EaseUS ToDo Backup Review

In this section of this EaseUS ToDo Backup review I will be looking at this highly functional piece of backup software in more detail, this includes assessing how well it performs in basic backup tasks as well as looking at some of the many additional functions including the Smart backup functionality and the file recovery options. This starts off with the installation process and then moves on to making a file backup, restoring files, making use of the full system image backups and then, finally, looking at some of the other tools and features included in EaseUS ToDo Backup.

Different Versions Available

There are several different versions of EaseUS ToDo Backup, these include a free to use version, a cloud subscription version (with optional cloud storage included) and a perpetual version with the ability to upgrade to having free lifetime upgrades!

As of time of writing, the full range of EaseUS ToDo Backup options includes:

• EaseUS ToDo Backup Free: The free version of ToDo Backup has access to a good amount of the core functionality usually found in the fully functional Home version, this includes the ability to make both file level and system image backups as well as conserve disk space thanks to use of the full, incremental and differential backup schemes on offer. The free version also allows full use of 3rd party cloud storage providers including Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive.
• EaseUS ToDo Home (Subscription): The full version of ToDo Home Backup builds upon the solid free version to make for a fully functional backup application. One of the first and most notable additions includes the ability to make use of the Smart backup tool, a special tool which is ideal for getting a full backup set working in little time and with very little fuss. Alongside this, several other useful tools are available which include the ability to clone single disks or an entire system to a new PC (via the universal restore component).
• EaseUS ToDo Home (Perpetual): The perpetual licence version of ToDo Backup is functionally the same as the subscription version mentioned above, the main difference being that the cloud storage provided by EaseUS (for an additional fee) cannot be included here (although 3rd party providers including Dropbox can still be used). This version can be purchased as a perpetual licence with lifetime free upgrades for just a single $59 payment!
• EaseUS ToDo Home (for Mac): A separate version of Ease ToDo Backup Home is also available for Apple MacOS users, this is priced at $39.95 / year.

You can download the free version of EaseUS ToDo Backup by clicking here or, alternatively, take advantage of a full 30 day free trial of EaseUS ToDo Backup Home.

Installing ToDo Backup

The Installation of EaseUS ToDo Backup begins at the EaseUS website, from here both the free to use and fully featured Home version of the software can be downloaded. At a reasonable 1.89MB in size, the Home version installer can be downloaded and set running very quickly, it did however, in my case download another 119MB of data during the install process itself!

Once this additional data has been downloaded, the installation takes only a final few moments before the software itself is then ready to be used. Overall, a very easy installation process slowed down only by the necessity to download an additional 119MB of data partway through.

* For the remainder of this review I will be focusing on the Home version of EaseUS ToDo Backup, I will however, look at some of the differences between the free and Home versions later on in the review!

Setting-up a New File Backup

Despite being a fully functional backup application with many backup related features, one of the core tasks required of such software is the setting up of a simple and easy to use file level backup, a task which begins via the “File Backup” button on the main (left side) application menu:

Once In the file backup configuration screen it becomes clear straight away that EaseUS have made the process of getting an initial backup running really easy, this begins by simply selecting the files to be backed-up using the file-picker in the top pane and then (ideally) giving the backup set a more memorable name a little further down:

The next step in configuring the backup, before going on to look at scheduling and advanced options such as encryption, is to select the destination upon which the backed-up data will be saved to. ToDo Backup has options for storing data on a locally attached external hard drive, a network or shared drive (NAS system) or in one of several supported cloud drives including Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.

* In this section I will use locally attached storage for this backup, I will look at making use of the EaseUS cloud set-up later on in this review.

With the storage target now selected, we can next look at (optionally) setting a schedule for the backup set to run upon, this begins in the dedicated scheduling pop-up screen which is accessed via the scheduling link towards the bottom of the main set-up screen:

As can be seen above, we can easily set ToDo Backup to run on a fixed schedule (every day, week or month), continuously on a fixed interval (e.g. every hour) or upon a special event triggering (such as a Windows user logging on or off amongst several others). We can also specify the backup method to be used from this same screen with full, incremental and differential backup scheme options all available and easy to apply by simply selecting the relevant choice form the drop-down box:

Moving on and via the “Backup options” button towards the bottom of the screen we can set some of the many advanced settings available within ToDo backup. This starts off with the “Space” tab where we can (optionally) split backup files into 650MB or 700MB segments for easy writing to data CDs and then on to the “Encryption” tab where full AES 256-bit encryption can be applied to the backup set.

