Personal Backup 6.4.10.1 Free Download for Windows

Power User Guide

Protecting Backups from Ransomware and Malware

1. Utilize external drives for backups and ensure they are only connected to the computer during the backup process.
2. Implement an alternating backup strategy using two or more external drives (e.g., Bu-1 and Bu-2) to ensure an older, uninfected copy is always available.
3. Consider running backups under a separate, limited user account using tools like PbStarter to restrict potential malware access to backup files.

How This Would Help: This strategy creates an air gap between your live system and your backups, significantly reducing the risk of ransomware or other malware encrypting or corrupting your backup data. Alternating drives provide an additional layer of protection by ensuring that if one backup is compromised, a clean version is still available.

Setting Up Alternating Backup Schedules for Enhanced Redundancy

1. Create a backup task in Personal Backup that includes all desired directories using the Update mode.
2. For the destination path, specify a volume name with a placeholder for alternating days, such as :Bu-%d#2%:\Backup. This will direct backups to Bu-1 on odd days and Bu-2 on even days.
3. Save the task and create a desktop shortcut for easy manual initiation, or configure it with Windows Task Scheduler for automatic execution.

How This Would Help: Alternating backups across multiple physical drives enhance data redundancy and protection against single-point failures. This method ensures that even if one backup medium is lost, damaged, or corrupted, a recent copy of your data is still secure on another drive, adhering to the 3-2-1 backup rule principles.

Configuring Advanced Backup Modes and Options

1. Within a backup task, navigate to the Task settings tab to configure specific backup modes.
2. Choose between Update (default, recommended for most users), Full (new) to delete the destination and copy all files, Differential to copy only files with the archive bit set (without resetting it), or Incremental to copy files with the archive bit set and then reset it.
3. Explore additional settings such as Backup into zip files for compression, Encryption of files to be backed up with AES, and options for verifying copied files or using Volume Shadow Copies (VSS).

How This Would Help: Understanding and configuring different backup modes allows you to optimize for speed, storage space, and recovery point objectives. Compression and encryption add layers of security and efficiency, while verification ensures data integrity. VSS enables backing up files that are currently in use, minimizing interruptions.