Which backup

I've been using Acronis true image for many years and looking at any other backup solutions today.. Are there any that have great ratings and work across both windows xp and windows 7 people can suggest?

That's my favorite. Symantec and Veritas make a good product as well.

Do you have a budget or ceiling for your backup needs?

Are you considering cloud storage?

Need more information please.

cloud storage ,, you mean store in the internet? no I rather not..

Alright...budget? how much are you willing to spend for backup software? Or are you looking for a free solution?

Quote from menace33 : Alright...budget? how much are you willing to spend for backup software? Or are you looking for a free solution?

I would spend 75 for the program which I think is high enough if it was good enough

May I ask what Acronis True Image was not providing?

This info may be of no use to you, but I'd like to remind you that Win 7 has a built in Imaging System that is nothing less than perfect, so you would only be looking for an XP solution, unless the XP and Win 7 are on the same drive, in which case the Win 7 Imaging System can optionally copy/image XP too.

Quote from RockySosua : This info may be of no use to you, but I'd like to remind you that Win 7 has a built in Imaging System that is nothing less than perfect, so you would only be looking for an XP solution, unless the XP and Win 7 are on the same drive, in which case the Win 7 Imaging System can optionally copy/image XP too.

can the windows 7 version restore from boot mode like acronis and how are the features in it? can it restore separate files if needed?

By the way I like acronis I just find it slower and slower when I try to add more images for some reason? even though Im not adding any more backup size .. backups were 20 minutes for a complete drive , today they are taking 1 hour..

Quote from regguiy : can the windows 7 version restore from boot mode like acronis and how are the features in it? can it restore separate files if needed? By the way I like acronis I just find it slower and slower when I try to add more images for some reason? even though Im not adding any more backup size .. backups were 20 minutes for a complete drive , today they are taking 1 hour..

I can't compare it as I don't use Acronis, but I can tell you that it cannot restore individual files. It is strictly an imaging system that works to perfection but doesn't do any fancy tricks. It can be scheduled to run and overwrite everyday, if one wishes it that way.
There is another backup system in Win 7 that is just for data, that would allow for retrieving individual files.

seems like so far people here are saying acronis is still the running leader? I may have to stick to it but upgrade to the newest version for windows 7... While back I remember people saying bad things about it,, but dont remember why?

Yes, from all I know they are still one of the best, easiest to use, and effective solutions.

Quote from regguiy : seems like so far people here are saying acronis is still the running leader? I may have to stick to it but upgrade to the newest version for windows 7... While back I remember people saying bad things about it,, but dont remember why?

Back in the XP days, I often considered using Acronis but everytime I investigated it, I heard so many complaints of many different kinds, that I felt that I just couldn't trust it.
Now you have used it for a long time and other than the slowdown, you seem satisfied, but even when you Google it these days, there's still a ton of people complaining about a bunch of glitches, ( https://www.google.com/search?q=a...=firefox-a ) which is why I won't use anything but the Windows System Image, despite it not being as diverse, as I can trust it. I fix/repair/tweak machines and it's even more important for it to be 100% reliable, when you're working with someone else's stuff.
Just as an example, yesterday I was tweaking a Vista laptop that was pretty damaged from malware or virus attacks and I knew that a new OS install would be way way better than just tweaking the machine, but the customer had not left his phone number, so I made an image of it, then went ahead and made a clean install. If the client had balked at the new system that didn't have a variety of programs that the owner had installed across a few years, I would have offered to put it back as it was, and with that Windows Imaging System, I can always be confident that it will work.
In short, I need it to never fail or be glitchy in any way. You're in a situation that forces you to look at other imaging/cloning programs, what with your XP machine/s, but you might find it advantageous to use Windows' own, for your Win 7 machine/s.

Quote from regguiy : can the windows 7 version restore from boot mode like acronis and how are the features in it? can it restore separate files if needed?

Windows 7 Backup can backup individual files AND a system image and you can restore it from boot mode. The problem I have with Win7 Backup is it doesn't automatically delete old backups so eventually you'll run out of space and have to manually delete old backups.

Quote from killme : Windows 7 Backup can backup individual files AND a system image and you can restore it from boot mode. The problem I have with Win7 Backup is it doesn't automatically delete old backups so eventually you'll run out of space and have to manually delete old backups.

Perhaps you managed to change a setting for it to be that way as my computers and those that I repair, all overwrite the previous image.
I don't know which setting it might be that was changed on yours, but it's definitely not the default setting.