* Note that use of secure AES 256-bit encryption is widely considered one of the best ways to protect you valuable data whilst it is being backed up, even if your device used for backup is lost or stolen (e.g. an external hard drive) then thanks to secure encryption your data will still remain highly secure!

Moving down through the advanced settings and we can also set performance settings (such as limiting the network bandwidth being used by the backup set) as well as setting up SMTP settings in order to be able to receive email alerts and backup reports.

Finally, under the advanced settings screen, we can also (optionally) send a secondary copy of the backup to an FTP server, set a filter to automatically exclude certain files, folders and specified file-types from the backup and preserve Windows file security settings when applicable to do so.

Moving on and the final setting to deal with before running our new backup set is the “Image Reverse Strategy” which can be accessed by a link towards the bottom of the configuration screen, this a pop-up window which allows us to specify how older versions of the backup are kept and for how long.

As can be seen above, this screen allows us to specify how long older versions of the backup files are to be kept on the target storage, a system which will, in-turn, also mean we can control the number of historic versions of any changed or deleted files and specify how long they are to be kept as a part of the backup. Sadly, due to the way this screen is configured, we will need to do a little bit of calculating here as to how often our backup runs in order to ensure we save enough historic versions for our own needs (e.g. if we run 3x backups per day then a minimum of 90 backups are needed to be kept to have 1 full month of historic versions available).

* Whilst this feature can help us control the number of historic versions of files which are kept available, an easy to use control just for this task would have been a nice addition here for a less experienced user (e.g. keep all historic versions for x days).

With everything now configured we can run the backup manually straight away or simply save the set and allow the scheduling engine to pick it up in due course.

Making use of Cloud Backups

In the last section I covered the process of making a file-level backup within ToDo Backup and saving the data to a locally attached hard drive. In this section I will look at modifying this backup set to make use of one of the popular 3^rd party cloud storage providers supported by EaseUS, in this case Dropbox.

As can be seen above, this process begins in the backup set configuration screen where we can make use of the backup destination screen to register a new cloud storage service to the EaseUS install. With this option selected, the next screen will ask us to choose the exact cloud storage service we want to configure (as can be seen below), in this example I will be making use of the Dropbox service.

Depending upon which cloud storage service you might choose, there will be an authentication process in order to authorise the backup software to connect to and make use of the cloud storage account. Making use of Dropbox myself simply required being re-directed to the Dropbox website, logging-in to the service and then finally clicking to confirm that the EaseUS software is able to save data to the account.

* Note that for this cloud storage service to become available within any version of ToDo Backup (including the free version), a free to register EaseUS account must be used (and logged-into through the current ToDo Backup install).

With the Dropbox account now linked to this instance of ToDo Backup, re-configuring the backup set to make use of it is as simple as opening up the backup destination screen to browse to the relevant folder on the Dropbox drive which is to be used:

With this destination now set, the file level backup will now backup to the Dropbox account. Additionally, with this cloud account now set-up and integrated into the current install, it can now also be selected for use with any other backup sets which might be configured in the future.

Full System Image Backups

At this stage in this EaseUS ToDo Backup review, we have looked at making use of the file level backup, this has been done with both locally attached storage and then, later on, modifying the set to make use of a 3^rd party cloud storage service. In this section I will be looking at making a full system image backup, an option useful for ensuring that all user data in addition to the operating system and all installed applications are safely backed-up.

Creating a full system image backup begins on the main app menu where we find the “Disk/Partition Backup entry” (as can be seen above), this opens up a new backup wizard-style screen where we can add any disks which make up the underlying Windows system to the backup set (disks which must be manually chosen at this stage).

As can be seen above, once we have added any disks and partitions which make up the Windows system, we can go on to configure other elements of the backup set. This configuration includes setting up of encryption, compression, an automatic schedule, the historic retention period for modified and deleted files and finally, a storage location for saving the backup. These settings all working in the same way as they did when I configured the file-level backup earlier on (so please refer to that section of the review for more details on each setting).

Moving on and at this point the new image level backup set will be ready to run and will appear in the main homepage of the app next to the file level backup set made earlier on. The backup can be run manually as and when required or simply left for the scheduling system to take over when applicable.

Thanks to the backup configuration screen integrated into EaseUS ToDo Backup, the creation of an image based backup is very similar to that of a file level backup set (with most of the settings such as encryption and scheduling applied in much the same way across the two). What this means is that the only additional thing to really consider when setting up an image level backup is what disks and partitions to include.

* In my opinion at least, this is a good approach to take regarding backup configuring versus some other providers which have completely different configuration screens / wizards for the two different styles of backup!

