MiniTool ShadowMaker Review (Free Version)

Installing ShadowMaker

One of the first things which surprised me with ShadowMaker was how quick and easy it was to install! Generally most home software these days is straightforward to install but MiniTool really have gotten this down to just a few seconds and a few clicks on the installer before having the application up and ready to use, a brilliant start!

Once the application is running the available tools are all easily accessible via a toolbar at the top of the application, the first backup set can be created by simply clicking on the green “SET UP BACKUP” button in the middle of the screen.

Making Backups within ShadowMaker

When configuring the backup the application offers an initial choice of performing an image backup of the entire system (or partition) or alternatively a file and folder level backup. Disappointingly however, it would appear in the Free version we only have the option to have one active backup set at a time meaning a daily file backup coupled with a weekly image backup isn’t possible in this version.

Having chosen the file level backup the next task is to specify which files and folders are to be included. ShadowMaker features its own, bespoke file and folder selection tool which feels a little bit unusual to use at first but actually makes selecting the necessary files easy thanks to the commonly used shortcuts on the left hand side.

Once the necessary file have been selected for backup we will see the backup set ready to run on the main Backup tab, from the Options button just below we can set access some more advanced settings for our new backup set.

In the options screen we have some useful options available including the ability to set basic compression and encryption options and to have the software automatically verify backups for us as they finish.

It is nice to see the compression options available in the free version of this software although the controls over both are lacking meaning if you want more options over the encryption algorithm used for example you would need to upgrade to the ShadowMaker Pro version.

In the case of image backups we also have some other useful options including the ability to include only used sectors making the backup quicker and more space efficient as well as the option to split up one image into multiple files for storage on flash drives, DVD’s etc.

Finally ShadowMaker Free helpfully allows for email reports to be sent on completed backups, this does however rely on having access to SMTP credentials which must be entered into the application directly.

The Backup tab also hosts the button used to enter the scheduling screen where we can specify how frequently our backup should run. The scheduling tool is very easy to use however unfortunately the most frequent interval is hourly meaning this software is potentially not suitable for some use cases!

Whilst not available in the Free version it is worth noting the Pro version of ShadowMaker offers event based backup (e.g. trigger the backup when logging in) as well as the option of backing up via the command line allowing potentially unlimited backup schedules to be considered.

Restoring Data within ShadowMaker

Restoring with ShadowMaker is a reliability simple process which begins on the Restore tab found on the top menu within the application.

Once selected the software will ask for the date / time of the backup to be selected and then the option to browse and select the necessary files will be given.

Once files have been selected a target must be selected for the files to be restored to. There doesn’t appear to be a quick option to restore to the original location and overwrite (unless this location is specified manually) but I always prefer to restore to another location so this isn’t an issue for me.

Other Features of ShadowMaker

In addition to the fundamental backup and restore properties ShadowMaker includes several other useful features which are great to see in a free application.

Firstly the folder synchronisation tool is a very useful addition which allows for two separate folders, potentially over a network to be kept in sync with each other.

Disk cloning is also great to see here meaning should you ever upgrade your PCs hard drive your PCs hard drive ShadowMaker can automatically clone your system and configure the new drive ready for use.

There is also an excellent recovery media console which allows for a WinPE based recovery disk / flash drive to be built and booted from in the event your PC wont boot normally for whatever reason. Be aware to make use of this recovery media you must have an image backup completed first!