Backup Pro 26 offers a user-friendly approach to PC backups, covering various methods from imaging entire drives to real-time file protection. While it excels in ease of use, a few missing features prevent it from achieving true “pro” status.
Feature-Rich Backup Solution
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 provides a comprehensive suite of backup features, catering to diverse needs. These include:
- Imaging: Create full backups of partitions or entire drives.
- File/Folder Backup: Back up specific files and folders, with support for compression and encryption.
- Real-time Backup: Continuously protects selected files by backing them up as changes occur. However, in testing, this feature exhibited noticeable lag, sometimes delaying backups by up to a couple of minutes.
- Incremental Backup: Backs up only the changes made since the last backup, saving storage space. Note that differential backups are not supported.
- Disaster Recovery: Create bootable rescue media (USB or CD/DVD) for system restoration.
Backup plans are created using wizards, offering both simple (“Easy Backup”) and advanced (“Wizard”) options. Both wizards guide users through the process, with the advanced option providing more granular control over scheduling, retention policies, notifications, and other settings.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 simple and advanced wizards
While the interface is generally user-friendly, some aspects could be improved. For instance, manually selecting files for backup requires navigating through two dialog boxes, which feels unnecessarily tedious.
Backup Pro uses the standard .vmdk format for its backup containers, allowing easy access through virtual machine software like VMWare or VirtualBox, provided the backups are not encrypted. Encrypted or compressed backups require Backup Pro for restoration. Unencrypted and uncompressed file/folder backups can be browsed directly using Windows Explorer. The software also offers a built-in backup browser and supports versioning, enabling access to previous file iterations.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 browse backup
Missing “Pro” Features
Despite its strengths, Backup Pro 26 lacks some key features expected in a professional-grade backup solution:
- ISO Image Creation for Rescue Media: While the software can create bootable USB sticks or CDs/DVDs, it doesn’t offer the option to create an ISO image, limiting flexibility for advanced users.
- Backup Functionality on Rescue Disc: The rescue disc is limited to restoration only; it doesn’t allow creating new backups. This can be a significant drawback when trying to back up a failing system before attempting repairs.
- Differential Backup: This backup method, which backs up changes since the last full backup, is not supported.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 boot disc
Backup Pro supports various cloud storage services, including OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and others, but notably absent are Amazon S3 and compatible services, which often offer more cost-effective storage.
The presentation of partitions and disks during system backup setup could also be more intuitive. Grouping partitions by drive, similar to R-Drive Image, would improve clarity.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 partition selection
On the plus side, Backup Pro can trigger backups upon media insertion and supports network locations as both backup sources and destinations.
Performance and Pricing
After initial installation issues related to upgrading from version 25, Backup Pro 26 performed reliably in various tests, including imaging, file backups (local and online, encrypted/compressed, and unencrypted/uncompressed), and restorations. Performance was on par with other backup software, operating at roughly half the maximum transfer rate of the destination media.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 performance
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 is available through a perpetual license or a monthly subscription. The perpetual license is recommended to avoid potential restore issues if the subscription lapses for users utilizing encrypted or compressed backups.
Conclusion
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26 offers an intuitive and comprehensive backup solution, particularly well-suited for less experienced users. Its user-friendly wizards simplify complex backup tasks. However, the absence of key features like backup from the rescue disc and differential backups, along with some minor interface quirks, prevent it from reaching its full “pro” potential. While the software is a solid choice for basic backup needs, users requiring more advanced features might want to explore alternative solutions.
