Comodo Backup Wishlist rev 2

[Guest]

[sheppy]

Hi,

I just learned about Comodo Backup, and I like its look and feel very much, and it has some very nice features.

Things I consider essential for a quick-and-easy backup programme:

1. Verify after backup (bitwise comparison)
Reason: Reliability, obviously

2. Ability to choose file comparison "by size, date&time, and/or content" for incremental backups;
+ optionally ignore a time difference of [n] seconds

Reason: To fine-tune which files are eligible for copying again.
And: On NTFS there often is a time difference of up to 2 seconds between two identical copies of a file! This causes a lot of unnecessary copy traffic if not taken into account.

3. When destination files are to be overwritten, their sizes should be added to the available free space! Sounds obvious, but CmdBackup doesn't seem to do that.

4. Ability to split destination into chunks of predetermined size, also on non-removable media. (without file splitting!)
Like "ask for new destination after [n] GB".

Reason: The optical medium of choice is DVD-RAM, because it's far superior to DVD+-RW in terms of longevity and reliability, but it is treated by the OS like a harddisk. So you'll have to select the "Backup to local disk" option but still need to replace media inbetween.

5. Ability to backup more than 2 GB to a set of ZIP files
e.g. MyBackup_Part001.zip, MyBackup_Part002.zip

Reason: The only way to achieve password protection is to create ZIP archives -- which is fine as long as the amount of data is small.
As the ZIP format doesn't provide for bigger or split archives, why not have CmdBackup predetermine the contents and create a matching number of ZIP files.

6. Ability to compress to TEMP location, then move to destination afterwards.
Reason: for ZIPping to slow media -- backup speed will increase tenfold


Implementation of these items should not be very time-consuming.


Another wish that might require major changes:

External language resources, so that users can create their own localised menus!
Thus I could recommend the programme to other users, many of whom, astonishingly enough, do not feel comfortable with software in English.


Sorry if I've missed something that is already there -- I've been playing with the programme only one evening now.

Thanks in advance for considering 

[panic]

Vista compatibility

[Little Mac]

Resizable window for Log/Show Full Log.  At present the entire file path cannot always be shown, and there's no scrollbar at the bottom.  The window also cannot be resized, so I can't see what files failed to copy (and there always some that do).

I could save the file and review it, etc, but I prefer just to quickly view the log then forget about it, just to see if there's anything I absolutely must address.

LM

[Arkangyal]

I suggest to use *.dbx wildcard as default when you select Outlook backup. Right now it will only backup Inbox.dbx.

If that path is already exist, don't write "Created".

If the backup file not found upon a trying to restore, write "Backup not found".

Export a setting file - contains relative paths, too - with the job so when i need to do a restore it will not retore all files into 1 folder.

"Help" buttons to Edit/New Backup window.

If there is a created zip file, display it's name.

Rename "Incremental backup" or expand texts (check out CFP!!), it's really not quite simple, why it's at Option's tab? File create mode ~ that won't say too much (it will compare and copy files), should be "File copy mode" or method. Maybe a better name would be "Copy changed files only", the other one should be "Copy all files" instead of full.

Extended help for revision file name functions.

Extended help for "If you choose 'Set Hidden Attributes to version' you will only be able to see the latest copy of the file." Inherites the first, the revisions attributes or what?

"Stop backup at Error" Messages please.

Error message if the destination computer doesn't exist.

Replace "Target" texts with "File" or use something better.

External Task: To run after end of backup. It's ok, but what is that "Wait until application finished" for??? Complety useless function.

[panic]

External Task: To run after end of backup. It's ok, but what is that "Wait until application finished" for??? Complety useless function.

What about a small batch file that just contains "shutdown -s" and is run at the completion of the backup to turn the box off.

Another use is, and we rely on similar methods here at work, prior to a destructive escalation of a database, we always take a backup. Now, we run the backup and it then fires off the DB escalation commands. This way, the destructive escalation cannot occur until we have a verified backup.

Ewen :-)

[SOC pup]

Comodo Backup that will copy whole partitions. That will rival Acronis and Norton Ghost! No?

[panic]

"Data backup" and "Drive/Partition backup" are two entirely different creatures. Comodo backup is a file and data backup solution. It is not intended to clone partitions or drives. This type of functionality really is best kept in a separate application. It'd be nice if Comodo would do one though. 

Ewen :-)

[Arkangyal]

What about a small batch file that just contains "shutdown -s" and is run at the completion of the backup to turn the box off.

Another use is, and we rely on similar methods here at work, prior to a destructive escalation of a database, we always take a backup. Now, we run the backup and it then fires off the DB escalation commands. This way, the destructive escalation cannot occur until we have a verified backup.

Ewen :-)

If i understand you correctly, then it should be called "Wait until the JOB finished", no?

[Arkangyal]

I suggest two advance functions:
Create restore point before job (as a before job is running)
Create restore point backup (as a kind of backup, like Outlook)

A single command line which isn't visible for the user:

Code:

GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore").CreateRestorePoint "Comodo Backup", 0, 100

The restore point datas will be placed to:
C:\System Volume Information\_restore{codes}\RPINCREMENTEDNUMBER\
C:\ - up to system setting
System Volume Information - sure thing
_restore - sure thing
{codes} - This is up to the value of (ex.) iHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore\Cfg's MachineGuid
RPINCREMENTEDNUMBERS - incremented after the RP letters
The rp.log file contains the name of the backup but i just saw it from a notepad.

You can get the path of system restore from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup hive's System Restore.

[panic]

If i understand you correctly, then it should be called "Wait until the JOB finished", no?

I believe that it shuts the backup application down gracefully, rather than just running the external task while Comodo Backup is still running.

[Arkangyal]

Request: delete folders as well if it doesn't exists on the source. Yet only files are deleted so you will leave there empty folders.

[Dabrudda]

A feature I'd like to see in Comodo Backup would be the use of LZMA compression which is far more efficient than zip compression.

Doing a test backup using 7Zip I was able to compress 522Mb of text log files to down 2.3Mb 7z file.  Using Comodo Backup the same files where zipped down do 56.3Mb  7Zip uses open source compression called LZMA.  http://www.7-zip.org/7z.html

522Mb uncompressed
56.3Mb ZIP compression
18.1Mb RAR compression
2.3Mb LZMA compression

[pchissa]

Hello, I'm an happiest user of "Comodo backup 1.0.2.0".
I' used this software in "Synchronize mode" for backup my information in two
computer. The problem is that the "backup computer" is rarely in power on and
the synchronization started only if I change the source (cur, copy delete
file) in the main computer When I use the main computer and the backup in on
but I dont change never in one of two computer the synchronization dont start.
Is possible to add at your software the function to force the synchronization
of folder with a button or start the sync. when I power on the backup
computer?




Thanks
 

[walkabout]

Hi there,

I have to format my hardrive, but before doing so I wanted to save/export my Comodo Backup configurations given that I took quite a long time to set up my backup configuration with many folders, files, and exclusions, etc...

To my surprise I cannot find a way to save my backup configs, so now it seems that after formatting, when I reinstall comodo backup, I will have to manually set up all these configs again !

Could you please install a function that does this. Thank you.

[bigben]

I am quite happy with Comodo BackUp 1.0.2.0 on Win XP Pro SP2 now.
Next version coming should be Windows Server 2003 R2 compatible and of course Windows Vista.
Thx 

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