Tri-BACKUP - 5.2.3

I have been using various backup software over the years and had some unexplainable behaviour and disasters with a couple of programs. This was not down to operator error but flakey applications. I work in music production and have to look after backups on a daily basis. That includes big project folders over various drives and huge amounts of data - hundreds of GB on a normal album session.

The only software that has not let me down ever is Tri-Backup. It is not a widespread program and the developer is small. However, I have converted many people over the years and never heard of any horror stories. One of the users on this website commented about a lack of communication from the developer. I have had a support request once which was followed up the next day and fixed my problem.

Some people complain about Tri-Backup being too complicated. This is not true. Whilst it is not as straightforward as SuperDuper or Silverkeeper it is a lot more advanced than those applications and has features that are quite remarkable considering the price. Also, there are a lot of hints built into the main interface so getting started should not be a problem. However, when you work on big projects with lots of backups going on several times per day over several sets of hard drives etc you will come to appreciate Tri-Backups reliability and customization.

I have used SuperDuper and it seems very reliable and has a great user interface. I would say that SuperDuper will be the program for you if you are a home user in need of bootable safety copies etc. Since it is half the price of the regular version of Tr-Backup it makes sense to go for SuperDuper. However, if you need the functionality and customization that Tri-Backup offers you will be hard pushed to find a better piece of software for the price.

All of this is true for the standard version. There is a pro version for $35 more which offers some advanced functionality which you may never need. This is a nice touch by the developer as it reduces the price for many users without being a restricted cut-down type software.

Like others here, I shan't upgrade to version 5.0.2 for so much money. I currently run 4.0.4 and have used the product almost since the) company existed, on successive Macs, both desktop and my daughter's lap-top.
Problems? Never. Life-saving recoveries? A couple. Ugly interface? It doesn't matter, it's clear and the application does the job it promises, currently on an eMac running X 10.4.11. No upgrade to Leopard, since for me Apple itself has gone down the drain in many ways -- rip-off prices, changes in company policy and outlook over the decades, iPods everywhere in Paris, where I live and the worst customer service of any US outfit I know, particularly in Europe.
The TED people operate out of a little French town and are among the most friendly, helpful, fast and technically competent developers on my list. Yes, I shall tell them, like you are, this costs too much, they've blown it -- and they'll listen, always have.
Just don't slate them for lack of support. They're not Intego (Franco-US now), still small, do need to speak English for sure, which some can, and true, I have the advantage of being able to call them and deal with them in their own language.
But I get fed up when irate people on this site moan without trying, and I'm aware that much US customer service remains far better than Apple's. That's my two cents' worth.

First they take absolutely forever for an update and people who need to backup pay for another product, then when they finally have an update, they slap all of their customers in the face by charging $70.00 for buggy software that is still barely beta. The way it crashed, alpha is more like it.
Use ChronoSync, Carbon Copy Cloner, or Time Machine.
You won't be sorry.
This company will not be around much longer with the way they absolutely rape their customers!

I own version 4.0.4 and have basically left it unused since Leopard, waiting for an update. During this long wait, I've changed my strategy to using Time Machine and SuperDuper (TM/SD) as a backup duo. SD for bootable external drive (weekly schedule) and TM for hourly backups (which works quite well - I've even performed full restores on two Macs).

However, having seen this page (a new version), I fired up Tri-Backup and it immediately told me there was an update. When I went to the download site, the note there indicated that this was a beta! I don't know whether it really is or not, considering I don't see that mentioned here (unless I overlooked something).

The previous poster mentions $69 for the upgrade - so I checked around their web site and found a statement that major upgrades (e.g. 2 to 3) requires a new purchase.

Oh well, I'll skip the $69; I'm pleased with the TM/SD combination. Besides, while Tri-Backup worked well for me in the past, its interface took me quite some time to understand, when I first got it several years ago. I don't know whether it has improved or not. For anyone interested in buying it for the first time, I'd suggest you try the trial version first.

Hello,

It seems that one of our users has found a solution for the crashes that can occur with Tri-BACKUP 4 on Mac Intel, when Leopard has been installed.

You must delete all programmed actions, then recreate them (with same settings).
You should make a copy of settings before modification (programmed actions are saved in a file named "Tri-BACKUP4.config").

Thierry Rolland