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Sorry for your loss. Here are my two cents... For complete system backup on Windows use Acronis [0], on MacOS use Carbon Copy Cloner [1] and on Linux Clonezill

Sorry for your loss. Here are my two cents... For complete system backup on Windows use Acronis [0], on MacOS use Carbon Copy Cloner [1] and on Linux Clonezilla [2]. Also never forget the 3-2-1 rule of backups [3], 3 copies, 2 local copies on different mediums and 1 copy offsite (cloud, remote) :-) [0] https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/ https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/ [1] https://bombich.com/ https://bombich.com/ [2] https://clonezilla.org/ https://clonezilla.org/ [3] https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-3-2-1-backup-strategy/ https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-3-2-1-backup-strategy/

rikkus 8y ago
I use Code42 CrashPlan[0]. This has clients for MacOS, Linux and Windows and it's been flawless since I started using it years ago for personal and business use. Going by the names and the descriptions I've read, the overloaded term 'backup' only applies to Carbon Copy Cloner and Clonezilla in the sense that they make a copy of your storage, so don't protect against corruption (such as ransomware, or you accidentally corrupting files, or deleting files...) Please let me know if I'm wrong on this. Of course you can do real backups with a clone-only tool if you rotate the backup media yourself, but I prefer this aspect to be handled automatically. [0] https://www.crashplan.com https://www.crashplan.com
- AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
  CrashPlan for personal use no longer exists. Only the business license remains.
  - rikkus 8y ago
    Yes, that's what I'm using. You don't have to be a business to use it.
guitarbill 8y ago
For macOS, Time Machine can do automatic backups to a mounted NAS volume over WiFi. So my Macbook backs up to a ZFS 3-way mirror. Important files are also stored in DropBox. That's how I get relatively hassle free 3-2-1 backups. For Windows, a similar strategy is possible, but I consider my Windows box disposable (only gaming), so don't have much recent experience.
- mgsouth 8y ago
  I stopped using TM. It had (maybe still does) the really nasty habit of corrupting the virtual backup volume when my laptop's connection to the server was interrupted. You know, like closing the lid and taking it in to work. The TM volumes were on a Netatalk server; _it_ had no problem maintaining a consistent wrapper volume (the files inside it, including the TM virtual containers, were always perfect), but TM apparently made/makes non-journaled, non-atomic internal writes.
- HenryBemis 8y ago
  Just a risk I see here, you have everything IN your home.. laptop, backup. Unless your NAS is somewhere (not your home's internal wifi network but a WLAN). Consider a Carbonite (or similar) that has infinite backup space to make sure you have the 'offsite' covered.
  - guitarbill 8y ago
    Dropbox solves that to a certain degree, too, and provides cross OS sync for the files I care about most. Honestly though, low effort is very important for me. After all, any solution is simply reducing the odds, not completely eliminating them.
HenryBemis 8y ago
Acronis: I use (monthly) Acronis to drop a .tib file to an external hard disk Z: (license came free with an external drive) Carbonite: I use carbonite to backup all my C: drive stuff (documents, desktop, favorites, portables) and my Z: drive that has the trove of photos, videos, archives, audiobooks, tools, setups, etc. PLUS the Acronis .tib file that contains the full drive clone. Carbonite backups up 24/7 so I have even the latest changes. The only painful thing would be to find a new/similar laptop to restore my data. If it would be a different brand laptop, then I would have to go through the pain to setup most stuff. Chances are that restoring to a new laptop may work right off the bat, even if I will have to spend X hours finding appropriate drivers (better than setting up everything from scratch).
photoGrant 8y ago
Hah, I've always had a '3 by 3' rule. 3 copies, 3 mediums, 3 locations.
magicalhippo 8y ago
I've used Acronis for about 10 years now. Got one set going to the cloud, one to the NAS, and once in a while a third to an external HDD I keep elsewhere. It has saved me a few times. In particular it saved my ass when my brand new OCZ SSD died on me on day 2. Due to being full-disk backups, I was back up and running in 30 minutes on a spare HDD with no essential data loss.

rikkus 8y ago

I use Code42 CrashPlan[0]. This has clients for MacOS, Linux and Windows and it's been flawless since I started using it years ago for personal and business use. Going by the names and the descriptions I've read, the overloaded term 'backup' only applies to Carbon Copy Cloner and Clonezilla in the sense that they make a copy of your storage, so don't protect against corruption (such as ransomware, or you accidentally corrupting files, or deleting files...) Please let me know if I'm wrong on this. Of course you can do real backups with a clone-only tool if you rotate the backup media yourself, but I prefer this aspect to be handled automatically. [0] https://www.crashplan.com https://www.crashplan.com

AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
CrashPlan for personal use no longer exists. Only the business license remains.
- rikkus 8y ago
  Yes, that's what I'm using. You don't have to be a business to use it.

guitarbill 8y ago

For macOS, Time Machine can do automatic backups to a mounted NAS volume over WiFi. So my Macbook backs up to a ZFS 3-way mirror. Important files are also stored in DropBox. That's how I get relatively hassle free 3-2-1 backups. For Windows, a similar strategy is possible, but I consider my Windows box disposable (only gaming), so don't have much recent experience.

mgsouth 8y ago
I stopped using TM. It had (maybe still does) the really nasty habit of corrupting the virtual backup volume when my laptop's connection to the server was interrupted. You know, like closing the lid and taking it in to work. The TM volumes were on a Netatalk server; _it_ had no problem maintaining a consistent wrapper volume (the files inside it, including the TM virtual containers, were always perfect), but TM apparently made/makes non-journaled, non-atomic internal writes.
HenryBemis 8y ago
Just a risk I see here, you have everything IN your home.. laptop, backup. Unless your NAS is somewhere (not your home's internal wifi network but a WLAN). Consider a Carbonite (or similar) that has infinite backup space to make sure you have the 'offsite' covered.
- guitarbill 8y ago
  Dropbox solves that to a certain degree, too, and provides cross OS sync for the files I care about most. Honestly though, low effort is very important for me. After all, any solution is simply reducing the odds, not completely eliminating them.

HenryBemis 8y ago

Acronis: I use (monthly) Acronis to drop a .tib file to an external hard disk Z: (license came free with an external drive) Carbonite: I use carbonite to backup all my C: drive stuff (documents, desktop, favorites, portables) and my Z: drive that has the trove of photos, videos, archives, audiobooks, tools, setups, etc. PLUS the Acronis .tib file that contains the full drive clone. Carbonite backups up 24/7 so I have even the latest changes. The only painful thing would be to find a new/similar laptop to restore my data. If it would be a different brand laptop, then I would have to go through the pain to setup most stuff. Chances are that restoring to a new laptop may work right off the bat, even if I will have to spend X hours finding appropriate drivers (better than setting up everything from scratch).

photoGrant 8y ago

Hah, I've always had a '3 by 3' rule. 3 copies, 3 mediums, 3 locations.

magicalhippo 8y ago

I've used Acronis for about 10 years now. Got one set going to the cloud, one to the NAS, and once in a while a third to an external HDD I keep elsewhere. It has saved me a few times. In particular it saved my ass when my brand new OCZ SSD died on me on day 2. Due to being full-disk backups, I was back up and running in 30 minutes on a spare HDD with no essential data loss.