FBackup Review

FBackup is free backup software from the people at Softland.  They also made Backup4all, which means this is not their first entry into the software game.  These people know what they’re doing, and what users want when they’re backing up their precious data.

FBackup

Editor's Rating:
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
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User Rating:
Rating: 3.3/5 (12 votes cast)

Pros

  • Free
  • Easy to use
  • Will verify backups
  • Plugins to backup specific applications

Cons

  •  Only keeps 1 version of backup

The Bottom Line

Despite lacking a few features, FBackup is good free backup software.

Installation

The FBackup installation is very easy.  You simply click next through the menus, select your language, and it’s done.

Backing Up

The main screen looks strikingly similar to Backup4All.  I like the big buttons, which make it easy to get started.

FBackup main screen

The FBackup main screen with “Getting Started” dialog.

Clicking “Backup”, you’re guided through the process of creating a backup job.  You can name the job, select files and folders to backup, and schedule it.

My only complaint, is that FBackup only keeps one version of your backup.  So if you wanted to restore anything before your latest backup, you’d be out of luck.

There is a workaround I’ve discovered.  It involves creating multiple jobs for daily, weekly, and monthly runs (for the same data).  That way, you can stagger your backups and recover data from older dates.

However, this is free software and I can’t complain too much.  It should be noted that their paid software, Backup4alldoes support multiple versions as well as incremental backups.

Restoring

Unlike a lot of other free backup software, FBackup is feature-packed when it comes to restoring.

FBackup lets you choose “use original location” or another folder.  It also lets select and filter which files you’d like to restore.  You can also adjust the priority for the process, if you’d like to free up CPU while you work on other stuff.

Features

Free for personal and commercial use

Not only can you use it to back up your personal PC, but employers can use it on their employees PCs too.

Automatic Backups

Set it and forget it.  You can schedule your backups and they’ll run automatically at the times you specify.

Use of Plugins

You can use the same plugins that make Backup4all great, and back up or restore specific programs.

Compression

FBackup can use zip compression to reduce the size of your files.

Mirroring

You can also choose to mirror your data, which creates an exact copy on the location you specify.

Backup Open Files

Using Windows Shadow Copy Service, FBackup will be able to copy open files (such as a Word document or your Outlook emails) without closing any programs.

Support

There’s a help manual, which covers everything about using the software.  There’s also a support forum where other users can ask questions.  It looks like Softland responds to every topic, so kudos to them for supporting their free product.

Specifications
Product Name FBackup
Version 4.8
License Freeware
Price Free
Operating Systems Window
Backup Types
Files and Folders yes
Full Disk Image no
Incremental no
Differential no
Backup Destinations
Hard Drive yes
Removable Media yes
Network Shares yes
Blu-ray no
CD/DVD no
FTP no
SFTP no
Online Storage no
Features
Compression yes
Encryption no
Email Notifications no
Error Handling yes
File Versioning no
Priority Setting no
Scheduling yes
Speed Limiting no
Synchronization no

Geoff Akerlund

Geoff Akerlund

Geoff Akerlund is the founder and editor-in-chief of BackupReview.com. He enjoys attending music festivals, whitewater kayaking on the American River, and board game nights in his free time.

Geoff Akerlund