Easy backup of files and programs

[bin]

(Timeshift is a system backup tool, and not designed for backing up personal data.)

Forgive me for asking what I'm sure will be a stupid question - why?

I have used TS for backup of just my personal data for many years. The file structure can be browsed/accessed from either in TS or through any file manager.

Files are Files surely?

[Termy]

[...]

Finally, I found a fellow CloneZilla loyalist! I've sworn by it for over a decade, now.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

(Timeshift is a system backup tool, and not designed for backing up personal data.)

Forgive me for asking what I'm sure will be a stupid question - why?

I have used TS for backup of just my personal data for many years. The file structure can be browsed/accessed from either in TS or through any file manager.

Files are Files surely?

Timeshift snapshots are pretty large. Unless you have very little data, the snapshots can easily and quickly fill up a backup drive. Using Timeshift to backup data is also very inefficient, taking far too long if you have very much data. There are far more efficient ways to back up personal data. Also, when recovering your data from a Timeshift snapshot, any data added since the snapshot was made will be lost.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

[...]

Finally, I found a fellow CloneZilla loyalist! I've sworn by it for over a decade, now.

And I've sworn at it!

All "seriousness" aside, Clonezilla is an excellent program in that it is far more flexible with more options than other imaging programs , such as Foxclone and Rescuezilla, but its "curious" GUI can make it a system deathtrap for many people until they get used to it (assuming they ever do). Some people may find Clonezilla to be easy to use while more will find it to be a PITA. One way I describe Clonezilla is it's designed by geeks for geeks.

[Termy]

[...]

I certainly struggled with it and was really nervous using it to begin with, but in retrospect, it's quite straightforward, although I suppose I am biased. I've sworn at it too, BTW.

[Cosmo.]

I have used TS for backup of just my personal data for many years.

Really? Only for data, without the system? How did you manager that? For how many years?

[deepakdeshp]

[...]

Finally, I found a fellow CloneZilla loyalist! I've sworn by it for over a decade, now.

CZ never failed me in more than a dozen years. It's fast reliable and efficient.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I'm not saying Clonezilla is bad. Again, it's an excellent, very versatile tool in the hands of an experienced user. However, like any other complicated tool, one has to learn how to use it properly and its "bisected donkey" user interface is a major stumbling block to new users and even many more experienced ones. During the few months I was using it before finding a version of Rescuezilla that would work with the *&^%$#@! NVIDIA in my current laptop, I had to use a multipage tutorial I put together from an article on the "Internets", complete with illustrations, to enable me to use Clonezilla. Even then, I managed to brick my boot partitions on the notebook I was using at the time a couple of times and once on my current laptop, resulting in my vehement use of many words Mama told me not to use towards Clonezilla.

Rescuezilla, while not as versatile as Clonezilla, is umpteen times more user friendly, thus more reliable, than Clonezilla for most people.

[pbear]

Let's recall the OP's request:

I do not want to use anything that is complicated. I want to use the simplest thing I can. I am 80+ years young and do not want to get into anything where I get lost . Now you guys take it easy on me OK. (HAHA)

Clonezilla is a fine app, but it is not simple.

[bin]

I have used TS for backup of just my personal data for many years.

Really? Only for data, without the system? How did you manager that? For how many years?

....Because I don't care about the system. If it breaks I just reinstall. There have only been 2 occasions in the last 26 years where a system has gone south without my help. One was a drive failure and one I never found out. These days if I want to play 'what if?' I use a VM - a bit less messy.

[Petermint]

Ok, no system backup. What applications do you use? Anything Nvidia?

Depending on the system, one of the weird AMD CPUs or Nvidia anything or lots of rare but problem installs, Timeshift is useful. In my case, I have a number of special changes including getting the latest version of some applications. Timeshift is also limited to one profile which makes it hard to have multiple backups.

