Late & struggling a bit, in case it helps...
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Paragon’s version 11 backup apps add more data security, though being safer can cost you a bit, taking longer to backup your drives/partitions — go to the Tool menu -> Settings to set features like “Check FS integrity policy” off if that’s a problem for you. Otherwise their version 11 stuff is a worthwhile update, & will open/use backup archives created using version 10 apps — the opposite isn’t true, so replace any emergency or recovery discs/USB sticks you made using version 10.
Installing today’s GOTD, Paragon Backup & Recover 11 CE, running setup.exe, activation may seem to take a while as the larger download is decompressed into the actual setup files. You can burn everything in the “RarSFX0″ folder [not the folder itself] to CD & have an install disc if you want — you’ll find it in your Windows Temp folder. If you’d rather you can drill down into the Program folder, finding the 32 & 64 bit .msi setup files used. During setup you’re given the option of installing Paragon’s Hotcore drivers, which is an alternative to Windows VSS [shadow copy] that might be faster in XP. Drivers for mounting backup archives are included/installed — the uim folder in the app’s program folder stores the driver setup files & the setup log… after installation it may take a restart before they’re active, & you get the usual Windows’ Last Known Good options on booting in case something went wrong. The recovery ISO image designed for CDs/USB sticks is stored in the program’s folder [in a folder named ISO], & you can use it with whatever other app if you prefer, test it in a VM, &/or optionally delete it to save space once you’ve created your bootable CD or USB stick. The included Recovery Media Builder works with either CD or USB stick targets, will use that included ISO, any other ISO file you choose, or even create one from a CD or DVD in your drive. [Note as below that you can't create a bootable win7 setup USB stick from a regular, bootable setup disc -- the bootable part of the disc throws it off & you'll get an error.] [Note 2, because of that required driver install & usually needing a re-start running Backup & Recovery portably doesn't include the ability to mount archives as virtual disks.]
If you’re thinking about upgrading your hardware, either with a new motherboard or PC, one of the nice things about Paragon Backup & Recovery 11 is: “Improved Support of GPT disks and MBR -> GPT conversion”. New Motherboards use UEFI in place of the bios setup you’re probably used to, & that means GPT. Since MBR is so common today, many [most?] new motherboards support both MBR & GPT, which potentially makes it harder if you want to use GPT… win7 setup discs &/or win7 setup files on USB may be opened in MBR mode, so a target GPT drive/partition is unrecognized. A GPT drive also uses FAT32 [it uses FAT32 for a required, hidden partition -- you can use NTFS for the rest], & a USB stick with win7 setup files has to be FAT32 as well… in my experience you’ll likely also have to modify the setup files on that stick so it’ll boot with UEFI. Long story short IMHO it might be much faster/easier to go P2P, copying an existing win7 install to the target drive & adjusting it for the hardware as needed, or converting a MBR installation to GPT. Paragon software can help with either. In Paragon Backup & Recovery 11 Compact Edition [Advanced View/Window] you can select the drive, then go to the Hard Disk menu -> Convert to GPT hard disk — check the Paragon site for additional tools or apps.
Another feature I’ve found very useful from time to time, is the capability to mount backup archives so they show up as another hard drive/partition in Windows — that way I can simply copy any files/folders from the backup. Today’s GOTD will also let you restore just those files/folders that you want/need if you’d rather do it that way. You can perform the same sort of filtering when you backup in the first place, for example not including any .flv videos you’ve downloaded & stored, but in my experience it’s much faster to just back up everything — that’s a big reason I try to store *temporary* content like that on another drive/partition reserved for stuff [content] that I don’t regularly back up. I’ve also found the Smart Backup Wizard essential, as it’ll let you back up just the first track on a hard drive, where all the boot info is stored — I don’t back it up that often, using the quicker to select Partition Backup instead, because that 1st drive track usually doesn’t change… when it does change, say if you’ve added an OS or heaven forbid been infected with a root kit, it’s almost the only way to put things back without wiping the disk & starting over. If you don’t have a backup of that 1st track available Paragon Backup & Recovery 11 Compact can recreate it using the Hard Disk menu -> Update MBR, but in my experience that’s not as good as restoring a backup of that first track.
