Topic: Best way to backup my Windows SSD? (Read 240 times)

AOMEI Backupper is indeed a solid choice for your backup needs, especially considering your use case of creating and managing multiple system images. Here's a detailed look at AOMEI Backupper's features and how they align with your requirements:

Advantages of AOMEI Backupper
1. User-Friendly Interface:
   - AOMEI Backupper is intuitive and easy to use, even for beginners. Its step-by-step wizards simplify the backup and restore process.

2. Full System Image Support:
   - It allows for full system, disk, partition, and file backups, making it ideal for creating snapshots of your entire SSD or specific configurations.

3. Incremental and Differential Backups:
   - These features save storage space by backing up only the changes made since the last full backup (incremental) or last backup (differential). This is useful for maintaining updated images without consuming too much disk space.

4. Bootable Media Creation:
   - You can create a bootable USB or CD/DVD to restore your system even if it becomes unbootable. This feature is critical for disaster recovery.

5. Clone Functionality:
   - It supports disk cloning, which can be used to duplicate your SSD to another drive, ensuring quick recovery or migration if needed.

6. **Backup Encryption**:
   - AOMEI allows you to encrypt your backups to add an extra layer of security, crucial for protecting sensitive configurations, especially for cryptocurrency mining.

7. Reasonable Pricing:
   - AOMEI offers a free version with many essential features, while the paid version unlocks advanced functionalities like system clone and real-time file synchronization.

8. Wide File System Support:
   - Works with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and other filesystems, ensuring compatibility with your Windows systems.

Potential Limitations
- Free Version Restriction:
   - The free version lacks some advanced features (e.g., cloning a system to a new disk, backup encryption). If these are critical, the paid version might be necessary.
  
Performance:
   - While reliable, some users report that AOMEI can be slightly slower than competitors like Macrium Reflect during large image backups.

No Native Linux Support:
   - If you ever plan to switch or use Linux-based mining setups, AOMEI isn’t ideal (though it works well for Windows
Is AOMEI Backupper a Good Fit for Your Needs?
Yes, AOMEI Backupper is a strong contender for your scenario. It checks most boxes:
1. Fresh Install Backup: Easily create a clean Windows 10 image.
2. Isolated Images for Mining Configurations: Supports multiple backups with clear labeling.
3. Security: Encrypt and isolate each image for added safety.
4. Ease of Use:Simplifies the management of multiple backups, perfect for your security-focused workflow.

Recommended Backup Workflow with AOMEI
1. Set Up a Backup Plan:
   - After installing AOMEI, create a bootable USB drive for emergency restoration.
   - Perform an initial system backup of the fresh Windows 10 install.
  
2. Organize Images:
   - Use clear labels and folders to differentiate backups (e.g., `Windows10_FreshInstall`, `MiningSetup_ETH`, `MiningSetup_BTC`).

3. Incremental Updates:
   - Use incremental backups to keep configurations updated without wasting storage space.

4. Storage Management:
   - Store backups on your external USB 3.0 hard drive and unplug it after each backup to prevent tampering or malware access.

5. Periodic Testing:
   - Test restoring an image to ensure it’s working as expected.

Final Recommendation
AOMEI is highly suitable for your backup strategy, especially if you want simplicity and flexibility. Its free version can handle the essentials, and the paid version offers advanced features for added peace of mind. If you're willing to invest in the paid version, AOMEI is an excellent choice.
HERE IS THE ACTIVATION KEY LINK IF YOU WANT TO USE THE PAIS VERSION : https://www.yoursoftwarekey.com/

Macrium for sure.

veeam endpoint backup


its free and reliable.
Byproduct of their datacenter hypervisor backup software.
Been using veeam products for years professionally and in private. Never failed me when I needed it.

it's useful, i'll try macrium.

Is the macrium free version good enough or should I get the home version?  Which do you use?  If I bought the home version, do they do some clever licensing to force you to keep buying newer versions each year?  (kind of like VMware does with Fusion.. it's so annoying).

I installed the Free version.  Making the recovery media now (Windows PE).

Do you boot Windows PE then do the backup, or do you use the live cloning?  Only thing I fear about live cloning is that malware could access the backup drive and mess with the backup images.. thinking it's best to clone by booting the recovery media.

You might try AOMEI Backupper, https://www.backup-utility.com/download-for-win7.html 
https://www.backup-utility.com/download-iso.html

I've had good experience with Acronius as well. Clonezilla not so much

norton ghost .... but around version 12 ... you can run it on running system ... x64/x86 versions

I could get another of the same motherboard.  But graphics cards are hard to get.  Been buying one at a time at a newegg, whatever is available.. so a mixture of brands of the same 1070 ti cards.

If motherboard and everything else most same, just clone it no need to reactivate. Though most people used to crack it using toolkit. Even if they actually come to your house and ask for license, you have it right?

Hey I bought a used copy of Windows 10 Professional off ebay for $50.  Includes CD and original sticker off the computer.  Should have it in a few days.  This will be my first rig -- starting with 3 cards then will buy three more soon.

I didn't think about the future, and multiple rigs, but I was wondering how you use the same copy of windows 10 (same image) on multiple computers.  Doesn't microsoft make you activate each computer individually?  I know they hvae required that since Windows XP.. haven't used WIndows in a while though.   So I don't know.  (I used windows ever since WIndows 386 -- 1989 --  all they way up to Windows 7, then switched OS.)

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I'll look into those.


Do you create a new image (restored from fresh base install), when testing out a new alt coin?   I mean they announce here, give a link and you install their wallet etc.. I mean it could be malware no?   I am worried about it and that's why I was thinking of having a separate image for each currency to be mined.  I could restore the image I want on a nother machine on another SSD to keep the rig up and running,t hen swap the ssd.

I wouldn't ever browse the web, nor setup any email accounts on the rig.. It'd jsut be windows + current coin i'm mining.

This makes sense?

You can use Clonezilla, it's free and work very well !

Use macrium. I use it for all my mining rig, I mean I just install windows once till full update + miner and then making image and use it for all my other rig.

Indeed, it is Acronis. Nothing is better...

Best software you can get:

https://www.acronis.com/en-gb/personal/computer-backup/

Use torrents...

I was thinking it would be useful after installing a fresh clean copy of Windows 10 to then backup that SSD image.  Then make regular image backups so I can roll back to any configuration.

What would be the best software to do this? Should I buy like a 2-3TB external USB 3.0 hard drive and backup the images to that drive with something like Clonezilla?  Or is there better software or better idea?

I was thinking by having many backup images for various scenarios I could keep everything isolated from each other in case I got hacked or malicious software was installed.  Perhaps a different backup image for each type of currency I mine.. to really isolate.

Of course I wouldn't plug in my hardware wallet to the rig nor my general purpose pc I use at home.. I'd have a separate dedicated computer for that.. either another hard drive I boot up (I have removable hard drive), an old phone, etc.

Really concerned about security and going to take as many measures as I can, to avoid any potential problems.

I know there is going to be an enormous increase in crypto crime this year, after the value of the virtual currency has increased so dramatically.