Backintime works the same as Timeshift with the defaults for your home directory, not the system. Backintime allows multiple profiles which means you can have multiple backups for the occasions when your dog chews your first backup and a barbecue sets fire to the garage where you store your off site backups. You have your third and fourth sets of backups in the bank plus at a friend's house (the friend without a barbecue). Backintime is the Timeshift for user data.

[Cosmo.]

I have used TS for backup of just my personal data for many years.

Really? Only for data, without the system? How did you manager that? For how many years?

....Because I don't care about the system. If it breaks I just reinstall. There have only been 2 occasions in the last 26 years where a system has gone south without my help. One was a drive failure and one I never found out. These days if I want to play 'what if?' I use a VM - a bit less messy.

My question was not, if you did it your way, but how you did that with Timeshift. And I asked you for how many years. By guarantee not for 26 years.

[bin]

Really? Only for data, without the system? How did you manager that? For how many years?

....Because I don't care about the system. If it breaks I just reinstall. There have only been 2 occasions in the last 26 years where a system has gone south without my help. One was a drive failure and one I never found out. These days if I want to play 'what if?' I use a VM - a bit less messy.

My question was not, if you did it your way, but how you did that with Timeshift. And I asked you for how many years. By guarantee not for 26 years.

Ah - my apologies, I misunderstood the question.
No - I've not been using TS that long, just that in all the time I've been using linux there have only been 2 occasions where a system backup might have been useful. I know, it's like seat belts in the car, the day you don't wear it you crash....but I have a well practised reinstall process which seems to suit me fine.
As to TS - I just use the RSYNC option, no schedule and my settings look like:-
https://imgur.com/aq4mXwC
https://imgur.com/MX23dC5
so I'm just pulling in what I want, when I want it.

As has been pointed out, TS is a bit space hungry, but I usually only keep 3 snapshots live. Speedwise I have no issues - USB3 to 500GB SSD. My total backup source is around 180-200 GB.

[Cosmo.]

Wow. The most complicated way to backup user data.
And actually the system gets backed up. Your construction does not work. (I reproduced it in a VM.)

[AndyMH]

Can't vouch for cosmo's comments on whether it works, but a really bad way to do it. You are trying to use timeshift for a purpose it was never intended for. Have a look at backintime (install from software manager). Designed to take snapshots of home and provide an easy route to restore individual files or folders or the whole lot.

[bjmh46]

Another vote for Clonezilla, or any reliable imaging software! I have been doing this since windows 95 and Ghost by Binary Research. (Ghost then fit on a floppy with room to spare!) I always keep my data on a separate partition, with Home and root on the same partition. I backup the boot partition weekly, and the entire drive monthly. Weekly backups take only about 2 minutes to write the image file.

This system has always made me confident when I want to experiment, knowing that if I end up with a trainwreck of a system, I can restore it in minutes. I've never used Timeshift, and it's one of the first things that I remove (along with flatpak). Love Clonezilla, and it just isn't that difficult to navigate if you just take your time til you get used to it. Been 100% Linux Mint XFCE since 2008.

Bob

[katman]

Thanks for your reply Bob.

[bin]

Wow. The most complicated way to backup user data.
And actually the system gets backed up. Your construction does not work. (I reproduced it in a VM.)

My files are backed up - therefore my construction does work - just maybe not in the way you like it.
BUT, yes I can see that other solutions may be more appropriate.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Wow. The most complicated way to backup user data.
And actually the system gets backed up. Your construction does not work. (I reproduced it in a VM.)

My files are backed up - therefore my construction does work - just maybe not in the way you like it.

Have you tested your backup to make sure you can recover from a disaster?

[Cosmo.]

And actually the system gets backed up. Your construction does not work. (I reproduced it in a VM.)

My files are backed up - therefore my construction does work - just maybe not in the way you like it.

It is totally out of interest, what I like.

I wrote, clearly to be reread above, that your construction to exclude the system from getting backed up does not work. I never wrote, that your data does not get backed up.

I also wrote, that I verified this in a VM, so this is not the result of some thinking, but proven.