Personally I like to add/install older, often smaller hard drives to our PCs to use just for backups [instead of tossing out old drives that've been replaced, either individually or with a new PC]. Restoring all or part of these locally stored archives is fastest. I also copy these archives to an external eSATA drive, for redundancy, & every so often I’ll burn sets of archives to discs as data files rather than in the Paragon app. You can burn your backup to discs in Paragon Backup & Recovery 11 Compact of course, but I try to keep things modular so-to-speak — as example that way I can back up my wife’s PC when she’s not using it, copy those archives to the external drive while I’m doing something else, then burn DVDs/BDs from my desk from the external drive when it’s convenient. And because I’ve got her system archived on that external drive I can do things like restore it to a VHD [Virtual Hard Drive] to work on whatever portion, convert to a VM etc., all without tying up her machine. For restoration I prefer to run Paragon backup apps portably — 3 files in this Compact Edition are slated for Windows’ system folder, prgiso.dll, msvcrt.dll, & msvcp60.dll, & in most cases copying those to the Paragon app’s program folder [where you'll find launcher.exe] allows them to work portably. I can run any number of portable apps after booting from one of my LiveXP or WinPE CDs or USB sticks, & when/if something broke [why else restore a backup?] I find that both easiest & most efficient since I’ve got several tools at my disposal. That said, there’s nothing wrong with the *nix-based recovery CDs or the programming added to backup discs burnt from within Paragon Backup & Recovery, & I’ve used both occasionally.
Several pre-built systems, laptops, & allegedly win8 let you restore your system to some sort of baseline when things get all mucked up. Paragon apps [including today's GOTD] let you create what they call a Backup Capsule that lets you do the same sort of thing, only you’re restoring a more current backup rather than putting things back to their out-of-the-box state [where you still have to add updates, reinstall software etc.]. This backup capsule is a hidden partition just for storing your backup archives, & just like those factory setups you can do an emergency restore using an added boot menu [e.g. before the menu that may come up to choose your OS]. One downside of storing backups on an internal drive is you’re taking up disk space that you could be using for something else, & if the drive fails you’re not going to be able to access the backup — OTOH storing backup archives on internal drives is faster [both creating those archives & restoration], & storing redundant copies off your internal drive(s) protects you if the internal drive fails. [Note that while USB 2 drives/sticks &/or DVDs work, they're so slow they don't really compare to storing backup archives on an internal hard drive, aren't even that practical, being better utilized as a redundant, last resort sort of thing -- eSATA or USB 3 external drive housings or docks aren't expensive (they start ~$20), USB 3 (PCMCIA or pci-e) add-on cards start less than that, & you can find USB 3 sticks on sale for only slightly more than USB 2 versions.]
Finally in the way of tips, I always use Backup & Recovery’s built-in archive checking if/when I copy archives via USB, where errors have an unfortunate habit of showing up. I also archive any VHDs &/or VMs by a simple copy, & delete them from any partition I want to back up — they take a Looong time to archive, whether you’re using Paragon Backup or something like 7Zip, though they do tend to compress Very well. Don’t forget that Windows shadow copies, i.e. Restore Points, take up space — sometimes quite a lot. In win7 I’ll delete them, & in Vista & XP just turn System Restore off beforehand… it can make a Big difference in the size of your archives. On multi-boot rigs I’ve found Backup happens faster & with smaller archives if performed in XP rather than win7. In win7 ult 64 SP1 restoring a system disk/partition backup to a vhd, Paragon Backup & Restore normally adds that to my win7 boot menu. That’s cool if that’s what you’re after, but have Easy BCD handy if it isn’t.
