Free File Backup Software Help? (Details Inside)?

Question

Okay, so yesterday I got WD's My Passport 1TB Portable Hard Drive. It comes with a file backup software called "Smartware"

The program worked flawlessly on my laptop. However...I'm having major issues with my PC, which has been severely messed up for months. And it was the real reason I bought My Passport to begin with.

First of all, My PC is extremely slow. I've used Avast, Malwarebytes, and CCleaner on it and while malwarebytes detected and removed a lot of issues, it's still messed up.

CCleaner helped at first, but...I think the registry cleaner actually messed it up pretty bad...I made a backup of the registry...But all I get is errors when I try to restore it.

Device Manager doesn't work anymore either.

I have to Use Defraggler to defragment and File Shredder to delete files and programs because I can't do either normally.

So, I want to backup all my files and reformat. The past 6 years of my digital life is on this thing and I NEED TO BACK IT UP.

I also have lots of private projects on it as well, so I don't trust it with a Technician (Not to mention, All the computer Tech's around here only have two solutions for EVERYTHING: Reformat or New Parts)

ANYWAYS. The SmartWare software will install, but not run on my PC. So...I can't backup the files. I even updated it and it still didn't work. (I have no internet on the PC so I have to transfer via My Passport)

Most programs that aren't a part of the OS work fine though, despite being slow to initialize.

I know I can drag and drop files, but there's soo much stuff that there is no way I'd get it all.

So basically, I need either a fix to Smartware, or a free program that saves ALL your files to the Portable HDD. Also...I don't want to make an image of the HDD, I just want the files...If I make an image, then all the problems will still be there when i Install it...

Anyways, I'd be eternally grateful to anyone who could help.

Intel Core 2 Quad CPU
4GB RAM
GeForce Graphics Card...can't remember specific model...

Sorry, that's all I got. Like I said, most things that involve looking into the system Freeze or give errors.

Keep in mind, the main goal is to rescue my files. Because after that (Not before) I'm reformatting the f*cker.

Answer 1

use EaseUs home backup, its free, then when backup is complete, reinstall computer, maybe you got a virus or some malware.

Answer 2

For all you know your drive might be failing - you need to get your data off there ASAP.



Here is what I recommend:



1.) Disconnect the drive and stop using it.

2.) Using another computer (with a healthy OS), make a disk image of your drive using EaseUS Todo Free or similar freeware.

3.) Extract the files FROM the disk image, using EaseUS Todo.



You could also try installing EaseUS Todo directly onto your PC's drive, but you run the risk of it not working. By using another computer you are ensuring 100% that the backup will work.



This is typically what they do in the data recovery industry. Image the drive...then attempt recovery.



I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Agree with what Geoff says. Wonderful piece of advice. You could also use Google Drive if you aren't really sure about the disk image.

Answer 4

just do a repair install it will not touch files outside the operating system