Using ToDo Smart Backup

Before moving on to look at the restore functionality within ToDo Backup, I want to point out another backup type which is really easy to use and can help in getting a system backed-up very quickly and with ease, this is the Smart backup!

As can be seen above, the Smart backup requires we simply select what files we want to backup (e.g. the Windows “My Documents” folder) and then a location to save the backup data to (this could be locally or in a pre-configured cloud storage drive, as was looked at earlier on). With both of these options set, simply clicking on “Save” will save the backup and set it running right away!

Once configured and saved, the Smart backup will automatically check for any changes within the files it is protecting every 30 minutes and automatically back said changes up when they are discovered.

* Whilst the Smart backup type is indeed useful and will manage many of the backup settings automatically by itself, it should be noted that historic file versions are effectively limited to a maximum historic file versioning period of just 15 days when using this plan.

Overall, Smart backup is a very nice feature and ideal for anyone wanting to get a backup in place quickly and with the minimal of effort (although I would still suggest taking the time to learn more about the app in due course and take advantage of the many advanced settings which are available).

Restoring Files

With both the file and image based backups now configured, we can begin looking a the process of restoring data using EaseUS ToDo Backup, a process which begins by navigating to the selected backup set in the main app homepage and then using the “Restore” button (as is pointed out below).

If a password has been set for the backup set being recovered from then this must be entered first, once at the main recovery screen (as can be seen below) the first thing to do is navigate to and select the files to be recovered using the file picking tool:

With any files selected, the next task is to (optionally) select the correct historic version to recover, this can be done using the historic version selection drop-down menu as can be seen below:

Finally, before setting the restore process going, the location to restore the files to can be selected (with a check box to easily specify that the original location is used when necessary). We can also specify that any existing files are optionally overwritten using this same section towards the bottom of the recovery screen.

At this point, after clicking on “Proceed”, the restore operation will commence and can be monitored using the same pop-up box in which it was initiated from, ToDo Backup also gives us the option to reboot or shut down to device once the restore has completed, especially useful when making use of large restore operations.

And with this, the recovered files will be available in the selected destination once the recovery process has finished running, be aware that recovering large amounts of files from any of the cloud storage providers might be a slow process depending upon the speed of your internet connection!

Other Tools & Features

With the core backup and recovery tasks now covered, there are still a lot of additional features within the software which can help in the running and maintenance of a Windows PC, I have listed some of these more notable functionalities below:

System Clone – The System Clone tool allows any disks or partitions which make up a Windows system to be cloned onto a new disk, a process which can also optimise for copying over to SSD drives when applicable.

Emergency Disk – The Emergency Disk tool allows the making of a bootable recovery media which can be used in the event a PC doesn’t boot up (this could be for many reasons, from a malware issue through to a failed hard drive and so on).

As can be seen above, the boot disk building tool found within EaseUS ToDo Backup is very comprehensive and allows the choice of either a Windows (WinPE) or Linux system to function as the base of the recovery disk (alongside the option to add-in specific driver files as and when needed). Finally, the tool is very flexible in that it also allows the recovery media to be written to a CD/DVD, a USB mass storage device or simply written to an ISO file and saved on the system for use at a later date.

Mount/Unmount – The Mount/Unmount tool allows the contents of a backup image to be mounted as a drive within Windows (with a drive letter), this means the backed-up content within can be browsed through using the Windows Explorer tool and files optionally recovered by simply dragging and dropping them over to the running system.

EaseUS ToDo Free vs Paid

EaseUS ToDO Backup is available in both a free to use version as well as a paid-for “Home” version with more features and functionalities for both Windows and MacOS users alike. In this section of this review I will be pointing out some of the notable additional features available in this paid for “Home” version of the tool:

• Smart Backup – The Smart backup tool which makes configuring a backup set quick and easy is only available in the Home version of ToDo Backup. It should be noted however, that this is the only main backup-related tool missing form the very functional free version!
• Disk Cloning / System Clone – The disk and system cloning tools are only available in the Home version of ToDo Backup. It should be noted, however, that the system image backup functionality is available in the ToDo Backup Free edition meaning some imaging related functionality is still available.
• Outlook Backup – The specialist Microsoft Outlook backup tools are only available in the Home version of ToDo Backup.
• File Exclusions – The file exclusion tool allows selected files, folders and file types (for example ISO files) to be automatically excluded form a backup set, as with the proceeding points this functionality is only available in the Home version of the software.

This above list is not exhaustive, but instead an example of a selection of the tools which are available (or enhanced) when upgrading from the free version to the full Home version of EaseUS ToDo Backup. For a full list of differences between the free and Home version please use this link to visit the relevant page in the EaseUS knowledge base.