Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering? TIA
Hi. Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch. Very best wishes, Mo. On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote:
I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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Yes, I already know very well about IFW. Unfortunately, as stated in the subject, this solution must be free of charge. The client hasn’t got a pot to spit in, let alone $50 for IFW.
On Jan 12, 2026, at 3:47 PM, Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch.
Very best wishes,
Mo.
On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote: I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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Hi, You could try Karen's Replicator, found here:- https://www.karenware.com/powertools/karens-replicator-backup-utility However, that is not strictly free for business use. All the best Steve -- Computer Room Services 77 Exeter Close, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4PW T: +44(0)1438-742286, M: +44(0)7956-334938 E: steve@comproom.co.uk, W: https://www.comproom.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 13 January 2026 12:30 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software Yes, I already know very well about IFW. Unfortunately, as stated in the subject, this solution must be free of charge. The client hasn’t got a pot to spit in, let alone $50 for IFW.
On Jan 12, 2026, at 3:47 PM, Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch.
Very best wishes,
Mo.
On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote: I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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hello dear please, could i backup windows image using this freeware program? and how about its accessibility specially in restoring image? and i think could use it to backup folders and files into external hard / flash disk. will be using it for personal not business. or kindly suggest better one. thanks On Tue, Jan 13, 2026 at 2:33 PM Steve Nutt via Blind-sysadmins < blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi, You could try Karen's Replicator, found here:-
https://www.karenware.com/powertools/karens-replicator-backup-utility However, that is not strictly free for business use. All the best
Steve
-- Computer Room Services 77 Exeter Close, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4PW T: +44(0)1438-742286, M: +44(0)7956-334938 E: steve@comproom.co.uk, W: https://www.comproom.co.uk
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins < blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 13 January 2026 12:30 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
Yes, I already know very well about IFW. Unfortunately, as stated in the subject, this solution must be free of charge. The client hasn’t got a pot to spit in, let alone $50 for IFW.
On Jan 12, 2026, at 3:47 PM, Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins < blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch.
Very best wishes,
Mo.
On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote: I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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Hi. You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator. Cheers, Mo. On 13/01/2026 12:30, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote:
Yes, I already know very well about IFW. Unfortunately, as stated in the subject, this solution must be free of charge. The client hasn’t got a pot to spit in, let alone $50 for IFW.
On Jan 12, 2026, at 3:47 PM, Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch.
Very best wishes,
Mo.
On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote: I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.)
All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.) _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
Can you not use something like Remote Incident Manager, to remote into their computers? All the best Steve -- Computer Room Services 77 Exeter Close, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4PW T: +44(0)1438-742286, M: +44(0)7956-334938 E: steve@comproom.co.uk, W: https://www.comproom.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.) _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
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It’s not free.
On Jan 14, 2026, at 9:42 AM, Steve Nutt via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Can you not use something like Remote Incident Manager, to remote into their computers? All the best
Steve
-- Computer Room Services 77 Exeter Close, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4PW T: +44(0)1438-742286, M: +44(0)7956-334938 E: steve@comproom.co.uk, W: https://www.comproom.co.uk
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote: You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.) _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
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Hi. I don't think I would trust the backup if you've not done it yourself. How do you know you are going to be able to restore that backup in the event of an issue? Are you going to try and talk the client into doing a clean install of Windows 10? Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.) _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
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Andrew, You make good points all around. Frankly, I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it. What I do know is, the client has nothing. They can’t save anything, they can’t do anything meaningful, they have out of date unpatched software, their web browser is a mess, they need something. I don’t know what that something is, but I feel duty bound to help them. I freely admit that I may be on a fools errand, but I can’t sit by and do nothing in good conscience. It’s a very common situation in the blind community. Some do-gooder shows up one day with a box of rocks, drops it on the clients table, and says “have fun!“ Totally ridiculous! But this is the situation in which so many visually impaired people find themselves. They get no training, they have no support, everyone thinks that they can open the box and figure it all out themselves. Some can, some can’t. Some do a half baked job and managed to get by, limping along on what they’ve been able to figure out om their own. But eventually, something goes wrong about which they know nothing and can figure nothing to do. This is the situation in which my client is. Ethically, morally, this is something with which I cannot just sit by and say “oh well, guess you have to put up with it.“ If I win the lottery, I will start a foundation to fix this. We need more equality in this area. Unfortunately, I am only one person and can’t fix everything for everyone, but I’ll probably die trying.
