It's just really hard to believe that there isn't a single program out there in existence that does what Ghost does.

>>8
What part of "I'm using NTFS" didn't you get?  Last I checked, XP doesn't come with tar.  Plus, that's an extra step, and in this case, an extra step that at least doubles the time I spend doing this shit.

Besides, that's fucking overly complicated bs to just do a simple task.  Not everyone is a fucking linux fag who loves to type a hundred asinine commands every ten minutes just to get anything done.

I guess you'd just rather discuss how you WOULD do it with open source rubbish rather than actually do anything.

Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

>>9
What part of "I'm using NTFS" didn't you get?  Last I checked, XP doesn't come with tar.  Plus, that's an extra step, and in this case, an extra step that at least doubles the time I spend doing this shit.

Besides, that's fucking overly complicated bs to just do a simple task.  Not everyone is a fucking linux fag who loves to type a hundred asinine commands every ten minutes just to get anything done.

I guess you'd just rather discuss how you WOULD do it with open source rubbish rather than actually do anything.

Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

Lets all go torrent Ghost.

I think OP needs nap time.

>>10
What part of "I'm using NTFS" didn't you get?  Last I checked, XP doesn't come with tar.  Plus, that's an extra step, and in this case, an extra step that at least doubles the time I spend doing this shit.

Besides, that's fucking overly complicated bs to just do a simple task.  Not everyone is a fucking linux fag who loves to type a hundred asinine commands every ten minutes just to get anything done.

I guess you'd just rather discuss how you WOULD do it with open source rubbish rather than actually do anything.

Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

>type a hundred asinine commands

>rather discuss how you WOULD do it with open source rubbish rather than actually do anything


This shit is hilarious.

I have made a script that does full backups once a week, differential backups on each work day and additionally hourly snapshots. The full and differential backups are stored on tapes while the snapshots are disc-to-disc. Snapshots and daily backups are being rotated automatically, I only still have to change the tapes manually (but I'm working to change that).

All of this is done with rsync, cpio and cron. The script has less than 150 lines of shell code and has been running on two infrastructure servers, a mail server and a storage server for a year and a half now.

Mind you that this is not anything to be proud of. I can't even program worth shit. Granted, setting this up took me about two days including testing. But fucking hell, was it ever worth it.


Also: Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

>>14
That was never what I asked for. 

I already have several layers of redundancy for my personal files. 

What I was asking for was a system backup.

>>15
Also, found my free alternative: g4l

Niggers

>>15
rm is the only backup tool good enough for you, cocksucking jew nigger bitch.  In b4 moar whining and stupid comments from you.

>>15
I don't care. I was only replying to your hilarious as shit ramblings. This thread isn't about helping you anymore, because  apparently Fuck you.  I'm torrenting Ghost.

>>19
You'll find anything you're programmed to funny. 

I copypasta'd myself.  I manipulated this thread from the start.

Cause you're all stupid... can't comprehend a simple question.

>>20
Social experiment is a well-known excuse for being a moron.

>>1
Put your computer in target disk mode and copy your system folder.  Instant system backup.

Fucking retard.

>>1
This is why you save your DOS disks.

>>1
Buy another hard disk and make a mirrored RAID array. 

>>1
I think you should get a tape backup system.  Store all your data on lots of tapes.

>>1
Just don't use your computer and it'll never fail.