MiniTool ShadowMaker Pro review: Fast image and file backup

MiniTool ShadowMaker makes backups quick and easy. Version 1.0 was a gem of a gift, and version 2.0 is even more. However, with a version of Pro 2.0 Pay that is now in the game, the verification criteria become a bit stricter and there have been a few minor issues.

MiniTool ShadowMaker 2.0 is a 76 MB download and installs relatively cleanly, so only one process runs in the background. It is unclear why the company uses its own schedule when Windows provides its own highly competent task scheduler. It’s an almost universal practice with backup software and we don’t know why. ShadowMaker also creates bootable media in Windows PE format.

The ShadowMaker interface is well designed in Windows 10 style. Functionally, it is the tabbed dialog box that is popular for step-by-step tasks, and is exceptionally logical and simple. That said, there are quirks. For example, the progress of a backup is not shown on the home page, but on the restore page. We understand that you want to see it someday, but not before it’s really finished.

MiniTool ShadowMaker backs up entire partitions, can clone entire disks, and is new in version 2.0 – backs up individual files and folders. Most users, at least the less technical types, would do better to secure everything. It is an intimidating experience to restore a backup and realize that what you really wanted to recover is missing. For those who really know what they are doing, saving only the important data saves them a lot of time and space.

The free version of ShadowMaker performs incremental backups that save all changes since your last backup. The program also automatically deletes old backup sets, that is H. Full and incremental parts of a previous backup to make room for the latest backups when space is insufficient.

Other features include variable compression; Email notifications and notifications; the option of insuring only the sectors used or all; Turn off the computer after the backup; and password protection.

As already mentioned, there are also bootable media with a full recovery function. If you only need to restore certain files, MiniTool ShadowMaker will mount the image as a virtual disk so you can browse and copy it.