On Jan 14, 2026, at 10:14 AM, Andrew Hodgson via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
I don't think I would trust the backup if you've not done it yourself. How do you know you are going to be able to restore that backup in the event of an issue? Are you going to try and talk the client into doing a clean install of Windows 10?
Andrew.
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote: You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.) _______________________________________________ Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
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Hi Steve, I suspect your biggest problem may be getting remote access to the system to clean things up? (Or are you able to even visit in person?) The second will be to upgrade where possible. What version of Windows do they have at present? And what could their current hardware be upgraded to? Screen reader software, often an expensive item involving costly annual upgrades. Here, Windows's Narrator is getting increasingly good reviews and is free. Likewise NVDA, also free. When you say "they can't save anything.", can you expand? Do you mean how to save a Word file for example? What part of the country do they live in? Some, if not many, towns, have Societies for the V.I. with computer skills classes. George -----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 15:51 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software Andrew, You make good points all around. Frankly, I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it. What I do know is, the client has nothing. They can’t save anything, they can’t do anything meaningful, they have out of date unpatched software, their web browser is a mess, they need something. I don’t know what that something is, but I feel duty bound to help them. I freely admit that I may be on a fools errand, but I can’t sit by and do nothing in good conscience. It’s a very common situation in the blind community. Some do-gooder shows up one day with a box of rocks, drops it on the clients table, and says “have fun!“ Totally ridiculous! But this is the situation in which so many visually impaired people find themselves. They get no training, they have no support, everyone thinks that they can open the box and figure it all out themselves. Some can, some can’t. Some do a half baked job and managed to get by, limping along on what they’ve been able to figure out om their own. But eventually, something goes wrong about which they know nothing and can figure nothing to do. This is the situation in which my client is. Ethically, morally, this is something with which I cannot just sit by and say “oh well, guess you have to put up with it.“ If I win the lottery, I will start a foundation to fix this. We need more equality in this area. Unfortunately, I am only one person and can’t fix everything for everyone, but I’ll probably die trying.
On Jan 14, 2026, at 10:14 AM, Andrew Hodgson via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
I don't think I would trust the backup if you've not done it yourself. How do you know you are going to be able to restore that backup in the event of an issue? Are you going to try and talk the client into doing a clean install of Windows 10?
Andrew.
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote: You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator.
Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.)
Hi. You could use NVDA remote if you're looking for a FOC remote control solution. Very best wishes, Mo. On 14/01/2026 19:14, george--- via Blind-sysadmins wrote:
Hi Steve,
I suspect your biggest problem may be getting remote access to the system to clean things up? (Or are you able to even visit in person?)
The second will be to upgrade where possible. What version of Windows do they have at present? And what could their current hardware be upgraded to?
Screen reader software, often an expensive item involving costly annual upgrades. Here, Windows's Narrator is getting increasingly good reviews and is free. Likewise NVDA, also free.
When you say "they can't save anything.", can you expand? Do you mean how to save a Word file for example?
What part of the country do they live in? Some, if not many, towns, have Societies for the V.I. with computer skills classes.
George
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 15:51 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
Andrew,
You make good points all around. Frankly, I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it. What I do know is, the client has nothing. They can’t save anything, they can’t do anything meaningful, they have out of date unpatched software, their web browser is a mess, they need something. I don’t know what that something is, but I feel duty bound to help them. I freely admit that I may be on a fools errand, but I can’t sit by and do nothing in good conscience. It’s a very common situation in the blind community. Some do-gooder shows up one day with a box of rocks, drops it on the clients table, and says “have fun!“ Totally ridiculous! But this is the situation in which so many visually impaired people find themselves. They get no training, they have no support, everyone thinks that they can open the box and figure it all out themselves. Some can, some can’t. Some do a half baked job and managed to get by, limping along on what they’ve been able to figure out om their own. But eventually, something goes wrong about which they know nothing and can figure nothing to do. This is the situation in which my client is. Ethically, morally, this is something with which I cannot just sit by and say “oh well, guess you have to put up with it.“ If I win the lottery, I will start a foundation to fix this. We need more equality in this area. Unfortunately, I am only one person and can’t fix everything for everyone, but I’ll probably die trying.
