Non-TM backup software options

[ed-hawco]

Hi. First off, let me say that I'm not interested in Time Machine, as the vast majority of my files are JPGs (about 20,000) and I don't need to have them "versioned" every time I touch them. I can't even imagine how that would work with Lightroom! The rest of the files are your standard Word and PDF files, lots of text files, some mirrors of a couple of web sites (with their configs, etc.) and whatnot.

Anyway, I've recently switched to Mac (last week) and I'm a semi-noob. I have a Mac Mini with an external MiniStack drive from OWC that I use as my data disk, and a second external drive that I will use as my backup disk.

The MiniStack came with a software bundle that includes Data Backup 3. However, my friends who use Macs all seem to use SuperDuper. I don't know which on I should use.

Anybody here have any insight as to which of those three I should use? Reviews online are all mixed. Data Backup 3 would be the easiest because I have it right here (AFAIK, fully licensed) and a video review made it look pretty easy. I'd have to buy a license for SuperDuper.

Looking for insight: anybody got any that would help me out? Thanks!

 

[r.j.s]

I've never heard of NovaBackup, but I have SuperDuper.

You can set SD to do a clone of your HD as often as you like, and it will erase the previous version, so you will only have an exact, up-to-date, bootable clone of the HD.

 

[ksmith80209]

+1 on SuperDuper. Awesome software that's saved me in the past!

 

[ed-hawco]

Thanks for the info. To clarify, I'm not interested in cloning so much as simply backing up data files. (I also have Carbon Copy Cloner)

Basically, I want to do a backup of all the data files, then every few days do a check where it backs up anything that has changed (don't need to replicate the whole system every time). Both SD and DB3 do that. I just wish I knew which did it better!

 

[dukebound85]

carbon copy cloner is what i use and reccomend

you can set it to only do incremental updates op and not the whole system every time...

 

[davidg4781]

Ok, I could be totally wrong, but doesn't TM do incremental backups also?

At first, I could understand why the OP wanted just a clone of his machine, so he's not backing up every photo he alters every time. I can imagine that would get to be a pretty large backup...although it may be necessary to be fully protected from anything.

Since it wants incremental, what's wrong with TM? Maybe I'm missing something. I just use TM and as far as I know, it has everything I need if something were to happen to my system.

 

[gorjan]

Thanks for the info. To clarify, I'm not interested in cloning so much as simply backing up data files. (I also have Carbon Copy Cloner)

Basically, I want to do a backup of all the data files, then every few days do a check where it backs up anything that has changed (don't need to replicate the whole system every time). Both SD and DB3 do that. I just wish I knew which did it better!

Apple Backup 3 does this. You get it for "free" with MobileMe.

 

[mysterytramp]

There's plenty of software to spend your money on that will do what the OP wants. But it seems as though Time Machine would do the trick.

mt

 

[miles01110]

Both SD and DB3 do that. I just wish I knew which did it better!

Neither one of them do it "better." I prefer CCC's method of selecting which files to backup; the screen is right there with check boxes to make it easy.