Recommended Free Backup Software

Have you backed-up your computer?

Hopefully, you are like me and you have been backing up your operating system drive and personal data regularly. However, sometimes you might discover the solution is not always perfect. Restoring the data back is the only way to be sure that it is working. I have been through a fair share of backup software and picked one that I can recommend to you which is free.

AOMEI Backupper Standard Free

Currently in version 4.1, this software is licensed as freeware which means that the features stated in the description are free to use. It is so far, by far the easiest free PC backup software. The features include:

Creating a system image of your operating system to essentially keep a backup of windows and application.
Creating a system image of partitions and whole drives
Setup a file sync to backup files and folder regularly
Setup automatic re-occurring backups for peace of mind
Clone partitions or a drive to another drive for an easy upgrade (such as HDD to SSD).

I can safely say that it is one of the best set and forget backup software I have ever used and have been using for 5 years since version 1.6. I now use a paid license for my main machine but I have to admit, for just simple easy automatic backups, standard will be all you will need. The pro version has plenty of additional options and custom features like:

Universal Restore: Restore a backup image to a different machine or even a Virtual machine, solving the issue with hardware drivers/firmware that prevent the system from boot.
Edit the partitions on the disk: To have it simply adjust the free space between partitions to utilize the maximum use of the drive.

You can see more about it here: https://www.backup-utility.com

Installation instructions and first backup

First, open the application installer and allow it to make changes for installation.

Follow the installation instructions which should say install now and finish with enjoy now.

To make a new backup, select Create New Backup and then select system backup for the operating system.

You can put a task name and select backup options. In options select the compression tab and you can set it to high for the best file size. When you are happy with the setting select ok and start the backup.