On Jan 14, 2026, at 10:14 AM, Andrew Hodgson via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
I don't think I would trust the backup if you've not done it yourself. How do you know you are going to be able to restore that backup in the event of an issue? Are you going to try and talk the client into doing a clean install of Windows 10?
Andrew.
-----Original Message----- From: Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> Sent: 14 January 2026 14:40 To: blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org Cc: Steve Matzura <sm@noisynotes.com> Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] Re: Accessible and FREE Windows 10/11 Backup Software
All your solutions are good, people, except I will never have access to the system, as the client knows less than nothing about anything about this stuff. Therefore, I cannot have a solution that requires on-site access. Of course, somehow, I am going to have to get the client a CD or DVD that they can boot in order to restore anything, but most of this will require doing it remotely. I have settled on a package called RESTIC. For restoring, I am going to prepare the suitable removable medium and send it to the client. They can handle that much.
On Jan 13, 2026, at 8:50 AM, Jason J.G. White via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins <blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote: You could try using windows built in backup solution. if you go to control panel and go to backup and restore (windows 7), this should allow you to image the drive fully and then you can restore from a windows 10 pen drive using narrator. Another option would be to use Clonezilla. Years have elapsed since I last tried it, but as I recall it was fully screen reader-accessible after booting a GRML image. (GRML is a Debian-based Linux distribution customized for system administration tasks.)
Blind-sysadmins mailing list -- blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org To unsubscribe send an email to blind-sysadmins-leave@lists.hodgsonfamily.org
Perhaps a Linux bootable drive running brltty for accessibility and using dd to make the drive image. On Tue, Jan 13, 2026 at 6:30 AM Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins < blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Yes, I already know very well about IFW. Unfortunately, as stated in the subject, this solution must be free of charge. The client hasn’t got a pot to spit in, let alone $50 for IFW.
On Jan 12, 2026, at 3:47 PM, Mobeen Iqbal via Blind-sysadmins < blind-sysadmins@lists.hodgsonfamily.org> wrote:
Hi.
Image for windows is fully accessible both as installed app and from their recovery environment as it's possible to enable narrator when you create the bootable image. It's not free, but is fairly low cost. If you're a linux user, you could do worse than Clone Zilla which is also accessible if you install within debian/ubuntu, or use talking arch.
Very best wishes,
Mo.
On 12/01/2026 20:36, Steve Matzura via Blind-sysadmins wrote: I have acquired a client who (1) is not a native English speaker, (2) has no computer training whatsoever, not to mention the money to afford a quality trainer, (3) has been shafted by many who wanted to be her trainer but didn't know how to teach an ESL person and explain things, and (4) weren't truly equipped for the job in the first place. The client knows me very well, has gotten proper references, etc., and has placed her system in my hands. Her system is an abysmal mess. While the operating system--Windows 10--is as up-to-date as its ever going to get, she's running on an overloaded Outlook Express for email, and a broken Microsoft Office 2003 ... yes, you read that right ... for everything else. OE has now stopped working, and we think it's because she never deletes anything. Word has stopped being able to save things to the standard default Documents folder, throwing an error about permissions. I looked into this, and nothing looks wrong. What I propose for her is: (1) make an image backup, (2) provide an accessible way to restore it in case steps 3 and beyond go horribly wrong, (3) completely re-install Windows 10, (4) replace all the Microsoft products with OpenOffice/Libre Office, or something like it, and (5) dump OE and replace it with Thunderbird. My questions are: [1] What's a viable and accessible free backup solution, and [2] what's the best option for an accessible bootable CD or DVD for recovering?
TIA
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participants (8)
-
Andrew Hodgson -
george＠techno-vision.co.uk -
Ibraam Wahib -
Jason J.G. White -
Mobeen Iqbal -
Samuel Barnes -
Steve Matzura -
Steve Nutt