When was the last time you backed up your PC’s data? What would happen if your hard drive were to fail tomorrow? Hardware failures are inevitable and often happen at the worst possible times, so if you haven’t been backing up your files lately, now would be a good time to do so.
Windows has a backup utility built in but I often find it feature lacking and slow. Fortunately, EASEUS created Todo Backup, a free and easy to use backup utility for Windows.
The free version is sufficient for most people, but if you need more power, there’s also a commercial Workstation version. 5 lucky TechAirlines readers will be able to get a copy of EASEUS Todo Backup Workstation for free ($39 value). More on that later.
First, let’s take a closer look at EASEUS Todo Backup Free 3.0. We reviewed an older version of this program 3 months ago. Since many things remain relatively the same, this review will cover what’s new, which include the following:
- Differential file backup
- Support for dynamic volumes
- Backup partitions directly from the context menu in “Computer”
- Image conversion tool
- No restart required for installation
The download is a relatively large 88.5 MB installer. Unlike previous versions, a system reboot to finish installation is no longer required.
What’s New in Version 3.0?
The first thing you will notice about the interface is that it looks very similar to previous versions with a few changes. There are many more options accessible right from the home tab, which is very convenient since these are the most frequently used features.
EASEUS Todo Backup 3.0
There is now a one click system backup option, allowing you to easily backup everything.
EASEUS System Backup
Differential backup creates backups only when files are changed since the last full backup. It deals with fewer files than the similar incremental backup and therefore is significantly faster.
The difference between differential and incremental might be confusing at first. Both options are listed next to each other with no explanation at all. These options are found when creating a backup of files or partitions.
Differential Backup Option
The new version of Todo Backup also lets you convert disk or partition backups into a virtual machine image. VMware and Virtual PC formats are available, although VirtualBox supports VMware formats as well. This is very useful for transferring an entire partition into a virtual machine.
Converting to VMware requires the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit, something that’s only mentioned in an error message (without a proper link to download or learn more).
Converting a 1.4 GB partition backup took 1.5 minutes.
EASEUS Convert Image to VMware or Virtual PC
Todo Backup now also supports both hardware RAID disks as well as dynamic disks.
You can now also create backups of partitions directly from Windows Explorer.
EASEUS Windows Explorer Context Menu
As always, there are options to schedule automatic backups, mount the backup files to Windows Explorer, clone partitions, as well as restore a backup to a different hardware configuration.
Conclusion
EASEUS Todo Backup 3.0 is an excellent free tool to help backup your system to ensure your data is safe in case disaster occurs. It is certainly a giant step up from Windows Backup and is one of the best backup utilities I’ve seen with an extensive feature set and an unbeatable price (free).
If you’re looking for something to help you easily backup your important data, then this is definitely something you should try.
Giveaway
As mentioned above, readers of TechAirlines have an opportunity to win a free copy of EASEUS Todo Backup Workstation 3.0 ($39 value). The commercial Workstation version includes all the features of the free version as well as useful additions like system snapshot backups (similar to virtual machine snapshots) and automatic WinPE based bootable disks.
Bennie from EASEUS has generously allowed us to giveaway 5 free licenses to our readers.
To enter the giveaway, simply follow these steps:
- Read my review of EASEUS Todo Backup Free 3.0 above.
- Leave a comment below using a valid email address. This comment can say anything you want.
- (Optional) For one bonus entry, subscribe to our Email RSS Feed. Subscribe using the same email you use to comment on this post. Make sure you verify your email address by clicking the link in the confirmation message.
It would also be greatly appreciated if you share this giveaway on social networks, like Twitter and Facebook, but this is not a requirement to win.
This giveaway will end on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 12:59 PM GMT.
5 winners will be selected via Random.org and contacted via email so make sure you comment using a valid email.
Thank you to Chengdu Yiwo Tech Development (EASEUS) for sponsoring this giveaway!
Giveaway Winners!
Thank you all for participating in the giveaway. The winners are…
Names with (E) indicate the extra entry from subscribing to our email RSS using a valid email.
That means the winners are Qpir, Richard, aarongud, Peter, and Alex! Congratulations on winning; you will receive an email from EASEUS shortly with your license key. Thank you all for entering!
What are your thoughts about EASEUS Todo Backup? Do you prefer another backup utility? Share with us in the comments.
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