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Do you regularly back up your data, files, records, pictures, and other stuff on your computer? The stuff your life basically depends on? Didn't think so. Very few PC owners even bother to take advantage of Windows' fairly simple built-in backup utility, to the despair of technical support around the world. With Windows 7 new on the scene, it's a good time to back up your system, and to start scheduling regular backups, too. GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.0 can help you overcome your Fear of Backups. It's easy to use; it effectively backs up your system; and, best of all, it's free, as in "no money," as in "no excuses." You can bet that replacing lost software will cost a lot more than that.
GFI Backup's text-heavy main dialog box is divided into four large buttons marked Backup, My Tasks, Restore, and Sync, each with extensive explanations of their respective functions. The tools themselves open in much more conventional (and familiar) tabbed Windows dialogs. Online help is available at the product's Web site and via Twitter. It gives you lots of options for creating backups, but its Wizard-driven interface makes it all easy. You can schedule regular backups, too, which is a wise move. GFI Backup does its job as well as expensive software, but it's free.
GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.0 works in Windows 7. It installs desktop icons without asking and leaves behind folders after it's uninstalled, but those are backup records you may want to keep.
Publisher's Description
From GFI Software:
GFI Backup is a completely free, easy-to-use and complete solution, designed for secure backups of all your important documents, pictures, and more. Suitable for beginners and experienced users alike, this tool allows you to back up all your documents, photos, music, emails and programs, via a simple but smart wizard-driven interface. Using GFI Backup, you can back up your data to virtually any storage device, including local and external disk drives, LAN, CD/DVD, removable devices, remote FTP servers, etc. Restoring your data can be done in minutes, using the common ZIP format, allowing you also to split and span the archive over multiple hard-drives. This freeware backup solution includes the Sync Task feature, which enables you to synchronize folders from different media. GFI Backup can also be configured to send error or warning notification emails and summary reports for each finished backup task.
What's new in this version: Version 3.1.2010.0730 has added support for non-Greco Latin Character sets.
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All versions:
3.7 starsout of 25 votes
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Current version:
3.5 starsout of 15 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Malware - Adware"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
None - Be warned
Cons
Installer/Downloader is not made by Download.com even though it has the Download.com name and logo to make you think that you can trust it.
It installs adware and uses wget to try to download other stuff. It closes your browsers (Firefox, IE and Chrome) and installs addons without asking. No telling what else it does. wget is not used to download the backup app, it is being used discreetly while the backup app is being downloaded.
GFI doesn't even have this product listed on their website. Look elsewhere. -
"IS THIS DESIGNED FOR FRENCH?"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
- FREE
- GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE STEPS
- FILTER FOR SPECIFIC FOLDERS, FILE TYPES, ETC.
- DOES NOT SLOW DOWN PC COZ IT'S NOT CONTINUOUSLY MONITORING UNLIKE WD SMARTWARE.Cons
- SUPER SLOW BACKUP!
*ZIP HIGH COMPRESSION, 650 GB DATA = 15 HOURS STRAIGHT VIA USB2.0.
*VERIFY BACKUP = EVEN LONGER.
*NO CHANGE, DIFFERENTIAL BACKUP = 15 MINUTES.Summary
ALTHOUGH THIS FREEWARE DOES ITS JOB AS ADVERTISED, ITS USEFULNESS IS HANDICAPPED BY ITS HORRENDOUS SPEEDS OF BACKUP.
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"I'm tech-savvy ; this app, frightens me ..."
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
free, installs easily ... all seems hunky-dory ...
Cons
had major malware-trojan problem following this install ...
could be related, or not ,
[ comodo essentials could be the problem too ..
just beware ..Summary
does leave a badfoot-print on registry...
IMO : look elsewhere ... -
"Incredible value for free."
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
does so much it is hard to describe it all:
good&nice interface
does synchronizing
does Full/Incremental/Differential backups
zipping options for backup (split, set compression, encrypt)
very nice folder structure in the backup
drag&drop source files (choose advance view to get this option)
verify backup
scheduler
choose sound alarms on activity
before/after backup activity
shadow copy to backup open files
backup to LAN, CD/DVD, FTP
restore full backup or individual files
name-based filters (here called masks)
now freeCons
name-based filters (here called masks) only (no date filter, etc)
name-based filters (here called masks) can be applied to the whole backup only, not per folder for exampleSummary
Very early in the testing process but already impressed beyond expectations. Tested about a dozen other backup apps, mostly looking for free solution and this one has tremendous ammount of options and it works (unlike others with more options that tended to backup only some of my files on a whim).
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"At last I've found a easy workable backup programme"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
I have downloaded installed and deleted many so called easy backup programmes but GFI does the job for me, easy to use and that's what many people want, who needs support if it works!
Cons
Nothing yet.
Summary
The best and most easy programme I've ever used.
Still the best!
Updated on Apr 10, 2012 -
"Great backup software also free"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
It is easy to setup and install also the backup of files are faster, though it doesn't backup long file names.
Cons
it doesn't backup long file names
Summary
overall backup software for free is worth a try.
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"Best I could find..."
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
Best I could find for my purpose. Excellent looking and very easy to setup...I have about 10 different files to be backed up at different times of the day...and it's doing them flawlessly backing to a HDD, and to a USB memory stick....
Cons
Does only files...No imaging or drives...
Summary
Combine GFI with another all drive imaging program, and you will have the best possible combination...
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"Great program that did most of what I needed."
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
Easy to use and to set up.
Cons
Doesn't' handle long file names.
Summary
I needed a program that would back files up on a backup disk, but in a format that would allow me to access and use them occasionally. This was one of the few programs that would allow me to do that. Downside is that it can't handle long file names.
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"Worked, but had issues"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
Does back up files, email and registry.
Cons
Could only get back up to complete sucessfully by backing up each item at a time. When selecting all 4 options, email, registry, My Documents & user settings it never sucessfully completed the operation. When backing up one at a time it worked.
Summary
Not impressed by programs inability to cmoplete tasks as shown. Could not back up all items as shown to do. Had to do each one separately. However, it still does get the job done.
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"Excellent Backup Utility"
Version: GFI Backup 2009 Home Edition 3.1.2010.0730
Pros
Easy to use with no much setup to do. The program does everything for you. All you have to do is to assign a job and specify working locations.
Cons
None really though scheduling is a bit confusing and the program does not always works at the time you specified.
Summary
Simple to use and does its job nicely with no error. Would like to recommend it to anyone for backup and synchronizing job.
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