Pack and Go, Why bother?

[Josebr]

Sometimes when exiting Imatch, the program asks me if I wish to back it up. Which is actually Pack and Go. I have been doing Pack and Go cause I thought it was a backup and the way to backup Imatch. But looking through this forum yesterday I find that it is not the recommended way to backup Imatch. I have been keeping these Pack and Go files for a while now. I keep the last 5 or so before deleting the oldest one. But if it's not to be used for backup purposes as the program implies, then why am I doing it at all?

I do use Macrium Reflect to daily back up my computer. But if your recommendation is to use my daily backup program as an Imatch backup then I will discontinue using Pack and Go when the program asks me to. But why does Imatch even bother to tell us to back up periodically (using Pack and Go) if that is not the recommended way to backup? Most users are led to believe, due to the program's wording that it is a backup.

I believe in redundantcy, so I will henceforth backup the actual Imatch database file into my multiple external hard drives on a daily basis instead of using Pack and Go when prompted by the program. You may wish to re-word the Pack and Go prompting when one exists Imatch. One can easily believe that is The backup.

[Mario]

Pack & Go is a tool designed to allows users who use IMatch on multiple computers to easily transfer their databases, settings, custom presets and other relevant files between computers. Hence the name.

Near the top of the Pack & Go help topic, I make it very clear what Pack & Go is not:

Pack & Go is no replacement for regular (daily!) backups created with a real backup software.

If you have no daily backup routine in place - you definitely should! Your hard disk / SSD may die at any time, or a virus wipes your disk or encrypts all files! The only help in that case is a working and current backup of all your disks.

I have made IMatch prompting users to run Pack & Go occasionally after learning that many users don't do any backups at all!
Every week I get emails from users asking me to re-send their customer portal credentials because their PC or disk died and they have no backup of anything...So I thought, "Pack & Go is better than nothing".

If you do real backups with Macrium and you don't use IMatch on multiple computers, there is no need for you to use Pack & Go at all. If the prompt bothers you, disable it under Edit > Preferences > Application. Search for backup on that page.

[rolandgifford]

If you do real backups with Macrium and you don't use IMatch on multiple computers, there is no need for you to use Pack & Go at all. If the prompt bothers you, disable it under Edit > Preferences > Application. Search for backup on that page.

I do real backups but occasionally use Pack & Go as well.

Sometimes (I'm transferring a large number of images to IMatch at the moment) I will make significant changes to a large number of images at the same time. Allocating labels, setting bookmarks, setting GPS values, and so on. Multi step filtering to select a large number of images, set a value for those then select a sub-set for another value and so on. There is a risk that I will do one of these and get it wrong so I do a Pack & Go "backup" before I start so that I can easily go back to a lets start again stage.

Possibly another Pack & Go after the global changes so that I can revert to the stage before I did any fine tuning. I only keep one Pack & Go backup file.

[Mario]

You can also just close IMatch, select the database in Windows Explorer and do a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V to make a copy of the database. Should be quicker than Pack & Go, since copying and packing and verifying all the other files in the package takes longer than copying the database.

[rolandgifford]

You can also just close IMatch, select the database in Windows Explorer and do a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V to make a copy of the database. Should be quicker than Pack & Go, since copying and packing and verifying all the other files in the package takes longer than copying the database.

I could and it would be quicker but my head is more comfortable with a matched set including the other settings. I've never had to use one of these "backups", it is just a comfort factor which only costs 5 minutes.

[Mario]

I've never had to use one of these "backups", it is just a comfort factor which only costs 5 minutes.

I've never lost a file since I do regular backups (for a loooooong time).
Having up-to-date (and verified!) backups is always a good idea and insurance. Don't forget to test your backups frequently. Only a verified backup is a useful backup.